Lesson summary
In this lesson, students explore the emotions that climate change evokes and examine the tones used in messaging around climate change. Students compare and contrast headlines and videos that use a range of tone. In doing so, students evaluate the effect that different tones have on the audience. Students then create their own messaging around climate change. Students use class data, through surveys, to find out which messaging was most effective.
We’ve taken elements of this lesson and adapted them for remote learning. You can find this activity here.
Learning intentions:
Students will...
- understand how tone is created through author choices
- understand that tone impacts on audiences in different ways
Success criteria:
Students can...
- identify tone in written and multi-modal texts
- identify examples of author’s choices that create or contribute to the tone
- evaluate the varying effect of differing tones
- create their own messaging with a variety of tones
Lesson guides and printables
Lesson details
Curriculum mapping
- Unit of work: 2040 – English – Years 7 to 10
- Time required: 75 mins
- Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – facilitate class discussion
To view our Australian Curriculum alignment, click here.
To view our NZ Curriculum alignment, click here.
Resources required
- Student Worksheets – one copy per student
- Device capable of presenting a video to the class
Additional info
2040 is an innovative feature documentary that looks to the future, but is vitally important NOW! Director Damon Gameau embarks on a journey to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet and shifted them rapidly into the mainstream.Â
In Australia:Â Order the Schools Version of the 2040 DVD. The Schools Version includes an educational license and is for Australian primary and secondary schools that wish to utilise the film as a learning tool or host free on-site screenings for the school community.
In New Zealand:Â Order the Schools Version of the 2040 DVD. The Schools Version includes an educational license and is for New Zealand primary and secondary schools that wish to utilise the film as a learning tool or host free on-site screenings for the school community.
If you are teaching in either New Zealand or Australia, you can now organise a virtual screening of the film for your class. To enquire about this option, simply email schools@whatsyour2040.com and the 2040 team will help you set this up! If you have already bought a DVD of the film and you have a ClickView account, you can email the team for permission to upload the film to your account to make it more easily accessible for your teachers and students.
Cool.org, GoodThing Productions and Regen Pictures would like to acknowledge the generous contributions of Good Pitch Australia, Shark Island Institute, Documentary Australia Foundation, The Caledonia Foundation and our philanthropic partners in the development of these teaching resources.
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