Conducting Case Studies
Provided by: Ten Strands|Published on: August 1, 2025|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 12
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Civics
Authors: Seeds to Solutions, Ten Strands
Location: North America > United States > California
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this Seeds to Solutions Grade 12 unit from Ten Strands and the San Mateo County Office of Education, students examine environmental justice by investigating the root causes of environmental hazards, who is most affected, and how different groups respond to these inequities.
- Through case studies, civic data analysis, and document-based writing, students explore fast and slow environmental disasters, analyze multiple perspectives, and build evidence-based models and arguments for justice-oriented solutions.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The provided Design Book serves as a convenient place for students to access all of the relevant materials for completing their case studies.
- In selecting their region, exploring the data, and designing their own case study, students will feel a sense of ownership over their projects in this unit that will enrich the learning process.
Prerequisites
- The link to the NIEHS guide in Lesson 3 is broken, as is the link for the EJ Screen. Additionally, the link to the National Climate Task Force | The White House in the Design Book is broken.
- Students should understand climate change, its causes, and how it affects Earth's systems.
Differentiation & Implementation
- There are opportunities in this unit to collaborate with language arts classes, especially with the components related to supporting a claim with evidence.
- This unit provides alternative accessible student materials for students using screen reader technology.
- Some students may benefit from working on their case studies in a group or from having a few people working individually on the same region, with opportunities given to collaborate periodically.
This resource tasks students with conducting an environmental justice case study at a California school. The resource is exceptionally well-sourced, with many peer-reviewed references. Environmental justice and climate change are rightly linked as students are guided through integrating data from various disciplines to form a comprehensive case study. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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