Skip to content

Kris Tompkins, President and Co-Founder of Tompkins Conservation

Protecting Life On Earth (Season Two) - Available 12/16/24

Overview

Back
Kris Tompkins, President and Co-Founder of Tompkins Conservation - Protecting Life On Earth (Season Two) - Available 12/16/24 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"We're in the business of creating fully functioning ecosystems." - Kris Tompkins, The Thread

Kris Tompkins is a rare example of how you can succeed in business without compromising your integrity and principles. She talks about the work she and her late husband, Doug, have done to extend Patagonia’s corporate principle of protecting the planet from the climate crisis into concrete action including buying millions of acres in South America to preserve the land and its endangered species. 

 

Watch "Protecting Life on Earth" - Available 12/16/24

Download Lesson

Lesson Objectives

Social Studies

* Reflect on how one’s childhood and family shape identity formation

* Understand the evolution of a start-upbusiness through the history of Patagonia

* Understand the concept of rewilding and its significance in ecological restoration

* Explore the challenges of advocating for environmental protection and conservation of ecosystems

English Language Arts Focus

* Examine perspective taking from the point of view of one conservationist

* Analyze the structure and purpose of a narrative, identify key themes, and synthesize information from a spoken text

* Analyze, reflect on, and discuss the title of the episode “Protecting Life on Earth”

* Explore the idea of purposeful work and a meaningful life

* Use Kris Tompkins’s episode to inspire an opinion piece on an assigned topic

Social Emotional Learning: By offering engaging personal narratives, students can discuss and strengthen the five SEL competencies - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Media Literacy: Students will practice media literacy skills by analyzing information, points of view, and claims made in The Thread and be able to translate these strategies with all forms of media to make more informed decisions.

Kris Tompkins, President and Co-Founder of Tompkins Conservation - Protecting Life On Earth (Season Two) - Available 12/16/24 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

First Take >

The “First Take” activity is a warm-up writing or conversation exercise created uniquely for The Thread to strengthen media literacy skills. Like an opening song in a musical, the first stanza of a poem, or even the first impression one person makes on another, the “First Take” asks students to reflect and share their initial thoughts and feelings about the episode’s opening and why the filmmaker and editor made these choices.

Download Kris Tompkin's lesson to access the complete “First Take” activity.

Kris Tompkins, President and Co-Founder of Tompkins Conservation - Protecting Life On Earth (Season Two) - Available 12/16/24 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

The Thread Up Close >

After watching the interview, students will debrief and discuss the life story and engage in a close read and analysis of her interview using the “Protecting Life on Earth” episode and transcript.

In this lesson, the suggested close read explores one approach to conservation and ecological restoration. 

Download the lesson to access “The Thread Up Close” activity.

Kris Tompkins, President and Co-Founder of Tompkins Conservation - Protecting Life On Earth (Season Two) - Available 12/16/24 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"Protecting Life on Earth" >

In this activity students will write a short opinion piece in which they analyze and share their point of view on the meaning of the lesson’s title, "Protecting Life on Earth."

Download the lesson to access the entire “Protecting Life on Earth” activity.

Resources

See lesson for resources.

Back To Top