Climate Disagreement
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Provided by: OER Project|Published on: July 18, 2025
Lesson PlansScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this module from the OER Project: Climate, students will understand why climate change remains a topic people debate about, addressing misinformation, myths, and the reliability of sources.
- Students will practice evaluating sources based on various methods and discuss why critically evaluating claims is important.
- This is one of many lessons in the online Climate course by OER Project.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, English Language Arts
Authors: OER Project: Climate
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The article in this module does an excellent job of explaining the multi-dimensional reasons behind climate disagreement.
- Understanding how to evaluate claims and the author's authority to make them is a critical media literacy skill that students can carry with them outside of the classroom.
Prerequisites
- To access the teacher guide, teachers will need to create an account. However, this module can also be implemented without one.
- Students should understand climate change, its causes, and its impacts.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Teachers with large research and writing components in their classes can use the Claims Testing resources as an established method for evaluating claims throughout the year.
- Language arts teachers can use this module to build towards refuting counterclaims throughout a persuasive or argumentative piece of writing.
- After practicing claims testing with the provided resources, students can bring in their own pieces of media to test the claims with the procedure they have learned.
- It may benefit English language learners and other students to have the vocabulary terms listed in the Teacher's Guide introduced to them ahead of time.
This resource examines the reasons behind climate change disagreement, how to assess the credibility of various sources, and how to address common climate change myths. The lesson is clear that climate change is human-caused and that scientists agree on this fact, but it explores the reasons why other people, like politicians and governments, push back on this fact. Additionally, the lesson examines the reasons behind the disagreement about what should be done to combat climate change. The worksheets addressing the credibility of sources are very valuable for students to begin understanding the importance of using reliable sources and how to identify them. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
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Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
OER Project
OER Project equips teachers with free, innovative curricula and teaching tools that spark curiosity and inspire critical thinking in students. Our courses place student inquiry at the center of learning, and are designed to be adaptable across age levels and state standards.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
