Black Leaders in Energy

• In this interactive lesson, students will learn about a variety of Black inventors, see how climate change is affecting Wisconsinites, and learn about the unequal effects of climate change experienced by some groups.
• Students will participate in a patent gallery walk, research different inventors and discuss in pairs, practice note-taking to assist with learning, and be introduced to renewable energy careers.

Positives

• This resource does a great job of covering many topics while also being concise.
• This resource provides many additional opportunities to continue learning about these topics.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should know what character traits are and be able to name some.
• Some students may need terms like impact, exacerbate, vulnerable, representation, photovoltaics, and others defined prior to starting the lesson.

Differentiation

• Geography classes can analyze and answer questions about the different maps in the "Climate Change is Harming Our Health in Wisconsin" document (or just in the executive summary from the document).
• Language arts classes can further analyze the figurative language in the Extreme Heat video, identifying metaphors and similes and analyzing the speaker's purpose in using them.
• For students who struggle to read the patents, it may be useful to direct these students to the videos listed at the top of slide 33. This may provide needed context in an easily digestible format.
• Consider providing an introduction to global warming and climate change prior to using this lesson, as it would benefit students to have a basic understanding of the causes and effects of climate change.