Strategies
Methods
Learning
Why do students want to learn? Why do they study so hard and pursue their education with so much passion? I ask these questions out of neither naiveté nor luck, but because these questions force me to think about education in a very different way. I am no longer asking what I can do to "hook" or convince my students that something is worth their attention - if they can just hang in there for the next few days. Perhaps these are the questions we should be asking ourselves, as educators, in order to understand how to engage students.
Why do students want to learn? Most likely it's not to pass a test - unless they are preparing for a placement or exit exam. They get something from those tests: a chance to either skip ahead or move on. What do they get from most of the tests that they take? Tests, especially standardized tests in the business of education, have a lot to do with the school and very little to do with the child. Students have to take them, but that's not why they learn.
Learning is not always an intellectual pursuit. Robert Sylwester writes that emotion "drives attention, which drives learning and memory" (1995, p. 72). If we don't care about something, we are not likely to give it our attention. Or, in the case of feeling alienated from the learning experience, we may choose to avoid learning altogether. It is possible to feel alienated in at least two ways; one type of alienation has to do with the topic or subject. We missed a step somewhere and now we are not able to connect the words or numbers in a way that constructs meaning. The second form of alienation occurs when we are acutely aware that nothing in the immediate environment has anything to do with us. We may feel deliberately ignored or blindly excluded. The first case of alienation is easier to overcome.
When we learn, we feel a sense of connection to something outside of ourselves. Sometimes we can feel ourselves change as we learn. Maybe we don't feel it until later, but a part of us knows it's coming. There's a click or a flash, and suddenly we're somewhere we've never been before, but no matter what, we're connected. Imagine the time you were touched by a poem that you finally understood. Or imagine learning how to drive a car (a hybrid with high gas mileage, of course), or how to solve a computer problem on your own. You arrived on the other side, and you were connected to the poem or the car or the computer. We want to learn so we can be a part of the world.
Why do students want to learn about global warming? Students are already a part of global warming, as we all are. To not understand the connection is to not understand global warming. It is up to us to show students how they are connected. Not to persuade them or bribe them, but to show them. Students, like us, feel that they are a part of the world when they have something to contribute. Now they will be able to offer their knowledge to their communities and make very important changes to the world where they belong.
Teaching
Of course, learning cannot depend on emotional connection alone. Once a connection is made, students must understand new information from expert sources, be able to apply their knowledge and practice new skills, and integrate the learning experience with their own lives well enough to make new connections. In other words, the new knowledge becomes prior knowledge. Students should be able to take what we teach them to a new level and hopefully pass this knowledge to others. This cycle follows Bernice McCarthy's 4Mat approach to learning and teaching.
The lessons in A Planet Worth a Thousand Words follow this cycle with a conscious attempt to honor various learning preferences. The act of blending science with language arts may already engage some students who are more scientifically inclined, but the unit is not limited to lectures, research papers, or worksheets. As Sylwester points out, "Doing worksheets in school prepares a student emotionally to do worksheets in life" (1995, p. 77). One purpose of the various lessons is to empower students to be able to take the issues of global warming into their own hands. Nonetheless, this is a curriculum unit for English, and writing is at the core. In one way, the science of global warming is a vehicle for the mastery of writing; in another way, writing is a springboard for the mitigation of global warming.
Gardner's Multiple Intelligences are considered throughout the unit. Assessment tools include the linguistic intelligence through essay writing, poetry, speeches, journals, interviews and reports; logical intelligence through making predictions and calculations, analyzing data, and understanding climate models; spatial intelligence through visuals, illustrations and maps; kinesthetic through hands-on experiments; naturalist through demonstration of environmental sensitivity and research of nature topics; intrapersonal through personal reflections and independent work; and interpersonal through cooperative learning (Chapman and King, 2005). Students may also use rhythmic intelligence in poetry, and they may choose to include musical compositions and recordings in a final presentation.
Students will learn about the fundamentals of global warming as they write poetry, a short story based on research, a speech, and finally a creative presentation for their peers and community members. Throughout the unit, students will keep a journal and write one-page reflection papers to evaluate their learning. They will know ahead of time that the weekly reflections will serve as notes for their unit essay exam: a culminating personal response paper that discusses what the student learned over the quarter.
Implementation
The unit begins with the student. What does the student already know? How does global warming affect the life of the student? Why should he or she care? Rather than telling the student the answers to these questions, I begin the unit with a game of survival. The details of the game are outlined in the lesson plans below.
Once students make an initial connection, they receive expert knowledge about global warming (see Fundamentals of Global Warming) and learn specific writing skills. In each section, students apply what they've learned about global warming and practice new writing skills, beginning with climate and poetry.
Climatic Poetry
What is the ideal temperature? According to the student, which state has the best weather or climate? Which place has the worst? What is so ideal or terrible about specific weather conditions? Students begin by journaling about their own life preferences and opinions about weather. Students should also learn the difference between climate and weather—a discussion about the different climate conditions in various countries and states would help to illustrate weather versus climate.
Students may use the knowledge of their own climate conditions in an "I Come From" poem. The details of this poem are included in the lesson plans below. What makes the climate? Why does temperature change? Why do we have seasons? Students survey parents, teachers and peers and report on their findings. This would be an excellent time to clarify that we do not have seasons due to the Earth's distance from the sun, but because of the tilt of the Earth on its axis. We are actually closest to the sun in January. Students should know that climate is a link between various elements on Earth, including clouds. An experiment that creates a cloud in a bottle will help students understand how clouds are made (this experiment can be found on several internet sites). Clouds do two major things that affect the temperature in opposite ways: they block out the rays of the sun (radiation) and they prevent the heat of the Earth (infrared radiation) from escaping.
Students expand their thoughts about nature in a lune and haiku. Lunes are three-line poems with three words in the first line, five words in the second, and three in the third. The words can be any length. Lunes are a great warm-up for a haiku, as lunes are similar but not as restrictive. Students begin a glossary of literary terms: they learn about personification by picking an object in nature and giving it human characteristics. They also include onomatopoeia by creating a sound that is connected to the object. Students are encouraged to use their five senses (imagery) to describe the object before they write the lune. They continue to expand their ideas about climate or nature as they write a haiku. Examples of the haiku may not always follow the five-seven-five syllable pattern, but they do tend to create a picture, and they often capture the beauty of a moment. Lunes and haiku teach students to be precise with their words.
At this point, students learn about the Gulf Stream. They learn about how it functions like a conveyor belt and how it affects the weather of Western Europe. Students predict what might happen if the water stopped flowing, and they learn how global warming can cause temperature to become more extreme: while summers become hotter, winters become colder. In their journals, students speculate what it might be like to live in an Ice Age. Viewing specific sections of movies like The Day after Tomorrow or Ice Age might help students visualize, although inaccuracies for the sake of entertainment should be addressed.
Students use a line from their journal to begin a pantoum. A pantoum demonstrates the use of a pattern: the first and third lines of the first stanza become the second and fourth lines of the second stanza, the first and third lines of the second stanza then become the second and fourth lines of the third stanza, and so on. It is an oral folk form from Malaysia, and it allows students to move forward by building on previous lines. Students can also explore the use of the end-stopped line, enjambment and caesura while writing about climate change.
The Story of Atmosphere, Fossil Fuels and Consequences
In this section, students work toward writing a short story about global warming. Unlike most short stories, these stories include a works cited page. The research they do may contribute to their final presentation, but for now they gather scientific information about global warming and use it as the foundation of their creative story. Hopefully, by writing a story instead of a typical research paper, students will see that the point of research is to develop further understanding, not simply to write a research paper for class.
Before beginning the story, students conduct another jar experiment - only instead of creating clouds, they create a greenhouse and an albedo. The details of this activity are included in the lesson plans. Why is Earth habitable while Venus is not? Students compare the atmosphere of Venus and Earth and learn about the origins and current similarities and differences. What are the different levels of the Earth's atmosphere? What are the periodic elements that make up the atmosphere? It may be useful for students to keep notes on periodic elements and some of their "practical" uses. Students also learn how windows let in the sun's radiation while trapping infrared radiation, and why white clothing is cooler in the summer than black clothing.
As students continue to learn about atmosphere, they examine the uses of plot, characterization, setting, dialogue, and theme by reading short story examples. Students use what they've learned about the effects of global warming to describe the setting of their original stories. They write down ideas for plot: exposition, inciting incident, rising action (conflict, complications, dramatic climax, and crisis), technical climax, falling action, and denouement.
Students take a carbon footprint survey and other online assessments that estimate the amount of carbon they are emitting into the atmosphere. Students learn what fossil fuels are and how levels of carbon dioxide increase due to the use of fossil fuels. Students also discuss how we might decrease our CO 2 emissions.
In the meantime, students create a character. They examine elements of characterization: developed characters (direct & indirect presentation) & stock characters (caricature, dynamic character, static character, protagonist, and antagonist) and add various characters to their story. They describe how their characters are affected by global warming. Following characterization, students focus on creating a theme for their story and including elements such as a flashback and foreshadowing. While a flashback may allow the reader to understand how a character ended up in a certain situation, foreshadowing allows a reader to make predictions. Both elements of writing may be connected to consequences.
As students learn about the consequences of global warming, they reflect on what individuals can do to help mitigate climate change. They describe climate change from the point of view of an animal, migrating person, plant, melting ice, or anything else that is affected by global warming. Students learn about different points of view (omniscient, limited omniscient, first person, and objective) and choose a point of view to use for their story. In another writing exercise, students write a dialogue between the character from the point of view exercise and another character who contributes to global warming. What would they say to each other? How would they say it? Students learn about colloquialism and dialect. They apply dialogue techniques to the characters in their story.
Students continue to research global warming as they engage in exercises that focus on specific elements of the short story. Once they have the information they need, they write a story from the beginning to end (according to the teacher's specifications, such as length and format). Students workshop the story with their peers and read excerpts to the class. The research they've completed is a step toward their final presentation. However, information is useless unless they know how to present it.
Speaking of Controversy and Mitigation
Why do some people deny that global warming exists? What might motivate their opinions? Some people believe we are doomed. What motivates the opinions of these people? Students begin again with their own opinions and experiences. They will understand that politicians do not always consult with scientists before forming opinions, and that the general public may also form opinions without having correct information. Students will look at the Kyoto Protocol and discuss the decisions of the United States and Australia not to ratify it. They will also view the cities in the U.S. who have decided to "ratify" it in spite of the nation's decision.
Students will also look at climate models and interpret meanings. They will understand what a scientific error really means, and how it's been misconstrued in order to confuse the public. Students may come to a clearer understanding of how the increase of the average temperature is significant, even at its lowest projection, by thinking about how their bodies feel with only an increase of a couple of degrees. Although 99 and 101 are only two numbers apart, we can feel the difference in our bodies. An increase of a couple of degrees may determine whether or not we are able to get out of bed. Imagine if we projected an increase in body temperature that was even higher - perhaps a mere four or five degrees higher than 99 F. Who wants to feel that sick?
If possible, students view An Inconvenient Truth and analyze Al Gore's presentation techniques. They examine his rhetorical appeals: ethos (character of speaker), pathos (quality that stimulates pity or sorrow in the reader), logos (the speaker's use of logic), and nomos (the identification with the audience). Students also read example speeches. Speaking of Earth, edited by Alon Tal, is an excellent collection of environmental speeches. In order to practice giving speeches, students choose one speech from the book, analyze the rhetorical appeals, and determine how the speech should be presented. They work with a partner and practice reading the speech effectively. The teacher may present a rubric in order to clarify an effective presentation.
Once the students have had practice reading a speech out loud, they prepare to write a speech of their own that touches on aspects of the controversy or suggestions for mitigation. As they prepare to write their original speech, they learn about mitigation through books (see bibliography) and online resources. Students make individual changes in their own lives to help mitigate global warming, whether it involves changing light bulbs, using green energy, driving less, or other suggestions they find in their research. They work in groups to report on various suggestions for mitigation, and, through analysis of the benefits and drawbacks, determine which form of mitigation is best for the country and for the specific state. This activity may lead to a classroom debate. Students will have to use evidence to support their opinions.
Although students write and deliver individual speeches, they work with a partner as they did for the earlier practice speech. They may use note cards and visuals. This speech prepares students for the final presentation.
Climate Change Competition
The final presentation allows students to synthesize new information and show what they know by educating others. They should be thinking about what they will do throughout the unit, and understand that assignments along the way may be applied to the final presentation. However, rather than an overview of global warming, students should focus on one research question in order to increase the depth of their knowledge. Suggested research questions are included in the appendices and divided by sections. It may be beneficial to present the questions throughout the unit (for instance, present suggested questions on climate at the end of the Climatic Poetry section) so students can begin to refine their ideas.
The presentation is a collaborative effort: students work in teams to compete against others. It is similar to a poetry slam, although this competition has only one round. A group of judges - perhaps members of the community - evaluate each team's accuracy, clarity, and creativity. Students must use scientific facts as a foundation for their presentation. They must be able to communicate their message in a way that is understood by their audience, and they must do so in a creative and engaging manner.
Students may choose to narrate a short video, give a slide-show presentation, create a presentation through computer graphics, give a dramatic reading of original poetry with visual displays or art, or use any medium that combines verbal and visual skills. They should be encouraged to be as creative and original as possible.
Each team should focus on a different research question. This way, there will be no duplicate presentations and the competition as a whole will show a broader range of global warming issues. The competitive aspect of the presentation will allow students to get involved in something that goes beyond the classroom. Awards contributed by local business would involve the community and increase the incentive for the students.
In the end, students will understand how their own lives are intricately connected to global warming. They will be able to use writing to communicate coherently and creatively, and they will be able to take these skills with them as they exit the doors of high school. Our students will know that the Earth is their planet, too, and they will show the rest of us how to live on it.
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