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Climate Migrants

Voices and Perspectives

Secondary

Description

The lesson is designed to educate students about climate-induced migration through the analysis of primary and secondary sources. Aimed at middle and high school students, the lesson unfolds in three steps:

  1. Inquire: Students listen to and reflect on a poem by a Marshallese woman advocating for climate justice, fostering empathy and personal connection to the issue.

  2. Investigate: Students learn to distinguish between primary and secondary sources by examining various materials, including videos and articles that discuss the experiences of climate migrants.

  3. Inspire: Utilizing the gathered information, students create informational posters that highlight the challenges faced by climate migrants, demonstrate their understanding of the issue and raise awareness.

This comprehensive lesson plan enhances critical thinking and source analysis skills.

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

Students will learn to identify the difference between primary and secondary sources. As well, students will learn to create an information poster. 

Strengths

  • Teaching tips and scientist notes are included to help in teaching the lesson. 
  • A slide show and student assignments with answer keys are provided.
  • The lesson is detailed and easy to follow for teachers.
  • Differentiation ideas are included in this resource. 

Weaknesses

  • Lack of assessment tools

Recommendation of how and where to use it

Climate Migrants will provide insight and add social context to any discussion of our changing climate. It will be of particular interest to geography, environmental science and social studies teachers addressing topics in population, migration, environmental justice and climate change. 

Relevant Curriculum Units

The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.

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  • Alberta
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    • Grade 9
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        • Comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print, and other media texts
        • Enhance the clarity and artistry of communication
        • Explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences.
        • Manage ideas and information
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        • Comprehend literature, and respond personally, critically and creatively
        • Create oral, print, visual and multimedia
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        • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
        • People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives.
        • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.
        • Texts are socially, culturally, and historically constructed.
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        • Literary Studies 10: People understand text differently depending on their world views and perspectives
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        • Comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print, and other media texts
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        • Comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print, and other media texts
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        • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
        • People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives.
        • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.
        • Texts are socially, culturally, and historically constructed.
    • Grade 10
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        • Literary Studies 10: People understand text differently depending on their world views and perspectives
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        • Comprehend and Respond
        • Plan and Focus
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        • Exploring Canadian Geography: :Changing Populations
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        • English Language Arts A10: Compose and Create
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        • Geography 10:Population
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        • Science 10: Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics
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    • Grade 9
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        • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
    • Grade 10
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • English/Language Arts
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Literary Studies 10: People understand text differently depending on their world views and perspectives

Themes Addressed

Air, Atmosphere & Climate (1)

  • Climate Change

Human Health & Environment (1)

  • Quality of Life

Human Rights (3)

  • Environmental Racism/Justice
  • Refugees and Immigration
  • Social Justice

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Very Good

Climate Migrants includes various videos, articles, and a poem that present diverse narratives about climate migrants, encouraging students to understand the issue from multiple angles.

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Very Good

This lesson plan explores environmental drivers like rising sea levels, economic impacts on livelihoods and communities, and the social consequences of displacement, cultural loss and equity struggles.

Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Very Good

The lesson plan respects the complexity of climate migration by exploring its environmental, economic, and social dimensions and highlighting their interconnectedness. Through diverse narratives and critical thinking activities, it ensures students engage deeply with the multifaceted nature of the issue.

Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Poor/Not considered

This is not a focus of this resource. 

Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Very Good

Through activities like analyzing diverse perspectives on climate migration, creating informational posters and reflecting on the human experiences involved, students are encouraged to form their own opinions and express their thoughts on issues such as justice, equity, and the environment.

Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Very Good

By highlighting how climate change impacts people’s lives and livelihoods, Climate Migrants fosters an understanding of the unequal impacts of climate change and empathy for those who suffer most.

Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Satisfactory

Since climate change is at the core of climate migration, this resource helps students foster a concern for the natural world. 

Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Satisfactory

The resource addresses a pressing global issue, making it meaningful and timely while promoting global citizenship and cultural awareness.

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Good

The lesson plan promotes an understanding of the past by exploring historical events related to climate migration and a sense of the present by addressing current challenges faced by climate migrants. It also encourages students to envision a positive future through creative activities and discussions that promote climate justice and solutions.

Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Very Good

Students engage with diverse primary and secondary sources that provide various perspectives on climate migration. The activities encourage critical analysis and personal interpretation, such as reflecting on the poem, analyzing migration narratives, and creating posters to communicate their understanding.

Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Good

The lesson connects environmental science, social studies, and literacy skills making it versatile and relevant to multiple subject areas.

Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Satisfactory

The lesson provides students with questions and problems to solve, along with guidance to help them explore solutions.

Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Good

The wide variety of activities in this resource addresses well the needs of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. As well, differentiation ideas are provided in the lesson plan.

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Good

While this resource effectively situates learning in a global, real-world context, it does not provide direct experiences outside the classroom such as fieldwork or community engagement.

Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Satisfactory

Students will work in groups. 

Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Poor/Not considered

Formal assessment tools are not provided. However, the reflection questions that are included could be used to help assess students understanding of the issue. 

Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Satisfactory

The culminating project of creating informational posters allows students to share their learning. 

Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Good

This lesson plan incorporates real-world narratives that provide authentic contexts for students to explore the impacts of climate change on migration. Students will engage with a poem by a Marshallese woman seeking climate justice for her country and analyze short videos and articles about climate migrants. 

Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Very Good

Climate Migrants provides meaningful opportunities for student choice and deeper engagement. Students can explore various narratives and perspectives on climate migration through videos and articles, fostering personalized learning. They also have creative freedom to present their findings in diverse formats, such as informational posters, while engaging in critical analysis to deepen their understanding of the topic.

Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.

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