1. I absolutely loved the activity where students take a picture of an area that they are familiar with and then add in the components of each of Earth's systems and spheres that are present in the picture. I already plan on having my students do this activity next year. I think it is a great way to make what they are learning in the classroom relevant to the their everyday lives, especially when they are given the opportunity to choose an area that they are familiar with to create their diagram. In terms of adding in climate change topics, I could have students research and present a short presentation on one of the evidences for climate change that such as rise in sea level, increase in severe storms, etc. As the other students listen, they will fill out a chart for each the evidences for climate change. This is a different way of taking notes, a student driven way, which a lot of times leads to increased student engagement.
2. Some examples of climate change evidence that my students would be responsive to are sea level rise since the school is located right near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and some of my students have homes right on the water. They would also be responsive to changes in the economy in the area as well. A good portion of the area's economy comes from seafood and tourism as well as some agriculture. With the changes in water temperature, this could have an impact on the famous blue crabs that are caught in the bay. With a decrease in seafood, this could deter tourism as well. In terms of agriculture, extreme weather and heatwaves could completely wipe out the crops in the area which would be detrimental to the area's economy as well. Most students that I teach are familiar with these areas that could be impacted so sharing this information with them would really help to drive home the point that climate change will in some way impact them as well at some point in their life.