In this video-based lesson, students will learn about current agricultural practices and the impact they have on the environment, demonstrate their learning through an online quiz, and extend their learning by looking at food advertisements and practicing sustainable food swaps.
Students will learn about deforestation, waste management, resource use, and other aspects of food production that are contributing to climate change, as well as a few changes people and communities can make to produce and consume food more sustainably.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This video does an excellent job of defining unfamiliar terms in context, making it easy for students to acquire new vocabulary.
The lesson activities are presented in a way that allows students to participate independently, which is great for virtual learning or a flipped classroom model.
Additional Prerequisites
To use this resource in the classroom, teachers need to answer a few questions and provide an email address to receive an access link and password.
The answer key for the quiz is not accessible with the given password.
Differentiation
The provided quiz can be used as a post-video assessment or as a form of guided notes for students to use while watching the video.
Students can create infographics showing others the environmental impact of certain foods.
Students in civics classes can draft bills to encourage a shift in local agriculture and diets towards more sustainable options.
Have students investigate the Environmental Impacts of Food using this data-filled resource and then present the resources required to produce the food of their choice.
Scientist Notes
This website from the Educated Choices Program provides a comprehensive resource for teachers covering how the environment is affected by modern agriculture.
A ~43 minute video is provided that discusses the environmental concerns surrounding the American diet and its effects on the environment. Topics covered include: the standard American diet, worldwide demand for food, and modern animal agriculture. These topics are then related to environmental concerns surrounding waste management, natural resources allocation and use, deforestation, and the distribution of biomass. These subtopics are then related to climate change with a discussion at the end of the video that covers choices that can be made by individuals in order to lessen the impacts of climate change. Lesson plans and a post-video quiz are also provided. This is a very well-researched resource that would be a great addition to a classroom discussion about the effects of agriculture and food choices on climate change.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-4 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
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.
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.
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
HS-LS4-5 Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Economics
D2.Eco.15.6-8 Explain the benefits and the costs of trade policies to individuals, businesses, and society.
D2.Eco.1.9-12 Analyze how incentives influence choices that may result in policies with a range of costs and benefits for different groups.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.3 Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
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.
National Health Education Standards
Standard 1: Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health.
1.8.3 Analyze how the environment affects personal health.
1.12.1 Predict how healthy behaviors can affect health status.
1.12.7 Compare and contrast the benefits of and barriers to practicing a variety of healthy behaviors.
Standard 2: Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors.
2.12.5 Evaluate the effect of media on personal and family health.
Standard 5: Students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to enhance health.
5.8.2 Determine when health-related situations require the application of a thoughtful decision-making process.
