Meet Mr. Alfredo Silva, the awesome social studies department chair at Bolsa Grande High School in Garden Grove, California. In September 2023, we teamed up with the Microsoft Flip crew for their Global Climate Action Exchange program. Mr. Silva jumped onboard and rallied his Grade 10 and Grade 11 students to dive into our Climate Week 2023 League for Green Leaders program. As the pioneer high school teacher using our platform to delve into human impact studies, Mr. Silva became our first interviewee after this incredible event.
“I brought 73 students for 2 full class periods for high school students in grade 10 and 11 for college writing class. We tackle current events, how do you do research, how do you express yourself persuasively using data.” started Mr.Silva. Then he talked about how he pivoted his classes very quickly to climate action and how this turned out to be super fun and students were incredibly engaged.
“I really want to demonstrate to other high school teachers out there that even though it is gamified, and some of the language is geared towards younger students, high school students care just as much, if not more (about climate change).” said Mr. Sliva. Students might opt for environmental studies as an Advanced Placement course in high schools. However, the UN Sustainable Development Goals are not the focus of the course since they aren’t included in the AP test.
Mr. Silva found it effortless, seamless, and thrilling to incorporate the League competition into his teaching. “We follow the format. Let’s get in and track our co2 for today. If there are any activities for that day, let’s get onto them from our game boards. It was a nice surprise, because it was gamified, so I did not work on that ahead either. “ He noticed how the League program enhanced students’ awareness regarding our food choices, food waste, and our collective impact. He appreciated how students took responsibility for monitoring their daily carbon footprint and held each other accountable. Mr. Silva also mentioned that the class enjoyed checking the League for Green Leaders daily to see the total amount of CO2 saved. “To see that number go up, from all of our little individual efforts, it was inspiring.”
We asked Mr.Sliva about the most valuable aspect of the League program that he’d like to share with other teachers. “I think the kind of clarity for people to take action is the major take away for us.” We can’t agree with him more on how gamifying climate change can significantly enhance students’ engagement and motivation to contribute to a sustainable future.
Environmental issues are a cross-curricular subject. We extend our sincere appreciation to Mr. Silva for generously sharing his insights and experiences of integrating the League for Green Leaders program into his writing class. We’re excited to highlight several projects completed by his students, showcasing what they’ve learned about climate change while actively tracking their daily CO2 emissions within our competition. Kudo to students’ research, creativity, commitment and authentic action to help with climate change.Â
What can we do to combat climate change?
Local Actions to Combat Climate Issues(Group 3)
Fighting Local Climate Change - Day 6
Fighting Local Climate Change - Day 6
What can we do locally to combat climate change?
Day 6 Activity
Climate Change Video – Jenna, Khoi, Henry, Van, Thach, Minh-Anh, Sarah and Kevin
