Lesson: Environmental Racism

For my class in Race and Social Justice Literature, a number of my students were interested in doing projects around environmental racism and, specifically, connections between social justice projects and climate change concerns.

Three anthologies that I found immensely helpful were:

• Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology, ed. Melissa Tuckey (U of Georgia P, 2018)
• Big Energy Poets: Ecopoetry Thinks Climate Change, ed. Heidi Lynn Staples and Amy King (BlazeVOX Books, 2017)
• Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry, ed. Camille Dungy (U of Georgia P, 2009)

For a three week unit in an upper school English class, I would start with Camille Dungy’s introduction to Black Nature, which lays out in detail the connections among nature writing, poetics, and racialized identities. How has writing about nature been historically confined to certain classes, genders, and races? How has environmental “disasters” disproportionately affected people of color? How can poetry (and nature writing more broadly) be an appropriate answer to climate change?

We would then spend at least four class periods reading through a selected grouping of poems from the three anthologies, asking us to not only look at how those poems were constructed, but also how those poems illuminate those connections between justice for people of color and the environment.

In the second week, we would concentrate on reading news reports and essays about current eco-demonstrations by people of color, such as Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline, or Mauna Kea and the TMT. How did these acts of civil disobedience come to be? How are they indebted to writing and literature?

In our third week, we would delve further into choosing and researching our own intervention in climate change, writing both a critical essay and a suite of poems that attempt to engage with both cultural understandings and the science behind climate change.

Climate Change Public Service Announcement Project

Objective:

• students will create a Public Service Announcement that details the causes, effects, impacts, and possible solutions for global climate change

Lessons:

Lesson 1: Research

• after learning about climate change and the greenhouse effect, students will research how climate change is impacting the Hawaiian Islands
• students will research possible solutions to the climate change crisis
• Possible websites:
• NASA Global Climate Change - Signs of the Planet
• National Geographic
• A Students Guide to Global Climate Change

Lesson 2: Storyboard and Video Planning

• in groups of 3-4, students will complete the "Video Planning Worksheet"

Lesson 3: Script

• in their same groups, students will complete the "Video Script Worksheet"

Lesson 4: Videotaping and Editing in iMovie

• in their same groups, students will create a one-minute public service announcement video using iMovie and show it to their classmates

Introduction to Climate Change and Global Warming

(Lessons adapted from PBS Learning Media)

Objectives:

• students will understand what climate change is and how it affects our lives
• students will research the causes, evidence, and impacts associated with climate change including the greenhouse effect and what events are causing an increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
• students will become aware of how their own actions are contributing to global climate change

Lessons:

Lesson 1 - What is Global Climate Change

• Show students the PBS video "Climate Change"
• Discuss the following questions
• What is the difference between weather and climate?
• How do scientists measure the average world temperature in past eons?

Lesson 2 - Greenhouse Gases

• Provide each lab group with the following: 3 thermometers, 2 glass jars that fit over the thermometers, paper towels
• Students should place the three thermometers next to each other in the sun, covering two of them with a glass jar. One of the glass jars should contain a wet paper towel (simulating water vapor, a greenhouse gas, in the atmosphere). Students should record the starting temperature and take temperature readings every five minutes.
• Have students compare the temperatures outside the jars with the temperatures inside of the jars
• Show students the video "Global Warming - The Physics of the Greenhouse Effect" and discuss the following questions

• What is the greenhouse effect?
• What are four naturally occurring greenhouse gases?
• What would Earth be like without the greenhouse effect?
• What are some manmade sources of greenhouse gases other than power plants and automobiles?
• What natural phenomena produce greenhouse gases?

Lesson 3 - The Greenhouse Effect

• Show students the video "Global Warming: Carbon Dioxide and the Greenhouse Effect" and discuss the following:
• Why does the image of the scientist fade after carbon dioxide has been turned on? How does this explain the greenhouse effect?
• What would the scientist feel like if he were inside the tube? How does this explain the effect of carbon dioxide on the temperature of the atmosphere?
• How long does it take for carbon dioxide to spread throughout Earth's atmosphere? How long does it take to be absorbed into the oceans?

Lesson 4 - Human Contribution to Global Warming

• Show students the "Snapshot of U.S. Energy Use" video and discuss the following:
• What are some of the energy sources used to meet humans' ever-increasing demand for power?
• What are some ways that we release CO2 into the atmosphere every day?
• On the average, each person in the United States produces over 20 tons of CO2 each year; collectively, this country produces 25 percent of all CO2 released into the atmosphere worldwide. Should the United States reduce its energy use? Why or why not? How much of the personal 20 tons per year is due to automobile usage?
• Have students complete the "Family CO2 Contribution worksheet" for homework with their parents and then answer the following questions
• How much CO2 does your family contribute to the atmosphere in a year? How does this compare to the 20 tons produced on average by each person in the U.S.? (Keep in mind that you are comparing family usage to individual usage. You may want to first calculate how much each person in your family uses on average, then compare it to the national figure.)
• How might you and your family reduce the amount of CO2 that you generate? Note: Students may focus on the type of car(s) that their family owns — a factor that is often out of their control. Help them move toward other ideas, such as carpooling (dividing the family mileage by the number of people in the carpool), making fewer trips to the grocery store, walking, etc.
• If time allows, asks students to calculate how much their ideas from (b) could reduce the amount of CO2 their family generates.

Re-Designing Oahu

 

You and your group have been given the task of redesigning the island of O'ahu in order to make it sustainable.  Remember that for sustainability to occur, all of the five themes of social studies need to work together.  What will you change, relocate or eliminate from what exists today?  Think of your experiences on our field trips.  Be able to explain why using evidence from a civilization we studied this year.

For this assignment, your group must take us on a "tour" of your new society to prove that it is sustainable (and better than anyone else's).

Your group must have: *A tour brochure that explains your choices                                                       for each theme

                                       *A name for your society and a flag

                                       *A map of O'ahu that shows your new design                                               for the island

                                       *Poster boards, power point presentations,                                                pictures, food or other creative tools                                                that may be necessary to get your                                                message across to the other groups.    

Day 1:         What type of government is most sustainable?

                   Give your reasons for your government.

                   What are 5 important rules that your society emphasizes?  What are the punishments for breaking these rules?

Day 2:         Type of economy that is most sustainable for your society.  What are you going to produce based on your resources? How will your people get what they need to survive?

Day 3:         What is your society's policy on religion?  Do you have an official religion?

Day 4:         Is there a class system?  Is it based on financial status?  Heredity?  Other factors?  Or is everyone equal?  If so, how is this possible? How does your choice of class system help your people?  How is it maintained?

Day 5:         What are your cultural beliefs and practices?  How are these perpetuated? Are new beliefs and practices accepted? How do they become a part of your society? What national problems do you want to avoid in your society?  Any major concerns?  Drugs?  Crime?  Education?  Disease?  How do these problems keep your society from being sustainable?

Day 6:         What is the condition of the environment? What should it be? What does your society do to protect its resources (ocean, forests, native species, fresh water, air, etc.)? Discuss the issue you researched in science.  What are possible solutions?

Climate Change Education in U.S. History

These lesson ideas relate common textbook or primary source material to contemporary environmental issues. Even the most traditional U.S. History curriculum offers numerous opportunities to ask historical questions related to environmental protection and climate change. Here are just a few examples.

The resulting discussions may lead students to ask: How do I now better understand the
historical context of this climate change issue? What are the lessons learned? How does
the past help inform action today? What do I think should be done to resolve this
contemporary problem?

Lesson: Overpopulation

Population Growth and Overpopulation:

1. Get into 4-6 teams to play Population Pop-Quiz.

2. Watch NYTimes: The Unrealized Horrors of Population Explosion and discuss.

3. Go to the NYTimes page "Can the Planet Support 10 Billion People?" - Everyone read
the introduction. Then, half of the class read first three debaters on left hand side of page,
and other half read last three. These are short pieces that should not take you very long. 

4. Can the planet support 10-11 billion people?? Discuss: 

·   diet/ food production (example: in vitro meat ) - Do we need to consume less meat?
Is it safe to use GMOs and other technologies to increase crop yields?

·   energy consumption - What types of energy and how much is reasonable to use?

·   reducing fertility - most effective and humane methods?

·   education - Why is this so important?

·   Africa - Why are most countries in African outpacing the rest of the world in pop.
growth?

·   conservation - How important is it to preserve out natural environment?

·   technology - To what extent can we rely on it to solve these and future problems? 

5. Go to Global Footprint Calculator .and complete the footprint calculator for yourself. If do
not get to do this in class, find out the following information tonight so that you can complete
it tomorrow: How many square feet is your house? How much does your family spend per
month on electricity and gas?

6. Go to NOVA's "Human Numbers Through Time" and launch the interactive map. Also check
out the graph there. Why do you think the world population seems to be growing more quickly
now than 200 years ago? What do you think the projection for 2050 is based on? What are the
implications of such growth? What concerns does it raise?  

7. Quickly skim the UN's revised population projection for 2100. .What does this study tell you
about future population growth, its causes, and which countries and regions are growing fastest?

Sustainable Development Goals Project (Global Politics)

Global Politics

SDGs Project Guidelines

To begin this project, you will choose a single Sustainable Development Goal of interest to you that will be the focus of your group’s research and project development. Groups may include 2  people. You will work with your team on every aspect of this project and will ultimately present/student teach about your project for 30 minutes. 

The 2016 Sustainable Development Goals include: 

• No Poverty

• Zero Hunger

• Good Health and Well-Being

• Quality Education

• Gender Equality

• Clean Water and Sanitation

• Affordable and Clean Energy

• Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

• Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Responsible Consumption and Production

• Climate Action

• Life Below Water

• Life on Land

• Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The Sustainable Development Goals are formal goals identified by the United Nations Development Programme and are “a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.” They are the international community’s hopes for the future of nations and people throughout the world. The UNDP notes that “achieving the SDGs requires the partnership of governments, private sector, civil society and citizens alike to make sure we leave a better planet for future generations.” The UNDP has chosen targets specific to each SDG that it plans to achieve by 2030. 

For this project, your main goals are to: 

• evaluate the problems that prevent societies from achieving your assigned SDG;
• identify communities that have recently overcome these problems and evaluate how they did it;
• and craft a plan for how to help a specific community (case study) to achieve your assigned SDG.

For example, if I were to choose Quality Education as my SDG, I might show how gang activity in Central America is an obstacle that prevents many youth in these countries from acquiring higher than a 6th grade education. I might go into why gang activity is so prevalent in Central America and how this interferes with the career prospects of adolescents. I might then show how Nicaragua has been more successful than other countries in Central America at providing programs that keep adolescents out of gangs and in school. My presentation could go into what makes these Nicaraguan programs successful. Finally, I could introduce a plan to implement a program of my own design in Honduras to improve secondary school completion rates that takes into account Honduras’ specific problems with gangs and school enrollment. My plan might incorporate some aspects of Nicaragua’s programs, but it would be tailored to fit conditions more specific to Honduras. 

The required end product for this project includes:

• A team-written project proposal that includes the following sections: 

1. introduction to the problem, 
2. how the problem affects your specific case study, 
3. obstacles to achieving the SDG in your case study, 
4. evaluation of how other places have overcome this problem, 
5. your plan for how to reach this SDG for your case study, 
6. expected outcomes of your plan.

• A 30-minute lesson that includes the following types of instruction:

1. Brief, interesting explanations of the SDG, problems with achieving it, examples of successes, and introduction of your plan. This presentation should include a compelling visual component to capture the viewers’ attention.
2. An interactive, student-centered element to the lesson that directly involves the students in some way and connects them to your project plan. 
3. The opportunity for your classmates to critique your team’s plan and provide constructive feedback.

• A properly formatted bibliography containing all sources you used for this project. It should contain at least one policy paper that you have found that is specific to your SDG.

More specifically, your team’s report must include the following sections:

1.    introduction to the problem (What is the issue? Why is it problematic? What makes current conditions unsustainable? How did this become a problem? Why does it continue to be a problem? Generally, what is being done to solve this problem?)

2.    how the problem affects your specific case study (Be specific to the community you have chosen as the focus of your plan. This should be a place that is currently struggling to achieve your assigned SDG.)

3.    obstacles to achieving the SDG in your case study (What is keeping this community from achieving your SDG? Think about political, economic, cultural, and/or environmental factors. What needs to change in order for the SDG to be achieved?)

4.    evaluation of how other places have overcome this problem (This is where you will bring in the example you have found of a community that has overcome problems with achieving the SDG. Make sure you explain and analyze how they did this.)

5.    your plan for how to reach this SDG for your case study (Your plan can be fairly basic, but it should thoughtfully lay out the who, what, where, when, how, why, so what? Make sure you explain why these actions you propose will be effective at helping the community to achieve the SDG. 

6.    expected outcomes of your plan (What will be the results of your plan? Be as specific as possible and make sure you identify multiple outcomes that are relevant to achieving SDG targets.)