This Jigsaw exercise has students discuss radio stories from the Yale Climate Connections (YCC) project as a team to deepen their thinking around climate change issues.
The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials.
Allow students the choice of which story/stories to listen to. Have different groups discuss different issues and then share them with the class.
Provide transcripts of audio portions to students ahead of time so they can read through at their own pace before listening to the story.
Instructors are encouraged to explain new vocabulary before breaking into discussion groups.
Some discussion questions for students are provided, but these are not story-specific, and very few are listed. More general questions could be added ("List the major themes in this story", "What are different problems or connections posed in this story?", "How might different groups of people work together to reach a solution to this problem?", etc).
The activity may address a number of different scientific processes all under the umbrella of climate change. The radio stories focus on different aspects of climate change, so the topics will vary based on which stories are used.
This resource can be used with numerous 90-second podcasts from Yale Climate Connections. It walks teachers and students through the process of critically analyzing the podcast, connecting it to data, and arguing from evidence.
Stories provided in the activity are relevant and timely. They provide real-life examples and based on the topics, and address mis/preconceptions.
Yale Climate Connections (YCC) is a university-affiliated program, so this activity stems from a reputable source and links and references are provided in the radio stories.
Stories are updated on the climate connections radio website, so information is up-to-date.
Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
This jigsaw activity helps students connect the dots between data and real-world phenomena, motivating students through community learning. If the instructor chooses relevant stories for students, it could be very interesting and engaging.
This activity allows students to understand why it is important to understand climate change and allows students to reflect on meaningful subjects and think deeply.
A short teacher and student guide are provided.
Audio and written transcripts of radio stories are available, which is helpful for students with different learning preferences.
Learning objectives are clear and the activity states which NGSS are relevant.
No assessment strategy is provided, but the discussion questions provided could serve as an assessment.
Podcasts are available under the Radio Program drop-down menu in the "Browse All Episodes" tab.
Note that the link to the question bank does not work, so teachers will need to develop their own discussion questions unique to individual radio stories.
