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Heatwaves and Climate Change

Interactive passage with audio narration, comprehension questions, and printable PDF.

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Format: Interactive (Online), Printable (PDF)
Grades: 6
Subjects: science
Languages: English, Spanish

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What's included

Reading passage

Reading comprehension

Audio narration

With word word highlighting

Comprehension quiz

Auto-graded

Writing activity

Open-ended response

Glossary & flashcards

Vocabulary practice

Differentiated version

Adapted for varied levels

Spanish translation

Bilingual support

About this reader

This educational resource features an engaging, audio-integrated reading passage titled 'Heatwaves and Climate Change,' designed for Grade 6 students. The passage, around 350-400 words, explores the causes of rising global temperatures, including the role of greenhouse gases and human activities. It defines key terms such as 'heatwave,' 'climate change,' and 'greenhouse effect' using simple language. Aligned with NGSS standard MS-ESS3-5, it helps students clarify evidence of factors causing global temperature increases. The content includes a reading passage, multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and a glossary, all focused on understanding our changing planet.

Written by Workybooks TeamPublished by Workybooks

Sample passage and quiz content

CONTENT PREVIEW

A heatwave is a stretch of unusually hot weather that lasts for days or weeks. Scientists observe that heatwaves are becoming more frequent, more intense, and longer-lasting as Earth's climate warms. Evidence shows that global temperatures have risen over the past century due to human activities like burning fossil fuels. This warming creates conditions that make extreme heat events more common and more dangerous.

The connection between climate change and heatwaves involves an important concept called temperature range. Every location on Earth experiences a range of temperatures throughout the year, from cool to hot. When the whole temperature range shifts upward due to global warming, the extreme-hot end gets pushed to new records. Days that were once rare become more common. Scientists explain that this is similar to rolling dice that are weighted toward higher numbers. You can still roll low numbers, but high numbers appear more often.

Heatwaves pose serious dangers to people and communities. Extreme heat can overwhelm the human body's ability to cool itself, leading to heat-related illness or even death. Older adults and people with certain health conditions face the highest risks. During heatwaves, power grids can become strained as everyone runs air conditioning at once. Cities experience particularly intense heat because of the urban heat island effect, where pavement and buildings absorb and trap heat.

In July 2023, Phoenix, Arizona experienced 31 consecutive days with temperatures above 110°F, breaking previous records. This event demonstrates how climate change can push temperatures into dangerous territory for extended periods. Scientists recorded hundreds of heat-related deaths during this event, showing the deadly impact of extreme heat.

Understanding heatwaves matters because heat is often called the quiet, deadly side of climate change. Unlike hurricanes or floods, extreme heat does not create dramatic images, but it kills more people than most other weather disasters. Evidence shows that asking questions about the factors causing global temperature rise helps communities prepare for and respond to increasingly dangerous heatwaves. This knowledge connects to broader understanding of how climate change affects human health and why cities need special planning to protect residents during extreme heat events.

Interesting Fact: Scientists have found that some heatwaves would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change. Computer models show certain recent extreme heat events had less than a 1% chance of occurring in a world without global warming.

What is a heatwave?

A single day of hot weatherA stretch of unusually hot weather lasting days or weeksThe hottest day of the yearA type of ocean wave caused by heat

According to the passage, what has caused global temperatures to rise over the past century?

Natural climate cycles onlyChanges in the sun's energyHuman activities like burning fossil fuelsVolcanic eruptions

What does the term 'temperature range' mean in the context of this passage?

The distance heat can travelThe span between the coolest and hottest temperatures in a locationThe temperature inside a buildingThe difference between day and night temperatures

What is the urban heat island effect?

Islands that experience more heat than continentsHeat waves that only affect islandsCities experiencing higher temperatures than surrounding areas due to pavement and buildingsNatural islands formed by heat

How does climate change make extreme heat events more common?

It creates more sun energyIt shifts the whole temperature range upward, making record heat more frequentIt removes clouds from the skyIt changes the Earth's rotation

Which group faces the highest risk during heatwaves?

Young children onlyAthletesOlder adults and people with certain health conditionsPeople who live in cold climates

What real-world example does the passage provide to demonstrate extreme heat?

A heatwave in Europe in 2003Phoenix, Arizona experiencing 31 consecutive days above 110°F in July 2023A heatwave in India in 2022Record heat in Alaska

Why is heat called the 'quiet, deadly side of climate change'?

Because it only happens at nightBecause it makes no soundBecause it does not create dramatic images but kills more people than most weather disastersBecause scientists cannot measure it

True or False: Heatwaves are becoming less frequent as the climate changes.

TrueFalse

True or False: Computer models show that some recent extreme heat events would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.

TrueFalse