Facing Calamity: Climate Change Facts and Fictions

Lesson 18
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ELA

Unit 5

8th Grade

Lesson 18 of 23

Objective


Engage in a Socratic Seminar with peers, responding directly to others by rephrasing and delineating arguments, determining the strength of evidence, and posing clarifying questions.

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Key Questions


Discussion Questions

  • (From An Inconvenient Sequel) Must we change?

  • (From An Inconvenient Sequel) Can we change?

  • (From An Inconvenient Sequel) Will we change?

  • What or who is responsible for climate change?

  • What is the role of young people within the climate movement?

  • What is the relationship between climate change, money, and power?

  • What is the role of literature within the climate movement?

  • Does individual action matter to limiting climate change?

Notes


  • Decide which Type of Academic Discourse you want to use in this lesson. We recommend a table-group discussion, fishbowl, or whole-class discussion. Then, choose which of this lesson’s Discussion Questions you are going to have students answer. Consider how much discussion time will be devoted to each question. 
  • Create clear expectations for the discussion and student groups (if necessary). Additionally, decide what discourse strategies you will model for students to ensure that students are able to effectively engage with one another (for guidance, see our Teacher Tool about Tiers of Academic Discourse).

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Common Core Standards


  • SL.8.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
  • SL.8.1.d — Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.
  • SL.8.3 — Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
  • SL.8.4 — Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Supporting Standards

L.8.6
RI.8.1
RL.8.1
SL.8.1.a
SL.8.1.b
SL.8.1.c
SL.8.6
W.8.9

Next

Research the potential local impacts of climate change in preparation for writing a letter to a congressperson.

Lesson 19
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