The Vanishing Aral Sea: Implementing C3 to Teach About Human Impact on the Environment
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As social studies educators, preparing future global citizens, it is imperative that we teach and inform students of the disappearance of the Aral Sea. This catastrophe serves as a stark reminder of the impact humans have on the environment. Discussions around such climatic changes are not uncommon in elementary social studies classrooms. In fact, such discussions can promote critical thinking, civic engagement, and global awareness. Because of its media spotlight and politicized nature, climate change is a perfect topic to engage students in social studies courses including civics, current events, geography, history, economics and government. As noted in the NCSS position statement on Powerful, Purposeful Teaching and Learning in Elementary Social Studies 5, the integration of social studies content with subjects such as science and technology enhances students’ ability to make meaningful connections to their lives and others. Through an inquiry-based approach we have outlined a lesson to guide students through an investigation of the Aral Sea to understand human impacts on the environment. Our aim is to demonstrate an integrated and interdisciplinary lesson that utilizes science and technology. While natural scientists are busy unraveling the physical mysteries of climate change, the realm of applying this knowledge to decision making rests firmly in the social sciences. In this article, we model through the inquiry process how the social studies classroom is in many ways an ideal place to incorporate climate change and how teachers might use the C3 Framework to inform students of its global impact.
