• In this 15-30-minute media literacy activity, students analyze two short video clips that show how solar energy increases the quality of life for people in rural Zambia and urban China. 
• Students will learn the environmental harms of coal-powered electricity compared to the benefits of solar technologies. 

Positives

• The lesson contains possible questions for social studies, science, ELA, and media literacy. Teachers can select from these questions to tailor their lesson.
• The lesson plan and the videos can be downloaded and used offline.

Additional Prerequisites

• Teachers should download and review the "How to Use Materials" document for this activity. A free account with Project Look Sharp is required to do this.
• This activity assumes prior knowledge of renewable and non-renewable sources of electricity and their differences.

Differentiation

• This can be used as a short activity like a bellringer or warm-up by selecting fewer questions.
• This activity is ideal for creating awareness about the lives of people in underdeveloped countries.
• Students can be challenged to identify the sources of electricity/energy within their community and the possible harmful effects on the environment.
• Students can explore how their community could benefit from solar energy. Check out this resource to see how solar panels could be installed on your school.
• This can be used in a media literacy class to identify the use of effects, music, and other filmmaking techniques.
• Other similar activities on media decoding by Project Look Sharp include The Urgency of Climate Action, Community Responses to Climate Disaster Recovery, and Carbon Trading: Arguments For and Against.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.