Current events topic for social studies and/or science

Happy New Year, everyone! As we start a new decade, one of the events in the news is the devastating fires in Austrailia which could make a relevant topic for a social studies and/or a science-related lesson.

Here's a link to a CNet story on "Everything we Know" about these fires. The topics covered include:

  • What caused the fires?
  • What is the connection to climate change?
  • What areas are affected?
  • Who is fighting hte fires?
  • Are koalas at risk of extinction?
  • What about the political response?
  • How you can help?

According to hte article, "the total area that's been burned is rapidly approaching 6 million hectares (almost 15 million acres). That's almost seven times the amount of burnt area the Amazon experienced in 2019 and about three times the amount burnt in California's 2018 wildfires. ... Ecologists at the University of Sydney estimate that up to 480 million animals may have perished in the conflagrations, including up to 8,000 koalas." There are a number of videos embedded in the story that could be selected for a lesson.

Susan Finn Miller, Moderator

Teaching & Learning CoP