Do young people have a role in social movements? Should they? The involvement of young people in the Dakota Access Pipeline is the focus of a resource that asks class members to examine letters written by native youths who oppose the project. Groups analyze the appeals used in these letters and the effectiveness of the appeals. The class then reconvenes to consider the lessons learned from the Rezpect Our Water activists.

Concepts

activism, protests, oil, drinking water, freshwater, native americans, energy sources

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Work with science  and history teachers and have class members investigate and suggest alternative routes for the pipeline
• Expand the lesson to include the views of others involved in the controversy

Classroom Considerations

• The resources focuses only on the letters written by youth activists
• Much of the material in the resource is dated; have groups research recent developments in the Dakota Pipeline controversy, the frequency of pipeline accidents, and positions of local state and national government politicians

Pros

• The links to the website permit viewers to explore the native perspective of the controversy in greater depth

Cons

• The linked CNN article provides only a very brief overview of the larger scope of the controversy

Common Core

RI.7.1 RI.8.1 RI.9-10.1 RI.11-12.1