My unit, Next Generation Learners to Leaders: Intro to Environmental Justice was written as an exploration into environmental justice. It’s designed to introduce the culture of sustainability and environmental literacy focusing on equality in the United States. The unit is structured for use in an English Language Development class however it could be used in a history or social studies class. The unit is written for students on either the junior or senior high school level. The unit presents the environmental concepts of nature deficit disorder, green spaces, environmental justice, and the environmental justice movement. The unit focuses on case studies of air pollution and water pollution exploring both cases in the past and ongoing battles within their back yards affecting the population of their state, Oklahoma. The unit contains many varied activities for both junior and senior high, including a using the Climate and Justice Screening Tool (using data from the 2020 census) to compare equality in neighborhoods, history of the environmental justice movement identifying landmark cases and laws, following up with organizations and activists. By the end of the unit students will be prepared to act and use their voices to educate others about environmental justice. 

(Developed for English Language Development, grade 6; recommended for Science and History, and English Language Development and Language Arts, grades 6-12)