NAAEE Publications

   Excellence in

   Environmental Education —

   Guidelines for Learning (K-12)

Strand 3.2--Decision-Making and Citizenship Skills

References to Standards:
Arts 40
Geography 179-182
History 70
Social Studies 88-90
Guidelines:
A) Forming and evaluating personal views--Learners are able to identify, justify, and clarify their views on environmental issues and alternative ways to address them.

Discuss personal perspectives with classmates, remaining open to new ideas and information.
Justify their views based on information from a variety of sources, and clear reasoning.
Discuss their own beliefs and values regarding the environment and relate their personal view of environmental issues to these.
Identify ways in which others' views correspond or differ with their own views.

Civics and Government 68-70
Social Studies 105-107
B) Evaluating the need for citizen action--Learners are able to evaluate whether they believe action is needed in particular situations, and decide whether they should be involved.

Discuss whether action is warranted. Account for factors such as the scale of the problem; legal, social, economic, and ecological consequences; and alternatives to citizen action.
Identify different forms of action that citizens can take in the economic, political, and legal spheres, as well as actions aimed at directly improving or maintaining some part of the environment or persuading others to take action.
Speculate about the likely effects of specific actions on society and the environment, and the likelihood these actions will resolve a specific environmental issue.
Point out advantages and disadvantages of their personal involvement, considering factors such as their own skills, resources, knowledge, and commitment.

Civics and Government 80-83
Social Studies 105-107
C) Planning and taking action--As learners begin to see themselves as citizens taking active roles in their communities, they are able to plan for and engage in citizen action at levels appropriate to their maturity and preparation.

Develop action plans they can carry out individually, in small groups, or with a class, club, or larger organization. Include clear reasons and goals for action. Base these plans on knowledge of a range of citizen action strategies and the results of their environmental issue investigations.
Set realistic goals for action and include measures of success consistent with learners' abilities and an understanding of the complexity of the issue.
Decide whether their plan should be implemented immediately or at another time, changed, or abandoned; and carry through with action when appropriate.

History 70
Social Studies 105-107
D) Evaluating the results of actions--Learners are able to analyze the effects of their own actions and actions taken by other individuals and groups.

Analyze the effects of decisions, policies, and actions taken by individuals and groups on a particular issue.
Analyze their own actions, explaining apparent effects and discussing them in light of students' goals and reasons for acting.
Describe some of the reasons why analyzing the results of actions may be difficult, including the scale of the issue, the time required to see effects, and the influence of other actions and factors.

The Many Sides of Cotton
From: Windows on the Wild--Biodiversity Basics,
Grade Level: Middle School (grades 6-9)

Correlating Guidelines:
Strand 1 A, C, D, E, G
Strand 2.4 A, C, D, E
Strand 3.1 A, B, C, D

This activity is part of a broader unit on biodiversity, and incorporates social studies, science, and language arts.

Students begin by exploring a hypothetical controversy, such as supposing that the school has to cut the budget and must choose between the music program or after-school sports. Through this exercise, students are introduced to issue analysis: identifying the problem, the issue, the parties involved and their positions, the beliefs that shape those positions, and the values that underlie them, and examine possible solutions.

Once familiar with the approach, students apply the issue analysis process to examine the pros and cons of growing organic and conventional cotton. Using readings written by people with diverse perspectives on the issue, students work individually or in groups to analyze the articles for points of agreement and disagreement, facts, opinions, and bias. Individually or in groups, they complete a chart on sorting out the issues.

Finally, students write a personal position statement on conventional versus organic cotton, making sure to back up their statements with specific reasons, and describing whether and how their positions will affect their actions as a consumer and a citizen.

Next Page

	Strand 3.2--Decision-Making and Citizenship Skills
References to Standards: Arts 40 Geography 179-182 History 70 Social Studies 88-90	Guidelines: A) Forming and evaluating personal views--Learners are able to identify, justify, and clarify their views on environmental issues and alternative ways to address them. Discuss personal perspectives with classmates, remaining open to new ideas and information. Justify their views based on information from a variety of sources, and clear reasoning. Discuss their own beliefs and values regarding the environment and relate their personal view of environmental issues to these. Identify ways in which others' views correspond or differ with their own views.
Civics and Government 68-70 Social Studies 105-107	B) Evaluating the need for citizen action--Learners are able to evaluate whether they believe action is needed in particular situations, and decide whether they should be involved. Discuss whether action is warranted. Account for factors such as the scale of the problem; legal, social, economic, and ecological consequences; and alternatives to citizen action. Identify different forms of action that citizens can take in the economic, political, and legal spheres, as well as actions aimed at directly improving or maintaining some part of the environment or persuading others to take action. Speculate about the likely effects of specific actions on society and the environment, and the likelihood these actions will resolve a specific environmental issue. Point out advantages and disadvantages of their personal involvement, considering factors such as their own skills, resources, knowledge, and commitment.
Civics and Government 80-83 Social Studies 105-107	C) Planning and taking action--As learners begin to see themselves as citizens taking active roles in their communities, they are able to plan for and engage in citizen action at levels appropriate to their maturity and preparation. Develop action plans they can carry out individually, in small groups, or with a class, club, or larger organization. Include clear reasons and goals for action. Base these plans on knowledge of a range of citizen action strategies and the results of their environmental issue investigations. Set realistic goals for action and include measures of success consistent with learners' abilities and an understanding of the complexity of the issue. Decide whether their plan should be implemented immediately or at another time, changed, or abandoned; and carry through with action when appropriate.
History 70 Social Studies 105-107	D) Evaluating the results of actions--Learners are able to analyze the effects of their own actions and actions taken by other individuals and groups. Analyze the effects of decisions, policies, and actions taken by individuals and groups on a particular issue. Analyze their own actions, explaining apparent effects and discussing them in light of students' goals and reasons for acting. Describe some of the reasons why analyzing the results of actions may be difficult, including the scale of the issue, the time required to see effects, and the influence of other actions and factors.