This guidebook provides eight guidelines for having productive climate change conversations.
Students will learn techniques for starting a climate change conversation, phrases and questions to keep the conversation going, advice for being a good listener, and solutions for overcoming conversation challenges.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The guide is well organized and easy to use.
The executive summary on page four offers a useful summary for both students and teachers.
Additional Prerequisites
Teachers can watch video recordings of webinars for guidance on how to use the discussion guide. Links are provided in the list of references.
Differentiation
Teachers could provide students with a list of phrases and questions from the guide and have them conduct mock climate conversations.
Students could make a list of barriers to productive climate conversations and then use the guide to find solutions for each of the barriers.
Other resources on this topic include this TED video on strategies for climate change conversations, this video on how different generations talk about climate change, and this article that provides five easy-to-understand facts to use in climate conversations.
Scientist Notes
There is no misconception in the article. The article is recommended for teaching environmental and climate justice.
Standards
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Civics
D2.Civ.7.6-8 Apply civic virtues and democratic principles in school and community settings.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
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.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.
