Facing Calamity: Climate Change Facts and Fictions

Lesson 2
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ELA

Unit 5

8th Grade

Lesson 2 of 23

Please Note: If this you are unable to source the text An Inconvenient Sequel, you may skip this lesson.

Objective


Identify the key ideas Gore uses to support his claims about climate change and assess whether the evidence he provides is relevant and sufficient.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power by Al Gore  pp. 10 – 18 — (end after “the future of civilization itself is at dire risk”)

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

What argument does Gore make about the impact of climate change on human health? Identify the evidence that he provides to support this claim and explain whether this evidence is relevant and sufficient to support his claim.

Sample Response

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Key Questions


Close Read Questions

  • What is Gore’s central argument about climate change on pages 12–18? Use the word "dire" in your response.

  • What argument is Gore making about the impact of climate change on the oceans on page 14? Identify the evidence that he provides to support this claim and explain whether this evidence is relevant and sufficient to support his claim.

  • What argument is Gore making about the impact of climate change on forests on pages 15 through 17? Identify the evidence that he provides to support this claim and explain whether this evidence is relevant and sufficient to support his claim.

Discussion Questions

  • On page 13, Gore writes, "remember how important it is to guard against feelings of despair. Despair, after all, is simply another form of denial." How do you feel when people talk about climate change? Do you think that despair is a kind of denial?

Exit Ticket

Assess student understanding and monitor progress toward this lesson's objective with an Exit Ticket.

Vocabulary


Text-based

unprecedented

adj.

(p. 10)

never having happened or existed in the past

dire

adj.

(p. 18)

extremely serious and urgent

Academic

sufficient evidence

n.

evidence that is of appropriate amount; enough

relevant evidence

n.

evidence that is closely connected to and/or appropriate to support an idea.

Homework


To ensure that students are prepared for the next lesson, have students complete the following reading for homework. Use guidance from the next lesson to identify any additional language or background support students may need while independently engaging with the text.

  • Article: “The Science of Climate Change Explained” by Julia Rosen 

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • According to this article, what are the primary factors contributing to climate change?

  • According to Rosen, who or what is primarily responsible for climate change?

  • What are some of the results of a changing climate?

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Common Core Standards


  • RI.8.8 — Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

Supporting Standards

L.8.6
RI.8.1
RI.8.2
RI.8.4
RI.8.10
SL.8.1
SL.8.6
W.8.1
W.8.1.a
W.8.1.b
W.8.4
W.8.9
W.8.9.b
W.8.10
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