5 Resources Teachers Can Use In-Class to Support the Youth Climate Movement
Nov 28, 2019
5 resources teachers can use in-class to support the youth climate movement
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What is the youth climate movement?
In case you have been living under a rock for the past year, youth are leading a global movement demanding immediate action on climate change! In August of 2018, 16 year old Greta Thunberg started the first school strike for climate outside of the Swedish parliament building. Since then, a global movement including millions of youth around the world has taken place and continues to gain momentum. Students are using their voice and striking across the world, and this movement has made its way to New Brunswick. With over 10 communities hosting climate strikes, New Brunswick youth are demanding action!
How to support this movement in your classroom:
Youth have created the perfect learning opportunity for lessons about civic engagement and climate change. Using real world problems as a learning tool, teachers can take advantage of this time to have relevant discussions and activities which also meet their curriculum needs. Curious how to be an ally to young people during a youth-led movement? Click here to access the toolkit for adults.
Below are 5 awesome organizations who have extensive resources which relate to the current youth movement for climate action!
- 1. National Geographic – (Kindergarten – Grade 12)
Let’s start with climate change science and basics!
National Geographic hosts over 1000 resources for k-12 students including videos, activities and articles on climate change.
Click here to see all resources
- 2. Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility (Grade 6 – Grade 12)
Reading and reflecting activity on climate strikes.
Download this printable PDF for your students and have them read 2 articles about the youth climate strikes and answer questions reflecting on what they have learned. This is a great way to introduce the strikes to students and start a discussion about civic engagement.
Click here to print the lesson plans
- 3. TeachingClimateJustice (Grade 9 – Grade 12)
1 hour lesson plan on Climate Justice: Imagining the Future We Want
TeachingClimateJustice is a British Columbia organization but their resources also connect to New Brunswick curriculum. Try this lesson plan with your students!
Click here to view lesson plan
- 4. “What in the world is happening to our climate?” (Kindergarten – Grade 5)
Read aloud book for elementary students
Read the interesting tale of kids who travel the world learning about climate change and what needs to be done to fight it! Also provided in this resource are 5 activities to follow up after reading the book.
Click here for free e-book and resources
- 5. Education First Class (Grade 9 – Grade 12)
Activity designed for English, Social Studies and similar courses
Try this easy to follow activity with your students to grow your students skills in understanding and responding to the content and language around climate strikes. They will utilize a variety of reading strategies. To access this resource you do need to create an account with EF Class, which is free and takes less than 2 minutes.
Civic engagement and climate change fit well together when addressing the youth global movement for climate action! Relating course work to real world issues is a great way to get your students engaged. Try out the resources listed above and let us know how it goes!
Looking for more resources? Send us an email at contact@thegaiaproject.ca!