Lesson Plan - Beating the Heat

Build Background Knowledge

Before reading the article, create an enlarged KWL chart on a whiteboard or chart paper or share the skill builder Charting Your Knowledge. Invite students to engage in a collaborative discussion by sharing what they know about climate change (K column), what they want to know about climate change (W column), and after reading the article, one to two facts they learned (L column).

Preview Vocabulary

Use the skill builder Words to Know to preteach the domain-specific terms climate change, domestically, greenhouse gas, merchant, meteorological, nonprofit, rural, and urban. Have students refer to the skill builder as they read.

Read the Article

Read the article aloud or have students read it independently or in pairs. As students read, direct them to circle or highlight any words whose meanings they are unsure of.

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• How do human actions affect the global temperature? (Key Details) 
When humans burn fossil fuels to power cars, homes or factories, greenhouse gases are released. Those gases trap the sun’s heat close to the planet, causing the global temperature to rise. Human-induced climate change causes Earth’s atmosphere to heat up more quickly than it naturally would, many experts say.

• Summarize how rising temperatures can be dangerous. (Summarizing) 
Rising temperatures can be harmful to humans. Extreme heat can lead to dehydration, heat stroke, and even death. Additionally, rising temperatures can worsen natural disasters. Droughts and wildfires, for example, can become even more severe as temperatures rise.

• Choose two solutions described in the article. What makes them similar? What makes them different? You could consider what the solution does, what it is made out of, or who it helps. (Compare and Contrast) 
Sample response: The chill clothes from Tokyo, Japan, provide relief from extreme heat for individuals who can afford to purchase them. In contrast, the heat-smart market canopies in Freetown, Sierra Leone, offer relief to thousands of people at no individual cost. The two solutions are similar because they utilize fabric to protect people. Tokyo’s clothing is made of lightweight fabric that is breathable. Freetown’s canopies are made of durable, waterproof fabric that can reflect sunlight.

• Use text evidence to support the idea that vegetation can help combat extreme heat. (Text Evidence) 
Sample response: Vegetation can help combat extreme heat because it can cool the air and provide shade in parks, on playgrounds, and throughout cities. In Medellín, Colombia, roads and buildings replaced some trees and parks, resulting in unusual temperature spikes. To counteract the extreme heat, officials there started a massive project to plant trees and gardens throughout the city. The gardens have helped cool the city. On page 10, the text states, Medellín’s “average temperature has dropped by about 3.6°F.” 

• What is a conclusion you can you draw based on the locations where these beat-the-heat solutions are being tested? (Drawing Conclusions)
Sample response: Based on the locations mentioned in the article, I can conclude that rising temperatures will affect everyone no matter where they are located. The five cities mentioned in the article are on different continents. Since each city is experiencing extreme heat, I can conclude that no one is safe from the threat of rising temperatures. 

• How does the sidebar “Keep Your Cool” on page 10 support the article? (Text Features) 
The sidebar supports the article by providing tips for readers to use if or when they encounter extreme heat. The article states that the global temperature will continue to rise and will reach a new high within five years. Therefore, it’s important for people to be prepared to deal with extreme heat. 

Analyze a Video 

Direct students to view “Let’s Talk About Climate Change” at junior.scholastic.com. Then have students discuss these questions in small groups or as a class: How is seeing the effects of climate change different from reading about them? What scenes in the video were most powerful? Why?

Your Turn: Dream Up a Solution 

Direct students to the “Your Turn” prompt at the end of the article. Have students use ideas from the article and their own experience to come up with an invention that could help humans adapt to extreme heat. Students can create a poster or slideshow to explain their concept.

Assess Comprehension 

Assign the 10-question Know the News quiz, available in PDF and interactive forms. You can also use the skill builder Quiz Wizard to assess comprehension of this article and others from the issue.