Cause and Effect Essay: Climate Change
Activity 1: An opinionative essay on climate change – a truth or just an inconvenience?
Theme
The students will research and write an opinionative essay presenting a point of view about climate change.
Key learning/Subject areas/Year level(s)
▪ Personal Development ▪ Health and Physical Education ▪ Science ▪ Studies of Society and the Environment ▪ English/Literacy ▪ Personal Learning
(Detailed curriculum links are included at the end of this document)
Possible Year levels Years 8, 9 and 10
Duration Up to 5 periods, depending on the extent of research required
Objectives
On completion of this activity students will be able to: ▪ understand the key arguments for and against climate change; ▪ identify effective strategies for communicating their own points of view; ▪ understand the importance of research and knowledge in decision making processes.
The output will be an opinionative essay.
Introduction
The debate on climate change continues to rage. Consistently we are urged to think globally and act locally, and yet there are a significant number of climate change deniers presenting alternative arguments to the issue.
In this activity, your students will need to find out what the arguments supporting climate change, and opposing it as an issue, are. They will need to determine their own point of view and then plan and write their own well defended argumentative essay.
Prior Learning
Students will need to have experience with: ▪ effective research strategies to find information to support their arguments; ▪ working in small cooperative groups; ▪ the structure and process of debating.
The outcome of this activity will be an argumentative essay presenting the student’s point of view in relation to climate change.
How do I teach this activity?
Step 1 – Whole class activity: brainstorming
Spend some time introducing the idea of the argumentative essay with your students.
Theme
The students will research and write an opinionative essay presenting a point of view about climate change.
Key learning/Subject areas/Year level(s)
▪ Personal Development ▪ Health and Physical Education ▪ Science ▪ Studies of Society and the Environment ▪ English/Literacy ▪ Personal Learning
(Detailed curriculum links are included at the end of this document)
Possible Year levels Years 8, 9 and 10
Duration Up to 5 periods, depending on the extent of research required
Objectives
On completion of this activity students will be able to: ▪ understand the key arguments for and against climate change; ▪ identify effective strategies for communicating their own points of view; ▪ understand the importance of research and knowledge in decision making processes.
The output will be an opinionative essay.
Introduction
The debate on climate change continues to rage. Consistently we are urged to think globally and act locally, and yet there are a significant number of climate change deniers presenting alternative arguments to the issue.
In this activity, your students will need to find out what the arguments supporting climate change, and opposing it as an issue, are. They will need to determine their own point of view and then plan and write their own well defended argumentative essay.
Prior Learning
Students will need to have experience with: ▪ effective research strategies to find information to support their arguments; ▪ working in small cooperative groups; ▪ the structure and process of debating.
The outcome of this activity will be an argumentative essay presenting the student’s point of view in relation to climate change.
How do I teach this activity?
Step 1 – Whole class activity: brainstorming
Spend some time introducing the idea of the argumentative essay with your students.
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