Overview - C3 Teachers



High School Economic Decision-Making InquiryDo Facts Really Matter to Us?John Ditchburn, 2007Supporting QuestionsWhat are the facts about climate change?How do leaders present facts about climate change? High School Economic Decision-Making InquiryDo Facts Really Matter to Us?C3 Framework IndicatorsD2.Eco.7.9-12. Use benefits and costs to evaluate the effectiveness of government policies to improve market outcomes.D2.Eco.13.9-12. Explain why advancements in technology and investments in capital goods and human capital increase economic growth and standards of living.D2.Eco.1.9-12. Analyze how incentives influence choices that may result in policies with a range of costs and benefits for different groups.Staging the Compelling QuestionAs a class, lead students through a series of images taken by NASA which show the before-and-after climate change. Students should brainstorm, and discuss, the effects of climate change they’re seeing and develop a class list of those effects.Supporting Question 1Supporting Question 2UnderstandUnderstandWhat are the facts about climate change?How do leaders present facts about climate change?Formative Performance TaskFormative Performance TaskCreate a list that identifies the causes of climate pare and contrast how different leaders address the causes of climate change.Featured SourcesFeatured SourcesSource A: Scientific Explanation of Climate ChangeSource B: Summary of Greenhouse Gases Source C: Consumption of Fossil FuelsSource D: Humans and Global WarmingSource E: Oil Consumption by CountrySource A: Al Gore discusses Climate ChangeSource B: Senator Inhofe discusses Climate ChangeSource C: Mitt Romney discusses Climate ChangeSource D: Senator Inhofe throws a snowballSummative Performance TaskARGUMENT: Do Facts Really Matter to Us? - Construct a claim a claim backed by evidence which addresses the compelling question, Do Facts Really Matter to Us? Taking Informed ActionASSESS - Given the reality of climate change, investigate the benefits/costs of a range of solutions that are being developed to help deal with climate change.ACT - Choose one of the solutions investigated and write a letter to your Congressional representative in order to convince them to advocate/support that solution by utilizing knowledge of the costs/benefits associated with that particular solution.OverviewInquiry DescriptionThis inquiry leads students through an investigation of climate change (and politicians’ views on climate change) in an effort to help students understand the power that rhetoric has on shaping citizens’ views and opinions. The intention of the inquiry is to use a series of supporting questions about climate change as a case study for rhetoric’s power to shape public opinion. Through the inquiry students will gain a better understanding of the political (and scientific) nature of climate change, as well as, the way in which problems in our society are politicized in an effort to garner political support.This this inquiry highlights the following additional standards: D2.Eco.7.9-12. Use benefits and costs to evaluate the effectiveness of government policies to improve market outcomes.D2.Eco.13.9-12. Explain why advancements in technology and investments in capital goods and human capital increase economic growth and standards of living.D2.Eco.1.9-12. Analyze how incentives influence choices that may result in policies with a range of costs and benefits for different groups.It is important to note that this inquiry requires prerequisite knowledge of basic environmental science.Note: This focused inquiry is expected to take one to two 50-minute class periods. The focused inquiry time frame could expand if teachers think their students need additional instructional experiences (e.g., supporting questions, formative performance tasks, featured sources, writing). Teachers are encouraged to adapt the inquiry to meet the needs and interests of their students. This inquiry lends itself to differentiation and modeling of historical thinking skills while assisting students in reading the variety of sources.Structure of the Inquiry In addressing the compelling question “Do Facts Really Matter to Us?” students work through a series of supporting questions, formative performance tasks, and featured sources in order to construct an argument supported by evidence while acknowledging competing perspectives.Staging the Compelling QuestionTo stage the compelling question, students will brainstorm (and discuss) the possible effects of climate change by looking at the source provided - a series of before/after images about climate change from around the world. The purpose for this staging is two-fold - first, it establishes that climate change has real effects that are meaningful to the world we live in (and thus can’t be ignored) and second, it provides a stimulating hook exercise to jump-start student interest in the issue of climate change. Supporting Question 1 The first supporting question - What are the facts about climate change? — is designed to establish a baseline knowledge of climate change. The formative task reflects this knowledge acquisition by requiring students to list facts about the causes of climate change. In order to help students in organizing this knowledge it may be helpful for the teacher to prompt students with questions that break apart the facts we know about climate change that should be informed by sources and on their list - the who, what, when, where, and why of climate change. Who causes climate change? Why is climate change happening now more than ever? What’s climate change caused by? etc. Before moving to Supporting Question 2, the teacher should ensure that students have a full account of the facts surrounding climate change (i.e. - the who, what, when, where, why) since they are required to use the list they developed in Supporting Question 1. The following sources work together to help establish this base-line knowledge of facts surrounding climate change and provide the basis for a critical look at politicization of the issue in Supporting Question 2. The first featured source is NASA’s information regarding climate change and the scientific cause of it. Featured Source B is a video explanation of greenhouse gases - an important, human-caused component of climate change. Featured Source C is a graph that documents the recent trend in fossil fuel consumption. The next featured source provides evidence that current climate change trends is primarily driven by human factors. The final featured source is a graph that demonstrates fossil fuel (specifically oil) consumption by country.Supporting Question 2 The second supporting question — How do leaders present facts about climate change? is designed to take knowledge from Supporting Question 1 and see how it is used by partisan entities to accomplish political goals. The sources within this question show how climate change (i.e. - a scientific reality) is talked about by politicians to convince listeners of certain political goals. The task asks them to take knowledge generated in Supporting Question 1 and describe how the rhetoric of politicians can use facts to accomplish their agenda. The formative task involves compare and contrast, which may be implemented through a t-chart that identifies facts about the causes of climate change (i.e. - knowledge from SQ1) in the first column and explains how those facts are presented by different leaders in the second column. Teachers might find it helpful to watch the videos as a class to ensure that the rhetoric isn’t missed by students. The following sources were selected to ensure students had exposure to a broad range of political rhetoric and reference of facts. Featured Source A is Al Gore discussing climate change. The next featured source is Jim Inhofe discussing climate change. Featured Source C is Mitt Romney discussing climate change. The final featured source is Jim Inhofe mocking those who believe climate change is real by using a snowball in a demonstration.Summative Performance TaskAt this point in the inquiry, students have examined effects of climate change, facts about the causes of climate change, and politicians' rhetoric in using facts to advocate for a certain position. Students should be expected to demonstrate the breadth of their understanding and abilities to use evidence from multiple sources to support their claims. In this task, students construct an evidence-based argument using multiple sources to answer the compelling question “Do Facts Really Matter to Us?”. It is important to note that students’ arguments could take a variety of forms, including a detailed outline, poster, or essay.Students’ arguments will likely vary, but could include any of the following: Facts are important and should determine what matters to us, so that we are not swayed by political rhetoric. Facts aren’t as important as one’s intuition or belief, as facts can be manipulated via rhetoric.Facts are important, but the source of facts and the rhetoric used in presenting them must be taken into account when forming beliefs.Students have the opportunity to Take Informed Action by assessing, and then, acting. Given the scientific reality of climate change, students can be given the opportunity to investigate various options to help address climate change. These options can be analyzed in terms of the possible costs and benefits associated with each. Having assessed their options, the students then have the option of acting on that assessment. Students can write their congressional leaders a letter that attempts to convince them to support the best option in response to climate change - the focus of the letter should be on leveraging their knowledge of costs/benefits into a compelling argument. Staging the Compelling QuestionFeatured Source Source A: Images of Change, 2019. Created by NASA showing before and After images showing climate change around the world.Accessed at: Question 1Featured Source Source A: The Causes of Climate Change. GIF and article created by NASA showing information regarding climate change and the scientific cause of it.Accessed at: ) Supporting Question 1Featured Source Source B: NASA's Earth Minute: Gas Problem, 2014. A video explanation of greenhouse gases - an important, human-caused component of climate change.Accessed at: Supporting Question 1Featured Source Source C: Global Fossil Fuel Consumption, 2017. Graph that documents recent trend in fossil fuel consumption provided by the University of Oxford.Access at: Supporting Question 1Featured Source Source D: Humans are Causing Global Warming, 2019. This infographic provides evidence that current climate change trends is primarily driven by human factors provided by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.Accessed at: Supporting Question 1Featured Source Source E: Oil Consumption, 2018. This graph demonstrates fossil fuel (specifically oil) consumption by country provided by the University of Oxford.Accessed at: Supporting Question 2Featured Source Source A: Climate Change History. Al Gore discussing climate change provided by the History Channel.Accessed at: Supporting Question 2Featured Source Source B: Sen Inhofe debunks the science in Al Gore's movie, 2007. This clip shows Jim Inhofe discussing climate change via YouTube.Accessed at: Supporting Question 2Featured Source Source C: As I See It: Climate Change, 2019. This clip shows Mitt Romney discussing climate change via Mitt Romney’s YouTube channel.Accessed at: Supporting Question 2Featured Source Source D: Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) Snowball in the Senate (C-SPAN), 2015. This clip shows Jim Inhofe attempting to disprove climate change by using a snowball in a demonstration via C-SPAN’s channel on YouTube.Accessed at: ................
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