Classroom Activities
Background Information: Reading Comprehension (1-2 class period)
In this activity, I will first present a reading about one of these case studies and implement an “I do” approach where I model for students how I would read through the first half of the text, breaking it down into chunks, and making intentional annotations as it relates to the guiding question for the activity. The “I do” part of this model is entirely direct instruction with students watching carefully. In the next step, the whole class will read through the second half of the first text together and go through the same order of operations. However, this time, volunteer students will read the text out loud, help identify how the text should be broken up into chunks and what parts of the text should be annotated in a student driven but teacher assisted setting. In the third step, students will break into small groups to read a second text. This time, students will work with each other to read, chunk, and annotate based on the guiding question without direct teacher assistance. In the final step, students will read a third text and go through the same order of operations individually.
Image Analysis (1-2 class periods)
This activity allows students to think critically as they will be asked to identify what they see, think, and wonder about each image. Students will view redlining maps, Environmental Justice Index maps, industrial plants, protests, and more. A gallery walk also provides the opportunity for critical thinking by asking students to wonder how this image connects with the larger context of this unit. Furthermore, this activity provides multiple points of access into the content and provides a variety of perspectives for students to consider and compare.
Resistance Movements: Compare and Contrast (1-2 class periods)
I plan on using the jigsaw strategy as a way for students to become experts on the connection between one social movement and environmental injustice while also having the opportunity to look at and compare multiple different examples of these social responses. This activity will allow students to practice reading comprehension, identify important facts or pieces of evidence, and provide interpretation that can be shared with their group. An added layer to this jigsaw is that students will need to find similarities and differences within the examples that they look at in their groups. This activity makes it so each student has an important role in establishing where there are points of comparison or contrast because they will individually be responsible for providing information about their given social response.
Socratic Seminar (1 period)
I plan to conclude the unit with a Socratic seminar in which students will apply what they have learned about environmental injustice and its connection to social and civil rights movements to the greater concern of global environmental justice. Students will use evidence they have collected throughout the unit and critical thinking skills to answer the following questions: To what extent were environmental injustices faced by historically marginalized groups a significant factor in social and civil rights movements in the Americas? How do we solve and address environmental problems? This strategy allows students to compile information, process it, and then discuss it in a productive way with their peers.
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