Environmental Restoration: Social Studies Lesson

Suggestions

• This lesson can be used to help students make sense of current environmental and ecological disasters by looking at potential ways society can respond positively.

• This lesson can be taught on its own or within a unit on sustainable development, culture and geography, industrialization and globalization, or rebuilding after a war or disaster.

Prerequisites

• Teachers should be aware that students may have been personally impacted by ecological disruption and discussing these issues may be difficult. Providing students an opportunity to identify and reflect on their feelings will help them be able to fully participate in the lesson.
  

Differentiation

• Students can do the readings from the Investigate section and write the manifesto from the Inspire section for homework.

• This lesson can be extended by applying environmental or ecosystem restoration to a local event, or a current event in the news. Students can research the event and write a proposal for ecological restoration that identifies who should be held accountable, the costs and benefits of the project, and the relevant ecosystem restoration principles. For example, proposals could include how underrepresented groups from the community will be included in creating the solutions.

• This lesson ties in nicely with Project Drawdown’s three critical principles related to climate change: “reducing sources, supporting nature’s ‘sinks’ for storing carbon, and centering equality in global action.”

• Students can apply ecosystem restoration to the examples of ecocide from SubjectToClimate’s 8th-12th grade social studies unit: History Unit Plan: Ecocide and International Law. Below are some helpful related resources:

  • The Kakhovka Dam Disaster: Responsibility and Consequences explains the challenges of investigating the incident, assigning blame, and the cost of rebuilding.

  • This NPR article shows satellite images of the damage highlighting the “bruising” effects of war that have left a scar on the Earth and widespread agricultural loss.
    

In this lesson, students learn about nature and its interrelationship with humans. The lesson has also been designed to support advocacy for ecological justice and equity to accomplish climate change and sustainable development goals.

Primary Standards

• Social Sciences
  • Historical Knowledge (K-12)
    • HS.52 Evaluate continuity and change over the course of world and United States history.
  • Social Science Analysis (K-12)
    • 8.34 Analyze how a specific problem can manifest itself at local, regional, and global levels over time, identifying its characteristics and causes, and the challenges and opportunities faced by those trying to address the problem.
    • HS.74 Analyze an event, issue, problem, or phenomenon, critiquing and evaluating characteristics, influences, causes, and both short- and long-term effects.

Supporting Standards

• English Language Arts
  • Reading: History/Social Studies (6-12)
    • 6-8.RH.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
    • 6-8.RH.7 Integrate visual information with other information in print and digital texts.
    • 9-10.RH.7 Integrate quantitative or technical analysis with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.
    • 11-12.RH.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order to address a question or solve a problem.
  • Speaking & Listening (K-12)
    • 8.SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
    • 9-10.SL.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
    • 11-12.SL.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
  • Writing: History, Science & Technical Subjects (6-12)
    • 6-8.WHST.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
    • 9-10.WHST.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
    • 11-12.WHST.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
• Social Sciences
  • Geography (K-12)
    • HS.40 Use geographic data to analyze the interconnectedness of physical and human regional systems (such as a river valley and culture, water rights/use in regions, choice/impact of settlement locations) and their interconnectedness to global communities.
  • Historical Thinking (K-12)
    • HS.70 Identify and critique how the perspective of contemporary thinking influences our view of history.