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Summer of Heat Waves Lesson Plan

A map of North America with state boundaries and temperature gradient coloring overlay. The temperature gradient ranges from white at 10 degrees centigrade and increasingly darker shades of red up to 40 degrees centigrade, which is the darkest shade of the range. The region around the great lakes and the altitude peaks appear a somewhat lighter shade of orange, but the vast majority of the map is in a solid red shade, with the West coast having much territory indistinguishable from black and the East coast also being a darker shade of red than more inland territory.
As summer heat hit the western and eastern U.S. in July 2024, temperatures have been especially high in the Southwest. View the full story
NASA Earth Observatory / Wanmei Liang
Levels
  • Advanced (9-12+)
Material Type
  • Lesson Plan
Heliophysics Topics
  • Climate Change
Related Missions
  • PACE (Earth)
Material Cost per Learner Free
Language English

In this lesson plan, students investigate historical heat wave frequency data to understand the importance of defining terms when interpreting data. Using extreme temperatures from July 2022 as a starting point, students explore three sections: Extreme Air Temperatures, Frequency of Heat Waves, and Counting Heat Wave Days. Each section provides information followed by guided questions to help students analyze data patterns and understand how scientific terminology affects data interpretation. This My NASA Data lesson emphasizes critical thinking skills in climate data analysis.

Screenshot of the My NASA Data website landing page. It has an Earth showing the earth systems (atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere) and a list of resources on the page.
The landing page of the My NASA Data website.

Find the full lesson plan here ↗