Climate Insights from the World's Oldest Culture
Lesson Plans
Grades9, 10Earth and Space Sciences, History
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Provided by Cool.org
What it is
- This lesson explores how scientists know Earth's climate has changed over time and how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have recorded climate knowledge and shown resilience to climate change across more than 65,000 years.
- Students analyze case studies to consider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditional ecological knowledge, then propose how these adaptation strategies could be applied to current and future climate change over the roughly 65-minute lesson.
- This lesson has been created for Australian students.
Teaching tips
Prerequisites:
- Ensure students are familiar with the term colonization and the harm it has done to the cultural practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Preparation:
- A free account or login on the host site is required to access the full lesson and its companion materials.
- Prepare student worksheets and case studies, printing if necessary.
- Review the lesson's cultural-safety guidance before teaching.
- Consider organizing student groups ahead of time.
- Note that "The Oldest Story Ever Told" case study is not included in the collection linked above the case study table.
Differentiation:
- Challenge advanced students with "The Oldest Story Ever Told" case study, while giving the other case studies to readers with low reading stamina.
Related Resources:
- Have students do this virtual experience to practice some of the climate change data analysis methods discussed in the lesson.
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