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Environmental Justice!

Secondary, Middle

Description

Environmental Justice! is a freely-available community research guide developed as part of the Smithsonian Science Institute's Global Goals project. The guide helps young people learn more about the concerns of their community in order to communicate accurate, helpful, and trusted information about environmental justice. 

This resource features 8 tasks that incorporate investigations and hands-on science to help students discover how they can take action and create environments that are healthy for everyone.

In this resource, students will :

  • learn about how they interact with their environment
  • learn about a specific environmental issue in their area and the causes of this problem
  • examine how different environments can make people more or less healthy
  • discover the themes of injustices
  • learn more to understand some innovative solutions to environmental problems
  • develop an action plan for their communities

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

In this resource, students will learn how to have proper discussions, how to communicate effectively, how to conduct an interview, and how to take action to fix a problem in their community. 

Strengths

  • Credible Source: The Smithsonian Institution is a highly respected and reputable organization with expertise in various fields, including science education. The resource can be considered reliable and trustworthy.
  • Comprehensive Information: The resource covers various aspects of environmental justice, providing a comprehensive understanding of the topic. It explores the intersection of environmental issues and social justice, offering insights into the historical context, current challenges, and potential solutions.
  • Engaging Format: The resource utilizes interactive features, such as videos, images, and case studies, to engage learners. This multimedia approach helps capture and maintain the interest of the audience, making the learning experience more dynamic and impactful.
  • Educational Focus: As an educational resource, it is designed to support teachers and students in understanding environmental justice. The content is structured in a way that facilitates learning, with clear explanations, learning objectives, and suggested activities or discussions.
  • Accessible and User-Friendly: The resource is readily accessible online, making it convenient for educators, students, and anyone interested in the topic to explore. The user-friendly interface and clear navigation make it easy to navigate through different sections and find relevant information.
  • Promotes Critical Thinking: The resource encourages critical thinking and reflection by presenting real-world examples, posing questions, and providing opportunities for analysis and discussion. This helps learners develop a deeper understanding of the complexities of environmental justice issues.

Weaknesses

This resource does not have built-in assessment tools or mechanisms to evaluate learners’ understanding or progress. Therefore the educator will have to develop their own assessment strategies to gauge the effectiveness of the lesson and students’ learning outcomes.

Recommendation of how and where to use it

Environmental Justice! can be incorporated into any Science curriculums that cover environmental science, sustainability, or social and ethical considerations. It provides a comprehensive understanding of environmental justice issues and their intersection with scientific concepts. This resource can also serve as a foundation for engaging classroom discussions and debates. 

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.

  • Step 1Select a province
  • Alberta
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 9
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Environmental Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Environment and Outdoor Education: Commitment to Action
        • Environment and Outdoor Education: Environmental Investigations
  • British Columbia
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 11
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science for Citizenship 11: Scientific understanding enables humans to respond and adapt to changes locally and globally
  • Manitoba
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 12
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Interdisciplinary Topics in Science 40S: Science, Technology, Society and the Environment
  • New Brunswick
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 7
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 7 Earth Surface Processes: Learning and Living Sustainably
    • Grade 9
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 9 Ecosystem Dynamics: Learning and Living Sustainably
    • Grade 10
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Learning and Living Sustainably (STSE)
        • Science 10 Science for Sustainable Societies
    • Grade 12
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Environmental Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Introduction to Environmental Science 120: An Overview of Environmental Science
        • Introduction to Environmental Science 120: Investigating Environmental Issues
  • Newfoundland & Labrador
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 12
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Environmental Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Environmental Science 3205: Introduction to Environmental Science
  • Nova Scotia
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 7
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 7: Environmental Action
  • Nunavut
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 9
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Knowledge and Employability Science: Environmental Chemistry (Social and Environmental Contexts Emphasis)
  • Ontario
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 9
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • STEM Skills, Careers, and Connections
    • Grade 11
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Environmental Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Environmental Science (Univ/College Prep.) Human Health and the Environment
        • Environmental Science (Univ/College Prep.) Scientific Solutions to Contemporary Environmental Challenges
        • Environmental Science (Workplace Prep.) Human Health and the Environment
  • Prince Edward Island
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 9
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Social Studies
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Interdependence: Atlantic Canada in the Global Community: Environment in the Global Community
    • Grade 12
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Environmental Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Environmental Science 621A: Environmental Challenges and Successes
        • Environmental Science 621A: Introduction to Environmental Science
  • Quebec
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 9
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Social Studies
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • The Contemporary World: Environment
    • Grade 10
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science & Technology
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science & Technology:The Living World
  • Yukon Territory
    • Step 2Select a grade level
    • Grade 11
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science for Citizenship 11: Scientific understanding enables humans to respond and adapt to changes locally and globally

Themes Addressed

Citizenship (1)

  • Community-Building and Participation

Human Health & Environment (1)

  • Environmental Contaminants & Health Hazards

Human Rights (2)

  • Environmental Racism/Justice
  • Social Justice

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Very Good

In Environmental Justice! students will get to form their own opinion and take informed positions based on what they learn through well-researched information. 

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 Satisfactory

In this resource, students will mostly explore the social and environmental dimensions of the issue. 

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

This resource provides a nuanced and comprehensive view of environmental justice using accurate and well-researched information. 

Respects Complexity:

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

Acting on Learning Very Good

In this guide students will become action researchers to identify and help solve problems in their own community. Action researchers first discover their own existing knowledge, then they understand problems through investigations, and finally they act on what they have learned to make local and global communities better. 

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

This resource has multiple opportunities for students to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs and values. It has a multitude of group discussions, and students are never geared toward one right answer. 

Values Education:

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

Empathy & Respect for Humans Very Good

In task 2, students will explore the effect of the environment on people and the effect of people on the environment.

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 Very Good

Some activities in this resource will take students outside in their own community. 

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 Very Good

In Environmental Justice! students will get to learn about specific environmental issues in their area and the causes of these problems. 

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 Very Good
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

Throughout this resource, students will get a chance to express their opinion. They will often be told that there is not only one right answer. 

Open-Ended Instruction :

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

Integrated Learning Good

Environmental Justice! can be incorporated into any Science curriculum that covers environmental science, sustainability, or social and ethical considerations. It provides a comprehensive understanding of environmental justice issues and their intersection with scientific concepts. This resource can also serve as a foundation for engaging classroom discussions and debates in other subjects.  

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 Very Good

Students will be the ones doing the research in this guide. This means often they will develop their own questions and determine the best way to answer them.

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

This guide is designed to be widely accessible. The language, tone, and format attempt to be as inclusive as possible to reach learners with a wide variety of learning styles. However, learners with specific needs may need teacher support. The guide activities can always be adapted to fit learner abilities, either by the teacher or by the students themselves.

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 Very Good

Students will be going outside for multiple activities throughout the resource. 

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 Good

Students will be working with other classmates as part of a research team. Teams will conduct investigations and make decisions together. As well, in the guide, students will find guidelines on how to efficiently work as a team to get the discussion going and stay respectful of others. 

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

This resource does not have built-in assessment tools or mechanisms to evaluate learners’ understanding or progress. Therefore the educator will have to develop their own assessment strategies to gauge the effectiveness of the lesson and students’ learning outcomes.

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 Poor/Not considered

This is not a focus of this resource. 

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 Very Good

There are multiple case studies in this resource. One example is in task 5. Students will read What Is Causing the Breathing Problems? It is a case study of an environmental problem faced by the people living in the city of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. 

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

Learners are the decision-makers of the guide. They will decide what information they need and what the information they gather means. Then learners use that information to decide and implement actions.

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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