This lesson challenges students to identify ways they can use their skills and interests to help fight climate change and discuss climate change with friends and family.
The lesson includes a podcast about climate solutions, two activities to motivate students to take climate action, and a lesson plan.
Teaching Tips
Positives
Students are encouraged to consider their passions, interests, and skills.
The lesson plan includes a list of objectives, curriculum alignments, discussion questions, background information, and tips for social-emotional learning.
Additional Prerequisites
The two activities and podcast should take at least 70 minutes to complete.
To provide context, students should listen to the podcast before completing the activities.
Before the lesson, students should understand how climate change is caused, the greenhouse effect, and the role of human activities in causing global warming.
Differentiation
In the group activity, have students consider ways they can work together toward climate action based on their Venn diagrams. Each group can come up with a realistic action plan.
Older students can use this lesson as an opportunity to consider how climate action can be integrated into their future careers.
Consider having students practice their climate conversations in class with each other every few weeks as they learn more about climate change.
Scientist Notes
This resource presents teachers with activities that they can use to engage students with climate change and get conversations started about what everyone can do. A short podcast is included with three guests who share how they used their voices and circle of influence to make a difference. The first activity tasks students with analyzing their interests and talents along with the climate work that needs to be done through a Venn diagram to determine their "climate superpower." The second activity pushes students to have a conversation about climate change. This resource is prudent and features numerous links to resources from MIT and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication which are great resources for further learning and discussion. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 4: Taking Informed Action
D4.7.6-8 Assess their individual and collective capacities to take action to address local, regional, and global problems, taking into account a range of possible levers of power, strategies, and potential outcomes.
D4.7.9-12 Assess options for individual and collective action to address local, regional, and global problems by engaging in self-reflection, strategy identification, and complex causal reasoning.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.4 Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
