What Climate Change Means for Illinois
Provided by: EPA|Published on: June 13, 2025
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: EPA
Region: Illinois, Chicagoland IL
Languages: English
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 →
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 article from the United States Environmental Protection Agency details the changes in climate happening across Illinois.
- The article describes the impact of climate change across many aspects of life in Illinois and predicts what is to come in the future.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The use of text features and graphics makes the article easy to follow along with and navigate to pull out important information.
- The article briefly and concisely explains how climate change affects elements of life that are relatable for many Illinois students.
Prerequisites
- Teachers should decide whether they want students to view the article via the web link or print the PDF for students to view the article on a hard copy.
- Students should be familiar with temperature maps in order to fully understand the temperature change map shown in the article. Students should also have a basic understanding of agriculture and the conditions needed for certain crops to grow in certain regions of the United States.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Using the information in the article, teachers can create a scavenger hunt worksheet in order for students to have to go back and read the article carefully to pull out the necessary information.
- The article, written in 2016, makes predictions on air temperature, water temperature of Lake Michigan, and precipitation increasing. Students can research and record the data on a graph showing the average temperatures and precipitation totals from the last several years and analyze whether the data supports the predictions made in the article.
- Teachers can consider using this video to further investigate climate change and its impact and how Chicago is trying to help by planting more trees.
- This video is also helpful in showing how young adults in Illinois are creating new ways to combat climate change when it comes to agriculture. Another video helps to explain regenerative agriculture and the steps students can take to create a sustainable food system.
This resource discusses what climate change impacts Illinois will experience in the future. The discussion covers what weather patterns are expected to change, along with a brief explanation of why the impact occurs more often. The information presented is accurate, and 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.
Learn about our review process →
