Two Degrees

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

How might hurricanes, polar bears, and wildfires be connected? Formulate 2-3 specific theories based on your familiarity with climate change topics and your prior knowledge of ecosystems, weather events, and disasters.

Teaching Suggestion: Since the three stories intertwined in this novel involve teens surviving wildfires, polar bears, and a hurricane, studying and discussing each danger before reading can increase understanding of the novel and its messages, especially as students might refer to previously learned content on ecosystems, climate, and environmental issues. Students might start by listing what they already know about these topics, then add notes as they read these or other resource articles. Students can review these notes and make connections as they read the novel. These suggested resources from National Geographic may require a free account to view.

• “Here's How Wildfires Get Started—And How To Stop Them” includes numerous facts about wildfires and what to do if faced with the threat of one.
• “What Are Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones?” provides background information about these storms and how they connect to climate change.
• “If You Live Near Polar Bears, ‘Bear-Dar’ Could Save Your Life” explains a warning system being developed to help protect people from polar bears.

Short Activity

Throughout the novel, the characters face intense danger from a heating climate. Researching will build our background knowledge of climate change. Choose an article to read and report on.

Include these parts in your presentation:

• A brief summary of the topic and main ideas
• How climate change is involved
• Questions and ideas you still have about the topic

Teaching Suggestion: This context question offers students a chance to learn more about finding and utilizing library resources in your setting—for example, a nonfiction database on science or environmental topics—or to practice online search skills. Permitting students time to preview articles before choosing one can lead to increased interest. It might benefit the class if each student presents on a different article; you might ask students to submit their top five choices and assign articles based on their preferences. It might be helpful to read and discuss one of the articles as a class before students work individually. That way, students could also include a connection piece in their presentations: How does the article connect to the resource we studied as a class?

• This collection from Science Journal for Kids and Teens provides over 200 articles about climate change, categorized by reading level and topic; it might be useful in addition to your school’s science resources.
• “How to Raise Climate-Resilient Kids” from YES Magazine includes reflections and strategies for parents and teachers to consider. (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing)

Differentiation Suggestion: For diverse learners, the class might read one or more of the articles and take notes together for a partner or group presentation. Students with attentional or executive learning differences might choose from a short list of titles pre-curated for them. The collection above includes some audio and video options as well, which can expand access to the ideas.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

In what ways have you been affected by climate change? What effects, if any, have you observed in the lives of others?

Teaching Suggestion: It is possible that some students might have strong emotional or traumatic connections to this subject, like the characters in the novel. If a student is not sure or does not think climate change has affected them, though, it might be helpful to list ways it affects everyone (e.g., weather events in your area, more news stories on the subject, revised curriculum units in school). This article from Columbia Climate School has some ideas that might apply directly or indirectly to students. Making this topic personal for students can help them engage more fully with the novel.

In “10 Climate Change Impacts That Will Affect Us All,” Columbia Climate School explains ways a heating planet will affect people and some ways to help protect ourselves.