Scientifically-Interesting Stories
Scientifically-Interesting Story of Urban Heat Island: Lesson Resources
Are you looking for a storyline to use with your students that features NASA data? Consider using the following resources in your classroom today!
Use these resources with your students to show how humans can impact the temperature of Earth’s surface through changing land cover. This storyline evidences the Urban Heat Islands created near the Great Lakes region by analyzing surface temperatures.
Complementary Models
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Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Patterns in Earth's Surface Temperature
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Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Exploring the Tradeoffs of Surface Temperature Models
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Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Human Impact and the Creation of Urban Heat Islands
Complementary Mini Lessons
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Grade Level: 6-8
Surface and Air Temperatures Throughout the Day
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Grade Level: 6-8
Analyzing Surface Temperature Differences
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Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Relationship Between Surface Temperature and Vegetation: Student Activity
Interactive Files
Document Resources
Sphere(s)
Phenomena
Supported NGSS Performance Expectations
- 4-ESS2-2: Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features.
- 4-PS3-2: Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
- 5-ESS2-1: Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.
- MS-ESS2-1: Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
- 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.
- MS-ESS3-5: Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
- 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.
