Design Coastal Protection
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Provided by: Stone Living Lab|Published on: May 22, 2026
WorksheetsScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This one-page design activity worksheet asks students to create and name an imaginary city, then design a strategy to protect it from sea level rise and erosion.
- Suggested adaptation strategies are also provided on the back of the sheet.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Engineering
Authors: Stone Living Lab
Region: Global, Massachusetts
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Classroom Implementation:
- Pair with a class discussion on real-world coastal protection strategies such as seawalls, living shorelines, and nature-based solutions to compare student designs with professional approaches.
Prerequisites:
- Ensure students are familiar with sea level rise and coastal erosion due to climate change. Consider using this lesson.
Differentiation:
- Challenge older or advanced students to include cost, environmental impact, and equity considerations in their designs.
Extensions:
- Early finishers can play this game to test their adaptation strategies in a simulation.
Sustainable Development Goals Connections:
- Make connections to Sustainable Development Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Sustainable Development Goal 13, Climate Action.
This worksheet tasks students with designing protection from sea level rise and erosion for a city. Several possible solutions are presented with thoughtful pros and cons for each. This activity’s greatest strength is that it helps students to grasp the fact that there is not a single solution to climate change-induced sea level rise. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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