Fires, Floods, and Droughts: Impacts of Climate Change in the U.S.

Demographics

I serve as the 11th-grade academy lead Physics science teacher at Jackson Reed High School. Jackson Reed High School is a relatively high-performing school in Washington, DC that consists of approximately 2,400 students. The diverse student body presents challenges for instructional delivery because of persistent achievement gaps within the school. Students have historically tested below grade level in mathematics with only 22% of students meeting academic expectations. ³ The socioeconomic issues associated with urban schools are still present (i.e., in-seat attendance, assignment completion rate, etc.). The student body is often segregated due to the number of advanced placements classes offered coupled with minimal opportunities for remediation throughout the year. The primary feeder school for Jackson Reed High School is Deal Middle School which represents a range of socioeconomic populations in DC and is currently overpopulated like Jackson Reed. The physics department is currently in the process of redesigning its curriculum to reflect more project-based learning and analysis of phenomena to cultivate critical-thinking in a collaborative forum. Last year presented several challenges for students, as it was the first year back from the COVID-19 pandemic. Students struggled to complete assignments outside of the classroom and due to COVID-19 policies many students remained absent for more than ten days once testing positive. After seven years of teaching in the District of Columbia Public School (DCPS), I have learned that one must adapt to the present circumstances and develop units to the changing environment. In my experience students respond best to positive, dynamic classrooms, with hands-on activities that require unique authentic answers to complex problems. The development of this unit is intended to be implemented for in-class person instruction in the hopes to cultivate vigorous inquiry opportunities that center around thermodynamics and energy transformations as they pertain to tropical cyclone and hurricane development. Students will be provided context into recent climatic changes as it pertains to the pre-civilization and modern common era. The more the student understands the content’s relevance to climate change and their current and future lives, the more likely they are to gain a greater depth of knowledge and appreciation of the content.