How Kids Are Thinking About Climate Change
Articles/Websites
Grades4, 5, 6, 7, 8Earth and Space Sciences, Geography, Health
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Provided by National Public Radio
What it is
- This resource highlights student podcasts about recent natural disasters across the United States, giving voice to students from Washington, California, Montana, and Kentucky.
- Students will learn how wildfires like the Mosquito Fire, flash floods, and other disasters have impacted American students and how these students have responded to natural hazards in their communities.
Teaching tips
Positives
- Hearing from students in several different regions of the United States will illustrate to students how the climate crisis affects people in different ways.
- Young people speaking out about the climate crisis will inspire students.
Additional Prerequisites
- It may help students to know the connection between climate change and natural disasters.
- It may benefit students to understand the impact of climate change on snowpack and seasonal temperatures.
- Some students may benefit from having the terms sequester, mitigate, exacerbate, and others defined before listening to the podcasts.
Differentiation
- This resource can fit within a larger unit on the social impacts of climate change.
- Students can create a podcast that addresses climate change and climate-related disasters.
- If natural disasters have recently happened in your students' community, these podcasts may help them feel less alone in the fight against extreme weather.
- This resource can augment a lesson on how the geography of a region can tell you what climate challenges it faces in the future.
- Students without internet at home can access the podcast as homework by downloading it onto their device as an MP3.
From the scientist review
This article from NPR highlights an often under-appreciated aspect of climate change: its impact on children. Here, children discuss how climate change is impacting their lives and communities.
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Hosted on npr.org
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