In this lesson, students will explore an unconventional approach to reporting on climate change: a children’s book. Then, using the book as a mentor text, they will create their own illustrated guide for young readers.
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.
This Lesson of the Day will help prepare students to participate in our live panel discussion about climate change, on April 22 at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
Lesson Overview
Featured Article: “Bad Future, Better Future” by Julia Rosen with illustrations by Yulia Parshina-Kottas
Each year, The New York Times publishes a plethora of news stories addressing the issue of climate change. In today’s featured article, though, the newspaper takes an unconventional journalistic approach to the subject, in the form of a digital children’s book. Julia Rosen offers a guide — accompanied by beautiful, hand-painted illustrations — for kids, and everyone else, about climate change, and what we can do about it.
In this lesson, you will explore this innovative approach to reporting on the climate crisis and then, using the article as a mentor text, create your own children’s book about this growing global threat.
In addition, we invite you to ask Julia Rosen, an independent journalist covering science and the environment, your questions about climate change and her work by submitting a short video here in preparation for our live panel for students on April 22.
Warm-Up
Imagine you have been invited to give a five-minute presentation on climate change to a class of fourth graders: What would you say? What visuals would you share to help them understand this complex issue? What message or messages would you hope for them to take away?
Take some time to brainstorm a list of key points for your presentation, using the prompts below to help generate specific ideas:
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Write a one- or two-sentence definition of climate change, in your own words, in a way that you think a 9-year-old or a 10-year-old would understand.
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Create an image, a drawing, a symbol or a metaphor to help the class understand the issue.
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Imagine a possible remedy or solution — something we all can do to address climate change, even as young people and fourth graders.
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Pose a question you might ask the class?
Questions for Writing and Discussion
Read the article, then answer the following questions:
1. How does Ms. Rosen’s story of climate change draw you in as a reader? What words, lines and details captivate you? How does her use of “you” and “we” change the third-person perspective typically offered in a news report on climate change?
2. How do the hand-drawn visuals enhance the story and the reading experience? Select and discuss one illustration that you find particularly effective.
3. Ms. Rosen’s story presents two scenarios: the “Bad Future” and the “Better Future.” Give one takeaway from each. Which changes in the better future scenario would you most like to see become a reality? Choose from among examples like “Many people could eat less meat than they do today” or “Cities could encourage people to travel on public transit and bikes.” How effective is presenting two possible futures as a storytelling technique?
4. What is one new thing you learned about climate change from the article? What’s the connection between the burning of fossil fuels, greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and climate change? What role does transportation and food production play in Earth’s warming?
5. The illustrated “book” concludes:
And here’s the good news: We already know how to make many of these changes. In fact, they’re already happening in many places — just not fast enough. That’s because the biggest challenges we face are not about science, they are about people.
World leaders and business people have to get serious about addressing climate change, and the rest of us have to help, if we want The Better Future to be the real future.
Will we do it? The choice is ours.
Do you agree with this statement? Do you think that the biggest challenges in addressing climate change are not about science, but about people? If so, what does this say about the role of storytelling and persuasion in tackling the problem? What other obstacles to action and change do you believe should also be considered? What perspectives, if any, do you think are missing from the story?
6. What is your reaction to the digital children’s book? What did you find most surprising, provocative or memorable? What messages, emotions or ideas will you take away from this story? Compare your brainstorm in the warm-up activity to the choices Ms. Rosen and Ms. Parshina-Kottas made to convince readers, young and old, of the threat that climate change poses to Earth? Which storytelling choices do you think were most effective and persuasive? What questions do you still have about climate change?
Going Further
Option 1: Ask questions about climate change reporting.
Julia Rosen is an independent journalist covering science and the environment from Portland, Ore., and a guest on our live climate change panel for students on April 22. We’re inviting students to submit their own video questions for this live event.
After reading the article, what questions do you have for Ms. Rosen? For example, you might want to know more about:
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the history of climate change
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the effects of climate change on the present world and our possible future
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why Ms. Rosen chose to tell the story of climate change in the form of a children’s book
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what it’s like to cover science and the environment as a journalist
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anything else related to climate change and the news media
Brainstorm a list of questions. Then choose one or two to ask in a video which you can submit here.
Option 2: Create your own children’s book on climate change.
Now it’s your turn: Write and illustrate a children’s book exploring the past, present or future of climate change, building on your brainstorm from the warm-up and using Ms. Rosen’s article as a mentor text.
Who is your audience? Teenagers, young children or perhaps even adults? What information would you include? What storytelling techniques would you want to incorporate? How would you balance imparting factual knowledge with good storytelling? Would you use characters, and if so, fictional or real? Would you include possible scenarios for the future, both good and bad? What messages would you want readers to come away with?
As you develop your story, think about your own experiences learning about a complex or urgent societal problem. What has made a difference in your understanding? When has something or somebody inspired you to care about an issue or to take action? What kind of approach has turned you off?
You can hand draw or paint your original story or use one of the free book making apps, like MyStorybook, BookBildr or Storybird.
For more information and research on the issue, a good place to start is the Times feature “Climate Change Is Complex. We’ve Got Answers to Your Questions,” which provides straightforward answers to 17 often-asked questions. Or you might want to look at The Times’s Climate and Environment topics page.
When you are finished with your children’s book, read it aloud in a classroom, library or schoolwide forum on climate change.
About Lesson of the Day
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April 19, 2021 at 08:24AM
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Lesson of the Day: ‘Bad Future, Better Future’ - The New York Times
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