Understanding Climate Change – Facts vs. Myths
Grade level: 17-18 years old
Duration: two 45’ period
Skills to be developed: critical thinking, fact-checking
Materials from Ages of Globalization_UNESCO
Lesson Outline
- Warm-up Discussion (10 min)
Think-Pair-Share:
- What comes to mind when you hear the term climate change?
- Have you noticed any changes in the environment in your lifetime?
- Do you think climate change affects your daily life?
Students share their thoughts with a partner, then with the class.
- What is Climate Change? (10 min)
- Students draft their own definition of climate change
- Students’ definition is compared to one taken from AoG materials
- Students compare definitions and integrate their own.
- How Does Climate Change Affect Us? (10 min)
Small Group Task: Groups of students discuss the impact on:
- Health: More respiratory diseases, heat-related illnesses.
- Extreme Weather Events: More hurricanes, floods, wildfires.
- Food & Water Security: Crop failures, droughts.
- Economic Challenges: Rising costs for businesses, climate refugees.
Each group summarizes their findings in two key points and presents them to the class.
- Video Analysis (10 min)
- Discussion Questions:
- What was the most surprising fact?
- Did the videos change the way you think about climate change?
- Common myths & misconceptions (15 min)
Fact-checking activity: Students work in pairs to research and debunk a common climate myth using scientific sources.
Myths to debunk:
- “Climate change is just a natural cycle.” IPCC — Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- “If it’s cold outside, climate change isn’t real.” Weather
- “The planet has always warmed and cooled, so we don’t need to worry.” UNEP – UN Environment Programme
Task: Each pair finds one scientific fact that disproves their assigned myth and presents it briefly.
- Where are we headed? Why every degree matters (5 min)
- Students discuss why even small temperature increases (e.g., 1.5°C vs. 2°C) have major consequences.
- Students are shown the NASA spiral NASA Climate Spiral
Final reflection:
- What actions can individuals and governments take?
- What’s one thing you will do differently after this lesson?
Exit ticket: Students write one key takeaway on a sticky note or post on an online wall.
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