Overview of Climate Change in New York City

Positives

• Almost all 35 slides can stand alone as catalysts for classroom lessons.
• The slides present information clearly and sequentially, moving from basic climate change information to effects on a global scale to specific details about New York City.
  

Additional Prerequisites

• Students will benefit from a definition list for unknown words.
• The information is realistic but also starkly negative for New York City's future, so teachers may wish to discuss their students' emotional reactions to the slides and perhaps have students participate in a reflection activity after the lessons are complete.
• Even though there is a slide to define the greenhouse effect, students may benefit from a more in-depth explanation before viewing the presentation. 

Differentiation

• Science teachers can have students study the slides and then create personal charts of their ecological and carbon footprints, as referenced on Slide 20.
• The last slide (35) contains a list of climate actions students can take in their own lives, so teachers can have students study the slides and then work in small groups to create narratives of their climate solution actions.
• Math teachers can use the many graphs and projections depicted for data analysis.
• This presentation is an excellent starting point for conversations about heat waves, the urban heat island effect, extreme weather events, water shortages, and resilience.
• Some students may find the vast amount of data overwhelming or too much to comprehend as a whole presentation. These students may benefit from focusing on one or two slides with a similar theme and interpreting the story this data tells.