Lesson 1:

INTRODUCTION TO DATA COLLECTION & CLIMATE CHANGE

Mathematics & Religion

Lesson title: Introduction to Data Collection & CLIMATE CHANGE

Summary & Background Information:

In this lesson students will be introduced to a variety of different ways to graph data sets. Students will learn about what to consider in order to select an appropriate graphical representation of data sets. Students will explore some possible environmental careers and see how collecting and interpreting data can provide us with important information on our environment. Students will learn that environmental impacts disproportionately affect the poor and the importance of God's command to advocate for those living in poverty.

Curriculum Links:

Math

Grade 6:

C1.1 identify and describe repeating, growing, and shrinking patterns, including patterns found in real-life contexts

C1.2 create and translate growing and shrinking patterns using various representations, including tables of values and graphs

D1.3 select from among a variety of graphs, including histograms and broken-line graphs, the type of graph best suited to represent various sets of data; display the data in the graphs with proper sources, titles, and labels, and appropriate scales; and justify their choice of graphs

D1.5 determine the range as a measure of spread and the measures of central tendency for various data sets, and use this information to compare two or more data sets

D2.2 determine and compare the theoretical and experimental probabilities of two independent events happening

Grade 7:

C1. identify, describe, extend, create, and make predictions about a variety of patterns, including those found in real-life contexts

D1.3 select from among a variety of graphs, including circle graphs, the type of graph best suited to represent various sets of data; display the data in the graphs with proper sources, titles, and labels, and appropriate scales; and justify their choice of graphs

D1.6 analyze different sets of data presented in various ways, including in circle graphs and in misleading graphs, by asking and answering questions about the data, challenging preconceived notions, and drawing conclusions, then make convincing arguments and informed decisions

D2. describe the likelihood that events will happen, and use that information to make predictions

Grade 8:

C1.1 identify and compare a variety of repeating, growing, and shrinking patterns, including patterns found in real-life contexts, and compare linear growing patterns on the basis of their constant rates and initial values

D1.4 create an infographic about a data set, representing the data in appropriate ways, including in tables and circle graphs, and incorporating any other relevant information that helps to tell a story about the data

D2.2 determine and compare the theoretical and experimental probabilities of multiple independent events happening and of multiple dependent events happening

Religious Education

Grade 6:

BL1.3: Identify the many ways we come to know God from the physical world and the human person (i.e. creation).

LS1: Understand that each person is responsible for participation in society, to discern, to freely choose their vocation and to make a contribution in the world.

Grade 7:

ML1.3: Summarize the moral teachings of the Church with regard to particular life issues.

LS2.3: Identify situations of injustice in society, our country and the world which oppose the virtue of human dignity and fundamental human rights.

Grade 8:

LS1: Understand that the principle of human dignity, revealed in Scripture (i.e. the belief that the human person is made in the image and likeness of God) requires Christians to work for the common good of all people (i.e. respect for the social nature of the human person) and to participate in society.

LS1.4 Articulate the three essential elements of the Common Good and link them to ecological justice and the universal common good of protecting the earth’s resources for future generations.

LS2: Understand that the principles of responsibility and participation in society are Christian social virtues, which call us to roles of leadership, to evangelize through our witness of the Gospel and through the promotion of social justice in the world.

LS1.3: Recognize signs of the growing human interdependence of the global community and identify ways it is challenging Catholic organizations and individuals in their mission of promoting social justice principles.

ML2.3: Identify some of the moral situations that have arisen in society as a result of globalization, advances in technology and science and examine them in light of the Church’s moral teachings.

Catholic Graduate Expectations:

3. REFLECTIVE, CREATIVE AND HOLISTIC THINKER who solves problems and makes responsible decisions with an informed moral conscience for the common good.

5. A COLLABORATIVE CONTRIBUTOR who finds meaning and dignity and vocation in work which respects the rights of all and contributes to the common good.

6. A CARING FAMILY MEMBER who attends to family, school, parish and the wider community.

7. A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN who gives witness to Catholic social teaching by promoting peace, justice and the sacredness of human life.

Guiding Questions:

What is data?
What are the various ways data can be represented?
How is data used to inform us about environmental issues?
What is the human impact on the environment?
How does the data support the need for urgent action?
What environmental goals can be developed based on data collection?
How can data motivate a call to action?
How can we use statistics and/or data to help us make informed and ethical choices?
What predictions can be made from studying past and present data?
How can I use data to make informed decisions about what I buy and/or consume?
How can the Gospel or Catholic social teachings help make me become a steward of the earth?
As Catholic Christians, how can we make a positive contribution to society and the world?
How can we work for the common good of all people and be the change we want to see?

Learning Goals:

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

understand, apply and communicate information from data sets.
represent data in various ways.
understand how data is used to assess the effects of environmental issues.
understand that humans are responsible for most environmental issues.
see how data supports the need for urgent action.
use data to make predictions about how environmental issues will evolve.
use data to make informed decisions about what they buy and consume.
connect Gospel and Catholic social teachings to their call to be stewards of the earth.
develop attitudes and values founded on the principles of Catholic social teaching and act to promote social responsibility, human solidarity and the common good.
become models of Christian living for all those we encounter in our daily lives.

Success Criteria:

I can…

understand, apply and communicate information from data sets.
represent data in various ways.
understand how data is used to assess the effects of environmental issues.
understand that humans are responsible for most environmental issues.
see how data supports the need for urgent action.
use data to make predictions about how environmental issues will evolve.
use data to make informed decisions about what they buy and consume.
connect Gospel and Catholic social teachings to my call to be a steward of the earth.
develop attitudes and values founded on the principles of Catholic social teaching and act to promote social responsibility, human solidarity and the common good.
become a model of Christian living for all those I encounter in my daily life.

Activities

Part A: Minds On - Environmental Careers (Approx. 20 Min)

Vocabulary:

Advocate is to speak, write or stand up for something or someone.

Bar graph is a diagram in which the numerical values of variables are represented by the height or length of lines or rectangles of equal width.

Climate change refers to the broader range of changes that are happening to our planet as consequences of warming, which is caused mainly by people burning fossil fuels and putting out heat-trapping gases into the air. (NASA)

Data are facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis.

Decreasing pattern is a shrinking pattern that decreases by a constant amount each time.

Environmental careers are jobs that protect and help the planet.

Environmental data is large amounts of unprocessed observations and measurements about the environment or its components and related processes.

Environmentalist is a person who is concerned with or advocates for the protection of the environment.

Global warming refers to the long-term warming of the planet.

Histogram is a diagram consisting of rectangles whose area is proportional to the frequency of a variable and whose width is equal to the class interval.

Innovator is a person who introduces new methods, ideas, or products.

Increasing patterns are patterns in which one or more elements of the sequence or arrangement increases. Increasing patterns should be both numerical and non-numerical. Numerical increasing patterns lead to a better sense of number.

Laudato Si' is translated from Latin and means Praise Be to You. It is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. The encyclical has the subtitle "on care for our common home."In it, the pope critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environmental degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take "swift and unified global action."

Line graph is used to track changes over short and long periods of time. When smaller changes exist, line graphs are better to use than bar graphs. Line graphs can also be used to compare changes over the same period of time for more than one group.

Pie chart (Circle Graph) is a type of graph in which a circle is divided into sectors that each represent a proportion of the whole.

Trend is a general direction in which something is developing or changing.

Ask students: “What are different jobs that protect and help the environment?” (Possible answers: geologists, atmospheric scientists and meteorologists, conservation scientists, foresters, hydrologists, agricultural scientists, urban and regional planners, biochemists and biophysicists, wildlife biologist, geoscientists, environmental scientists and specialists, and environmental engineers, etc.)
Survey the class and ask students to select the job that interests them the most. (Keep a tally of the students’ responses on the white/blackboard, chart paper or online platform.)
Say: “A person who is concerned with or advocates for the protection of the environment is referred to as an environmentalist. Jobs that help the planet are called environmental careers."
Explain to students that collecting environmental data (i.e. large amounts of unprocessed observations and measurements about the environment or its components and related processes) is an important part of many of these careers and can provide us with important information on environmental issues.

part B: action - Graphing For Change (approx. 20 Mins)

Explain to students that graphs show data as a visual image or picture. Sometimes, data can be better understood when presented by a graph (than by a table for example) because we can easily see a trend, pattern or a comparison.
Watch the video, "Types of Graphs and When to Use Them" from MooMooMath and Science.
Watch the videos, “Creating Bar Graphs” by Math Icon and “Learning about Line Graphs” by Science4Us for review (if necessary).
Return to the survey data collected at the beginning of class and ask students: “Which type of graph would be the most appropriate to display our class data on environmental career interests?” Have students justify their choice.
As a class, create a graph using the class survey data. Make sure to use an appropriate scale, x and y axis, titles, labels, etc.
Introduce students to the Current Results website:

Current Results provides useful summaries of published data and research papers. The website specializes in offering information on weather, wildlife and the environment.
The author of the website is Liz Osborn (based in British Columbia, Canada). She has graduate degrees and consulting experience in environmental science and natural resources management.

Go over with the class Toronto's and Victoria's average monthly temperatures from the Current Results website.
Ask students to present the data on a graph.
Have students analyze the graph (i.e. look for patterns, similarities/differences between the data, identify trends, and make predictions).
Invite students to justify their choice of graph and present their findings.
Discuss with the class any concerns this may raise (i.e. global warming and climate change).
Explain to the class that “global warming” refers to the long-term warming of the planet (i.e. Global temperature shows a well-documented rise since the early 20th century and most notably since the late 1970s. Worldwide, since 1880 the average surface temperature has risen about 1 °C (about 2 °F).) While the terms “global warming” and “climate change” are sometimes used interchangeably, global warming is only one aspect of climate change. “Climate change” refers to the broader range of changes that are happening to our planet as consequences of warming, which is caused mainly by people burning fossil fuels and putting out heat-trapping gases into the air. (NASA)
Have students read the article, “Are the Effects of Global Warming Really Bad?” from the NRDC to explore the effects of global warming.
Read the article, “How climate change impacts poverty” by World Vision to see how climate change disproportionately impacts the poor.

Are the Effects of Global Warming Really that Bad?

How climate change impacts poverty

part c: consolidation - Catholic Connection (approx. 10 min)

Say: "Recall that a job with the purpose to protect the environment is called an environmental career, and a person who is concerned with or advocates for the protection of the environment is referred to as an environmentalist. However, we don’t need to have a job in any particular field to be an environmentalist. Our faith calls each and every one of us to take care of the earth (i.e. to be stewards of creation)."
Read the following excerpt from the encyclical (i.e. letter) Laudato Si' and discuss its meaning with the class:

“The mindset which leaves no room for sincere concern for the environment is the same mindset which lacks concern for the inclusion of the most vulnerable members of society.”

(LS, no. 196)

Say: “The Catholic Church has a long history of advocating for social injustice and defending those who were unable to do so themselves. Today, environmental problems disproportionally affect the poor, making environmental problems social justice issues. In the excerpt, Pope Francis is reminding us that faith communities in Canada have a role to play in advocating for the environment.”
As a class, brainstorm and generate a list of ways we can advocate on behalf of the poor (e.g. creating awareness through social media).

part D: extension (Approx. 10 min)

Have students create an ad (i.e. social media ad, print ad, announcement, poster) that spreads awareness about the impacts of climate change, especially for the poor.
Have students research one Catholic environmental organization or group and create an informational brochure, poster or presentation to share (e.g. U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops: The Environment, Catholic Climate Covenant, Global Catholic Climate Movement, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Conservation Center, Catholic Rural Life).
Encourage students to find inspiring stories of young environmental activists today (e.g. In the TED Talk video "If you adults won't save the world, we will," Xiye Bastida reflects on what led her to become a leading voice for global climate activism - from mobilizing school climate strikes to speaking at the United Nations Climate Summit alongside Greta Thunberg.)

Lesson Resources

"Types of Graphs and when to use them," MooMooMath and Science: Video

“Learning about Line Graphs” by Science4Us: Video

"Temperature - Annual Data for Toronto, ON," Current Results: Link

"Temperature - Annual Data for Victoria, BC," Current Results: Link

“Are the Affects of Global Warming Really Bad?” NRDC: Article

“How climate change impacts poverty,” World Vision: Article

Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home [Laudato Si'],nos. 196: Link

"If you adults won't save the world, we will," TED Talk: Video

Mathematics & Religion

2. Framing the Problem - Ecological Footprint

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