Without language there is no science. To be practicing scientists and derive new knowledge, we need language – reading, writing, talking, listening, enacting, and visualizing. Writing is one way to communicate understanding of our learning while allowing us to be creative in our delivery and provide insight and possible solutions to problems.
Write a letter to your state and local representatives asking what plans are in place to safeguard the state and its communities against extreme weather events as our climate continues to warm. Think specifically about extreme weather events that impact your state, i.e. flooding, hurricanes, drought, etc. Be sure to provide evidence for your argument based on scientific facts and express why you are concerned, and (depending on your age) you will, in the near future, be a voting member of the community.
Read the Bloomberg Businessweek article – El Niño’s Arrival Seen by all Models, Australian Bureau Says. Write about the economic impact a powerful El Niño during 2014-2015 coupled with global warming’s climate impacts could have for different parts of the world. Explain why this matters where you live.
Mark Twain is one of America’s most beloved American authors and thought by some to be the father of American literature. He wrote such classics as, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain was fascinated by science and scientific inquiry. He is quoted as saying, “Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.” Using your knowledge of weather and climate explain what Mark Twain’s words mean.