Headlines and High Water
Provided by: Field Day Learning Games|Published on: June 14, 2023
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Science, Social Studies, English Language Arts
Authors: Field Day Learning Games
Region: North America, USA - Midwest, United States, Global, Wisconsin, WI - Capital (CESA 2)
Languages: English
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
- This interactive game about flooding has students evaluate situations, make decisions, gather information, and write news articles about a flooding event in a fictional town.
- The site includes a teacher's guide, standards, and suggestions for connecting it to various subjects or lessons.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students can save their progress, making it easier to incorporate into assignments or class periods.
- Students will interview experts and virtually interact with citizens, helping them understand the environmental and social impacts of floods.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students will need access to a device and the Internet for this game.
- The game may take some students longer than others to complete. Consider having checkpoints or breaking up the game into stages.
Differentiation
- Try grouping students in pairs and have them take turns making the choices.
- There are a number of connections and extensions listed in the Teacher Guide that can help you use this game in a social studies, science, or language arts class.
- This game may help students understand the importance of media literacy and investigative journalism. Have students research other news articles to see if they include citations for their information.
- Science classes can connect this game to lessons about permeability, the water cycle, wetlands, and water quality.
- Engineering classes can use this game to highlight the importance of integrating ecology into urban planning and design.
This resource from the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin – Madison is an interactive game where students play as a young reporter covering a flood in the fictional town of Twin Lakes. Throughout, students are faced with a variety of challenges, from time management to preparation, to earning the trust of townspeople. This resource beautifully uses the process of researching for newspaper stories to teach students about both journalism and the physical and social science aspects of flooding. Through the four stories, students are tasked with writing text as they gain more and more knowledge on the causes of flooding. This resource is fun, informative, and is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
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