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No Option Except Escape

A Role Play on the Struggles of Climate Refugees

Middle, Secondary

Description

No Option Except Escape: A Role Play on the Struggles of Climate Refugees offers the students an opportunity to explore the identities and the struggles of climate refugees from around the world.

The lesson begins with the explanation of the classroom expectations to ensure that the students approach the lesson and the activities with empathy and respect. They discuss their understanding of the term "refugee" before learning the legal definition. They then are placed into small groups, each representing one of six climate refugees whose circumstances are described in readings provided.  After reviewing the material, they produce a dialogue that represents their refugees' perspective and thoughts on their life.

The students then "attend" a climate refugee convention in which their group will divided in half and move through stations to meet the other climate refugees. Discussion and reflection questions are provided to support this activity.

In closing, the students read a document that presents a fictional statement from the fossil fuel industry. They write a reflection on the reading and share their thoughts with their classmates via discussion questions.

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

The focus of this resource is on the development of an awareness of the challenges and the issues that climate change refugee face rather than explicitly teaching skills.

Strengths

  • engaging activities that develop a sense of empathy in the students
  • all materials are provided
  • easy to implement with minimal preparation required by the teacher
  • good quantity of supporting information for the teacher and student

Weaknesses

  • lack of assessment tools
  • lack of suggestions for those who made have difficulties with the material

Recommendation of how and where to use it

No Option Except Escape: A Role Play on the Struggles of Climate Refugees is a great role-playing exercise for the middle school classroom.  It addresses outcomes related to social justice, climate change, the environment, geography and global studies. 

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        • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens
      • Science
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Science 7: Earth and its climate have changed over geological time
    • Grade 8
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • English/Language Arts
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world
        • People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspective
        • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.
    • Grade 9
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • English/Language Arts
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
        • People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives.
        • Questioning what we hear, read, and view contributes to our ability to be educated and engaged citizens.

Themes Addressed

Air, Atmosphere & Climate (1)

  • Climate Change

Economics (1)

  • Corporate Social Responsibility

Human Health & Environment (1)

  • Quality of Life

Human Rights (3)

  • Environmental Racism/Justice
  • Refugees and Immigration
  • Social Justice

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Very Good

The activities presented in this resource allow for the students to hear first-hand accounts of the effects of climate change as well as the position of large companies dealing with fossil fuels. Students are given the opportunity to reflect on what they have heard and form an opinion.

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Very Good

The lesson plan allows for the students to reflect on the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue of climate refugees.

Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Very Good

The first-hand accounts of the climate refugees allows for the students to see the issue as highly.

Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Poor/Not considered

The resource is not structured in this manner.

Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Very Good

With the discussion questions and reflection activities within the resource the students have the chance to think through the information provided and clarify their thoughts and understanding.

Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Very Good

The first-hand accounts of the climate refugees allows for a deep understanding and empathy for their situation to be developed. The lesson also opens with class expectations in order for the students to be respectful and empathetic.

Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Good

A connection is made to the plight of the planet and the effects of climate change.

Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Poor/Not considered

This is not the goal of this resource.

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Satisfactory

Developing a sense of understanding of the past and present are well supported in this resource.  A positive vision for the future is not quite as well defined.

Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Very Good

The activities in the lesson plan allow for the students to explore the material and develop an understanding of the issue while solidifying their own personal ideas.

Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Good
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Literacy
  • Geography
Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Satisfactory

The lesson has a focus of developing awareness rather than presenting issues or problems for the students to solve.

Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Good

The activities in the lesson plan are engaging for all types of learners; however, there are no strategies provided for learners who may have difficulties with the material.

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Poor/Not considered

The resource is not structured for this type of learning.

Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Satisfactory
Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Poor/Not considered

There are no tools or suggestions made for the evaluation of learning.  There are pieces of writing that could be collected for assessment.

Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Satisfactory
Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Very Good

Since the primary focus of the lesson is on a role-playing activity, the students are provided with six case studies of climate change refugees to explore and learn from.

Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Satisfactory

The activities in the lesson plan do not offer the students much choice.  Perhaps this could be accomplished by the teacher in choosing an action project related to the issues discussed.

Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.

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