ED032-04
Hurricane Resilience: A High School Curriculum to Connect the Science of Tropical Cyclones, Their Coastal Impacts, and Strategies for Resilience
Friday, 11 December 2020: 07:10
Virtual
Lisa S Gardiner1, Jonathan Foret2, James Done3, Mari R Tye4, Melissa Rummel5, Emily Snode-Brenneman6, Samantha Hicks2, Adrianna Adams7, Laureen Trainer8 and Justin Kozak9, (1)University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, United States, (2)South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center, Houma, LA, United States, (3)NCAR, Boulder, CO, United States, (4)National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, United States, (5)UCAR, Center for Science Education, Boulder, CO, United States, (6)UCAR, Center for Science Education, Boulder, United States, (7)South Terrebonne High School, Houma, LA, United States, (8)Trainer Evaluation, Denver, CO, United States, (9)Center for Planning Excellence, Baton Rouge, United States
Abstract:
An NGSS-aligned curriculum for high schools in hurricane-prone locations, Hurricane Resilience helps students explore the science of these storms through place-based learning. Students develop an understanding of the risks that their local community faces now due to hurricanes and tropical storms, how that risk will increase as climate change strengthens these storms, how sea level rise increases the risk, and how our actions can help us be less vulnerable and more resilient. The curriculum unit aims to empower high school students to have a voice in resilience planning and help them understand the relationship between the science of hurricanes and the local impacts of these storms on people and places.
Hurricane Resilience was aligned with Louisiana standards and implemented in three classes in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, during the 2019-2020 school year, however the student experience was cut short due to the pandemic school closures. During the 2020-2021 school year, the curriculum will be implemented in several additional coastal Louisiana high school environmental science courses and evaluated. We are developing professional development resources to help teachers learn the curriculum and strategies to implement Hurricane Resilience in online and hybrid learning environments to meet the evolving needs of schools this year.
The curriculum was developed by the UCAR Center for Science Education in collaboration with the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center and the Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Hurricane Resilience is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations’ Environmental Literacy Program.
