The Human Element follows explorer and photographer James Balog on an artistic journey to distill this crucial moment in our environmental history into an approachable body of images and ideas. To achieve this, Balog breaks this dense topic into what ancient societies identified as the four elements of life: Air, Earth, Fire and Water, seeking to photographically portray each element and examine how human activity has changed its nature. Balog further humanizes this story of change by investigating how altering the elements is in turn affecting everyday people right now. Balog’s ultimate hope is not to preach, but to use art to raise awareness of the interconnectivity between nature and a singular, all-powerful force on earth: The Human Element.
This dynamic curriculum engages students and teachers in forward-looking dialogue and thoughtful discussions around climate change and its impacts on their communities and daily lives. Through compelling scientific and visual evidence, students learn how the Anthropocene — the current epoch of systemic human change in the environment — is affecting four foundational elements: earth, air, water, and fire. The curriculum, a mixture of art and science mirroring the film, can be used in either humanities or science classes.
The series of classroom lessons for The Human Element is aligned to Next Generation Science Standards.
Each lesson includes a note catcher worksheet to keep students engaged while watching the full film or the film chapter, as well as writing prompt worksheets. Some lessons include research appendix handouts students can work from when internet is not available to support independent research.
Each Elemental Lesson includes:
The Human Element features featuring iconic subjects who are often overlooked victims of climate change. Balog visits Tangier Island in Virginia, a Chesapeake Bay fishing community that is facing the imminent reality of sea level rise threatening their island’s future. We meet Yadira Sanchez and her three children in Denver, Colorado, all of whom suffer from asthma, and attend a special school on a hospital campus for children struggling with air. Balog embeds with a Cal Fire strike team on the frontlines of the most expensive wildfire in California history to witness how human activity is changing how wildfires behave on the landscape. And he ventures deep into Kentucky coal country, meeting unemployed miners finding hope from a new source.
The Human Element is available for free on YouTube.
Full Film Lesson: For educators who screen the full film with their students, this lesson focuses on the broad concepts introduced in the film, includes some media literacy prompts, and can be used as a stand-alone lesson or as an introduction to the full series of lessons.
Elemental Lessons: Each of the separate Earth, Air, Water and Fire lessons can be used as stand-alone lessons, or as part of a series. Time stamps for portions of the film relevant to each lesson are included.
Culminating Lesson: This lesson can be taught at the end of the elemental series for students to compile their insights and art projects to share as a classroom or larger community exhibit.
These tips can help you create safe space for classroom engagement on the themes and subjects of this film.
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