Do Hot Neighborhoods Affect Everyone Equally?

Videos

Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10Science, Economics, English Language Arts, Health

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 →
Provided by Science Journal for Kids
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What it is

  • In this adapted scientific paper, students learn about how increased temperatures in cities disproportionately impact people of color and poor people, looking at examples in Baltimore.
  • Students read a scientific paper, watch related videos, and answer questions as they learn about the urban heat island effect and how it impacts people differently based on race and income level.

Teaching tips

Positives

  • The paper is excellent practice for reading academic papers in the future.
  • The worksheet includes a glossary of key terms and there are links to additional resources provided.
  • The supplemental videos help provide additional context and information to the paper.

Additional Prerequisites

  • Teachers must fill in a form with their name, email, and school information to access the teacher's key, which includes answers to the discussion questions.
  • Students should be familiar with reading and interpreting maps and bar graphs.

Differentiation

  • It may be helpful for some students to use the audio version of the article (the first video on the webpage).
  • To help younger students process the article, have them answer the comprehension questions orally in groups before putting their responses in writing.
  • Just as some parts of the article are highlighted, have students practice annotating and highlighting parts of the article they consider most important.
  • As a follow-up activity, have students create questions for the scientists, swap with another student, and answer each other's questions by researching online.
  • Watch this video to learn more about how the urban heat island effect impacts communities of color.
  • Physics classes can use this paper to connect to lessons about heat transfer, thermodynamics, and properties of materials.
  • Biology classes can connect this resource to lessons about heat stroke, homeostasis, trees, evapotranspiration, the water cycle, green spaces, and ecosystems services.

From the scientist review

Some neighborhoods in cities often have many more tree-lined streets and parks in close proximity. These features help reduce the effect of urban heat islands. However, neighborhoods where people of color or low income individuals primarily live do not have these, and so are disproportionately affected by urban heat islands. This resource investigates this and is recommended for teaching.
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