A. Before watching the video:
1. What do you know about climate change? Discuss in pairs or groups of three. Make a mindmap (e.g. with Popplet or Baiboard).
2. Have you ever taken part in a strike or a demonstration? What do you think of the idea of a school strike? Is it a good means to achieve a goal? Discuss with your partner or in your group.
1. What do you know about climate change? Discuss in pairs or groups of three. Make a mindmap (e.g. with Popplet or Baiboard).
2. Have you ever taken part in a strike or a demonstration? What do you think of the idea of a school strike? Is it a good means to achieve a goal? Discuss with your partner or in your group.
B. Watching the video:
1. Watch the video without subtitles. Don't take any notes yet. Is the video easy or difficult to understand?
2. After watching the video for the first time, what do you remember? Make some notes about things that you found interesting or important.
3. Watch the video for a second time. If you want to, turn on English (!) subtitles. While you watch, fill in the worksheet (download below). If you need to, you can watch the video a third time.
1. Watch the video without subtitles. Don't take any notes yet. Is the video easy or difficult to understand?
2. After watching the video for the first time, what do you remember? Make some notes about things that you found interesting or important.
3. Watch the video for a second time. If you want to, turn on English (!) subtitles. While you watch, fill in the worksheet (download below). If you need to, you can watch the video a third time.
| school_strike_for_climate.pdf |
C. After watching the video:
What do you think of Greta and her ideas? Discuss with changing partners in a "rotating double circle" (Kugellager).
What do you think of Greta and her ideas? Discuss with changing partners in a "rotating double circle" (Kugellager).
More tasks
- Comment on the video on youtube.
- Write a letter to Greta commenting on her talk.
- Collect ideas what you personally/as a class/your family could do to take action against global warming.
- Is a school strike a good means to change something? Collect pro and con arguments. Then write an argumentative essay.
Grammar exercise
Statements from the talk for group discussion or comment writing
“ […] everyone keeps saying climate change is an existential threat and the most important issue of all, and yet they just carry on like before. I don't understand that, because if the emissions have to stop, then we must stop the emissions. To me that is black or white.”
“ […] hardly anyone speak about the fact that we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, with up to 200 species going extinct every single day […].”
“ […] how can we expect countries like India or Nigeria to care about the climate crisis if we who already have everything don't care even a second about it […].”
“People keep doing what they do because the vast majority doesn't have a clue about the actual consequences of our everyday life, and they don't know that rapid change is required. We all think we know, and we all think everybody knows, but we don't.”
“What we do or don't do right now will affect my entire life and the lives of my children and grandchildren. What we do or don't do right now, me and my generation can't undo in the future.”
“Some people say that I should study to become a climate scientist so that I can "solve the climate crisis." But the climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change.”
“And why should I be studying for a future that soon will be no more when no one is doing anything whatsoever to save that future? And what is the point of learning facts in the school system when the most important facts given by the finest science of that same school system clearly means nothing to our politicians and our society.”
“But the one thing we need more than hope is action.”
“So we can't save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed. Everything needs to change - and it has to start today.”
“ […] hardly anyone speak about the fact that we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, with up to 200 species going extinct every single day […].”
“ […] how can we expect countries like India or Nigeria to care about the climate crisis if we who already have everything don't care even a second about it […].”
“People keep doing what they do because the vast majority doesn't have a clue about the actual consequences of our everyday life, and they don't know that rapid change is required. We all think we know, and we all think everybody knows, but we don't.”
“What we do or don't do right now will affect my entire life and the lives of my children and grandchildren. What we do or don't do right now, me and my generation can't undo in the future.”
“Some people say that I should study to become a climate scientist so that I can "solve the climate crisis." But the climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change.”
“And why should I be studying for a future that soon will be no more when no one is doing anything whatsoever to save that future? And what is the point of learning facts in the school system when the most important facts given by the finest science of that same school system clearly means nothing to our politicians and our society.”
“But the one thing we need more than hope is action.”
“So we can't save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed. Everything needs to change - and it has to start today.”
Working with the transcript
Check out the transcript of Greta's talk (download below):
a) Give each section a heading.
b) Then write a summary of Greta's talk.
a) Give each section a heading.
b) Then write a summary of Greta's talk.
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Mediation
1. Watch the video clip below. Then summarise it in English for a friend who doesn't speak German.
2. What about your climate impact? Try out the app and count your points on a normal day. What could you change easily to reduce your points? Which changes would be hard/impossible for you to make?
3. "Milling around": Exchange your ideas with changing partners.
2. What about your climate impact? Try out the app and count your points on a normal day. What could you change easily to reduce your points? Which changes would be hard/impossible for you to make?
3. "Milling around": Exchange your ideas with changing partners.
More on school strikes for climate
- Global climate strike for future
- online article from The Guardian: "UK pupils to join global strike over climate change crisis"
- Newsela articles: "Global youth rally against climate change"
- School Strike 4 Climate Australia
- online article from National Observer: "Teenage activist takes School Strikes 4 Climate Action to Davos"
- Schüler für Klimaschutz: "Wir sind laut, weil ihr das Klima versaut!"
- Kardinal Schönborn: Mutige Jugend
More on Greta Thunberg
A teenager's speech at a UN conference on environment and development
1. Watch the video clip below. When did Severn give her speech? Has anything changed since then?
2. Compare Severn's speech to Greta's.
2. Compare Severn's speech to Greta's.
