MATH Teaching Climate Change Impacts Through Data A math lesson series for middle school students.Estimated time needed: Two, 90-minute sessions UT Lead(s): Nora BorreARS Teacher-Designer(s): Gwen UdyYPAR/ARS Student-Researcher(s): Xochitl + Eloise Lesson Overview This arts-integrated lesson series invites students to investigate and report on climate change impact data through the construction and analysis of scatterplots and the creation of zines. After an introductory lesson on scatterplots and their affiliated key terms – such as variable, association, strength, and trend line – students begin by annotating scientific articles related to climate change. They then identify variables connected to the environmental phenomena described in those articles, gather data related to those variables, construct data tables and scatterplots, and interpret the trends they see. At the end of the lesson series, students are invited to create zines to inform and educate others on the climate change topics explored in the articles, including a call to action on an environmental issue of their choosing. COMPLETE LESSON PLAN Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS): 7.1(A) Apply mathematics to problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace 7.1 (E) Create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas 7.1 (G) Display, explain, and justify mathematical ideas and arguments using precise mathematical language in written or oral communication 7.12 Measurement and data. The student applies mathematical process standards to use statistical representations to analyze data. 7.12 (A) Compare two groups of numeric data using comparative dot plots or box plots by comparing their shapes, centers, and spreads Educator Reflection“In math, we don’t usually do creative projects or have as much freedom. It was hard to push myself and say, “It’s okay to try something different.” But in the end, it was really rewarding to see what came out of it. We explored how data can be used for advocacy. We read scientific articles on climate issues and created zines—little informational booklets—to advocate for a chosen topic using data and scatter plots. Personally, it helped me let go a little. In math, there’s a lot of pressure to hit the standards and prepare for tests. But integrating the arts made it feel more joyful. Students kept saying, “Why are we doing this in math? This isn’t math!”—because it felt so artistic. It opened their minds to new possibilities. It helped me take risks I was afraid of before. Math teachers are stretched so thin, and we often fall into the pressure to be very structured. But this helped me realize that students need personal, real-world connections. I tried something unconventional, and it didn’t fail—it actually worked really well. That’s inspiring for the future.”-Gwen Udy Hear more about this lesson plan from one of the teacher-designers, Gwen Udy. (video placeholder above) https://utexas.app.box.com/s/zak7nzfdxk3ht2k2d2zp2bkqr25ssmg3/file/1913432283649 YPAR | Youth Participatory Action Research Hear more about this lesson plan from one of the participating high school students, Xochitl. (video placeholder above) https://utexas.app.box.com/s/zak7nzfdxk3ht2k2d2zp2bkqr25ssmg3/file/1913358095110 Hear more about this lesson plan from one of the participating high school students, Eloise. (video placeholder above) https://utexas.app.box.com/s/zak7nzfdxk3ht2k2d2zp2bkqr25ssmg3/file/1913358095110 YPAR Arts-Based Research Outputs Student Examples Zines! (video placeholder above) https://utexas.app.box.com/s/zak7nzfdxk3ht2k2d2zp2bkqr25ssmg3/file/1913430143550
