Aashima Chopra / Daniel Higgins

Lesson50 min

Warming Opinions Towards Climate Change Unit Plan

Lesson Aims/ Focus

Learning Activities

Students will be able to

understand the
expectations for the unit
on climate change and will
be able to understand the
issue of global warming.

Prior Knowledge: Begin a KWLH Chart to

students and giving them some time to
write down what they already know about
climate change and what they want to
learn about it.
Expectations: Tell students that in this unit
they will be making an inquiry journal in
which they will note down their reflections
for every day and the questions they want
to investigate further.
Literacy: Create a word wall in the
classroom and divide it into two columns:
everyday words and scientific words
Issue of Global Warming: Present students
with a media article Global Warming
melts edge of Greenland icesheet and ask
them to read it individually.
Engage and Explore: Ask students to
review the article. They colour code the
key issue in Red, Qualitative and
Quantitative Data in Blue and Scientific
Process for Data Collection in Yellow
colour.
Elaborate: Discuss the article with
students as classroom discussion and they
give their views.
Evaluate: Short Reflection at the end in
their journal.

Victoria University, HGES

Resources

http://www.smh.com.au
/environment/climatechange/global-warmingmelts-edge-of-greenlandicesheet-20140317hvjgs.html

Assessment Tasks
Formative Assessment:
Students answer class
questions to show their
understanding like:
- What do you think the
problem is?
- Whatis your
understanding of the
article?
- Observing the
students and their
contribution to the
group discussion.
- Looking at their
reflection at the end of
their class.

Aashima Chopra / Daniel Higgins

Warming Opinions Towards Climate Change Unit Plan

Students will be able to

understand systems of the
Earth - biosphere,
lithosphere, hydrosphere
and atmosphere

3,4
(Double)

Students will be able to

understand the carbon
cycle and greenhouse
effect.

Victoria University, HGES

Engage: Students are given time to write

down their own understanding about
earth systems in their notebooks.
Conduct a brainstorm on the board and
asking random students to contribute
their answers, followed by giving a base
information about earth spheres for
further questioning and investigation.
Explore: Students find any one example
of interactions of earths sphere online.
Ask random students to explain their
findings.
Explain: Go over PowerPoint Presentation
on Earths Spheres
Elaborate: Group students into 4 or 5.
Each group research one earths sphere
using criteria and present it in form of
Prezi.
Evaluate: Each group comes in front to
present their findings.
Short Reflection at the end in their journal.

Engage: Start a short recap of earths

spheres.
Engage & Explore: Students watch video
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/scie
nce/edexcel/problems_in_environment/r
ecyclingact.shtml

Scripps Classroom
Connectionhttp://earthref.org/SCC/l
essons/2009/earthsphere
s/#notes

Formative Assessment:
Students answer class
questions to show their
understanding like:
- How are all systems
interacting with each
other?
- Define different
spheres of earth?
- Give an example of
each earths sphere.
-- After going through
each slide asking random
students to reiterate
what I explained
-- Looking at their
reflection at the end of
their class.

http://www.tesaustralia
.com/Source/ResourceD
etail.aspx?storyCode=62
42435
http://www.education.c
om/activity/article/Obse

Formative Assessment
Students answer class
questions to show their
understanding:
- What are the main

Aashima Chopra / Daniel Higgins

Warming Opinions Towards Climate Change Unit Plan

Explore: On the basis of video, conduct

connect, extend and challenge activity
where students write what they learned
from the video and challenge their
understanding by finding a research
question.
Explain: Go through the Carbon Cycle
and Global Warming PowerPoint and
students complete the Carbon Cycle
Summary Worksheet side by side.
Elaborate: Students understand the
greenhouse effect by conducting a
practical of making greenhouse effect in a
jar. Practical Instructions
Evaluate: Students write a short
reflection at the end in their journal
Closure: Set up a weather station in the
classroom and explain students that they
will be able to track Carbon Dioxide levels
in the classroom from now on and
tomorrow they will be going to an
excursion to CERES which will focus on
Carbon Dioxide tracking.

Excursion 1 (CERES - CO2

tracking / Ecological
footprint)

Victoria University, HGES

rve_Greenhouse_Effect/

greenhouse gases
- After going through
each slide asking random
students to reiterate
what I explained
- Looking at students
completed worksheets
to see their
understanding.
- Looking at their
reflection at the end of
their class.

A detailed lesson plan for this can be found on the main website under Daniels Lesson
Plans.

Aashima Chopra / Daniel Higgins

Warming Opinions Towards Climate Change Unit Plan

6,7
Double

Students will be able to

understand the enhanced
greenhouse effect and the
effects of climate change.

Excursion 2 (Ecolinc sustainability)

Engage and Explore: Students write a

reflection on their CERES Excursion and
share their reflections as a group.
Explain: Go through First three slides of
Effects of Climate Change PowerPoint and
students take notes as well.
Elaborate: Students write definition of the
greenhouse effect in their own words
Explain: Go through remaining PowerPoint
Slides and give students printed copies of
cases showing different effects of climate
change followed by a class discussion on
cases.
Elaborate: Students are divided into
groups and form a sequence of 3-5 events
that they can illustrate in their story strips.
Evaluate: A volunteer from each group
presents their story describing what is
happening to the person in their story.
Students write a short reflection at the end
in their journal.

Victoria University, HGES

http://www.climatechoic
es.org.uk/pages/cchange
1.htm

Formative Assessment
Students answer class
questions to show their
understanding:
- What are some of the
main effects of climate
change?
- What happens as a
result?
- Are the effects the
same in different
countries?
- What did people in the
slide show do to help
themselves?
- After going through
each slide asking random
students to reiterate
what I explained
- Looking at their
reflection at the end of
their class.

A detailed lesson plan for this can be found on the main website under Aashis Lesson Plans.

Aashima Chopra / Daniel Higgins

Warming Opinions Towards Climate Change Unit Plan

9, 10
(double)

Tracking climate change

and CO2 data
interpreting graphs and
statistics (global view of
climate change). Media
reporting - use of graphs
and statistics.

Engage: Students write a reflection on

their Ecolinc excursion and share their
reflections as a group. Students will also be
using iPads and watching a video during
this lesson.
Explore: Students will watch a clip from
the Al Gore documentary An
Inconvenient Truth in which Mr. Gore
discusses rising global Carbon dioxide
levels and the correlation to rising
temperatures.
Explain: Go through Powerpoint
presentation covering the relationship
between CO2 and global warming, and
then the Powerpoint presentation
covering graphs and plots. Ensure students
note down new terms and concepts.
Elaborate: In pairs, students will use the
iPad app and their past recordings to draw
a line graph of the rising greenhouse
temperatures.
Evaluate: Students will share their graphs
with the classroom and discuss trends
between them.
Explore: In groups of 3-4, students will
read a few different articles that make use
of graphs and statistics.
Explain: Go through Powerpoint

Victoria University, HGES

iPads
Netatmo Weather station
https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=Jxi-OlkmxZ4
Any four to five newspaper
articles with figures, graphs,
statistics and / or expert opinions.
Articles on current affairs and
topical issues are preferable.

Formative Assessment
The teacher can evaluate
student understanding
as the class progresses
by listening to the
responses of group
discussions.
Students will complete
an Exit Slip before
leaving the classroom so
the teacher can assess
their understanding.
Students must complete
the following tasks
before the next lesson:
- Find a different
newspaper article that
contains a graph and
write a short response
(approx. 50 100 words)
about how it has a
persuasive influence on
the audience.

Aashima Chopra / Daniel Higgins

Warming Opinions Towards Climate Change Unit Plan

11

Using language to
persuade Part 1 (Specific
word and sentence
structures)

Victoria University, HGES

presentation covering the persuasive

effects of graphs and statistics, as well as
expert opinion.
Elaborate: Students will return to their
articles and discuss the ways in which
statistics, figures, graphs and expert
opionions are used to have a persuasive
effect on the audience.
Evaluate: A volunteer from each group of
students will share their findings with the
class.
Engage: Students will engage in a surprise
classroom debate about a fun topic.
Explore: Students will vote for the winning
team. The teacher will prompt the class as
to their reasons why they chose the
winning team.
Explain: Students will be taken through a
Powerpoint presentation about specific
word and sentence structures relating to
persuasive language (eg. alliteration,
hyperbole, emotional appeals).
Elaborate: Students have to write their
own persuasive argument about any topic
they like.
Evaluate: A few students will share their

Student names in a hat (to draw

the debating teams).
http://www.vcestudyguides.com/
wpcontent/uploads/downloads/2010
/09/Persuasive-TechniquesInsight-Outcomes1.pdf

Aashima Chopra / Daniel Higgins

Warming Opinions Towards Climate Change Unit Plan

Victoria University, HGES

responses with the class.

12

Using language to
persuade Part 2 (form of
presentation and target
audience)

Engage: Different students from the

previous lesson will engage in another
surprise debate.
Explore: Students will vote for the winning
team and will identify specific persuasive
arguments in the debaters arguments.
Explain: Students will be taken through a
Powerpoint presentation about specific
forms of presentation that are used to
persuade (eg. print media, digital media,
online). Students will be taught to identify
how these different forms are used
dependant on the target audience.
Elaborate (1): Students will write another
persuasive argument, but this time have to
identify their target audience and explain
which form they would use to deliver their
persuasive argument.
Elaborate (2): Students will be given an
article and will have to describe who the
target audience is and how the article aims
to persuade the target audience.
Evaluate: Students will create a mind map

Student names in a hat (to draw

the debating teams).
http://www.vcestudyguides.com/
wpcontent/uploads/downloads/2010
/09/Persuasive-TechniquesInsight-Outcomes1.pdf
Poster paper for mind maps.
Opinion piece from current
newspaper.

Aashima Chopra / Daniel Higgins

Warming Opinions Towards Climate Change Unit Plan

Victoria University, HGES

of persuasive techniques.

13

Begin work on assessment

14

Continue work on
assessment

Engage: Students will create a mind map

of everything they have learnt from the
unit.
Explore and Explain: Students will be
introduced to the assessment task. They
will begin researching arguments for and
against.
Elaborate: Students will begin to construct
their research assessment task.
Evaluate: Students will spend the last five
minutes asking questions to the teacher.

Student-provided NetBooks /
iPads.
Poster Paper.
Scissors and Glue.
Research Assessment task
information and rubric.

Summative Assessment:
Research assessment
task (see website for
more information).

Engage: Students will review their work

thus far and ask any outstanding questions
to the teacher.
Explore / Explain / Elaborate: Students
will continue work on the assessment task
Evaluate: Students will finalise their
Inquiry Journals and hand them to the
teacher.

Student-provided NetBooks /
iPads.
Poster Paper.
Scissors and Glue.
Research Assessment task
information and rubric.

Summative Assessment:
Research assessment
task (see website for
more information),