USE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND NATURAL HAZARDS AS THEMES AND TOPICS DU JOUR

Climate change and natural hazards are both themes that clearly illustrate the interactions within the Earth's systems and serve as topics du jour (“of the day”) when Earth-related events make headlines. Faculty members in the Department of Geological Sciences and the Geography Department at The Ohio State University routinely teach from a systems perspective, using headlines and scientific debate as introductions for discussion. The Worthington School District, Worthington, OH, adopted an Earth systems philosophy for their science program and instituted a 2-year required science series entitled "Biological and Earth Science Systems" (BESS) in the early 1990s. Although modified in recent years to address the Academic Content Standards for Science in Ohio, the curriculum still maintains an Earth systems focus.

A list of Academic Content Standards for Science that are relevant to the topics of climate change and natural hazards will be provided, as listed for Grades 6-10, since the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) is first administered in Grade 10. An informal survey of the professors and teachers suggests that the teachers' preference of teaching strategies and concern about addressing the standards prior to the OGT dictate the degree to which current events are introduced and used in their classrooms. Teachers state that the Academic Content Standards for Grade 11 are more directly relevant to climate change and natural hazards as topics. These topics are addressed in earlier grades under the organizers of "Historical Perspectives and Scientific Revolutions" and standards for "Scientific Ways of Knowing" and "Science and Technology".