Course: Issues in Canadian Geography CGC1D

Unit: Livable Communities

Lesson Title: Climate Change and Canada

All lessons are dependent on how quickly the students learn. Each student is different and it is
important to tailor the lesson and assignment to their specific needs and skill level. Students may
become frustrated throughout the lesson, it is important that you have another lesson or activities
for the students to do. Not all students may want to work with their peers. It is important to
assess every student’s behavior, and be prepared to conduct this lesson with no group/peer
interaction. You can teach a smaller portion of the lesson each day and allow the students to have
a quiet work period for the rest of the class and extend this lesson over a couple of days.
Important to remember that not all students will cooperate, and may need time to adjust to their
new surroundings.

Lesson Plan

Curriculum Expectation(s):
In this lesson, students will critically consider the causes and impacts of climate change in
different regions, and particularly in Canada.
 Environment and Society:
 Global effects on the human environment by changes in the physical environment
 Environmental issues: Climate change
 Analyzing Geographic Information:
 Make inferences and draw conclusions from maps and other geographic
representations.

Overview/Inquiry Question:
 Does climate change effect every region equally? How does it affect Canada?

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Subject/Topic & Grade Level: Geography/Action on Climate Change, Grade 9.

Learning Goals:
 Describe the possible impacts of climate change in Canada.
 Students will understand how to identify the cause of climate change.
 Make inferences of impacts of climate change using maps of climate change predications.

Success Criteria:
 Students will participate in class discussions.
 Students will complete and reflection/exit card.

Materials Needed:
 Student Handout: Climate Change Statements
 Teacher computer with internet
  Printed signs to post in each of the four corners of the classroom: “Strongly Agree”,
“Agree”, Disagree”, and “Strongly Disagree”.
 Pencils
 Chart Paper
 Research Links (printed):
 http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas/themes.aspx?
id=climate&sub=climate_basics_introduction&lang=En.
 http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/climatechange.

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Lesson Description:

Minds on:
 Class mind map to activate their pervious knowledge of climate change in Canada (they
can draw from their personal experiences or from what they have heard on the news or
from others on this topic).

Action:
1. Research: Teacher will provide students with articles and resources to allow students to
become familiar with the impact of climate change in regions around the globe focusing
on Canada in particular. Then every student will write a positive and negative impact of
climate change on the north on a sticky note and post it on the allocated chart papers in
the rooms.
2. Four Corners Activity: Students will be given a list of climate change states and we will
use this activity to generate a discussion on the topics. They should draw their
conclusions about the statements through the research they conducted and their own
personal opinions.

Conclusion:
 Students will use an exit card to 1) write a response supporting their position on at least
one of the statements from the activity and 2) reflect on how this lesson contributed to
their understanding of climate change.

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Lesson Implementation: (Specific details and/or step-by-step instruction on how the activity
will be conducted)

Minds on:
 Brainstorm – Class mind map activity
 Students will walk into class and would be presented with chart paper and a
pencil. In the center of the chart paper it will say "Climate Change and Canada".
As a class, we will write what comes to mind when we think about climate change
in general or climate change in Canada. I would encourage the students to draw
their ideas from other classes, personal experiences, what they’ve heard on the
news or from people...etc.

Action:
 Research
 Teacher will put up the following 7 questions on the board and provide them with
the printed materials (se materials)
 What is climate change?
 What are examples of natural causes of climate change?
 What are examples of anthropogenic causes of climate change?
 Look at the maps (http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/climatechange) and
determine which regions of the country and world seem to be most impacted by
climate change according to the information provided in the predictions.
 What are some examples of affected regions and what is the predicted impact?
 Take a look at the map of predictions of changing climate over the next 100 years.
What are some predictions we can make about the impact of climate change on
Canadian regions? Consider effects on the ice, land, wildlife, and peoples.
 Students would research and find the answer to these questions individually. As a class,
we will discuss the answers and any questions that may arise from conducting the
research.

 Four Corners Activity

1. Place a sign in each of the four corners of the room. Either “Strongly Agree”,
“Agree”, “Disagree”, and “Strongly Disagree”.
2. Read the statement from the Climate Change Statement Sheet and have students stand
in the corner that represents their opinion (vote with your feet).
3. Give the students time to express their opinion and why they stood where they stood.
Encourage them to try to persuade the rest of the class to change their minds.
4. Repeat the “Vote with Your Feet” activity for each of the Climate Change
Statements. Encourage all students to share their opinions and justify their choices.

Students will participate in the Four Corners activity. Students will:

 Take a position and support the position with evidence.
 Work cooperatively to create a position statement respecting the ideas and opinions of
those around them.
Conclusion and Consolidation:
 Exit Card:
 Students will write an exit card where they will justify their position from one of
the statements in the four-corner activity and reflect on what they learned about
climate change or how their understanding has changed since the mind-map
activity. What was something they learned that was new to them? I would also
ask them to write questions about climate change in general or in relation to
Canada that might have come up throughout our activities. They would hand this
slip to me before leaving the class.

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Extend your geographical thinking:

 I would ask the students to be creative and find a way to express an action that can be
taken by students to reduce the impact of climate change on a local, national or global
scale. I would ask the students to express their ideas using the provided chart paper and
pencils in class.

Assessment Opportunities:
 For:
 Exit card

Additional Sources and Materials:

 List of Climate Change Statements:
 Canada must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions at any cost.
 Canada should only reduce greenhouse gas emissions if the majority of the
world’s country does the same.
 Our community should reduce its greenhouse gas emissions regardless of the
position of the rest of Canada.
 Greenhouse gas emissions should only be reduced if it does not hurt Canada’s
economy.
 Since the United States is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world,
there is no reason to take action until the US starts to reduce their outputs.