Strengthening Data Literacy Through an Urban Heat Island Effect Investigation with Middle School Students

Students have the power to affect change in their own communities, but first, they must understand how the world works around them. Curriculum that gives students experience collecting, interpreting, and storytelling with data empowers students to understand their communities and affect positive change in these environments. In this article, I explore a place-based science unit completed by eighth grade students to broaden their understanding of energy dynamics, data collection, and the urban heat island effect phenomena. Students were enthusiastic about the lesson and demonstrated critical thinking with questions and work they completed. Meaningful place-based curricula that fully engages students in global problems belong in the middle school science classroom.