Students will read an article from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication on Global Warming's Six Americas, six profiles that show Americans' views on climate change.
Students will learn about the common traits, beliefs, and effective communication strategies for each of the six profiles.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The Student Page format is well-organized and easy to read.
The Educator Page's Tips for Success section has several excellent ideas for using the information from the Student Page.
Additional Prerequisites
Teachers may want to explain that the Six Americas profiles reflect the traits of the majority of people who responded to the survey in the same way, but the profiles do not reflect every single person that falls into each category. For example, a person could be non-religious and well-educated and still be "disengaged" because of their climate beliefs.
On the Educator Page, the link to the Global Warming's Six Americas data is outdated. For the most Global Warming's Six Americas data, please go here.
Differentiation
Art classes could make visual representations of the Six Americas. The artwork could be figurative or abstract.
Advisory or life skills classes could use this article in a discussion about respectful communication. Students could discuss why people have certain beliefs and why they might feel attacked if someone disagrees with them.
The resource is recommended for students to learn effective climate conversation techniques. The SASSY method is valid and suitable for students to learn and gain insights into the belief systems and opinions of Americans on climate change awareness and mitigation.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-2 Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 4: Taking Informed Action
D4.6.6-8 Draw on multiple disciplinary lenses to analyze how a specific problem can manifest itself at local, regional, and global levels over time, identifying its characteristics and causes, and the challenges and opportunities faced by those trying to address the problem.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Informational Text (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
