Extreme Heat

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: What are the effects of climate change around the world?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article (see right). Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• arduous (p. 12)
• inevitable (p. 12)
• disorients (p. 13)
• infrastructure (p. 14)
• deficiencies (p. 14)
• moderated (p. 15)

3. Engage
Have students share their experiences dealing with very hot temperatures. Ask: What will life be like as the world grows hotter? Revisit this discussion after the lesson, having students share any new insights they’ve gained.   

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: Extreme Heat, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear on the following page of this lesson, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• What are the central ideas of the article? What is the authors’ main purpose in writing the article? Do the authors have more than one purpose? Explain. (Central idea, author’s purpose) (This article discusses the increasingly difficult living conditions in the world’s hottest nations due to climate change. The authors’ main purpose is to explain how life is changing and becoming more dangerous in these places. Answers for whether the authors have more than one purpose may vary, but students could also discuss how the use of personal stories suggests that the authors might want readers to think about how climate change could potentially affect them in the future as well.)

• Why do you think the authors begin the article by describing Abdul Karim’s experience? Do you think this is an effective way to begin the article? Explain. (Analyze structure, Evaluate structure)(The authors likely begin the article with Karim’s experience to grab the reader’s attention, make the article compelling by giving a specific example of how climate change is affecting someone’s life, or to get the reader emotionally involved. Students’ opinions on its effectiveness may vary, but they should support their opinion with details from the text and/or a logical reason, such as that connecting readers to personal stories can make them care more about what they read.)

• How does the information provided in “Dangerously Hot” and “The Effects of Extreme Heat” add to your understanding of the article? Explain. (Analyze text features, integrate information)(“Dangerously Hot” shows how the problem of extreme heat is likely to become a challenge in many more places in coming decades and “The Effects of Extreme Heat” shows just how dangerous intensely hot days are for people.)

• The section “An Air-Conditioned Bubble” compares and contrasts life in Kuwait City with life in Basra. What are the similarities and differences? What’s the key factor driving these difference? (Analyze ideas, compare and contrast) (Kuwait City and Basra are both cities in the Middle East that have grown hotter due to the effects of climate change. The article states that both cities have the same sweltering summer temperatures “in the triple digits.” However, the residents of Kuwait City, Kuwait’s capital, are able to avoid many of the negative effects of the heat, while the residents of Basra have to endure and find ways to adapt to it. The article says that Kuwait’s wealth is the key factor that protects its citizens—they can afford air-conditioning. However, they also are basically forced to stay inside at all times, which is a cost.) 

• Based on the section, “A Greener, Cooler City,” what do you think the future of Basra might look like? What factors might influence its future? (Draw conclusions, make predictions) (Students’ responses may vary but their answers should cite specific details from the text, such as that it may grow hotter if gardens and date palms are not restored, its population may shrink if residents emigrate, and the nation may grow poorer as wealthier residents leave.) 

• Do you think the conditions described in the article could eventually apply to life in the U.S.? Why or why not? (Analyze ideas, make connections)(Students’ responses will vary, but they should cite specific details from the text in their analysis. For example, they might cite the fact that Houston, Dallas, and Miami are listed on the chart of cities projected to be dangerously hot for more than a month by 2050.)

6. Writing Prompt
Other than emigration, are there any other solutions for the residents of nations dealing with the effects of extreme heat? Explain in a brief essay.

7. Video
Watch the video about climate change. What does it add to your understanding?

8. Classroom Debate
Should the world’s biggest carbon emitters be responsible for their impact on other nations?

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess students’ comprehension and Be the Editor to assess grammar skills.