EcoAmerica's Steps to Create Effective Climate Conversations

Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12English Language Arts

Provided by Citizens' Climate Education

What it is

This guide provides a 15-step framework for individuals to effectively communicate about climate change to inspire engaging conversations and climate action.
Teachers could use the guide to communicate climate change to their students, and students could use the guide to craft effective verbal or written climate change advocacy messaging.

Positives

This resource provides a guide for students to be thoughtful and effective in communicating an issue they may care about.
This guide could be effective in teaching students how to engage others in a variety of topics, not just climate change.
This resource provides a thorough example of how to employ the techniques recommended for effective climate conversations.

Additional Prerequisites

Students should be familiar with the concept of fact versus opinion. Students should also understand what qualifies as evidence and be familiar with the concept of bias.

Differentiation

The instructor could remove the left margin that shows which step is being employed in the example narrative. Then have students dissect the narrative and decide where they think the conversation steps are being utilized.
Teachers can use the example narrative to explain the concept of claim, evidence, and reasoning.

The 15 steps available in this resource provide insight for a sound climate conversation. The resource is recommended for educators.

Hosted on community.citizensclimate.org

Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.

Standards alignment · D4.2.6-8 + 5 more

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D4.2.6-8Construct explanations using reasoning, correct sequence, examples, and details with relevant information and data, while acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of the explanations.
D4.7.6-8Assess their individual and collective capacities to take action to address local, regional, and global problems, taking into account a range of possible levers of power, strategies, and potential outcomes.
D3.4.9-12Refine claims and counterclaims attending to precision, significance, and knowledge conveyed through the claim while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

MS-ESS3-4.Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.

Michigan K-12 ELA Standards

SL.6.4.Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Michigan K-12 Standards Social Studies

9-12P4.2 Assess options for individual and collective action to advance views on matters of public policy and to address local, regional, or global problems.