Multi-lesson climate justice resources (Trócaire)
-
Trócaire, an overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland, has worked with educators to produce resource packs for primary, senior primary, and post-primary classes respectively.
The resources were designed with Irish contexts and curricula in mind, however educators outside of Ireland will have no problems adapting the resources to context where necessary. Similarly, many of the activities and thematic content can be used and adapted by educators working at different educational stages.
Creating Futures (for use with senior primary classes) is highly comprehensive and comprises “ten lessons inspiring inquiry, creativity & cooperation in response to climate change for senior primary classrooms”. Each lesson includes activities designed to support pupils’ literacy, independent research skills, critical thinking and collaborative working. Some lessons include outdoor learning components. Lesson Five has a strong climate justice focus and begins with the question ‘Is climate change fair?’
Climate Change, Climate Justice has versions for use with primary (age 5-11) and post-primary classes (age 11-14). This is a shorter resource that encourages educators and students to make connections between climate change and climate justice by presenting a values and justice-driven approach to teaching on climate change. This resource is organised into themes rather than lessons.
-
Creating Futures
“We started using the Creating Futures resource in Geography and Science. So we kind of worked through that which was great. I thought it really helped [the pupils] clarify their understandings, because I think sometimes it all gets a bit muddled for them, and they're just like, well, climate justice is just about anything to do with the environment.” Dublin-based classroom assistant.
Climate Change, Climate Justice
“We do an activity from Trócaire’s Climate Justice resources: you show the wealth in the world according to the layout the chairs represent. It's a while since I've done it. Chairs represent the people, and then the wealth is put onto different ones. [The students] have to set it out, and kind of balancing it out. And like a number of students have come to me after that and been like, ‘Oh, my God! Things are so unfair. Why is this like brought up so much for them?’ So when they can see it physically, or [with] the maps that show kind of the resource strain. Things like that, they've really connected with.” Dublin-based Primary Educator.