predictions). One student wrote that he would like to move to Alaska, because he had learned that Massachusetts (where he lives) was predicted to have a climate similar to that of North Carolina, which, in his opinion, would be much too hot.
Taking action
As students become expert geographers and climate change specialists, they are likely to feel motivated to take further action. Encourage your students to organize a local campaign or event and allow them to apply their newfound knowledge. If you can, let the action idea come from the students themselves. In our class, motivation to take action developed into a
successful Alternative Transportation Day, when every stu- dent in the class walked, biked or carpooled to school (there are no school buses at our private school). In math class, we used the study of rate and ratios to calculate the amount of gas that would be saved by these actions, and the students wrote this information on flyers that they handed out. We calculated that we would prevent 46 kilograms (102 pounds) of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere and save $11.58 (US) in gas. Not a great savings in one day, but our calculations revealed that if we continued using alternative transportation throughout the school year, we would save an estimated $2,084 and 8,335 kilograms (18,360 pounds)
We created an imaginary river that
crossed regional boundaries, and the class held a water council meeting to debate the allocation of the water.
of carbon dioxide. One student who lives quite a distance away from school got on his bike and, with his teacher escorting him much of the way, rode for two hours to get to school, serving as an inspiration to everyone. The class marched through town, chanting, singing and
handing out the flyers that highlighted the work and carbon dioxide savings. The success of the event was complete with an article in the local paper. Our unit showed that climate change can bring an
immediate and pressing relevance to geography study, coaxing new ideas out of worn textbooks. By intertwining climate change and geography, we can encourage students to think about how regions are defined, about the impact of climate on their lives, and about the difference between natural changes and those caused by human activities. Our students can become not only better geographers but also concerned citizens motivated to take action for the future of their region.
Talia Epstein has worked as an environmental educator and was a teaching fellow in Lara Ramsey’s sixth grade classroom at the Smith College Campus School in Northampton, Massachusetts. She currently coordinates a peer education program for drug and alcohol prevention in Ithaca, New York.
GREEN TEACHER 83
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