2. P1, L1: SCA Unit Description
3. P1, L2: King County Climate Change Infographic
4. P1, L5 & 6: ALL WebQuest Materials
Student Climate Assembly Phase 1: Climate Assemblies, Climate Change and Civics
Overview
Phase 1: Learning Sessions
In Phase 1, students explore how various levels of government address climate change, meeting C2.11-12.1 (analyzing citizens’ and institutions’ effectiveness in addressing social and political problems). They also critically examine how governments take climate actions at local, state, tribal, and national levels.
More specifically, students start by exploring the structure and purpose of student climate assemblies, reviewing the current science and status of climate change, potential solutions, and the role of government at the local, state, tribal, national, and international levels. This foundational phase provides students with the necessary background knowledge and motivation to analyze their local government’s or tribe’s climate action plan and participate in a climate assembly, including:
- The purpose and process of climate assemblies
- A review of the science of climate change, including its major causes and impacts
- The role, structure, and powers of government, especially local governments
- The major agreements and policies addressing climate change at the international, national, tribal, and state levels
- The five major emissions categories and related solutions
Overview of Phase 1 Lesson Plans
| Introduction and Engagement This lesson provides students with an overview of the whole unit and of climate assemblies in general, as well as a high-level review of the causes and impacts of climate change and its solutions. The purpose of this lesson is to provide a springboard for students to engage with the rest of the unit. Students will spend the first half of the lesson exploring their current thinking about climate change and learning about the purpose of climate assemblies, as they spend the next three to four weeks participating in one. Then, students will use a variety of resources to put together a synthesis statement on the causes and impacts of climate change through a collaborative jigsaw. |
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| Impacts of Climate Change This lesson focuses on helping students understand and differentiate between the direct and indirect impacts of climate change, with a particular emphasis on how these impacts manifest at the local level in Washington State. Students will review the roles of different levels of government, particularly local governments, in responding to these impacts. The purpose of this lesson is to set the stage for students to explore actionable solutions that can be implemented by their local government in response to the specific challenges posed by climate change in their community. |
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| The Five Grand Challenges This lesson focuses on helping students understand the concept of the “Grand Challenges” in climate action and how government policy plays a critical role in addressing these challenges. Students will explore the sources of carbon emissions, understand the difference between mitigation and adaptation,and evaluate the importance of government policies in driving climate solutions. Students begin by analyzing personal climate impact profiles and how climate change impacts those individuals. Students then look at the five Grand Challenges that humans will have to figure out to deal with climate change. As the lesson progresses, students will work through resources such as infographics, videos and readings to further understand the role government policy takes in resolving these challenges.By the end of the lesson, students will have a foundational understanding of how government policy can shape climate action at multiple levels, and they will engage in meaningful discussions on the role of local and state governments in driving solutions to the Grand Challenges. |
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| Government Policies and Solutions This lesson explores how different levels of government — local, tribal, state, national, and international— collaborate to address climate change. First, students will look at climate actions taken at different levels of government, stretching from local to international. After that, students will engage in a case study of proposed coal terminals in Washington state to examine how local actions, supported by tribes and citizen activism, can influence broader government decisions. Through this case study, students will gain insights into the complexity of climate governance and the critical role of public involvement in shaping environmental policy. |
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| Investigating Solutions - Day 1 In this lesson, students will begin investigating climate solutions that address the Grand Challenges. They will categorize potential solutions into the different Grand Challenges and use a WebQuest to gather evidence about specific solutions. Through group discussions, students will reflect on which solutions might be most feasible for local governments to implement. This initial investigation will prepare them for future lessons where they will analyze and assess the impact of these solutions in more detail. |
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| Investigating Solutions - Day 1 In this lesson, students will continue their investigation of a set of climate solutions from Lesson 5, focusing on transportation, heating and cooling of buildings and renewable energy solutions that local governments could implement. Students will finalize their research by drafting and answering a research question and evaluating the credibility of their sources. Through group discussions, students will reflect on the feasibility and challenges of implementing the solutions they researched. By the end of the lesson, students will complete their WebQuest and write a summary of their findings, with an emphasis on solutions that are most viable for local government action. |
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Attribution and License
Attribution
This resource was developed by Pacific Education Institute for the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Deliberative Democratic Climate Change Education Program.
Project Leads: Lisa Eschenbach, David Ketter
Instructional Materials Author: Fernando Reyes, Ryan Hauck
Thank you to the following educators who contributed to planning, development, and material review:
Steven Ayers, Ryan Hauck, Christie Ryba-Johnson and Eric Wickwire
The Washington Social Studies Learning Standards by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction are available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Graphic design by Julianna Patterson.
This work was funded by the Washington State Legislature and administered by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
License
Except where otherwise noted, Washington Student Climate Assembly: Climate Change in the Civics Classroom, copyright Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, is available under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All logos, trademarks, and video are property of their respective owners. Sections used under fair use doctrine (17 U.S.C. § 107) are marked.
This resource may contain links to websites operated by third parties. These links are provided for your convenience only and do not constitute or imply any endorsement or monitoring by OSPI. If lessons in this work are adapted, note the substantive changes and re-title, removing any Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction logos.