8-10 yrs old
11-13 yrs old
Geography
Math & Economics
Science
Our world’s climate is changing at an unprecedented rate and more than likely because of human interactions with our world.
March 6, 2018
TED Talk - Allan Savory
Mini-Lesson (whole class) Critical vocabulary activity: Divide students into small groups 3-4 and draw a vocabulary term. • Desertification • Hectare • Micro climate • Macro climate • Permeable • Humidity • Sustainability • Atmosphere o Groups have to discover what the term means, create a definition in their own words, and draw an icon/symbol to represent their vocabulary term. o Groups present their critical vocabulary term to the class. o Hook with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpTHi7O66pI&nohtml5=False TED talk with Allan Savory discussing “How to green the world’s deserts and reverse climate change.”
Class discussion: o What does Mr. Savoy suggest as possible solutions to reversing desertification? Do you agree or disagree? o If the earth were inhabitable, what would that look like? o What is climate change? o What is the difference between climate change in the atmosphere versus the physical earth? o What can we do to slow process of climate change? o How can we slow the process of climate change? o How can we design and build sustainable environments such as homes and land?
Independent or cooperative group activity choices • Watch and Read: http://planetearthherald.com/environmentally-sustainable-home-and-land/ Option One:
Design and create an environmentally sustainable plot of land with an environmentally sustainable home. • Students will create the home structure itself and can choose to go further by designing the interior • Students will create at least two features on the land outside to support the sustainability Option Two:
Design and create an environmentally sustainable plot of land with an environmentally sustainable building or business. • Students will create the building/business structure itself and can choose to go further by designing the interior • Students will create at least two features on the land outside to support the sustainability
Evidence of Learning • Screenshots or screencast of world demonstrating the features of their environmentally sustainable home/land/building/business o Describe the features included outside the home/business/building and how they contribute to the sustainability. o How will your structure withstand atmospheric and physical climate change over the next 5 years?
Extension Activities • Students connect their learning by finding a similar home/land/building/business in the real world & doing compare/contrast. o Return to Minecraft world and make adjustments to resemble real world sustainability • LA/SS tie-in: Dustbowl in the US during the 30s • Book: Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp • Math tie-in: Is the structure or plot of land to scale in Minecraft as to real-world. Could you make it to scale with a focus on surface area? • ELA- Debate sustainability bringing two articles on opposing views of the topic. Have students prepare to debate on each side of the topic.
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