Breck currently teaches social studies and Spanish at Lake Oswego High School. Her passion for Oregon and climate education has engaged her in initiatives locally and across the state. She collaborates with student groups as well as adult partners, such as Oregon Educators for Climate Education, Oregon Green Schools, her district Sustainability Advisory Board, the Lake Oswego Sustainability Network, Oswego Lake Watershed Council, and Eastern Oregon Climate Change Coalition. She enjoys her family’s veggie garden and long walks with their dog on local trails.
In this lesson, students explore whether ecocide should be considered a crime, as proposed in international law.
Step 1 - Inquire: Students respond to photos and facts about the environmental impact of the destruction of a dam in wartime Ukraine, and are introduced to the concept of ecocide.
Step 2 - Investigate: Students learn the proposed definition of ecocide in international law and analyze it using a Frayer Model, exploring possible examples during both wartime and peacetime.
Step 3 - Inspire: Students demonstrate their knowledge of ecocide and present their perspective on the topic by creating and sharing a one-pager.
Students use CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) to determine if climate change meets the definition of ecocide. Students research causes, effects, and whether or not corporations acted with knowledge, then present their findings. The lesson includes options for further exploration of Big Oil’s prior knowledge of the industry’s impact on climate change.
Inquire: Students discuss whether climate change could be considered ecocide.
Investigate: Students apply the definition of ecocide to the causes and effects of climate change and explore examples of acting “with knowledge.”
Inspire: Students construct a collective visual representation of climate change’s causes, effects, and myriad contributors.
Students analyze climate solutions in terms of climate justice, feasibility, and effectiveness at the local and global levels, then compare and contrast the results of their analysis in class discussions. Students write and present a persuasive pitch to implement a specific climate solution that benefits the planet and promotes human rights.
Inquire: Students reflect on art that depicts ecocide and brainstorm ideas about climate solutions.
Investigate: Students compare and contrast climate solutions scenarios, including potential outcomes for people and the planet.
Inspire: Students develop a proposal in the form of an elevator pitch to advocate for the immediate implementation of a climate solution.
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