This podcast is about the relationship between climate change and the increased frequency of extreme weather events, such as tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, and others.
Students will learn about the rise in extreme weather events, highlighting specific examples of frequency increases and providing reasons why these extreme weather events are so devastating and costly.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This podcast is narrated by students which makes it relatable to young people.
The students who narrate the podcast use humor to engage listeners and make this podcast fun while addressing an important topic.
Additional Prerequisites
Listeners have the option to listen within the site, download the podcast onto a computer, or download the free RadioPublic app.
More episodes of The Big Melt can be accessed under the "In the App" tab within "Podcasts."
Differentiation
Ask students to do a deeper dive into one type of extreme weather event, such as floods, tornadoes, or hurricanes, by working in groups to research its impacts and relationship to climate change.
Have students watch this video about why climate change makes extreme weather worse and use the information as the basis for advocating for taking a proactive approach to climate change.
Consider having students read this e-book about the relationship between climate change and extreme weather and discuss this connection in groups.
Other resources on this topic include this podcast and lesson plan about hurricanes and climate change and this online course about climate change and extreme weather.
Scientist Notes
In this episode, the host discusses extreme weather and how climate change is making it worse. Many studies show evidence that anthropogenic climate change is making our weather more extreme, leading to stronger and costlier storms. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS2: Earth's Systems
HS-ESS2-2 Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.
HS-ESS2-4 Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate.
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-ESS3-6 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)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2 Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.3 Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
