SYNOPSIS: This lesson explores the complexities of food waste and its connection to climate change.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson illustrates the concept of food waste and food loss and provides initiatives to reduce food waste. This will not only help in improving food security but is a good alternative to drawdown greenhouse gas emissions from food waste. All materials have been fact-checked, and the lesson is credible for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson includes a diverse set of perspectives, communities, and solutions.
-Students are able to learn about the complexity of food waste from different contexts.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-Students are likely to have different perspectives and emotions regarding food waste. It can be an overwhelming experience to learn about the severity of this problem. This lesson embeds questions to give students time and space to process these emotions and inequities.
-The Big Waste video contains some statistics from 2012-2013, so some data may be outdated and obsolete.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Seeing the severity and inequities of food waste might cause feelings of anxiety, sadness, anger, despair, or surprise in some students. It is recommended for teachers to remind them that those feelings are normal and natural. Sharing those feelings with the class can help support students’ social-emotional learning. It is recommended to encourage students to share their honest reactions.
-This exploration and these discussions might naturally lead into the “What can we do about it?” discussion.

This lesson explores the complexities of food waste and its connection to climate change.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students think about food waste and how it may be connected to climate.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students learn about different sources and areas of food waste, how food waste is rooted in inequity, and how food waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students discuss different solutions and actions being taken to address food waste and reflect on the actions they can take within their own community.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students think about their ideal farm and look at case studies from around the world to investigate farmers' responses to the impact of climate change on food production.

SCIENTIST NOTES: With different case studies, this lesson introduces students to the concept of climate-smart agriculture. In this light, they will be able to model innovative techniques to achieve a sustainable food system in their local communities and beyond. All materials have been rigorously fact-checked, and this lesson is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-Students get to be creative with their designs of a sustainable farm.
-Students learn about sustainable farming and solutions-based thinking for a growing population with limited resources in a changing climate.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 4 of 6 in our 6th-8th grade Climate Change, Food Production, and Food Security unit.
-Students should understand that different regions will respond to climate change differently based on how they experience the impacts of climate change.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Teachers can assign the Teacher Slideshow and Student Document on Google Classroom and students can submit their work independently.
-Teachers can group students for the guided research questions and assign them level-appropriate resources.
-Teachers can eliminate case study options if the options are overwhelming.
-Teachers can review the Teacher Slideshow as a class and answer the questions as a whole group assignment.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students unpack the complexities of the global food system and climate change.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson allows students to explore the impact of climate change on the global food system and why it is important to change food choices that would adversely impact on the climate. They would learn how to use concept maps to ideate high-impact solutions that would address climate change and food insecurity in their community. All materials used in creating the lesson were fact-checked, and this lesson has passed our science credibility process.

POSITIVES:
-Students think critically about the ways climate change and the global food system are intertwined.
-Students collaborate and build on ideas they explored in previous lessons.
-Students explore the relationships and connections in a highly complex system in a scaffolded and supported way.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 6 of 6 in our 6th-8th grade Climate Change, Food Production, and Food Security unit.
-Students will get the most out of this activity if they have completed most of the previous lessons in the Climate Change, Food Production, and Food Security unit.
-Students may need to gather materials, such as paper and markers, for students to create their concept maps.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Teachers can assign the Teacher Slideshow on Google Classroom and students can submit their work independently.
-Students can create the concept map as a whole class or they can work in small targeted groups.
-Students can create their concept maps independently.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson teaches students about the different ways farms and agriculture are being impacted by climate change.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson allows students to explore the impact of climate change on agriculture. They would be able to identify the underlying climatic variables that affect farming systems in different geographies. All resources were fact-checked, and this lesson has passed the science credibility process.

POSITIVES:
-Students are able to learn about specific climate change topics that are interesting to them.
-Students can learn about the many different ways in which climate change impacts agriculture.
-Students can learn from their peers.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 3 of 6 in our 6th-8th grade Climate Change, Food Production, and Food Security unit.
-While not necessary, it is helpful for students to have a general sense of some of the global impacts of climate change.
-You must create a free account to access the Newsela article.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Teachers can assign the Teacher Slideshow on Google Classroom and students can submit their work independently.
-Teachers can group students for the guided research section and assign them level-appropriate resources.
-Teachers can eliminate options in the guided research section if the options are overwhelming.
-Teachers can eliminate the video option in the guided research if they want to exclusively assign readings.
-Teachers can review the teacher slideshow as a class and answer the questions as a whole group assignment.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson teaches students about the different steps in food production and how each step contributes to climate change.

SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson has students analyze carbon footprint from different sources of food. From production, packaging, transportation, consumption, and disposal, all these activities increase carbon footprint and cause harm to the environment. This lesson inspires students to take urgent action to reduce individual carbon footprint from the food system. All materials are well-sourced and were thoroughly fact-checked to ascertain their credibility. Thus, this lesson is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-Students are able to connect climate change to their everyday life by thinking about what foods they eat and how they may impact the planet.
-Students are able to analyze complex data in a way that is highly scaffolded and supported.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 2 of 6 in our 6th-8th grade Climate Change, Food Production, and Food Security unit.
-Students should be able to read a bar graph that has a key.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Teachers can assign the Teacher Slideshow on Google Classroom and students can submit their work independently.
-For the Data Explorer section, teachers can use an open-ended version that has broad questions or a guided version that has more specific questions to help students identify trends.
-Teachers can eliminate options in the guided research section if the options are overwhelming.
-Teachers can review the Teacher Slideshow as a class and answer the questions as a whole group assignment.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn about food insecurity and analyze potential solutions for their own community.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson introduces students to what food insecurity and food deserts entail, how it adversely impacts vulnerable populations, low-income communities, and the world at large. It offers them the opportunity to brainstorm on ideas to address food insecurity in their communities and across different geographies. All materials in the lesson have been reviewed, and there is a high confidence in using this lesson in the classroom.

POSITIVES:
-Students learn about difficult issues like food insecurity and food deserts but in the context of solution-based thinking.
-Students think about and analyze their community and think of ways they can make a tangible difference.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 5 of 6 in our 6th-8th grade Climate Change, Food Production, and Food Security unit.
-Students should understand food insecurity isn’t just about hunger, but also malnutrition.
-Students should understand that food insecurity is an issue for many people for a variety of different reasons, but there are potential solutions.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Teachers can assign the teacher slideshow on Google Classroom and students can submit their work independently.
-Teachers can group students and assign them level-appropriate resources.
-Teachers can eliminate options in the guided research section if the options are overwhelming.
-Teachers can review the teacher slideshow as a class and answer the questions as a whole group assignment.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson encourages students to think about their food choices and where their food comes from.

SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson introduces students to analyze the origin or source of their food and explore and track the factors that determines their food choices. This lesson provides understanding on the implications of our food choices on achieving food security. There are no scientific misconceptions in this lesson. On that account, this lesson has passed the science credibility process.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson gets students thinking about what they eat, why they eat what they do, and where some of those foods may come from.
-The guided research gives students independent time to explore where their favorite meal’s ingredients might come from.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 1 of 6 in our 6th-8th grade Climate Change, Food Production, and Food Security unit.
-Students should understand that healthy foods like fruits and vegetables provide certain vitamins and nutrients that junk food does not.
-Students should know the consequences of an imbalanced diet can include diabetes, obesity, and other health issues.
-Teachers should be mindful that some students might be sensitive to topics surrounding food tracking, diet, and body image.
-For students to access the Food Tracker, teachers can print the Google Document or assign a copy to all students digitally.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-If teachers choose to teach this lesson without teaching the following lessons in the unit, teachers can end the lesson by having students explore this climate change food calculator after completing their Food Trackers.
-Teachers can assign the Teacher Slideshow or Student Document on Google Classroom and students can submit their work independently.
-Teachers can group students for the guided research section and assign them level-appropriate resources.
-Teachers can eliminate options in the guided research section if the options are overwhelming.
-Teachers can review the Teacher Slideshow as a class and answer the questions as a whole class assignment.