Home | Unit 3

Overview 

This activity is the first step in a series of experiential activities leading up to the final preparation and presentation of a video project. Participants will explore videos illustrating actions that people are taking to both address climate change issues and reduce their carbon footprint.

Skill Level

Intermediate/Advanced; See Variations for Beginning Level

Learner Outcomes, Youth will:

• Apply existing knowledge about climate change mitigation practices.
• Use web-based resources to research and reflect on how communities and individuals take actions to lessen the effects of extreme weather events and climate change.
• Brainstorm ways and use a storyboard to illustrate style and content, to be used for a small group video production.

Education Standards

• NS.5-8.6 Personal and Social Perspectives: Populations, resources, and environments, natural hazards.
• NS.9-12.6 Personal and Social Perspectives: Natural resources, Environmental quality, natural and human-induced hazards, Science in local, national, and global challenges
• NT.K-12.5 Technology Research Tools: Technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information.
• NT.K-12.6 Technology Problem- Solving and Decision-Making Tools: development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.

Success Indicators

Demonstrate how they and others embrace climate change action practices.

Life Skills.

Critical thinking, planning/organizing, communicating, cooperation, sharing, empathy, contribution to the group, teamwork, healthy lifestyle choices

Time Needed

45 minutes

Materials List: Colored pencils, pens, pencils, markers, Planning Storyboard template for each participant, devices with Internet access, sound, projector and screen to present video presentations. Videos for research:

• New Brunswick 4H project for the Climate Change Summit Community Compost Project
• TrashFash, is a 4-H Teen Climate Summit project
• Pin Oak home-school group’s climate change video
• Example of climate resilience strategies to live with rising waters
• Growing food to reduce carbon emissions

Youth Handout

Planning Storyboard Template

Space

Appropriate space to view videos to the whole group, tabletops for drawing and writing to accommodate each person.

Suggested Group Size

12-15 or more

Acknowledgements

Adapted from “What Do we Do With All That Trash” lesson by Donna Alese Cooke, April 2, 2011

Introduction

Actions to address climate change is a topic of growing interest among youth and people in the world and our communities. This activity is the first step in a series of experiential activities leading up to the final preparation and presentation of a video project. Participants will explore videos illustrating actions that people are taking to both address climate change issues and reduce their carbon footprint. These videos will serve to increase resiliency awareness and act as a tool to inspire youth to reflect on their own practices. They will then be used as technical examples for participants to observe style and content in which participants can model after to create their own videos.

Opening Questions: What are some kinds of actions that people take against climate change? What inspires you to take action to take on climate change issues? Who do you know takes action in a similar way?

Background Information

Before the Activity

Prepare materials, technical devices and handouts; provide or suggest devices (mobile phone, tablet, laptop) with Internet access and video capability. Participants may provide their own or use a computer lab at school or in the library; review introductory videos.

Let’s Do It!

People Taking Action

Explain to youth that they will be watching a series of videos showing people taking action toward climate change problems, and to consider the style and content of these videos as examples of videos we can use as a model when creating ours later in this unit. After watching the videos, we will sketch out a storyboard of our future video ‘script’. Ask opening questions.

Watch the following short videos of individuals and communities who acted against climate change issues.

• New Brunswick 4H project for the Climate Change Summit Community Compost Project for their community garden.
• Changing behavior is one way we can make a difference in Climate Change: TrashFash is a 4-H Teen Climate Summit project in which a group of kids came together to make upcycled items to sell at the Cape May County 4-H Fair
• Pin Oak home-school group’s climate change video.
• Virginia environmental conservation organization is teaching local school children from Grandby High School, climate resilience strategies to live with rising waters.
• ACE Educator Elana, explores her own nearby community garden and takes a look at how some local high school students’ grow their own food to reduce carbon emissions. 

After watching the videos, ask: What are some kinds of actions that people take against climate change? What inspires you to take action to take climate change issues? Who do you know takes action in a similar way?

Small Group work: Consider these videos and think about one you will create- what would be the look and feel of your video? Hand out the Storyboard templates and supplies for small groups to brainstorm the script of the video they will be producing in the next two activities, 3.2 and 3.3. Have them start sketching out scenes, content and style of their video on the storyboard, which they will use throughout the production process.

Talk It Over

Share

What in these videos inspired you? Who inspired you, and why? Are you and others you know inspired to take action in a similar way? What might that look like?

Reflect

Reflecting on what you’ve watched, and imagining your way into creating your own video to inspire others, what and who would you feature?

Generalize

Think about a video you will create- what would be the look and feel of your video?

Apply

What ways can you continue to show others how to take action in your community? What are some actions you will take today to mitigate climate change?

Variations

For Beginning Skill level: If your beginning group will be creating a video, follow all of the steps as shown above and have adult leaders guide them through the process. As an alternative to filming video, follow steps 1-2 as written above, then have youth reflect on actions they can take by creating a visual (posters, a collage of pictures and illustrations demonstrating actions, journals, or role-playing in small groups.

References

“What Do we Do With All That Trash” lesson by Donna Alese Cooke, April 2, 2011