Geography · Week 17 · Environment, Society, and the Future
Planning the Valley's Future
Using geography to propose a plan for a cooler, greener neighborhood and setting a hopeful goal students can work toward.
- Students will
- Students use geographic evidence to propose a plan for a cooler, greener neighborhood, weigh options and unintended results, and write a short claim with reasons.
- SEL skill
- Weigh the benefits, costs, and overlooked risks of options before choosing one
- What it looks like
- Students practice weighing benefits, costs, and overlooked risks before choosing an option and a first step.
- Content focus
- Planning the Valley's Future
- Format
- Collaborative analysis
Responsible decision-making
Responsible decision-making means making caring, constructive choices by thinking about ethics, safety, and what could result for everyone. More responsible decision-making activities
What you get
A teacher guide with what to say, step by step, plus student pages and a supports page for students with diverse learning needs, including those with IEPs. Print or Project it, or assign it in Google Forms and Google Docs for Google Classroom. Your first 10 activities are free.
Standards
- NGS.18: National Geography Standard 18
- CA HSS Analysis Skill: HI4 Understand the meaning and impact of historical events and recognize that events could have taken other directions. (Historical Interpretation)
- C3 Framework (national): D4.7.9-12 Assess options for individual and collective action to address local, regional, and global problems through self-reflection and strategic thinking.
- Literacy in history: WHST.9-10.1 Write arguments focused on discipline specific content.
More responsible decision-making activities for Geography
- Maps Tell Stories Responsible decision-makingComparing map projections and who made them, and noticing how choices about what a map shows can shape feelings and judgments.
- How Towns Grow Responsible decision-makingAnalyzing why settlements like Indio grew along water, rail lines, and highways and weighing growth decisions where neighbors want different things.
- Water in a Thirsty Land Responsible decision-makingExamining how wells, canals, and Colorado River water turned the desert into farmland and how different groups negotiate scarce water fairly.
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RoseThread Connect activities are drafted with the help of AI and shaped by educators. Students never have to share anything personal. Our five SEL skills are informed by CASEL's SEL Framework; RoseThread Learning is not affiliated with or endorsed by CASEL.