This digital picture book follows Semih and his family as they flee their Turkish village because of a prolonged drought.
After arriving in the tent city, Semih meets a nurse who explains how climate change affects people around the world.
Students will learn that, like Semih, they can raise awareness about climate change in their communities.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This book shows the realities of climate-induced migration and demonstrates how people can work together to solve problems.
The back matter contains a map and a glossary.
Additional Prerequisites
Teachers may want to go over the words in the glossary before sharing the story with the class.
Differentiation
Lower elementary classes could use the chart on page 13 for a lesson on socio-emotional health by discussing how mental health, relationships, and education keep people healthy. Students could write a sentence or draw a picture of someone who helps them to stay mentally and emotionally healthy (teacher, counselor, trusted friend, religious leader, mentor).
Older elementary classes could discuss why some people suffer from climate change more than others. Students could reflect on the following questions:
Who is to blame for climate change?
Who is responsible for fixing it?
How would you feel if you had to leave your home?
What can you do to raise awareness about climate change in your community?
How can you help people who had to migrate because of climate change?
Other resources on this topic include this Hot Mess video on climate migration, this interactive map on droughts in the United States, and this interactive map that shows how watersheds work.
Scientist Notes
This resource highlights the impact of climate change on human health and how it affects people disproportionately. It can inspire students to learn about climate communications and advocacy to bring about the change we need to save our planet while protecting our health. This is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
K-ESS3-1 Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live.
K-ESS3-3 Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Geography
D2.Geo.12.K-2 Identify ways that a catastrophic disaster may affect people living in a place.
D2.Geo.4.K-2 Explain how weather, climate, and other environmental characteristics affect people's lives in a place or region.
D2.Geo.6.3-5 Describe how environmental and cultural characteristics influence population distribution in specific places or regions.
D2.Geo.9.3-5 Analyze the effects of catastrophic environmental and technological events on human settlements and migration.
