Indiana High School Students Offer Up Ideas to Combat Climate Change
Ask students: How do community members outside the high school help with the project? Why do many educators feel unprepared to teach about climate change?
In schools nationwide, educators hope to empower students with knowledge and inspire them to dream up ways to ensure a better climate in the future. At a high school in Bloomington, Indiana, students pitched their ideas to scientists this past spring. WFYI investigative education reporter Lee Gaines reports.
View the transcript of the story. Watch the video on Youtube.
Discussion Questions
- Who did the students pitch their ideas to?
- How do members of the community outside the high school help with the project?
- Why do many educators feel unprepared to teach about climate change?
- What is geoengineering?
- What are some of the ideas that students came up with?
Focus Questions
- Do you have any ideas for addressing climate change? It doesn't have to solve the whole problem all at once. Brainstorm and sketch out an idea that could be applied locally to help:
- reduce the use of fossil fuels
- protect people and the environment from heat, drought, or other effects of climate change
- address health concerns related to climate change
- Media literacy: Do you think you learn differently when working on a creative project rather than just reading about a topic? How do you believe project-based learning helps students?
Extension Activity
For more inspiration, watch the following video and discuss — how can members of a community work together to address the impacts of climate change locally? Who should be involved? Watch the video on Youtube.
Lesson Plans on Climate Change
Explore more resources for educators to find a wide-range of relevant preK-12 lessons on climate change or supporting young people as they continue to lead the conversation around the climate change crisis.
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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