You will explore how the climate and environmental conditions in Acapulco have changed over the past 100 years. Your main goal is to understand these changes and think about what they mean for the future of Acapulco’s environment, economy, and community. You will research reliable information, organize your findings, and explain the possible future impacts of climate change and environmental challenges.
In this project, you will research the history of Acapulco’s climate and environment and focus on the future.
Using articles, data, and videos, you will find out how climate change and human activity have affected Acapulco and what experts predict will happen next.
Then, you will create a report, a podcast or a documentary that explains these future challenges and suggests ideas for protecting Acapulco’s environment and people.
Your work will show your understanding of the topic, the use English language , the vocabulary related to climate and environment you have learned.
For Spanish speakers, it is difficult to understand the difference between these 2 words, because for us, they are the same. But in English they are 2 different concepts.
Let's discover the differences.
What is the usual temperature in Acapulco? (hot, warm, mild, etc.) How much rain does Acapulco get each year? When is the rainy season? What kind of weather events happen often? (hurricanes, storms, dry seasons).
Research the answers to these questions, download this table to your device, write what you find and send the table to your teacher's email ( joyce@montessorichildren.edu.mx )
Go to World weather and take notes on your NB of the weather for the last 7 days. (high and low temperatures, rainfall).
You will make a short video describing the weather for the past week. For that, you will need to write a descriptive paragraph of the weather conditions. Make sure you use the vocabulary words you have learned. This is your diologue for the video, so be very descriptive.
Film your video, feel free to be creative, you can add text, images and music, but remember that it is important that your voice is heard clearly.
Share the video with your teacher through Tik Tok.
Have you discover the difference between weather and climate? on your notebook, write your definition for both concepts and turn it in to your teacher for grading.
Today you will discover and learn about our city's geographical features, ecosystems and the environmental changes that have happened in the last century.
Here is a list of webpages to search for the information, but feel free to use any other:
Encyclopedia Britannica – Acapulco
https://www.britannica.com/place/Acapulco
General info on Acapulco’s geography, history, and environment.
NASA Earth Observatory – Environmental Changes
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/ (Search “Acapulco”)
Satellite images and articles on environmental changes over time.
Global Forest Watch – Mexico Deforestation Data
https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/country/MEX
Interactive data on forest cover changes near Acapulco.
4. Acapulco's rise in sea level
Use this guide to complete your research, write your notes on your notebook:
Where is Acapulco located? (Country, region, coast or inland)
What are some important natural features near Acapulco? (Beaches, mountains, forests, etc.)
Describe the climate zone of Acapulco.
What types of ecosystems or natural habitats are found near Acapulco?
Are there any protected areas or important wildlife?
What major changes have happened to Acapulco’s environment in the last 100 years? (Examples: deforestation, urban growth, pollution)
How have these changes affected the local ecosystems or communities?
What trends are shown in Acapulco’s temperature and rainfall over time?
Have extreme weather events (like hurricanes) increased or changed?
Write 2–3 sentences explaining how Acapulco’s geography and environment have changed over the past century.
Turn in your NB for grading.
Continue with the research, now the subject is the changes that have occurred in the last century, in climate and environment.
Divide the work and use this guide to complete your research, write your notes on your notebook:
What has been the average temperature in Acapulco over the past 50–100 years?
How much rainfall does Acapulco usually get each year?
Have there been any important changes or trends in temperature or rainfall?
What kinds of changes have happened to Acapulco’s environment in recent decades? (Examples: urban growth, pollution, coral reef damage)
What are the main causes of these changes?
What types of extreme weather events affect Acapulco? (Examples: hurricanes, flooding, storms)
Has the number or strength of these events increased or changed over time?
How do these events affect people and the environment?
What do scientists predict will happen with Acapulco’s climate in the future? (Temperature, sea level, storms)
What effects might these changes have on the environment, economy, and people?
Are there any plans or ideas to help reduce or manage these future problems?
Your project is going to be presented digitally, either in a video documentary, written report on a blog or a audio podcast.
You will need to have all your research digitalized so you can use it later.
Divide the work so everyone is writing in a shared document the information they researched. You can use Google Docs , Canva or any other collaboration website.
Be sure to paraphrase the information, using the same words or copy/pasting them is plagiarism.
Check that you have all the information needed, if not, research again until you have it.
Look for images and videos to illustrate your research.
Make sure you save the links where you got the information and audiovisual material from.
Save all this in one digital archive and share with your teacher.
Today we will focus on the implications for Acapulco’s environment, economy, and society.
Discuss with your team topics like sea level rise, tourism impact, disaster preparedness, and sustainability measures.
Create cause-effect chart for future events and note down all the points that you have researched and discussed.
Add your chart with your research and opinions to your digital archive.
Find images or videos to illustrate your points.
Save the sources for future citing.
By now you should have all your research done and your conclusions drawn. Your written and audio visual material all in one place (digital archive).
It's time to decide how you want to share the information with the rest of the class.
Review the guidelines for the 3 options you have and decide with your team the best one for you, according to your collaborative knowledge and abilities.
A blog report is a written article you publish online or share digitally. You will present your research, your predictions and conclusions. Your blog should be clear, interesting, and easy to read. You must include pictures, charts, or links to videos to help explain and illustrate your points.
Guidelines:
Start with a clear outline of all your information to give order and structure to your blog.
Your blog needs to be published in Blogger , you can't collaborate there so you will have to do the work elsewhere and someone will act as editor and post it.
Write an introduction explaining the topic.
Use headings for different sections (e.g., Historical Data, Environmental Changes, Future Predictions).
Include facts, your own explanations, and new vocabulary.
Add images or charts with captions.
Write a conclusion summarizing your findings and future concerns.
Use clear language and check your spelling and grammar.
Everyone in the team must produce the writing.
Add your sources in APA format
A video documentary is a short film where you explain your research, predictions and conclusions. You can use photos, videos, interviews, and narration to tell the story. The goal is to inform and engage your audience with clear visuals and good explanations.
Guidelines:
Plan a script with an introduction, main content, and conclusion.
Include visuals like photos, maps, or short video clips related to your research.
You can interview people, film your own videos and take your own pictures on site to enrich your documentary.
Speak clearly and use key vocabulary words.
Keep your video between 5 to 7 minutes long.
Practice your narration before recording.
Make sure your videos and audios are clear.
Everyone in the team must have a role (Narrator, director, editor, etc).
Add credits at the end, with the people participating and citing all your sources.
A video podcast is like a talk show where you discuss your research about Acapulco’s climate changes and future impacts. You can have one or more hosts talking, share opinions, and include guest interviews or sound clips. The video podcast should be engaging and informative.
Guidelines:
Prepare a clear outline or script for the discussion.
Use simple, natural language and practice speaking clearly.
3 people must lead the discussion.
Use a microphone for better sound.
Include an introduction, discussion points, and a closing summary.
Try to use new vocabulary words correctly.
Keep the podcast between 5 to 7 minutes.
You can include short videos, images, or sound effects to make it interesting.
Work in pairs or groups for a conversation-style presentation.
Before closing add credits with the people who participated and a slide citing your sources in APA format
Here is a list of all the content your product must discuss:
Acapulco's general information:
Location
Geographical features
Ecosystems
Acapulco's historical climate:
historical climate data
Mayor climatic events of the past century
Climatic changes in the past century
Environmental changes in the past century
evidence of climatic change impact
Future climate projections and predictions
Implication:
Environment
Economy
community
Prevention and preparedness.
Cited resources
This is a great moment to use the help of AI.
Once you have chosen the product you would like to work on, use artificial intelligence to give you a plan, guide or outline of what you have to do to accomplish your task successfully.
You can also ask for an outline or a timeline to keep thing going in time to turn everything in appropriately.
Here is a suggested prompt you can modify according to your needs:
" I am a student working on a project in for my high school ESL class, we are doing a (blog report, video podcast, documentary) on the subject of "Climate and Environmental Changes in Acapulco and Future Implications".
Add this plan to your collaborative document.
Weather of the week table
Acapulco´s weather for the week (7 days)
Weather descriptive paragraph
Weather report for the week video
Definition of weather and climate.
Geography and environmental history
Climate and environmental changes
Digital archive
Future events cause and effect chart
Outline & plan for product elaboration
Product
Graded rubric
Through this project, you have explored how Acapulco’s climate and environment have changed over the past century and what challenges the city faces today and in the future. You learned that climate change affects not only the weather but also the people, communities, and the natural world around us.
You discovered that rising temperatures, stronger storms, and changing rainfall patterns have caused damage to Acapulco’s vegetation, beaches, and homes. You also learned how social issues like inequality and unplanned growth make it harder for some people to recover from disasters.
Most importantly, you saw that Acapulco’s future is not set in stone. The city’s recovery depends on smart choices: protecting natural areas, building stronger infrastructure, preparing for storms, and involving the community. Your research showed that by working together and taking action, Acapulco can become a leader in facing climate challenges and building a safer, greener, and more resilient future.
This project has helped you understand the importance of science, community, and responsibility in protecting our environment, while putting into practice and developing your English language skills. The ideas and knowledge you gained will help you think critically about how we can all play a role in caring for our cities and our planet.
By Miss Joyce García