Drought Teacher Resources

Middle and upper graders explore the concept of drought and how it affects society both politically and economically. In small groups, they will research a drought, how it impacted a specific area or region, and then analyze their...

Who is to blame for widespread famine? Crash Course World History guides high schoolers through a video about droughts, famines, and whether the weather or human activity is at fault for each.

There are actually three different types of drought: meteorological, agricultural, and hydrological. This presentation is a detailed reading of information about drought, specifically drought in the state of Oklahoma. Comprehension...

Which is worse — drought or flooding? Neither is helpful to the environment, and both are increasing due to climate change. The 16th activity in a series of 21 covers the average precipitation trends for two different climates within the...

Students practice map-reading skills. Using a drought map of Afghanistan from National Geographic's Afghanistan: Land in Crisis site, students study how to recognize drought, where drought can occur, and how drought affects the people...

Students research a variety of drought-related concerns, acting as part of a 'drought preparedness taskforce.' They propose next steps for the government to take in case of drought and assess the viability of these proposals.

In this drought learning exercise, students study the "US Drought Monitor" and complete 8 short answer questions on the causes and effects of drought.

Students gain knowledge about the impact of drought in agriculture. They investigate soil types, water flow, and various erosion conditions which occur during a drought and see how farming practices changed after the 1930's.

What caused the dust bowl, and should we worry about it happening again? Scholars look at various data to come up with their hypotheses. Then, they experiment to find some of the factors that contributed. Finally, the video has them look...

In this drought worksheet, students are given directions on how to give a presentation of facts, maps, videos, and more. Students inform the audience with 4 of the facts asked.

In this day to combat desertification and drought instructional activity, students read or listen to a passage, then match phrases, fill in the blanks, choose the correct words, unscramble words and sentences, write discussion questions...

Go beyond the typical earthquake drill and prepare your learners to become proactive responders in the event of an emergency. From blackouts and droughts to thunderstorms and extreme cold, your class members will discover how disasters...

Did you know that California produces two thirds of the fruits and nuts consumed in the United States? That it produces almost one third of the vegetables? Did you know that scientists warn that California is facing the onset of a...

How can climate change affect our water supply? Have kids read a passage about the water cycle and water conservation, which includes six questions that challenge them to use context clues.

Young scholars locate Lake Mead, then read a news article about Lake Mead drying up and how that would effect water and power supplies to the region. In this current events lesson plan, the teacher introduces the article with a map and...

How do meteorologists differentiate between droughts and dry spells? Introduce the concepts of weather forecasting and prediction with an insightful research-based lesson plan from the K20 series. Partners synthesize individual research...

Trek through the hardships that marked the Great Depression. Photographs accompanied by light text show various aspects of American life during the 1930s. The Dust Bowl, unemployment, migrant families, and massive drought are depicted on...

Learners explore the concept of drought and its significance as a natural hazard. For this drought lesson plan, students complete 13 questions on an "Introduction to Drought as an Ecosystem Stressor" worksheet and discuss the responses...

How did San Francisco supply enough water for its residents over the last two centuries? Learn about droughts and water conservation in California, as well as specific historical events that led to the water system today. Kids read two...

Seventh graders review the water cycle and its relationship to weather around the world. They focus their attention on extreme weather phenomena such as: floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and drought. Pupils draw a complete water cycle and...

The Times covered a drought in 2011, which affected producers, consumers, and sellers. The class gets informed about climate and the economics of agriculture as the read this article and answer each of the 11 comprehension questions. A...

Packing up and moving west to California was a tough decision for farmers in during the Great Depression. Nine text-rich slides contains information separated into six main categories related to the migrant experience. They'll discuss,...

High schoolers study droughts and how they affect communities and coastal ecosystems.  In this ecosystems lesson students use data to examine drought conditions in certain areas. 

How dry is it? It's so dry, the river only runs twice a week! Through an analysis of maps and discussions, pairs learn about droughts across the United States in the ninth of 12 lessons. They then read about, answer questions, analyze...