This lesson plan is licensed under Creative Commons.
SubjectToClimate
In this lesson, students evaluate arguments and reasoning on the effects of climate change and advocate for climate change through a personal call to action.
Step 1 - Inquire: Students explore three different personal perspectives on how climate change has affected three different regions.
Step 2 - Investigate: Students identify three different personal calls to action and explore strategies in personal evidence and reasoning.
Step 3 - Inspire: Students identify their own personal perspective with climate change in their region and write their own call to action.
Positives
This lesson can be used in English, persuasive writing, and social studies.
Students are given voice and choice in this lesson.
Students become agents of change in their own communities.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with the basics of climate change and potential effects to their own region.
Students will be writing a call to action. The goal of a written call to action is to inspire others to perform a specific act with some urgency.
Students should understand the basics of persuasive argumentation and using personal connections as evidence and reasoning to support an argument.
Differentiation
Calls to action can be expressed in different platforms. Students can explore adapting their calls to action in different platforms: creating a video, choosing specific social media outlets, and incorporating supporting artwork. Make sure to follow all school rules and monitor students’ progress if you allow this in the classroom.
You may allow students to brainstorm and pursue other methods of communication not listed.
Students can evaluate the effectiveness of using different platforms to make their calls to action.
Students can present their calls to action to different audiences.
This lesson inspires students to take an active role in combating climate change while also teaching them about various climate change impacts. The initial video talks about climate change from three different angles and gives students various ideas of how they could act such as voting, education, and activism. It introduces the idea of environmental racism and justice. The three videos about New Jersey sea level rise are all accurate and informative. This resource is recommended for teaching.
