This activity guides students through a series of questions related to the Yale Climate Opinion Maps.
Students will also get to put themselves in the place of the governor of Louisiana and make several climate policy decisions based on their constituents' climate opinions.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The Student Page is a fillable pdf, so students can type directly on the document.
The Educator Page has an answer key for the Student Page.
Additional Prerequisites
While the Student Page pdf is fillable, question #14 asks students to draw a picture, which students will need to do on paper.
Differentiation
Students can complete this activity individually, in pairs, or small groups.
Civics and government classes could use this activity to discuss how policy-makers identify and pursue policies they believe will pass.
Students could discuss why certain regions of the United States hold non-scientific opinions. The class could make a list of reasons why people might mistrust climate science.
Students can compare beliefs on climate awareness, etc. from Americans using opinion interactive maps at the state, national, and local levels. There is no contradiction in the datasets and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Civics
D2.Civ.10.6-8 Explain the relevance of personal interests and perspectives, civic virtues, and democratic principles when people address issues and problems in government and civil society.
D2.Civ.12.6-8 Assess specific rules and laws (both actual and proposed) as means of addressing public problems.
D2.Civ.11.9-12 Evaluate multiple procedures for making governmental decisions at the local, state, national, and international levels in terms of the civic purposes achieved.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Informational Text (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.7 Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ETS1: Engineering Design
HS-ETS1-1 Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
Common Core Math Standards (CCSS.MATH)
Statistics & Probability: Making Inferences & Justifying Conclusions (9-12)
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSS.IC.B.5 Use data from a randomized experiment to compare two treatments; use simulations to decide if differences between parameters are significant.
