Civic Actions to Impact the Future
Overview
Students make connections between the past, present, and future of the environment through their own imaginings, analysis of a primary source image, and the poem “Letter to Someone Living Fifty Years from Now” by Matthew Olzmann. After, students might assess waste or pollution in their school or local community, then consider actions they could take today to help positively impact the future by promoting environmentally friendly policies and/or programs.
Related Resources
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Today in History: Earth Day
background information & primary sources -
Academy of American Poet Lessons on Citizen U
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Primary Source Learning: Poets & Poetry
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Primary Source Spotlight: Poetry
Grade
High School, Middle School
Subjects
Civics, English Language Arts, Science
Length
100-120 minutes
Topics
civic action, conservation, Earth Day, environment, environmental policies, environmental programs, future, letter, Matthew Olzmann, past, political cartoon, pollution, present, recycling, reuse, waste
Author
Academy of American Poets