SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students explore an interactive map, learn about Cancer Alley, and take concrete action to address environmental injustice.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson introduces students to environmental justice and asks them to use an EPA mapping tool that shows how polluted an area is. The lesson also includes a video resource from Vox that highlights the area of Louisiana known as “Cancer Alley." To be as perfectly clear as possible, vast amounts of data and evidence show that people of color are disproportionately affected by pollution in the United States, and that higher exposure to pollutants directly correlates to higher incidence of disease. This video was produced in May of 2020, which is quite early on in the pandemic, and as such, some of the numbers presented in it are outdated. This outdated data is only for the numbers given when speaking on COVID-19 mortality rates. For example, the video says that Louisiana’s population is 32% Black (still correct) but Black people account for 56% of COVID-19 deaths. This is no longer the case as of July 2022, and according to data obtained from Louisiana’s government website, Black citizens account for 34% of deaths. While this is still disproportional, it is not as large of a disparity as when the video was produced. The same is true for Michigan, where Black residents now account for 17.5% of deaths but make up 14% of the population (data from michigan.gov). So, while this lesson highlights the importance of environmental justice and is overall scientifically sound, please just take note of the changes in the COVID-19 data.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson clearly connects redlining and environmental racism.
-This lesson shows a concrete example of the effects of systemic racism in the United States.
ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:Some students may never have discussed racism and climate change before. Meet your students where they are and encourage them to ask good questions.
-When teaching this sequence, it’s important to acknowledge the historical facts that have led to this injustice. Here are some resources to help you:
-Dr. Ibram X. Kendi defines racist policy as “any measure that produces or sustains racial inequity between racial groups.” (Source: Article from Penguin Publishing Company)
-Government entities suppressed the Black vote through different means until the Voting Rights Act in 1965. (Source: history.com)
-Redlining was outlawed by the Fair Housing Act in 1968. (Source: ThoughtCo)

DIFFERENTIATION:
-It may be necessary to offer the letter-writing as an extension or an extra credit opportunity.
-Be sensitive to the needs of your students, as systemic racism affects them in different ways.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students explore critical media literacy and begin creating their advertisements.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson lets students understand the implication of advertisement in influencing green transportation. It is suitable to engage students to create advertisements so as to influence the adoption of green public transportation. All accompanying materials used in the lesson have been verified and validated. On that account, this lesson is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson features critical media literacy, an important skill for all students.
-This lesson supports collaboration amongst peers.
-Students explore real-world problems through project-based learning.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 5 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Transportation unit.
-The videos on slides 13-15 will automatically start and stop at the appropriate times.
-Students should understand how to read a rubric and use it as a guide for increasing their scores.
-The final lesson in this unit plan does not allow any more class time for students to create their advertisements. After this class is over, you could allow more class time for advertisement creation or ask students to finish their advertisements outside of class.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-You can break down the definition of critical media literacy.
-You can allot multiple days following this lesson for advertisement creation time based on students' needs.
-Some students may be using different technologies to create their advertisements (e.g., TikTok, Adobe Spark, Canva, etc.). It may take those students longer to finish their advertisements if they are also learning a new technology.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson features the final advertisement presentations and provides students with the opportunity to think about how to use these projects to make an impact in real life.

SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson gives students a chance to reflect on the power of advertisement and ways to engage the public to use the metro as a sustainable green transportation model. The materials used in the lesson have been verified and are accurate. Hence, this lesson is recommended for classroom use.

POSITIVES:
-Students explore real-world problems through project-based learning.
-Students practice oral presentation skills.
-Students practice giving constructive feedback to their peers.
-This lesson empowers students to continue their projects after the allotted class time has ended.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 6 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Transportation unit.
-You can review a code of conduct or guidelines for oral presentations prior to this lesson. This can include an introduction for how to be a prepared speaker and active listener.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-You may scaffold reflection questions with sentence frames.
-You can decide on alternative ways to conduct student presentations based on students' needs.
-Potential action projects for students are listed on slide 14 of the teacher slideshow.

SYNOPSIS: In this final lesson in the air quality unit, students learn about vehicle idling, gather and interpret data, and take action at their school.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson introduces students to car idling. Then students research about it and design a program to include posters, bumper stickers, and school campaigns to raise awareness about car idling and its impact on air quality and the environment. All materials embedded in the lesson are thoroughly sourced. Accordingly, this lesson is recommended for classroom use.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson provides students with a concrete action plan to reduce emissions and improve health at their school.
-This lesson plan could create terrific climate and health conversations at home for many students and their families.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This lesson plan is listed as 90 minutes. This lesson may take less or more time depending on many factors, including the best time to observe vehicles at or near your school.
-If students are adamant about launching a full-fledged No Idling Campaign at their school, this lesson could become a class project that takes weeks, months, or even the entire school year.
-If your students choose to launch a full campaign, make sure to support them in their interactions with different stakeholders at school like teachers, administration, families, and bus drivers. Make sure to let the students take the lead.
-Make sure to remind students that walking and biking are zero carbon options. Perhaps the best outcome of this lesson is not fewer idling cars, but fewer overall cars.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students are given three choices in the Inspire phase of this lesson: design a poster, create a bumper sticker, or launch a No Idling Campaign. Some students may want to pursue the schoolwide campaign while others may not. Perhaps you can form a smaller group of students to take this on if all the students are not interested.
-It may be difficult for students to arrive early or depart late from school depending on family circumstances.
-There may not be a good spot for you to observe vehicles at your school. If that's the case, perhaps you can walk with your students to a nearby intersection to observe traffic there.

In this lesson, students view images of plastic pollution around the world, watch a video on plastic pollution, and analyze artwork about plastic pollution.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students complete a KWL on plastic pollution and view six images of plastic pollution around the world.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students watch a video on plastic pollution and discuss.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students analyze artwork with a partner and then choose one artwork to analyze using the art critique star.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students view images of plastic pollution around the world, watch a video on plastic pollution, and analyze artwork about plastic pollution.

SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson characterizes plastic pollution around the world. It deploys the power of arts to change people's beliefs towards plastic consumption and improve their understanding on the impact of plastic pollution on the environment. The lesson is well-sourced and is suitable and recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-Students are exposed to the impacts of global plastic pollution.
-Students are exposed to a variety of ways activists can use art to create awareness and apply cultural and political pressure to create change.
-Students will understand that big companies are the ones creating major plastic pollution.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 3 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Art for the Earth unit.
-Students should have a basic understanding of plastic pollution.
-Partners or small groups will need a set of artwork critiquing question cards between them. To save time, cards can be cut out before the lesson or shared with students digitally.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students can be paired or grouped based on ability. Students who do not regularly shine in class may have the most insightful analysis of the artworks. Make sure to provide concrete, specific feedback on how their analysis is insightful.
-Make sure to guide students to "share the air" when discussing the artwork in partners or groups. Step in to make sure all students have their voices heard so that certain students are not always talking or always listening.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students analyze how much renewable energy is used around the world.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson offers key insights for students to explore renewable energy, map countries' renewable energy sources, and analyze relative change and patterns. Students are able to compare and make recommendations for a just and fair transition to clean energy. All materials embedded in the lesson are thoroughly sourced and are void of scientific misconceptions. We recommend this lesson to be used for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-Students can study any countries they want!
-Students can internalize that renewable energy solutions already exist all around the world. They simply must be scaled up in order to address the climate crisis.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 5 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Renewable Energy unit.
-Some students may struggle with the x-axis and y-axis scales when comparing different countries. The scales are not the same for all countries.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-You have many options in the Investigate phase of this lesson. Students can complete worksheets for individual countries, two countries, or multiple countries. Students can complete these worksheets individually or in groups. Students can also complete more than one worksheet if they finish early.
-You can share the student worksheets digitally or you can print hard copies.
-Be sensitive with how you share the "Adapted" worksheets with certain students. Students may realize that they have different worksheets from some of their peers.
-If students would like to learn more about geothermal energy around the world, they can explore this interactive graph from Our World in Data.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students discuss and evaluate artwork by Jill Pelto, investigate renewable and nonrenewable energy, and demonstrate their learning through writing or drawing.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson demonstrates the impact of climate change in our ecosystem through Jill Pelto's arts. Arts appear to be an effective tool in climate science communication. The lesson has passed our scientist review and is recommended for classroom use.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson creates a collaborative atmosphere for the unit.
-Students are able to identify how meaning can be created through art, especially when learning about fossil fuels and their damage to the environment.
-Students can identify and share their own thoughts and feelings about Jill Pelto's artworks.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 1 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Art for the Earth unit.
-iPads or computers with Internet connectivity are necessary.
-Students will need basic research skills and computer skills.
-Teachers will need to create a free Newsela account to access the readings on renewable and nonrenewable energy.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Teacher can create groups to include mixed ability levels, especially when students are taking notes on renewable and nonrenewable energy in the Investigate section.
-Teacher can pause throughout the reading of Sven's Search for Clean Energy to encourage students to write in the "Learned" section of their KWL charts.
-The two Newsela articles on renewable and nonrenewable energy are available in many reading levels. Teacher can select the appropriate reading level for each student.

In this lesson, students discuss and evaluate artwork by Jill Pelto, investigate renewable and nonrenewable energy, and demonstrate their learning through writing or drawing.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students discuss and evaluate artwork by Jill Pelto and learn more about her career.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students learn the definitions of renewable and nonrenewable energy, read Sven's Search for Clean Energy, and take notes on renewable and nonrenewable energy.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students write a paragraph or draw a comic to demonstrate their new knowledge.

SYNOPSIS: In this final lesson in the green spaces unit, students will use their knowledge to take action.

SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson emphasizes ways to create awareness to localize green spaces in classroom or community. This technique is suitable for students to adopt. This lesson has no scientific misconceptions and is recommended for use in the classroom.

POSITIVES:
-Students have great agency and control over their projects.
-Students can have a direct and positive impact on their classroom space.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 6 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Spaces unit.
-Students should be familiar with green spaces by completing the previous lessons in this unit plan.
-Following up with all the students and their projects will most likely take a lot of time. For example, writing a short letter to the principal is very different from planning and executing a school garden. Make sure to provide reasonable guidelines for how much extra class time can be spent on the projects.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students can pursue their projects individually or in groups.
-Weaker students may need more support than others, depending on which project they choose to pursue.
-Some students may have difficulty choosing a topic. Finding them a good partner or partners might help them fully engage in this project.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson promotes students' understanding of the power and influence of the media. Students will leverage this understanding to develop their own media campaigns for their reimagined metro systems.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson enables students to reimagine and pitch ways to advertise public transportation as a key strategy for sustainable green transportation. All materials have been verified and are accurate. For that reason, the lesson is recommended for classroom use.

POSITIVES:
-Students connect professional media practices to their own opinions, ideas, questions, and values.
-Students explore different types of media messages and critically think about their influence on consumers.
-This lesson supports collaboration amongst peers.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 4 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Transportation unit.
-Students should have an understanding of various platforms or settings people might view advertisements.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students can use personal devices and work in pairs or small groups to jigsaw the advertisement analysis for each example.
-Teacher can provide an extension activity for advanced students to look for alternative transportation advertisements that highlight sustainable options like public transportation or bikeshare.
-There are differentiated products for culminating projects that are attuned to diverse strengths from students. Students have the option to complete a poster, TikTok, billboard, video ad, or social media post to market their design.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson introduces African environmentalist Wangari Maathai and links deforestation with the concepts of governance, poverty, and income opportunities for women in Kenya.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson introduces students to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Wangari Maathai and deforestation. The Global Forest Watch resource is continually updated. This lesson has passed the science quality assessment.

POSITIVES:
-Learning Wangari Maathai’s story is empowering for students because it emphasizes the fact that nobody is too small to make a difference. Maathai grew up in poverty in rural Kenya. Now she is remembered as one of the most powerful voices for environmental conservation, proper governance, and peace.
-This lesson can inspire students to take direct action, just like Wangari Maathai.
-This lesson is excellent for teaching the interdependence of environmental conservation, proper governance, poverty, income opportunities, and women's rights.
-Global Forest Watch is an incredible resource. It has beautiful, detailed data. Students may want to continue exploring on their own time.
ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:Wangari Maathai (1940-2011) was an environmental and political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
-In 1977, she founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental organization focused on planting trees and promoting gender equality.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Making the connection between deforestation and other topics (governance, poverty, income opportunities, and women’s rights) might be difficult for some concrete thinkers.
-You could frame these topics using the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
-Goal 1: No Poverty
-Goal 5: Gender Equality
-Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
-Goal 15: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

SYNOPSIS: This lesson introduces carbon emissions and the idea of carbon and ecological footprints to students.

SCIENTIST NOTES: Students understand key greenhouse gases that cause global warming, explain the greenhouse effect, identify carbon sources from the various transportation modes, and explore ways to reduce their individual carbon footprint from the transportation sector. All materials are well-sourced. As a result, this lesson has passed the science credibility process and is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson connects to science standards and the understanding of the relationship between human activities and Earth.
-Students will develop a strong connection to self and the environment.
-This lesson features interaction with technology and digital literacy.
-This lesson features excellent vocabulary development.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 1 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Transportation unit.
-If students do not have a prior understanding of photosynthesis, it may be best to do a mini lesson on photosynthesis.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Definitions can be broken down for friendlier understanding.
-You can pause the videos to check for understanding and explain new ideas.
-Questions on the ecological footprint calculator quiz can be read aloud to students and taken as a whole class.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson introduces students to renewable and nonrenewable energy resources. Students read about an energy resource, complete a graphic organizer, explain to their classmates why their energy resource is the best, and vote for their favorite type of energy.

SCIENTIST NOTES: It is important for cities to shift to renewable energy. This lesson spotlights the offerings of renewable and nonrenewable sources and allows students to create and pitch a real-life renewable energy product. There are no contradictions in the lesson. Thus, this lesson is hereby approved for classroom use.

POSITIVES:
-Students will have to weigh the pros and cons of different energy resources. This is happening in real life, as policymakers and other leaders decide the best way to rapidly deploy clean energy.
-Students practice their public speaking skills.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 3 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Renewable Energy unit.
-It is important for students to understand the advantages and disadvantages of different energy sources. However, it is critical for them to know that burning fossil fuels is causing catastrophic climate and ecological breakdown. The students who are pitching the burning of oil and natural gas, therefore, should most likely "lose" the voting in the town hall. If natural gas or oil "win" in the voting, it's probably best to pivot and spend time teaching about the devastating effects of climate change.
-If your students need to see the clear disadvantages of burning fossil fuels, you can show them this video on the causes and effects of climate change, this video on the sixth mass extinction, or this video explaining how climate change makes extreme weather worse.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-It may be best to choose well-liked or confident students to research the fossil fuels. They will most likely "lose" when your students vote. These students should be good sports and have good humor.
-It may be best to group students of different abilities so stronger students can model good note-taking for weaker students.
-Each student should have at least one speaking part when they give their "pitch" to the rest of the class.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson explores ways in which students can address environmental injustice.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson provides basic knowledge on how trees sink CO2 and give off O2. Trees are one of the key solutions to drawdown of CO2, and students learn how to interpret and analyze tree maps in relation to environmental justice and the right action to green their environment. This lesson, including additional links, is properly cited. In this light, we recommend this lesson for classroom use.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson directly shows the relationships among race, income, tree cover, and air pollution.
-It is very powerful when students compare the maps of Compton and Pasadena and begin to connect the dots.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 5 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Spaces unit.
-You will use two maps of Los Angeles during the Investigate phase of the lesson. The best move would probably be to print the maps beforehand. The lesson also calls for plastic sheet protectors and dry erase markers so students can compare the maps. If you do not have these materials or access to a printer, students can compare the two maps on a device.
-To learn more about youth climate activists, students can research groups like Zero Hour, Fridays for Future, or the Sunrise Movement.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Depending on the needs of your students, it may be best to compare the two maps of Los Angeles as an entire class.
-Higher-level students can compare maps in another lesson designed for 6th-8th graders called Redlining & Environmental Racism.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn about youth activists around the world, choose an environmental campaign, and collect data to support their campaign.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson has students identify key environmental problems that concern them, learn from other young environmental activists, evaluate other activists' work, and take action to solve the environmental issues in their community. All materials embedded in the lesson are properly sourced. Accordingly, this lesson has passed our scientific credibility.

POSITIVES:
-Students are able to share their climate feelings with each other.
-Students are inspired by youth climate activists around the world.
-Students collaborate to create a class climate action plan.
-Students collect data in a real-world context.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 4 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Art for the Earth unit.
-Students will need enough iPads or laptops to complete Option #1 in the Investigate section. If there are not enough devices for every student, this can be completed in groups or as a whole class.
-Students will need an understanding of how to collect data in a table and the importance of accuracy and consistency in data collection.
-The Explore Youth Activists Student Document should be printed or shared digitally with the students before class.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-The Investigate section of this lesson features two options. Choose the one that fits best for your students.
-Be strategic with partnering and grouping students throughout this lesson. When discussing feelings and ability to make change, it may be best to group students together who have varying levels of interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and existential intelligence.
-A talking stick may be a great tool to use when students are choosing the class campaign.
-The Inspire section calls for data collection. Depending on your campaign, it may be difficult for all students to participate. A select group of students could be the "data collectors" for the class. Another idea is to have students collect data in waves or groups outside of regular class time. Students could then collate the data into one larger data set.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson introduces the idea of green spaces to students.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson introduces students to green spaces and how they can be identified and mapped. The read aloud, vocabulary, and external links are thoroughly sourced and written. This lesson has passed our science review.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson creates a collaborative learning environment for students as an introduction to green spaces and how to create more green spaces.
-This lesson features kinesthetic learning if teachers walk with their students around their school.
-Students will develop a strong connection to self and community through the read aloud of Sofia Valdez, Future Prez.
-This lesson features excellent vocabulary development.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 1 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Spaces unit.
-It is necessary to procure a copy of Sofia Valdez, Future Prez for this lesson.
-Identify the green spaces on your campus on your own before introducing this lesson to your class to make sure that you have accounted for all the green spaces.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Think-pair-share during read aloud where students can make predictions or answer questions.
-You can pause the read aloud before the text is read for students to make observations and predictions about the story.
-Groups of students with mixed abilities can collaborate on their green spaces map.
-Possible extension: Do a campus tour and have students take notes on green spaces they observe.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson asks students to consider how their communities would look and feel with and without green spaces.

SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson accentuates the benefits of having green spaces vis-a-vis not having them in their community. We recommend this lesson for students to explore the benefits green spaces have on ecosystem health, mental health, and physical health. Students can also explore the maps to gain skills in urban planning. All the materials have been properly cited, and this lesson has passed our credibility process.

POSITIVES:
-Students have agency over their learning when conducting their own research.
-This can be integrated into an ELA class, as students will be reading informational text when conducting their own research.
-This can be integrated into an art class, as students will be drawing multiple maps.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 4 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Spaces unit.
-It may be helpful to have a mostly blank map of the school campus or community for students to use.
-Students should have some prior experience conducting research. This lesson uses Kiddle, a kid-friendly search engine.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-You may need to preselect resources for some students who need scaffolding when conducting research.
-Some students may need a blank map of the school campus or community. Other students may wish to draw their maps from scratch using blank paper.
-Some students may prefer to draw, type, or use text-to-speech while taking notes.