No Option Except Escape: A Role Play on the Struggles of Climate Refugees

Provided by: Zinn Education Project |Published on: May 24, 2024

Activity - Classroom

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Synopsis

In this activity, students will role-play to understand climate refugees and the lack of protections for them.
Students will read a vignette of the climate refugee they will play, participate in a mock convention for refugees, and write from the perspective of their refugee after reading a fictional proposal from the International Summit of Business Leaders regarding climate refugee protection.

Subjects: Civics, Geography

Authors: Zinn Education Project, Rethinking Schools

Region: Africa, Asia, Middle East, South and Central America, Global, Oceania, Oregon, Puerto Rico

Languages: English

Positives

Putting students in the role of a refugee will help them develop a deeper connection to the issue.
Through the mock convention, students have the opportunity to learn about a variety of issues that force people from all over to escape their homes.

Prerequisites

Teachers will have to sign in or create an account to access the activity.
Teachers should be mindful of their classroom demographics, especially mindful of any students who are refugees.
Students may benefit from having background knowledge about climate change and its impacts.

Differentiation & Implementation

If students are new to role-playing, teachers may want to model the expectations.
Teachers can plan strategic groups to ensure students get maximum value out of the activity.
Students in the "home" group answering questions may benefit from a graphic organizer or cheat sheet to help them answer other students' questions accurately.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format

All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.