Interview a Climate Scientist

• In this activity, students pair up and prepare to be a journalist or scientist in this interview simulation. 
• The "journalist" interviews the "climate scientist" about climate change topics after each researches recent information about climate change. 

Positives

• This activity improves students' research, communication, and public speaking skills.
• Students acting as journalists practice their creativity and journalism skills, while students acting as climate scientists practice communicating science in a clear and straightforward manner.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students must be familiar with the interview process and will need to access the credible resources suggested in the Teacher Guide for research.
• You can have students choose their partners or select partners for them.

Differentiation

• For students that need additional support, provide certain climate change topics for them to discuss, like hurricanes, sea level rise, melting Arctic ice, melting glaciers, wildfires, or drought.
• As an extension, students could set up an interview with a member of their community and record it as a video to share with classmates.
• For the topic of climate activism, students can read about Peter Kalmus, one of many climate scientists who have stopped flying because of the climate crisis.
• Students could reach out to actual climate scientists in their local area or at their local university to request an interview.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.