In this media literacy activity, students will read two articles about geoengineering and decipher the messaging and intention behind each article.
Students will learn that geoengineering projects could help to reduce global warming; however, geoengineering techniques come with several environmental, political, and societal risks.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The lesson plan provides discussion questions for social studies, science, English language arts, and media literacy classes.
The lesson plan and student handout can be downloaded and used offline.
Additional Prerequisites
Teachers should review the How to Use Materials section associated with this activity.
Teachers need to create a free Project Look Sharp account to access the materials.
Differentiation
Economics classes could analyze the economic impact of geoengineering.
After reading and discussing the articles, the class could debate geoengineering as a solution for stopping or slowing climate change.
Science classes could research recent newspaper articles on geoengineering to compare the points raised.
Scientist Notes
This resource will deepen students' knowledge of the underlying social, political, and environmental impact of using geoengineering technologies to solve complex climate issues in the Earth-atmospheric-ocean systems. The resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS2: Earth's Systems
HS-ESS2-4 Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate.
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
HS-ESS3-1 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
HS-ESS3-5 Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.
ETS1: Engineering Design
HS-ETS1-2 Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Civics
D2.Civ.12.9-12 Analyze how people use and challenge local, state, national, and international laws to address a variety of public issues.
Dimension 2: Economics
D2.Eco.15.9-12 Explain how current globalization trends and policies affect economic growth, labor markets, rights of citizens, the environment, and resource and income distribution in different nations.
D2.Eco.3.9-12 Analyze the ways in which incentives influence what is produced and distributed in a market system.
Dimension 2: Geography
D2.Geo.12.9-12 Evaluate the consequences of human-made and natural catastrophes on global trade, politics, and human migration.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Science & Technical Subjects (6-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 11-12 texts and topics.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.6 Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text, identifying important issues that remain unresolved.
