Chief Heat Officer: Green Career Lesson
Lesson Plan
1 hour 30 minutesGrades6, 7, 8Social Studies, Career Skills
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Written by Yen-Yen Chiu
About this lesson
In this lesson, students explore an emerging climate career and create solutions to the problems of extreme heat in their local community.
Inquire: Students describe a time when they felt too hot and learn about a new job to address extreme heat in cities.
Investigate: Students develop a compelling question about Chief Heat Officers (CHOs), then read about and compare different global CHOs.
Inspire: Students imagine they are their school or community’s Chief Heat Officer, identify an issue, and create a solution.
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Everything you need to teach it
How to edit these materials (video)Teaching tips
Suggestions
- Students explore a new career that was developed in response to climate change.
- Students compare and contrast the main issues and solutions to extreme heat around the globe.
- Students can read about the first-ever Heat Simulation workshop held in September 2025 to help leaders of four U.S. cities plan for extreme heat.
- Teachers can use this as a standalone lesson to practice developing compelling questions or at the start of a research unit to teach initial research skills.
- Students engage with their school or local community to develop real solutions for addressing extreme heat.
- The Glossary slide in the Teacher Slideshow features eight keywords from the articles used in the lesson.
Prerequisites
- Students should have a basic understanding of the relationship between extreme heat and climate change.
- Students can use this resource to learn how extreme heat affects people around the world.
- Teachers can review both articles in the Investigate section and decide which one to assign based on student reading levels or create differentiated reading groups if needed.
Differentiation
- Students can research how extreme heat disproportionately affects lower-income communities, using this video about Arizona.
- Students who need more reading support can be assigned the second article (option 2), which focuses on three Chief Heat Officers, or they can “popcorn” read in a small reading group.
- Students who need more support can work in pairs to develop a shared compelling question or be given a question starter. See the Teacher Answer Key for examples.
- Students can share their presentations on a subsequent day.
- Students can engage in further research into a particular region or Chief Heat Officer.
- One of the CHOs in this article mentions the differences among the terms climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and climate resilience. Students can research and write a report on the differences.
- Students can explore if “Chief Cold Officers” are needed in communities that experience extreme cold or compare and contrast problems between extreme heat and extreme cold.
From the scientist review
Students can learn about heatwaves, their effects on the environment and human health, and how to collaborate to develop measures to lessen them, all in this lesson. Additionally, they will learn a great deal about the duties of a Chief Heat Officer and how to become one. After an assessment of the lesson materials, this lesson meets our science credibility requirements.
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About the teacher writer
Yen-Yen Chiu
Director of Education
Yen-Yen Chiu, Ed.D., is SubjectToClimate's Director of Education. She holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of San Diego, and taught public school for 22 years specializing in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Music for grades 6–12, including Advanced Placement. She is credentialed in English, Mathematics, and Introductory Music, with extensive experience designing interdisciplinary curricula that foster student choice, meaningful assessment, and authentic learning.
