Climate Change Discussion Questions For ESL

Educating students about the effects of climate change helps them develop a sense of empowerment and agency. Students need to know that they have a voice and can make individual choices to help fight climate change. ESL students whose main language is not English may have a difficult time comprehending the topic of climate change. Using these resources to create climate change discussion questions for ESL students will support them with the four language domains -  listening, speaking, writing, and reading - while also helping them become more proficient on the topic of climate change.

Nature Show and Tell

Grades: K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd

Subjects: Science, Biology, English Language Arts

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

This show & tell activity by Climate Science helps students make connections with the natural world. Students will be asked to go out in nature, observe and collect an item to bring back to class and share it with their peers. They will then complete a short written reflection about the item they collected by writing about where it was found, 3 words that describe the item, a scientific fact, and the connection they feel with the item. This activity is great for younger & older students because they use their inquiry and observational skills.

With this student-led, inquiry-based activity, students will gain the skills to become independent learners. The activity offers background knowledge for teachers and students on the importance of relationships between humans and nature. Students can complete the activity with a family member at home, or it can be completed as a whole class project where students gather items around school grounds.

Younger students or those classified as ESL can be paired with a peer to complete the reflection portion of the activity.  Introducing students to vocabulary terms such as natural world, environment, wildlife, and diversity will help them complete the written portion of the activity. After the show and tell activity, students may enjoy completing their own interactive nature scene in this PBS activity. The activity will help students learn about why different elements in nature are important.

Understanding Weather

Grades: K, 1st, 2nd

Subjects: Science, Earth and Space Sciences, English Language Arts

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Inquire

Students generate ideas in response to the question "What is weather?" and watch a read aloud video of the book Fabienne’s Wild Weather Adventure.

Investigate

Students learn the definition of weather and start an individual weather journal to track the weather each day.

Inspire

Students design their own weather wheel and make a prediction of the Earth’s climate 30 years from now by drawing a timeline.

This lesson plan introduces students to the concept of weather by having them complete multiple interactive activities. Students will start by learning about weather terms such as rainy, snowy, and sunny by matching images with vocabulary words. After learning the basic weather terms students will listen to the online book “Fabienne’s Wild Weather Adventure” and complete a multi-day weather journal with their peers. Finally,  students will create a weather wheel to help them with their daily weather observations and predict how the weather will change in the future. 

The resource introduces students to new vocabulary terms and hones their observational skills. ESL students will be able to practice their language acquisition and collaboration skills in the different activities. The lesson plan includes multiple modes of activities to help students understand the concepts. In the end, students will also learn how weather patterns are affected by climate change.

Extending this activity by having students complete the weather journal with their family will help ESL students practice the language at home. Incorporating climate change discussion questions for ESL will help them complete the writing portion of the activity. The lesson includes visuals to help students make connections and comprehend the vocabulary. This activity will help students increase their literacy skills while connecting with nature.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repeat!

Grades: K, 1st, 2nd

Subjects: Social Studies, Civics, Health

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

Inquire

Students are introduced to the idea of reduce, reuse, recycle through an engaging video and cut and match sorting activity.

Investigate

Students practice RRR by sorting recyclables in The Great Reuse Reduce Recycle Relay!

Inspire

Students make a classroom waste management plan using the information they have gained throughout the lesson.

In this lesson, students will learn about reducing and recycling their waste products. Students will first watch an episode of the PBS show Ready Jet Go on the effects of waste on Earth and why it is important to recycle. After the video, students will learn about the different categories of recyclable products by completing a matching activity and playing a recycling relay game. Students will then brainstorm and create a waste management plan for their classroom.

This is a great resource because it teaches students why it is important to reduce their waste at home and at school. Teachers can ask students to collect items from home for the relay game, which will get parents involved in the activity. This activity can be used for both lower and upper elementary students with modifications. Students can learn more about where the different types of waste end up by reading or listening to the ebook “Tuyen’s Tremendous Trash Tour.”

When using this resource with ESL students, labeling the pictures in the matching activity or adding a word bank will help them make connections between the vocabulary and pictures. Adding captions while playing the video will also help ESL students understand the content of the video. It is important to introduce students to the vocabulary in the lesson and include some climate change discussion questions for ESL students before asking them to complete the waste management plan.

More or Less

Grades: K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th

Subjects: Science, Social Studies, Biology, English Language Arts

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

In this activity, students will learn about the effects of growing human populations on available resources. Students will create a physical word web with vocabulary cards to learn about the effects of human populations on the environment. The activity guide includes introductory information for teachers along with detailed instructions on how to implement the lesson. To access the PDF activity guide teachers have to complete a short email sign-up form.

This is a great resource to use as an introductory lesson on human population growth and to increase student collaboration. It can be completed as a cross-curricular activity between science and social studies courses. The lesson can also be tied into the topics of climate change or wildlife decline where students brainstorm how the growth in population affects these areas. After completing the word web activity, students have the chance to discuss with their peers and reflect on their learning. 

ESL students should be paired with a peer or assisted by the teacher while completing the word web and or reflection portion. This is a great collaborative activity and can be completed as a class or modified for group work. Displaying the vocabulary in both English and the ESL students’ first languages will introduce ESL students to the vocabulary while helping them make climate connections. 

Global Citizen

Grades: K, 1st, 2nd

Subjects: Social Studies, Civics, English Language Arts, Social-Emotional Learning

Resource Type: Lesson Plan

This resource by C3 Teachers educates students on the benefits of becoming global citizens. It is an inquiry-based activity where students use their critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills. The activity begins by asking students to reflect on the question - “why should I be a global citizen?” Teachers can ask students to discuss with their peers and then answer on paper or in an online poll. The activity guide can be downloaded in both PDF and Doc formats and includes activities in multiple formats for students that need visual and audio support.

This is a great activity because it enhances students' 21st century skills by offering them different ways to collaborate and show what they know.  ELL students will be able to practice their speaking and writing skills with graphic organizers and glossaries. Students can complete the graphic organizer assessment portion in small groups or as a whole class activity. Offering ELL students sentence stems will help them complete the writing portion.

Since this activity is geared towards early elementary students, introducing them to the vocabulary before completing the lesson will help them better grasp the concepts. A KWL chart is a great graphic organizer to use with this lesson to assess students' prior knowledge of citizenship. After the lesson, students can research how they can practice good citizenship skills by getting involved in nearby community events such as a beach clean-up or volunteering at an animal center. Additional activities on the StC website, like #Trashtag: The Online Challenge Cleaning Places Up, can give students ideas on how to do their part to create change in their communities.

Hello Dr. Jane!

Grades: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th

Subjects: Science, Social Studies, Biology, English Language Arts

Resource Type: Activity

This biographical resource introduces students to the inspirational work of Dr. Jane Goodall and her race to save the chimpanzee population. The resource includes a 3-minute video, vocabulary words, and pre and post reflection questions. The video is great for ELL students as it provides images and past footage of Dr. Goodall's conservation work. The Roots & Shoots site offers a written, detailed biography and some additional links for students to continue learning about Dr. Goodall and her organization and find ways to get involved.

The resource is great for ESL students because it offers various strategies and activities for students to gain knowledge of Dr. Goodall and practice their science vocabulary. Pairing the video and written biography will help ESL students with the listening and reading domains. When completing the reflection questions, students can write them down in their science notebook/journal to practice their writing and teachers can provide the sentence in students' first language to assist them with comprehension. Providing ESL students with sentence stems or frames will help students answer the reflection questions independently.

This resource can be used with high school students with minor modifications like having students complete extra research and create a biographical report, video, or presentation. Providing ESL students with choices on how they answer reflection questions - for example, a written answer, Google Docs, audio message, or sketch - will help them feel more comfortable with the activity. 

Interview a Climate Scientist

Grades: 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th

Subjects: Science, English Language Arts

Resource Type: Activity

This resource will have students practicing their interviewing and communication skills. Students will be assigned two roles where they will act as either a journalist or climate scientist to develop scientific questions. Practicing research and communication skills will help students apply important 21st century skills needed for college and the workforce. Presenting ESL students with topic examples and climate change discussion questions prior to the activity will help them better complete their assigned roles.

This is a great resource for all students because they get to practice their critical thinking and writing skills. ESL students will benefit from the discussion and presentation portions because they will be able to practice their English and learn from their peers. Modeling the interview portion will aid students that may not feel comfortable in the public speaking portion. The guide offers alternative activities for students that prefer to film their interview.

It would be beneficial to provide students with supplementary choices for the interview portion, such as creating a presentation, blog, or podcast. ESL students that are not as fluent in English can be assigned another role such as videographer, technical assistant, or writer with assistance from their peers. This serves as a great introductory activity on the topic of climate change. Showing students this ClimateScience video on the basics of climate change will help students develop the interview questions.

Climate change education benefits us all, but finding resources for students with limited language proficiency can be challenging. It is important to utilize resources that help ESL students practice language skills while simultaneously learning about climate change. These resources will help them understand that they too can make a change and speak up for their future. You can find these and many other scientist reviewed and teacher-created resources on the our website.

About the Author

Vanessa Wilson is a current 7th grade science teacher in Broward, FL who is passionate about wildlife and teaching her students to love the planet. She has taught Earth Science, Life Science and Physical Science in English and Spanish for a dual language program at her previous school.