Required Texts
Students at Mott MCHS and Greer ECHS in South Carolina are fortunate and pursuing a curriculum that is preparing them to consider 100 Years Out: Adapt Survive Thrive. They will be looking at a variety of current science and opinion that has been at the center of the Climate Change story. What we know is that things are changing and we are facing direct and indirect consequences of changing conditions. Below or on attached pages, you will find lists and/or full texts of materials being used in the Mott MCHS class with accompanying curriculum materials. Please use them as they will be helpful in your own preparations. The suggested opening text, "The Great Silence" by Ted Chaing.
Sadly, it is true: The President has officially removed the US from the Paris Agreement despite we are one of the largest contributers to the growing conditions impacting global climate: We strongly suggest you share this and other reliable sources of information with your students and let them discuss the potential risks, benefits and consequences of this decision and some potential ways in which they think appropriate action can be taken personally, locally, and nationally.
PFAs: Most Contaminated Sites in US. Michigan is #1! Share this information with your students. It's interactive, informative and will prepare you for what you will see and learn in Flint, and also inspire you with some new ideas of what to look for in your area.
The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells
Please Read Chapter 1
This link will bring you to a full text version of this novel. After reading Chapter 1 have students follow the Accountable Talk protocol.
The Great Silence by Ted Chaing
This link will bring you to a full text version of this important short story. Kate Young suggests it is a good place to start to explore what students know, believe and feel about our Universe. After reading the story have students follow the Accountable Talk protocol and consider the questions below.
100 Years Out - Adapt, Survive, Thrive
MCNC Student Leadership Conference 2020
Discussion Guide for The Great Silence by Ted Chiang
Step 1: Read the short story aloud together.
Following the reading, allow a few moments for students to jot down their immediate thoughts and reflections on the text.
Step 2: Discussion:
These questions are simply possibilities and discussion starters. Please feel free to engage in discourse as ideas, connections, and questions surface.
- After reading the short story, what do you believe is the significance of the title? Why would Ted Chiang choose the title, The Great Silence?
- Why would Chiang use a parrot as a narrator?
- What connections can be made between the experience of the Puerto Rican parrot and we humans?
- What is the significance of using a telescope in a narrative?
- What is Ted Chiang’s message to the reader?
- How do the themes or messages in this short story connect with our focus on climate change, survival, adaptation, or equity and justice in survival?