Sustainability Engagement ELA Lesson
Provided by: MIT Climate Action Through Education|Published on: January 18, 2025
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, English Language Arts
Authors: Kathryn Teissier du Cross
Region: United States, Global
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this lesson, students will learn about the definition and origin of sustainability and design a sustainability engagement project or write a speech that connects their values to a sustainability issue.
- As the resource notes, in the video Body Language & Gestures (5:07-8:10), the speaker uses the middle finger as an example of a gesture. Teachers can either omit this video entirely or stop the video at 7:00, as the speaker's point is made before this.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The Google Slides presentation has a playful tone and will keep students engaged.
- This lesson includes a few resources to help students with public speaking, which can be valuable throughout their educational journeys.
Prerequisites
- The video on Slide 5 of the Sustainability Engagement Project Inspiration - MIT CATE slide deck discusses sexual education and how it should be taught in schools. Additionally, the video on Slide 12 is unavailable.
- Example 1 for the Student Project Examples talks about menstrual products.
- The speaker in The 7 Secrets of the Greatest Speakers in History says the word "effing" but does not use the actual word.
- The student journal instructions page for the No Impact Project references the documentary No Impact Man. However, the lesson does not include a link to this video, and it is not free to watch. Instead, students can use a carbon footprint calculator to determine the areas they can be more sustainable.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Students should consider giving students both options for the final project, depending on student likes and needs.
- There may be some students, especially those with anxiety or a language barrier, who won't benefit from presenting in front of a whole class. These students can be given the option to present in front of a teacher or record their presentation.
- Some students, when given the Sustainability Engagement Project Inspiration slides, may become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of problems connected to the environment and climate change. It may benefit students and also save class time if teachers ask students to choose 2-3 topics they are interested in and watch just those related videos.
Teachers can investigate sustainability with this data-rich lesson plan from MIT's Climate Action through Education (CATE) initiative. The necessary technology, materials, and teacher notes are all included in the lesson plan. The lesson links include further details, statistics, maps, graphs, and connections to even more relevant material. We recommend this resource for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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