Floods and Droughts Learning Lab Lessons

Lesson Plans

Grades9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences, Geography

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by The Climate Initiative

Open Resource

What it is

In this 6-lesson unit, students will explore the causes and impacts of floods and droughts in their community.
Students will learn about different kinds of floods, the role of soil in floods and droughts, local drought conditions, how droughts and floods impact sociocultural, economic, and ecological contexts, how to write a case study about floods and droughts in their area, analyze data for droughts and floods in the United States, create a photojournalism project to chronicle local climate change impacts, interview community members about their perspective about local climate change impacts, and create a community action plan to inform others about flooding and droughts in their area.
This is a companion resource for the student lab.

Teaching tips

Positives

The photojournalism project will allow students to express their creativity as they explore the impacts of flooding and droughts in their area.
Students will love exploring the background information in the Bitmoji classroom.

Prerequisites

The links for UNU 5 facts on Drought, some of the case study examples, and the examples of physical structures in Lesson 6 are broken.
When reading about the destruction of extreme weather conditions, students, especially those near the coast, may need support in processing emotions.
The optional teacher slides give valuable information and help users understand the content.
Students should know how to support their claims with evidence.
Students will need an account on National Geographic to read the article with photography tips.
In the Teacher Slides for Lesson 5, teachers may want to change some of the references to wildfires to fit the context of floods and droughts.

Differentiation & Implementation

To make math connections and localize the data activity, students can use local precipitation data to create visualizations that best represent the data.
Students can use the Climate Visuals Gallery as a mentor resource as they work on their photojournalism project.
Some students may benefit from working with a partner on the case study assignment.

From the scientist review

The resource enables students to learn about floods and droughts. Students will explore floods and droughts through a variety of activities from graphing data to completing their own action project. The lessons on case studies and data will help students understand some of the ways scientists study these topics and come up with their conclusions. The resources provided are accurate and this resource is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Geography
Other types: Articles/Websites, Videos, Projects, Data, Graphs, and Maps, Assessments, Activity - Classroom, Worksheets, Interactive Media, Presentation Slides, Artwork
Format: Google Slides, PDF, YouTube Video
Language: English
Location: North America > United States > Maine
Provider: The Climate Initiative
Authors: The Climate Initiative
Published: May 24, 2024
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7 + 15 more

Core

Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

HS-LS2-7.Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
HS-CCC-Causeand Effect.1. Empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims about specific causes and effects.
HS-CCC-Causeand Effect.4. Changes in systems may have various causes that may not have equal effects.

New Jersey Climate Education Hub

English Language Arts

SL.PE.9-10.1Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with peers on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
SL.PI.9-10.4Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically. The content, organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
SL.UM.11-12.5Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

Science

HS-LS2-6.Evaluate claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.
HS-ESS3-1.Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
HS-ESS3-4.Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
HS-ESS3-5.Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth’s systems.
HS-ESS3-6.Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity.
HS-ETS1-1.Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
HS-ETS1-2.Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
HS-ETS1-3.Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
HS-ETS1-4.Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.

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