Impacts of Climate Change Writing Lesson
Lesson Plan
55 minutesGrades6, 7, 8English Language Arts
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Written by Dan Castrigano
About this lesson
In this lesson, students learn about climate change, choose one impact of climate change, and write a claim-evidence-reasoning paragraph explaining why they believe it is the worst impact of climate change.
Inquire: Students watch a video on the basics of climate change.
Investigate: Students take notes while watching four videos on the impacts of climate change.
Inspire: Students select one of the impacts of climate change and write a paragraph explaining why they believe it is the worst impact of climate change.
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Everything you need to teach it
How to edit these materials (video)Teaching tips
Suggestions
- This lesson lends itself well to any writing workshop format. Additionally, various rounds of peer feedback and editing can develop collaboration and specific writing skills.
- The Inspire section and writing activity can be extended into a homework assignment or extended writing practice.
- This lesson can be taught at various times throughout the school year for different purposes. Consider the following options:
- At the start of the year, as a diagnostic writing assessment.
- Early in an environmental science unit, as a way to introduce key climate impacts before going deeper into any one of them later in the unit.
- As a stand-alone CER skill-building lesson at any point in the year prior to a larger argumentative essay.
- Paired with a persuasive or argumentative writing unit in ELA using climate change as the topic for a skill students are already learning.
- Before a Socratic seminar or debate for students to practice and transition from writing to speaking.
- As a quick review before standardized testing season, since many state writing assessments use a similar claim-evidence-reasoning or argument structure.
- This lesson can be taught throughout the year with different climate topics to see if students can transfer the CER structure independently. Additionally, it can be used as a pre- and post-comparison for measuring writing growth.
- This lesson can be paired with science classes covering the same climate impacts so students reinforce content knowledge while practicing the writing skill in ELA.
- This lesson can be paired with What’s the Best Solution to Climate Change?
Prerequisites
- This lesson shows some of the impacts of climate change. Some of these might be difficult to hear. Students may feel anger, sadness, anxiety, or grief after hearing about some of these devastating impacts. Encourage them to share their emotions.
- Students should have some basic note-taking skills and some prior exposure to the idea of a "claim" or "topic sentence," even if not yet practiced formally.
- Students should have the ability to watch a short informational video and pull out key facts independently or with light support
- There is, of course, no right answer to “What’s the worst impact of climate change?” These impacts of climate change are all catastrophic in their own right.
- Encourage students to use as many hard facts as possible in their supporting sentences. These include dates, names, places, and specific events.
- Teachers should preview all videos prior to teaching the lesson and select ones that are the best fit for their classroom context. Teachers can also select 2-3 videos of impacts of climate change.
- Teachers should decide what writing rubric to use and share it with students as a guide or for self-review.
- Teachers can create an anchor chart of climate-specific vocabulary pulled from the videos.
Differentiation
- Most students will benefit from color-coding their sentences. Encourage them to keep their text highlighted as they write. They can even keep their paragraphs highlighted after they finish.
- Prior to the class discussion, after watching the videos, students can compare notes and confirm facts.
- Students needing support can write five sentences or use sentence starters. Stronger students may expand more in their supporting sentences.
- Multilingual learners can take notes in their native language and write their paragraph in English.
- If students are struggling with their closing sentences, ask them to read their claim sentences aloud. Sometimes this helps guide their thinking.
- Some students may benefit from various graphic organizers or a lined document to write on.
- Students ready for a challenge can consider these options
- Require two pieces of evidence per claim instead of one, and ask students to explain why one is stronger than the other.
- Address a counterargument and explain why their claim still holds.
- Extend the paragraph into a five-paragraph essay, with each of the four videos' impacts as a body paragraph and a comparative conclusion.
- Cite specific data from outside sources to strengthen their evidence section.
- Rewrite their paragraph for a younger audience and explain how their word choice or language changes.
From the scientist review
This lesson discusses understanding the key drivers of climate change and weather extremes, including the carbon cycle and processes, and changes in the Earth-atmosphere-ocean systems. This is important for students to learn and prepare for future climate risk. This lesson has passed our science review process.
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About the teacher writer
Dan Castrigano
Academic Teacher at Burlington YouthBuild
Dan Castrigano taught STEM and humanities at elementary, middle, and high schools for 11 years. From 2021-2023, he served as the Chief Content Officer at SubjectToClimate. Dan advocates for climate education and organizes for climate, social, and racial justice.
