Climate Change Lesson Plan: Earth and Human Activity
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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Climate Change, and supports the standard of constructing an argument for how human activity impacts Earth’s systems. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.
Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
Ask students:
- What do you know or have heard about climate change?
- How do you think it impacts your life?
Step 2: BUILD BACKGROUND
- Read aloud the description on the Climate Change topic page.
- Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding.
- Have students read one of the following Related Reading articles: “Eating and Drinking” or “The Modern World.” Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.
Step 3: ENGAGE
Students express what they learned about climate change while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.
- Make-a-Movie: Create a PSA describing the causes and impacts of climate change, and give suggestions of how to help. (Essential Literacy Skill: Summarize key ideas)
- Make-a-Map: Make a concept map identifying different causes of climate change, and their effects. (Essential Literacy Skill: Determine central ideas)
- Creative Coding: Code a museum with artifacts representing different causes of climate change. (Essential Literacy Skill: Make logical inferences from explicit details)
Step 4: APPLY & ASSESS
Apply: Students complete the Climate Change worksheet, applying essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.
Assess: Wrap up the lesson with the Climate Change Quiz.
Step 5: Extend Learning
Climate Change Unit: Continue to build understanding around climate change with more BrainPOP topics
Additional Support Resources:
- Modifications for BrainPOP Tools and Features: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
- BrainPOP Tools and Features Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.
