Students investigate how the challenges and themes in City of Ember connect to global sustainability issues and to needs in their own community. They read the novel alongside nonfiction sources, discuss ideas in teams and whole-class seminars, and research one sustainability goal to build informed solutions. Working in groups, students create a digital project in a medium of their choice that explains the problem, proposes a better future, and uses strong writing, speaking, visuals, and collaboration. Throughout the process, they set team goals, use feedback from gallery walks and small-group share-outs, revise their work with a rubric, and reflect on how their ideas can contribute to real-world change.

Students will analyze themes, character responses, and multimedia elements in City of Ember and connect them to one or more Sustainable Development Goals through close reading and discussion. They will conduct short research using several nonfiction sources, integrate information across texts, and develop clear written and oral claims about how to improve their community. Students will collaborate to set team goals and roles, give and use feedback through gallery walks, small-group share-outs, and rubric analysis, and revise their work for a digital exhibition. They will also reflect at key checkpoints on how their thinking, participation, and problem-solving are growing as they design a realistic vision for a better future.

Students will create reading response notes, theme trackers connecting City of Ember to a selected UN Sustainable Development Goal, short research notes from multiple nonfiction sources, and individual written reflections at key checkpoints. Teams will produce planning documents such as team rules and goals, assigned roles, storyboard or outline drafts, and annotated bibliography-style source collections to organize ideas. Through gallery walks, small-group share-outs, and rubric analysis, students will revise draft products and presentation plans. The final product will be a digitally shared group project in a student-chosen format—such as a slide deck, video, podcast, digital poster, website, or public service announcement—plus an individual writing piece explaining the evidence, theme connection, and proposed solution for a better community future.

Open with a brief immersive scenario: the lights flicker, supplies are limited, and students receive a “community alert” asking them to help redesign life after reading a key scene from City of Ember. In teams, students examine a mix of images, short nonfiction articles, and simple data connected to several Sustainable Development Goals, then sort the problems they notice and discuss which ones also exist in their own community. Each team creates team rules, selects roles, and records first ideas on how a better future could be designed, followed by a whole-class Socratic seminar around the essential question. End with a fast digital gallery walk of team idea boards so students can give warm and cool feedback that will shape topic choice and later revision.

Students can present their final group projects in a digital sustainability showcase where classmates, families, and other school audiences explore student-created slideshows, videos, podcasts, digital posters, or narrated designs connected to a chosen UN goal and themes from City of Ember. Each group should share a clear claim about how to design a better future for the community, supported by research from nonfiction texts, text evidence from the novel, and multimedia elements that strengthen their message. Build in a live presentation or recorded pitch for each group, followed by audience questions and feedback. End with a digital gallery walk and student reflection on how their collaboration, revision, and research shaped the final product.