CFR Education: Fires in the Amazon - Sovereignty in a Global Era

Lesson Plans

Grades9, 10, 11, 12, APScience, Economics, Civics, Geography

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by Council on Foreign Relations

Open Resource

What it is

This video examines the economic and ecological importance of the Amazon rainforest to Brazil and to the world, highlighting the devastating fires in 2019 and the international community's response.
Below the video, teachers will find a linked lesson plan for grades 9-12, a linked discussion guide for higher education classes, and a short description that explains key terms and adds context.
This is the eighth section of the World 101 Building Blocks: Understanding the International System module.

Teaching tips

Positives

This video has citations from reputable organizations.
This video has a transcript that can be downloaded as a PDF.

Additional Prerequisites

Students should have a basic understanding of the sovereignty of nations and international agreements.
Students need to understand why burning forests can contribute to climate change.
The lesson plan and discussion questions apply to more than one section of the module.

Differentiation

Students can watch the video at home to prepare for an in-class discussion about how climate change can impact international relations in the future.
Teachers can pause the video at certain moments in order to reinforce key concepts.
This video can supplement a lesson on different types of carbon sinks and why they're important.
This video can enhance a classroom discussion on the Amazon rainforest's importance to the Indigenous people who live there, global biodiversity, and the global greenhouse gas budget.

From the scientist review

This resource video discusses the complexity of sovereignty in an increasingly globalist world, and especially how the actions of one country can affect us all. This resource is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12, AP
Subjects: Science, Economics, Civics, Geography
Other types: Videos, Ebooks
Format: Google Docs, PDF
Language: English
Location: Earth, South America
Provider: Council on Foreign Relations
Authors: CFR Education
Published: September 14, 2023
Last updated: August 17, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · D2.Civ.5.9-12 + 12 more

Core

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D2.Civ.5.9-12Evaluate citizens' and institutions' effectiveness in addressing social and political problems at the local, state, tribal, national, and/or international level.
D2.Eco.1.9-12Analyze how incentives influence choices that may result in policies with a range of costs and benefits for different groups.
D2.Geo.6.9-12Evaluate the impact of human settlement activities on the environmental and cultural characteristics of specific places and regions.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.2Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text's explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.2Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.

New Jersey Climate Education Hub

English Language Arts

SL.ES.11-12.3Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.

Science

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.

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What it is

Teaching tips

From the scientist review

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