Civics Lesson: Climate Action Plan

Suggestions

• The Investigate and Inspire sections can be completed in subsequent lessons. Additionally, the Inquire section could be extended into one class period for more discussion time.

• The Climate Action Plan project is interdisciplinary in nature and can be initiated within any middle or high school classroom.

• This lesson can also be used in high school student action, global citizenship or community partnership programs, student-run clubs, or after school enrichment programs.

• This Climate Action Plan provides project-based, collaborative, and service learning opportunities.

• This lesson empowers students to act locally by designing and implementing a real-life project to reduce carbon pollution at their school or within their community.

• The lesson provides opportunities for brainstorming, small group work, and team-building activities that highlight the importance of diverse voices, social justice issues, and community.

• Teachers using this plan as a year-long implementation project should teach this lesson early in the school year.

Prerequisites

• Students complete the Student Climate Attitude Survey prior to beginning this lesson and again after the lesson.

• Students should have a basic understanding of what climate change is and why it is happening.

• Teacher can review the following project-based learning resources:

  • Teaching About Climate Change with Project-Based Learning
  • Increasing Student Outcomes with PBL
  • What the Heck Is Service Learning?

• Communication among other teachers, administrators, parents, and community members is encouraged to generate support for student-led climate action implementation.

Differentiation

• Teachers can adapt the steps of this project to students’ interests, needs, and abilities. Students who need more support can work in small groups with greater teacher guidance.

• Students can establish or connect with a student-led green team or eco-club to promote more sustainability initiatives within their school and community. For more ideas, check out How to Form a Green Team.

• Students are encouraged to become climate action ambassadors on a larger scale by joining climate leadership programs such as the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, Schools for Climate Action, and Climate Students Movement.

• Students can explore how social justice and environmental justice are intrinsically interconnected. 

• Students can explore other Climate Action Projects using The Wild Center's CAP design process.
  

By learning about eco-anxiety, students can feel more comfortable putting forth practical solutions to address climate-related problems in their schools, local communities, and society at large. This lesson has passed our science review process.

Primary Standards

• College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
  • Dimension 4: Taking Informed Action
    • D4.7.9-12 Assess options for individual and collective action to address local, regional, and global problems by engaging in self-reflection, strategy identification, and complex causal reasoning.
    • D4.8.9-12 Apply a range of deliberative and democratic strategies and procedures to make decisions and take action in their classrooms, schools, and out-of-school civic contexts.
• Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
  • Speaking & Listening (K-12)
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.