Interview a Climate Scientist
Activity - Classroom
Grades8, 9, 10Science, English Language Arts
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 ClimateScience
What it is
- In this activity, students pair up and prepare to be a journalist or scientist in this interview simulation.
- The "journalist" interviews the "climate scientist" about climate change topics after each researches recent information about climate change.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This activity improves students' research, communication, and public speaking skills.
- Students acting as journalists practice their creativity and journalism skills, while students acting as climate scientists practice communicating science in a clear and straightforward manner.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students must be familiar with the interview process and will need to access the credible resources suggested in the Teacher Guide for research.
- You can have students choose their partners or select partners for them.
Differentiation
- For students that need additional support, provide certain climate change topics for them to discuss, like hurricanes, sea level rise, melting Arctic ice, melting glaciers, wildfires, or drought.
- As an extension, students could set up an interview with a member of their community and record it as a video to share with classmates.
- For the topic of climate activism, students can read about Peter Kalmus, one of many climate scientists who have stopped flying because of the climate crisis.
- Students could reach out to actual climate scientists in their local area or at their local university to request an interview.
From the scientist review
This resource is suitable to engage in a good climate conversation with a climate scientist. Research questions can inform a basis or rationale for urgent climate action. The resource is recommended for teaching.
How we review resourcesReady to use it?
Hosted on climatescience.org
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