Students read an adapted scientific article about climate conditions in Texas and how climate models can help farmers and water suppliers better prepare for future conditions.
The article introduces students to the effects of climate change on the frequency and intensity of droughts in Texas and the importance of preparing for prolonged droughts in advance.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The article also explains how the research can be used by those most affected by droughts, proving the value of scientific research.
A glossary of key terms is included at the end of the article.
The resource also includes additional lesson ideas and related articles
Additional Prerequisites
Teachers must fill in a form with their name, email, and school information to access the teacher's key.
Students should know how to read and interpret line graphs before reading the article.
The only part of this lesson that may require access to the Internet is the final comprehension question, which requires students to research.
Differentiation
It may be helpful for some students to use the audio version of the article, found at the bottom of the webpage.
This resource can also be used in health classes and economics classes during lessons about how extreme weather events can affect health and economies, respectively.
To encourage critical thinking, have students answer the last comprehension question without research and correct themselves accordingly after researching the answer.
More advanced students can read the original academic paper and use the references section to research the topic further.
Use these lab activities to learn more about the causes and effects of droughts and how to reduce water stress.
Scientist Notes
Droughts are becoming more common and more severe with climate change. This research explains how climate models can be used to help with water planning needs. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-2 Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
HS-ESS3-5 Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.
HS-ESS3-6 Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Science & Technical Subjects (6-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text's explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.
