Lesson Plan
What Is Environmental Justice?
Lesson Overview
We have developed a set of modules that can be used to teach youth and adults about environmental justice. The modules are built around case studies and examples from Rochester, NY, but they can be used by anyone who wants to help themselves and others understand environmental justice.
Built into these lessons is an instructional approach that is empowering and just. They give learners the chance to share and understand diverse perspectives and construct their own understanding of what they learn.
Essential Questions
- What is environmental justice?
- What does it mean to be fair or just?
- How did things come to be unfair/unjust?
- What perpetuates environmental injustice?
- What can we do to restore fairness/justice?
Background Information Links
Objectives
- Create a personal definition of environmental justice.
- Understand basic ideas related Environmental Justice.
- Build knowledge through stories and discussion.
- Understand concept of benefits and burdens.
- Understand community member perspectives.
- Evaluate rights of people, and earth.
Standards
- NGSS Cross Cutting Concept: Influence of Engineering Technology and Science on Society and the Natural World
- NGSS Practice: Obtaining, Evaluating and Communicating Information
- ELA Common Core: CCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1
Exploration (10 minutes)
Instructions
- Share the side-by-side photos.
- Ask students to reflect on the questions.
Questions
- What does it mean to be fair and just?
- How did it make you feel?
- What are your thoughts about these images?
- How did they make you feel?
Building Background (40 minutes)
Instructions
Students will read articles from these links:
COVID-19 Disparities In Rochester, NY
Students can work individually or in groups.
Student Activity: Create a Word Map
- Select words or phrases in each article that relate to environmental justice.
- Create a word list on post-it notes, index cards, or a tool such as Plectica.
- Group the words and give each group a label.
Diverse Points of View (20 minutes)
Instructions
Students will discuss different points of view on environmental justice.
Students can work in a group or individually.
Questions
- What are some things that you notice that are unfair/unjust about the environment today?
- How did things come to be unfair/unjust?
Questions
- What themes or patterns emerged from the list/group activity?
- Is it possible to fully define the scope of environmental justice in a couple of sentences?
Questions
- What perpetuates environmental injustice?
- What can we do to restore fairness/justice?
Synthesizing (20 minutes)
Instructions
Students will perform a creative exercise.
Students look at samples from the Student Resources page.
Questions
Choose from one of the following to represent what is meant by environmental justice.
- Write a poem
- Create a collage
- Acrostic
- 300 word essay