Students investigate how to bring together different types of knowledge to make a case for environmental justice at a California school of their choice. Students learn that environmental injustices are deeply complex, interdisciplinary problems that require several different types of knowledge and expertise to effectively understand and address. Students investigate how to integrate different types of knowledge and evidence — such as ecological, historical, quantitative, qualitative, and moral — to make a case for an environmental solution. Students see this in action via a case study on dams on the Klamath River and the types of knowledge that led to their removal.
Students explore where to find data and information on environmental hazards in their case study location and what to do when information is conflicting. They examine how different groups and parties are affected, identifying factors that influence how those groups respond and considering other injustices. The unit culminates with students bringing different types of knowledge and evidence together to present a case study and plan for action.
“I truly enjoyed teaching this. It has been heartwarming to see them care about other living things and the environment.”
“My students often refer to the experience and knowledge gained. I plan to use Seeds to Solutions lessons in the future.”
“The message that there are solutions to help us combat climate change and that people are working together to solve problems helped students stay in a place of curiosity; they didn’t show anxiety over the content.”
“Students were curious and continue to be curious. They are more aware of their surroundings than before and continue to point out observations daily.”
“I have learned ways to improve my teaching, and I have been at this for 38 years. The students are gaining a deeper understanding of what climate change is: what causes climate change, and the impact of climate change on crop yield.”
“I heard comments like, ‘I didn’t realize how much climate change affects my community,’ and, ‘This project made me think about what I can do to help.'”
“I love how the data was more interactive and chunked into smaller pieces. I also like how there was a way to bring all the knowledge and wondering back to come up with a conclusion to the problem.”
“This is engaging because it uses real data about the state students live in and shows changes within their lifetime, like the rise of warehouses and trucking during the pandemic.”
“When you’re out in the workforce, you’re trying to solve problems that don’t have a clear, immediate answer. So doing stuff like this helps give students practice.”
“The kids become more engaged because now they are actually actively doing things. They’re really having to look for themselves. It’s not given to them on a platter, but all the resources are right there.”
“Every lesson was so thoroughly designed, the case study design book was beautifully organized, and it helped to give my class a real-life understanding of how college/graduate-level academic research works. Being able to connect their research back to environmental issues they actually experience was simply icing on the cake. Well done!”
“Using the maps and seeing things like schools and how close they are to hazards is really cool. They may not be super connected personally, but they can put themselves in the shoes of other kids and try to relate. I know it’s working because I have a kid that just watches Netflix all day, every day and he pulled out his earbud and participated!”
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