Author: JOY AMARACHI IFEANYI (Nigeria) | Published on 18 April 2025
Question: Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time, from rising temperature, flooding, deforestation, plastic pollution and so much more yet for many students, it feels abstract and distant. How can we, as educators, make it relevant?
Answer: One way is by using climate change as a language tool, turning everyday lessons into opportunities not just to teach language but to inspire action.
Why should we integrate climate change into language lessons?
First, climate change is a global issue that students need to understand.
When we embed it into our lessons, we connect academic learning with real-world problems. This does not only improve engagement but also helps to develop critical thinking and a sense of responsibility in students.
Climate change and grammar, spelling and vocabulary
Grammar lesson
Instead of using unrelated sentences to teach tenses, we can craft examples that promote awareness. For instance:
- Present Continuous: Amina is planting a tree.
- Simple Present: Trees absorb carbon dioxide.
- Future Tense: We will reduce plastic waste in our school.
These sentences don’t just teach grammar as an abstract concept; they create a context where students see themselves as part of the solution.
Spelling and vocabulary lesson
For Spelling and Vocabulary building we can teach words that are related to sustainability examples: A is for air, C is for conserve, G is for green , N is for nature P is for Pollution R is for reuse T is for trash.
Climate change and reading and writing
Reading lesson
Reading comprehension is a great way to provide short passages or sentences about sustainable habits and ask concept checking questions to confirm understanding.
An example of a short reading text is: Kunle plants a tree in his yard. Trees help keep the air clean. We need to protect trees to help the Earth.
After the reading passage, you can ask questions like:
- What does Kunle plant?
- Why are trees important?
You can also invite students to bring in any articles or website links they have read that interest them around the theme of Climate Change and then use that as a springboard for discussion and learning too.
Writing lesson
Writing is a way to get students to reflect and pour out their thoughts. Prompts on climate change can help.
Example of writing prompts:
- Imagine you are a superhero with the power to stop pollution. Write a story about how you saved your community.
- Write a letter to yourself 10 years from now. Include what you are doing today to help the Earth and what you hope the planet looks like in the future.
These prompts will help your students connect with the critical topic of climate action while building their language skills.
Additional resources and other ideas
In using climate action as a language tool we need to use various resources that help clarify and explain climate change. These can include videos, podcasts and even infographics.
Some recommended resources are:
Climate Action Video Series by the British Council: these short, accessible videos are designed for classroom use. These videos are free and explain climate concepts in simple terms.
You can also go for animated lessons on climate change, available for free on YouTube such as Climate change 101 by Peekaaboo kids or use climate change song by Hopscotch and several other videos.
For teachers in underserved schools, leverage low-tech resources such as:
- 'Do it yourself' resources, reusing waste such as plastics, cartoons, cans etc
- Use debates, role plays and other ideas to infuse climate change in teaching and learning.
All these will build the needed skills in problem-solving.
Other ideas
- Taking action is also very important, so encourage your students to take bold actions. This will give them the opportunity to implement what they have learned.
- Organise climate themed event at school: Where students will showcase their projects, make presentation, exhibit their climate-themed art and showcase eco-friendly innovations.
- Provide opportunities for students to participate in project based actions such as 'Plant a tree', 'Recycle Ninja', 'school clean up' etc. and other collaborative activities.
- Organise a community clean up within the school in their communities.
- Fundraise for climate change events at school.
Launch a school recycling program like Waste to Desks. For me and my students we started a recycling program where we picked up waste from the school and communities. After picking up these wastes we recycle them and use the funds generated to solve a critical school problem which in our school was insufficient school desks. With this program we are not just learning academic subjects we are solving problems. So far over 400 students have been lifted from the cold bare floor to comfortable school desks. You can also do this.
Finally, celebrate actions no matter how small. Give students rewards for taking action. Stickers, public validation during school assembly, and even certificates will serve as an extrinsic motivation to keep them taking action.
I will end with this beautiful quote from Benjamin Franklin “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”. Children are not just beneficiaries of our climate action; they are powerful agents of change in creating a better future.
I believe these tips will help nurture our learners to be climate-conscious.
Which of the tips in this video will you use in your next class?