Civics Lesson: Climate Action Plan

2 hoursGrades9, 10, 11, 12Civics, English Language Arts

About this lesson

Students reflect on their feelings about climate change and create a plan to take meaningful action.

Inquire: Students reflect on their feelings about the climate crisis, the actions other young people are taking to solve it, and what they can do to be part of a climate solution movement.

Investigate: Students brainstorm climate action ideas and create goals using The Wild Center’s 8-Step Climate Action Project.

Inspire: Students apply the Climate Action Project design process to identify steps necessary to implement the solution to their school or community’s climate problem.

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The Investigate and Inspire sections can be completed in subsequent lessons. Additionally, the Inquire section could be extended into one class period for more discussion time.
The Climate Action Plan project is interdisciplinary in nature and can be initiated within any middle or high school classroom.
This lesson can also be used in high school student action, global citizenship or community partnership programs, student-run clubs, or after school enrichment programs.
This Climate Action Plan provides project-based, collaborative, and service learning opportunities.
This lesson empowers students to act locally by designing and implementing a real-life project to reduce carbon pollution at their school or within their community.
The lesson provides opportunities for brainstorming, small group work, and team-building activities that highlight the importance of diverse voices, social justice issues, and community.
Teachers using this plan as a year-long implementation project should teach this lesson early in the school year.

Prerequisites

Students complete the Student Climate Attitude Survey prior to beginning this lesson and again after the lesson.
Students should have a basic understanding of what climate change is and why it is happening.
Teacher can review the following project-based learning resources:
Communication among other teachers, administrators, parents, and community members is encouraged to generate support for student-led climate action implementation.

Differentiation

Teachers can adapt the steps of this project to students’ interests, needs, and abilities. Students who need more support can work in small groups with greater teacher guidance.
Students can establish or connect with a student-led green team or eco-club to promote more sustainability initiatives within their school and community. For more ideas, check out How to Form a Green Team.
Students are encouraged to become climate action ambassadors on a larger scale by joining climate leadership programs such as the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, Schools for Climate Action, and Climate Students Movement.
Students can explore how social justice and environmental justice are intrinsically interconnected.
Students can explore other Climate Action Projects using The Wild Center's CAP design process.

Framework for Shifting Paradigms in Climate Education

This resource exemplifies the Intersectional Key Focus Area.

Core Component 1: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Emphasis
- Students start this lesson by reflecting on their emotions related to climate change. As they identify opportunities for climate action, they practice effective communication techniques to build support within their community. At the end of the lesson, student revisit their feelings about climate change and explore how taking an action-centered approach to a community-based environmental problem has shifted their feelings.
Core Component 2: History and Social Science Framework
- Students watch a video about youth activists who solve an environmental problem in their community and identify problems and solutions in their community. Students scope and outline the steps needed to put their plan into action, giving them insight into civic responsibility, community engagement, and the real-world planning required in creating change at the community level.
Core Component 3: Global Education Perspective
- In this lesson, students work together to bring about change in their community by designing a climate action plan centered on inclusivity and equity. Students gain an understanding of themselves as active members of the community whose collective efforts can produce change on the global level.

From the scientist review

By learning about eco-anxiety, students can feel more comfortable putting forth practical solutions to address climate-related problems in their schools, local communities, and society at large. This lesson has passed our science review process.

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About the teacher writer

Dave Oakes

Dave is passionate about sustainability and the outdoors. He and his family have lived in an off-grid home for fifteen years generating 100% of their electrical needs from wind and solar power. He has been a public school teacher and administrator, a director of several non-profit organizations, a college professor, and most recently co-founder of the Center for Ecological Living and Learning (CELL) – a nonprofit that offers life-changing sustainability education programs in the U.S. and in Iceland. He loves the ocean and is passionate about climate education.