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The Cost of Coal unit lesson plan is a week long sustainability unit that focuses on educating eighth grade students. The main topic of the week is coal,with a focus on coal sourced from Arizona. Students will learn what coal is, why it is a finite resource, and what the pros and cons of using it are. Students will watch engaging videos, use technology, and interact to educate themselves and their peers about the environmental and social impacts of coal mining . English Language Arts standards will be incorporated as well as science standards, as students will be asked to find and analyze informational texts, infer meaning, and identify key details. At the end of the unit, students will use their knowledge to find ways to solve real world problems and defend their choices against adversity.

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Complete Annotated bibliography of all sources used in the creation of this lesson and website.

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I believe that the practice of coal mining is not only a sustainability issue, but also a social issue. Throughout the history of the industry, coal mining has made huge impacts (both negative and positive) on the communities that surround the mines. Often, people will hear of the consequences of coal mining in Appalachia, but the coal mines in my home state of Arizona are not widely talked about even though the coal that comes from them provides power to so many residents. Many people do not even know that Arizona has a coal mine! It is important educate students about this industry and to take into account the lives of the people who are impacted by mining, not just the environment.

Learning about the social effects of mining in Arizona is important for the students to learn as citizens of the state and of the world. This lesson is based off of the concept of sustainability, an important science that students will use in their daily adult lives. The lesson also has strong ties to social studies, as the changes that have occurred in the Navajo culture as a result of the coal mines will be examined closely. Importantly, the society that will be studied are residents of the same state as the students, many of whom may have familial ties to the Navajo people. This creates a meaningful and relevant topic for study in the classroom.

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This lesson has a strong theme of Values Thinking. Values Thinking includes the ability to:

1. Assess a problem and its context comprehensively

2. Describe how justice, equity, and social-ecological integrity vary across and within cultures

3. Determine how integrating justice, equity, and social-ecological integrity impact solving problems

4. Specify, negotiate, and apply values, principles, and goals while recognizing multiple viewpoints from others http://ecollege.asu.edu/re/DotNextLaunch.asp?courseid=8748632&userid=12251851&sessionid=2a0a6af226&tabid=F/DvCzW+aQ2h3qLiPaoZTeaLGJYUFIDj+f3PH2GeHAE=&sessionFirstAuthStore=true&macid=fGR5Y

In this lesson, students will use Values Thinking during this lesson while they are learning about the cultural values that the Navajo people have and how those values are affected by the mining of coal in their community. The students will also be required to use this knowledge in order to solve problems related to social-ecological integrity and recognize that there are varying viewpoints and ways to solve these types of problems when they create their final projects.

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Day 1: What is Coal and How Does it Impact the Environment?

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Day 1: What is Coal and How Does it Impact the Environment?

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Introduction to the Unit

Materials:

Science notebooks, pen/pencil, smartboard

Overview:

Before the students can begin to understand the impacts that coal has on humans and the environment, they need to be able to understand what coal is, how we get it, and how it is used. The students will watch two videos that provide them with information, and after each video the teacher will use whole-class active learning techniques to help the students to internalize information and make connections to their daily lives.

Learning goals:

Students will gain a general understanding of what coal is, where it comes from, and be able to make connections from previous knowledge, if any, during the class discussion that follows the video.

Procedure:

1. Students will discover what coal is. Have students watch the video (9 minutes)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ_Ethb6_Wk

(let them know that we will NOT conduct the experiment at the end of the video).

As a class, construct and draw the life cycle of coal in science notebooks. Teacher will guide this discussion and draw the cycle on the smartboard as it is discussed. (20 mins)

2. Discuss the negative environmental impacts of using coal as an energy source. Watch this video (4 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKpAxfKh8-w

Think pair Share: What part of that video shocked you the most?

3. Make a concept map on the smartboard with Coal as the center bubble. As a class, generate as many ideas as possible to complete the map. have students copy the map into their science notebook (11 mins)

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How is Coal Formed? - Geography for Kids | Educational Videos by Mocomi

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DAY 2- Where does the coal in AZ come from, and how do we use it? * 

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DAY 2- Where does the coal in AZ come from, and how do we use it? * 

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Lesson Plan

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Exit Ticket

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Day 3: The People affected by Coal Mining in Arizona

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Day 3: The People affected by Coal Mining in Arizona

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Materials:

Computer with connected internet, pencil, science notebook, worksheet

Description:

During this lesson, students explore the human side of coal mining. The students will watch a video about coal mining on the Navajo Nation Reservation and how the mine has affected the lives of the people who live there. In order to keep the students responsible for paying close attention to the video, they will be given a worksheet to complete with questions to answer that have been taken directly from the content. At the end of the worksheet, students are asked to conduct their own research on the effect of coal mining on humans.

Learning Goals:

Students will learn about how humans, both as individuals and as societies are impacted by coal, specifically how the values of the Navajo people are being affected by the coal business. The students will also gain some experience researching a topic on the internet in order to find credible information.

Procedures:

(Students will complete this assignment in the computer lab)

1.The teacher will pass out a worksheet with questions from the video.

2. Students will watch this video: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/06/coal-mining-navajo-nation_n_3397118.html

3. The students will complete the worksheet, re-watching the video if needed.

4. Students will have the rest of the class time to find and summarize their resource (question 9 on worksheet) with help from teacher if needed.

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Materials:

6 pieces of informational text (see bibliography), science notebooks, pen/pencil, whiteboard or smartboard as students will choose how to present their information.

Description:

Students will use a peer teaching technique to learn the different perspectives on coal mining. As students read their own groups informational text, they become "experts" on that particular piece of information and use their expertise to teach the information to the rest of the class. In this way, all students are exposed to the information from all informational texts because their peers will present the information to them in a more relevant way than simply reading the text itself. Students will be asked to record information from each presentation in their science notebooks in order to keep them responsible for participating in their own learning.

Learning Goals:

Students learn about, evaluate, and teach their peers about the pros and cons of coal mining by reading an informational text and cooperating with their group members to present the information to their peers.

Procedures:

1. Students will be broken up into 6 groups of four (group sizes may vary depending on class size).

2. Each group will be given a piece of information to review.

3. The groups will be tasked with teaching the information on their given resource to the rest of the class. They will be given 5 minutes to read the information provided, and 15 minutes to plan their presentation. (Students will be reminded that the teacher is not only looking for content performance, but ability to cooperate in a group as well).

4. Students will take notes on both the information that their group was given and the presentations of others in their science notebooks.  Teacher will make judgements and add any important points that a group may have left out of their presentation.

5. Teacher will ask for at least 2 peer affirmations from the class after each group has presented.

6. As a wrap up, students will watch the video recording any interesting information into their science notebooks.

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Each resource would be printed and handed as hardcopy to each group.

http://coaldiver.org/coal-diver/Black-Mesa

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/06/coal-mining-navajo-nation_n_3397118.html (story only)

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Arizona_and_coal (begin at "introduction" and end at "history")

http://www.peabodyenergy.com/content/276/Publications/Fact-Sheets/Kayenta-Mine

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/united-states/black-mesa-controversy

http://intercontinentalcry.org/black-mesa-wins-peabodys-coal-mining-permit-revoked/

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Materials: Poster board, markers, art supplies

Description:

Students will create a plan for improving social and environmental conditions associated with coal mining in Arizona. Each student will create a poster that shows the changes that they feel need to take place in order to minimize the negative impacts of both coal and the total cessation of coal use. The prompt that they will be given is as follows:

You are the new leader in charge of guiding the people toward a new future in renewable energy. Think about the widespread impacts of each decision that you make. Create a poster that shows what decisions that you would make for the people and defend each choice. You must include at least 4 major changes.Posters will be scored by rubric.

Learning Goals:

Students will create and present unique ways to solve the real-world problems that coal mining presents to society and the environment. Students are encouraged to "think outside the box" as they develop ideas and strategies for the purpose of this project. As the teacher discusses the students' strategies with them, the students will be asked to think critically about their own solutions and defend them in relevant ways.

Procedures:

Teacher will explain the task to the class and ensure students understanding. Each student should be provided with a copy of the rubric for reference as they work.

1. Teacher will provide poster board and art supplies for each student.

2. Students will be allowed to work on their posters for the entire class period, but posters must be complete before student leaves.

3. Teacher will individually discuss with each student a change that they put on their poster and ask them to orally defend their choice. (This will serve as a formative assessment).