Teachers complete workshop on urban heat

Urban heat is caused by increased impervious surface and human activities in developed areas. By completing a Schoolyard Urban Heat Study, students can measure and evaluate whether their schoolyard acts as an urban heat island. In preparation, local area teachers completed a 3-day training workshop in August to learn about the impacts of rising temperatures on the environment and human health as well as how they can complete investigations on their schoolgrounds with their students. Presentations were offered by experts from the City of Frederick and Maryland Department of Natural Resources on how they are studying and managing extreme heat.  Hood-CCWS then guided the teachers through the lessons, labs, and hands-on activities developed for students to carry out these investigations on their own schoolyards. The workshop allowed teachers to collaborate on how they could implement the program in different curriculums and in varying capacities throughout their school year.  The Schoolyard Urban Heat Studies program is funded by a NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) grant.