Activity 1: An opinionative essay on climate change a

truth or just an inconvenience?

Theme
The students will research and write an opinionative essay presenting a point of view about
climate change.

Key learning/Subject areas/Year level(s)

Personal Development
Health and Physical Education
Science
Studies of Society and the Environment
English/Literacy
Personal Learning

(Detailed curriculum links are included at the end of this document)

Possible Year levels

Duration

Years 8, 9 and 10
Up to 5 periods, depending on the extent of research required

Objectives
On

completion of this activity students will be able to:

understand the key arguments for and against climate change;
identify effective strategies for communicating their own points of view;
understand the importance of research and knowledge in decision making processes.

The output will be an opinionative essay.

Introduction
The debate on climate change continues to rage. Consistently we are urged to think globally
and act locally, and yet there are a significant number of climate change deniers presenting
alternative arguments to the issue.
In this activity, your students will need to find out what the arguments supporting climate
change, and opposing it as an issue, are. They will need to determine their own point of view
and then plan and write their own well defended argumentative essay.

Prior Learning
Students will need to have experience with:
effective research strategies to find information to support their arguments;
working in small cooperative groups;
the structure and process of debating.
The outcome of this activity will be an argumentative essay presenting the students point of
view in relation to climate change.

How do I teach this activity?

Step 1 Whole class activity: brainstorming
Spend some time introducing the idea of the argumentative essay with your students. If this is
one of the first argumentative essays they have had to write, discuss with them the structure
of this type of essay. You can use Worksheet 1 Hints for Writing an Argumentative Essay to
help you.
Ask them what they already know about presenting their own arguments, the structure and
protocols involved.
Present the essay topic: Climate change a truth or just an inconvenience?
Follow this discussion with a class brainstorm of the arguments that support or oppose the
existence of climate change.

List their responses on the board under + and -.

You could show them the documentary An Inconvenient Truth or YouTube videos The Most
Terrifying Video Youll Ever See or How it all ends to stimulate their thinking.
Step 2 Individual activity: planning and research
Once you have discussed the topic and the essay structure, give your students time to plan
and then research the issue.
Your students need time to research their arguments, using resources such as the Internet to
find supporting evidence (refer to the extensive list in this activity to help get them started).
This research may take 2-3 periods.
Step 3- Individual activity: developing your argument
Once the research has been done, each student should have decided which arguments they
will use, and the supporting evidence to back up their point of view.
This is the time for them to write up their essay plan and formulate each argument.
Step 4 Individual activity: final preparation
Your students need to draft, review and then finalise and finesse their arguments.
Step 5 Whole class activity: submission and class discussion
Once each student has completed and submitted their essay, spend some time reflecting with
your students on what they learned, both about the issue of climate change and about
conveying effective arguments.
Whats next?
Once these activities have been completed, you could encourage the students to undertake
one of the remaining Climate Change activities within this suite of lesson plan ideas.

Teacher Notes
Improved communication, cooperation and group working as well as research, argument
analysis and consultation are skills that will emerge from this activity as your students develop
an understanding of the important elements of developing and then effectively conveying
messages to target audiences.
Your students will need to organise their time carefully and make decisions quickly. They will
need to convey their points of view effectively, use plain language and employ a range of
argumentative strategies to present a robust argument.

Resources/Links/Materials required
1. Access to the Internet for any research.
2. Some possible website resources include:
Department of Climate Change and Efficiency
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/
Bureau of Meteorology
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/change/
ABC Australia: UK scientists cleared of manipulating climate change data
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201004/s2864781.htm
Climate Change
http://www.climatechange.com.au/
o Fact Sheet Climate Change Potential Impact and Costs
http://www.climatechange.com.au/impacts/publications/pubs/fs-national.pdf
o Fact Sheet Climate Change What does it mean?
http://www.climatechange.com.au/impacts/publications/pubs/fs-climatechange.pdf
CSIRO Climate Change
http://www.csiro.au/science/Climate-Change.html
Australian Conservation Foundation

http://www.acfonline.org.au/default.asp?section_id=6
Hotting up
http://tiki.oneworld.net/global_warming/climate2.html
Climate change - an Introduction (Part 1) Provides a brief introduction
http://www.ecokidsonline.com/pub/eco_info/topics/climate/intro/index.cfm
Climate change - an Introduction (Part 2) Continues the previous the introduction
http://www.ecokidsonline.com/pub/eco_info/topics/climate/intro/climate-intro2.cfm
An Inconvenient Truth
http://www.aninconvenienttruth.com.au/truth/
The Most Terrifying Video Youll Ever See (YouTube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zORv8wwiadQ
How it all ends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=mF_anaVcCXg&annotation_id=annotation_402598&feature=iv
Skeptical Science
http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php

Worksheet 1 Hints for Writing an Argumentative Essay

An argument consists of a number of connected statements used to establish a point of view or
opinion about a particular topic.
Argument is one way in which we attempt to persuade other people that our point of view is
correct by supporting your arguments with factual evidence.
With essays of this sort it is essential that you support your arguments with supporting
evidence.
1. Plan your essay by organising key ideas or supporting arguments into a logical order.
Include:
a. Introduction stating your point of view
b. Body of essay a separate paragraph for each new idea, which could be a topic
sentence, which is then supported by evidence/details
c. Conclusion restating your opinion clearly and with conviction
2. You should have a definite opinion about climate change that must be clearly stated in the
introduction. This becomes the main argument or contention.
3. Each key idea should become a topic sentence introducing a paragraph, which contains
evidence/examples/supporting details to support that idea.
4. Refer constantly to the question or topic as well as your plan while you are writing to make
sure you keep to the point.
5. Do not change from one point of view to the other.
6. You can briefly consider some of the opposing arguments and your rebuttal of them in the
second last paragraph.

Curriculum Links
ACT

NSW

Qld

SA

Vic

WA

Tas

NT

Studies of Society and

the Environment
Responsibility for
deciding the specifics of
curriculum content
resides with teachers. In
Studies of Society and
Environment essential
learning about Australia
includes:

the features of
selected Australian
natural
environments,
including how they
function;

patterns and
processes
producing
Australias
environments and
landscapes.
Using the Essential
Learning Achievements a
number of these could
implicitly underpin a
study of natural
disasters, for example
the student:

makes plans and

carries them out;

understands about
Australia and
Australians;

makes sense of
world issues and
events;

applies scientific
understandings.

Geography Years 7-10

Strand: Issues in
Australian Environments

Science

Link: Explicit
studying a range of
geographical issues
affecting Australian
environments
explore issues
affecting Australian
environments
English Stage 3
Speak, listen, read,
write, view and
represent
- responds to and
composes texts for
understanding,
interpretation, critical
analysis and pleasure

Strand: Place and Space

Key concept:
Environments are defined
by spatial patterns, human
and physical
Level: By end year 9
Explicit:

Interrelationships
between human
activity and
environments result
in particular
patterns of land and
resource use, and
can cause
environmental
problems

Strand: Systems

sophisticated and
sustained texts for

Level: Year 10

composes
increasingly

understanding,

processes for

Explicit:

Natural phenomena
across a range of
scales have an
impact on
geographical
patterns, features
and human activity

responding to and

Science

interpretation,
critical analysis and
pleasure

composing texts
- uses and critically
assesses a range of
processes for
responding and
composing
- responds to and
composes texts in
different
technologies
Use language and
communicate

Link: Explicit

Causes of natural events and

consequences for humans and
other living things
Strand: texts and contexts

STANDARD 4

Standard 5

At Standard 4,
towards the
end of Year 8,
the student:

At Standard 5,
towards the end
of Year 10, the
student:

4.1 Listens to
a range of
texts to
examine Key
Ideas and
diverse
opinions and
to
understand
the effect of
purpose,
context and
audience.
[Id] [T] [C]
[KC2]

5.1 Listens to
a range of
texts to
analyse and
compare
complex ideas
and diverse
opinions and
judge the
effect of the
interrelations
hip between
context,
purpose and
audience. [In]
[T] [C] [KC1]

Geography

Key concept: Systems

underpin the relationships,
the connections, the
human interactions and
movement between
places within spaces

- responds to and

Physical, Personal and

Social Learning

Science/Earth and
beyond

Domain: Health and

Physical Education

Outcome: Sustainability
of life and wise resource
use

Strand: Earth and space

Standard: 4 (end of Year 8)

- uses a range of
Also see Essential
Learning
statements

Studies of Society and the

Environment

Examples of
evidence
include that
the student:

Strand: Earth and Beyond

Scientific
understanding can be
used to model the past
and predict the future
of the earth and the
universe

examines the
purpose of the
text (eg to be
entertained by
peers) [T] [C]
[KC1]

Level: By end of Year 9

responds to
texts to
demonstrate
understanding
(eg restates
information to
clarify
meaning in a
report by a
community
speaker) [T]

Link: Explicit

Global patterns of
change on earth and
in its atmosphere
can be predicted
and modelled
Level: By end of Year
10

Examples of
evidence
include that the
student:
compares the
purposes of
spoken texts
(eg a radio play,
short story and
film version of a
text) [T] [C]
[KC1]
responds to the
text to
demonstrate
understanding
(eg discusses
the way a
formal speech
constructs

Level: 3-6
Link: No explicit
references. Implicit
potential to broaden
concept of hazards and
risks and safety beyond
health perspective
English - LEVEL 5
Students read and
interpret texts that
present some
challenging issues. They
compare texts that
explore similar themes
and ideas, and
recognise that
writers can express
views and values other
than their own. They
develop a critical
understanding about the
ways that writers and
producers of texts try to
position readers to
accept particular views
of people, characters,
events, ideas and
information. They
discuss the ways in
which persuasive texts
present opinions and
evidence, justify
positions and persuade.
Reading
At Level 5, students
read and view
imaginative, informative
and persuasive
texts that explore ideas
and information related
to challenging themes
and issues. They identify
the themes and issues
explored in these texts,
and provide supporting
evidence to justify their
interpretations. They
produce personal
responses, for example,
interpretive pieces and
character profiles. They
infer meanings and
messages in texts,
analyse how social
values or attitudes are
conveyed, compare the
presentation of
information and ideas in
different texts, and

Component: Humans
effects on physical
systems (Level 8)
Link: Explicit - human
resources use impacts on
the Earths physical
systems
Component:
Environmental change
(Level 9)
Link: Explicit trends in
environmental change
and populations and their
effects on each other
Component:
Consequences of
humans effects of
physical systems (Level
9)
Link: Explicit
consequences of changes
to the atmosphere
resulting from natural
and human activities
Outcome: Earth forces
and materials
Component: Atmosphere
on Earth and beyond
(Level 9)
Link: Explicit changes in
the atmosphere and the
consequences of them
Society and the
Environment Active
Citizenship Early
Adolescence (Yr 8-10)
Component: Active
Citizenship
Outcome: Students
demonstrate active
citizenship through their
behaviours and practices
in accordance with the
principles and values of
sustainability, social
justice and democratic
process
Link: Implicit actions to
care for the environment

Science as a Body of
Knowledge earth and
space

Studies of Society and

Environment - Band 5
Strand: Environment

Study: Main idea Earth

& space systems
continue to be shaped
by the changes they
experience
Links:

Stage 9 Explicit:
investigate some
interactions
between systems
of earth and or
space

Stage 12
Explicit: Describe
some important
interactions that
occur, or have
occurred in the
past, within and/or
between earth
and/or space
systems

Stage 15
Analyse and
evaluate the
evidence for past,
present and
predicted future
changes to the
earth and consider
possible
implications
Main idea Humans use
the earth and this raises
ethical and
sustainability issues
Links:

Stage 12
Explicit: Examine
the long-term
effects of humans
on earth, and
consider ways of
modifying human
behaviour to
reduce deleterious
effects

Stage 13
Explicit: Consider
the consequences
of changes to the
atmosphere
resulting from
natural and
human activities
Science as human
endeavour
Study: Main Idea

Element:
Natural Systems
Explicit: investigate past,
present and future
climate
Element: Environmental
Awareness and Care
Explicit:

research the
historical and
current positions
Australia has taken
on major
environmental
issues

research a local
urban or
community issue
and
devise/formulate
an action plan
Science Earth and
beyond - Band 5 / Band
5+
Strand: Earths resources
and sustainability
Outcome: Learners
Understand models and
concepts that explain
earth and space systems
Link: Explicit

explained in the
theory of climate
change

explore the causes

and consequences
of global
atmospheric
changes

use a greenhouse
model to describe
how humans have
contributed to
climate change

predict possible
trends in climate
change
Strand: Earths resources
and sustainability
Outcome: Learners
extend their
understanding of how
scientific models and