Kellie Mason

Last year, I used the Stories from the Climate Crisis: A Mixer resource with my seventh grade Geography students. It was really interesting for students to hear real people and their experiences with climate change’s impacts. I felt that this resource had a greater impact on building empathy rather than simply watching videos or looking at charts. When students are able to see and hear how real people are affected, it’s more impactful and meaningful.

After using this lesson as described, students used the statement of one of the people to represent them at a mock UN Climate Summit. Students were able to research more into the countries and locations that these people came from and specifically how these places and people were affected by climate change. It was also really helpful to have people on “both sides” of the climate fight because it offered students a chance to see why some people would be motivated to perpetuate the crisis and have a meaningful conversation about the morality of it.