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
Lesson Plan
My Notes
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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