Extreme Weather: Climate Change Connections & Water
Provided by: Project Look Sharp|Published on: April 27, 2021|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 6, 7, 8
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Geography
Authors: Project Look Sharp, Sox Sperry
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 →
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 →
Synopsis
- In this activity, students will examine information about the connection between climate change and extreme weather from three sources: Climate Communication, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and The Guardian.
- The resource includes a lesson plan, a student handout, a student worksheet, and a PowerPoint presentation.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The lesson plan provides discussion questions for several academic subjects.
- Students will hone their media literacy skills as they decipher the subtle difference in the messages from each source.
Additional Prerequisites
- Teachers must create a free account to access materials.
- The lesson plan refers to a "constructivist media decoding process;" these materials will help teachers to understand the goals and design of the lesson.
- Teachers may want to go over this handout on analyzing media messages before students complete the worksheet.
- Teachers should research the sources ahead of time to understand the viewpoints and biases.
Differentiation
- Students can respond to questions individually or in small groups before discussing the answers as a class.
- The reading for this activity is a bit dense, so a structured reading process may help some students.
- Other resources on this topic include this video on why climate change makes extreme weather worse, this video on how climate change has intensified hurricane season, and this TED-Ed video on the increasing number of extreme weather events.
This resource scales weather events relative to the magnitude and frequency of occurrence. The activity is suitable and recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
