Download Educator Guide - The Field Museum

Educator Guide
Presented by The Field Museum Education Department
fieldmuseum.org/climatechange
INSIDE:
Exhibition Introduction & Correlations to ILS • Tips for Planning Your Visit
Gallery Overviews & Guiding Questions • Focused Field Trip Activities • Related Exhibitions & Resources
Cleaning Up Our
Energy Future
Changing Land
Changing Ocean
Changing Ice
Climate Change is located on the Upper Level
Exit
Chicago Climate
Action Room
Walking Map
Changing
Atmosphere
Making a
Difference
Introduction /
CO2 History
Climate Change
Today
Entrance
Metric Ton of
Coal Model
Page 2
The Field Museum • Climate Change Educator Guide • fieldmuseum.org/climatechange
Exhibition Introduction
Climate Change
June 25, 2010 – November 28, 2010
In the exhibition Climate Change, The Field Museum addresses one of the most urgent scientific and social
issues of the 21st Century: global climate change. The exhibition explains the science behind this issue
and explores the implications of climate change going unchecked for future generations. Climate Change
makes it clear there is no single solution to the problem. Instead, it allows visitors to see how individual and
collective actions can make a meaningful impact in reducing global climate change.
Big Ideas
The following messages are threaded throughout the Climate Change exhibition and may be useful in
framing how the exhibition connects with your curriculum:
1.Earth’s climate is changing. Global temperatures are rising and weather patterns are shifting.
2.Increasing levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere are largely responsible for the changes in climate being observed today. This increase has been and continues to be primarily caused by
human activities.
3.Scientists see the effects of climate change on our oceans, ice, land and atmosphere.
4.There is still time to avoid disastrous climate change by altering the way we live. It will take a worldwide effort and it needs to start now.
Illinois Learning Standards
The Climate Change exhibition may be used to meet Illinois Learning Standards (ILS) in Language Arts,
Math, Science, Social Science and Fine Arts. However, it is most closely aligned with the following ILS
Science and Social Science Goals:
Goal 12 B. Know and apply concepts that describe how living things interact with each other and with their environment.
Goal 12 E. Know and apply concepts that describe the features and processes of the Earth and
its resources.
Goal 13 B. Know and apply concepts that describe the interaction between science, technology
and society.
Goal 17 B. Analyze and explain characteristics and interactions of the Earth’s physical systems.
Goal 17 C. Understand relationships between geographic factors and society.
Goal 17 D. Understand the historical significance of geography.
The Field Museum • Climate Change Educator Guide • fieldmuseum.org/climatechange
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Planning Your Visit
Registration
• Pre-registration is required for all Field Museum field trips. Register online at
fieldmuseum.org/fieldtrips or call 312.665.7500 for more information.
• Climate Change is a temporary exhibition, admission fees may apply. Visit fieldmuseum.org/
education/plan.htm to download our complete school group pricing structure.
• For more information on registration, lunchrooms and student programs, visit
fieldmuseum.org/education.
Planning for Learning
• This educator guide provides an overview of the themes and content presented in Climate Change.
We encourage you to explore the exhibition first-hand before visiting with students. Educators
from Illinois presenting a valid educator ID receive free basic admission to the Museum every day;
admission to temporary exhibitions is not included.
• Visit the exhibition website to read more about Climate Change, access an online photo gallery
and view additional resources: fieldmuseum.org/climatechange.
• We suggest planning your field trip around the use of one to two galleries or one theme in
multiple galleries to focus your students’ learning experience. Focused Field Trip suggestions are
provided in this guide. When conducting field trip activities, please be conscious of traffic f low
within the exhibition.
How to Use this Guide
• For every gallery in the exhibition we provide a Gallery Overview. Each Gallery Overview
begins with a description or statement indicating the focus of the gallery. We then outline the main
stories told within the gallery.
• We also provide Guiding Questions that can be answered through exploration in each gallery.
Guiding questions are a great way to focus your students’ learning. The answers provided are brief
and may be expanded by exploring the exhibition website: fieldmuseum.org/climatechange.
• This guide also presents Focused Field Trip activities. A focused field trip includes a pre-visit
activity, an activity to do within the exhibition, and a post-visit activity. Use the activities as they
are, or modify them to suit your instructional needs.
• Additional resources and key terms are provided at the end of the guide.
The Field Museum • Climate Change Educator Guide • fieldmuseum.org/climatechange
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Gallery Overviews
Introduction / CO2 History
Yes, climate has changed throughout Earth’s long history, but this time is different. For the first time,
complex human societies are facing the consequences of climate change worldwide. Plant and animal species
already threatened by fragmented habitats are feeling the impact. And for the first time, humans are causing
it. Burning fossil fuels like oil and coal has provided the energy that shaped our world. Using fossil fuels has
a cost we hadn’t understood…until now.
Handwriting on the Wall
Today, atmospheric CO2 is at a level that has not been seen on Earth for at least 800,000 years, and
probably much longer. Examine the change in levels of the heat-trapping gas carbon dioxide (CO2 )
in Earth’s atmosphere over the past 400 years.
The Rock that Burns
Beginning around 1550, the great forests of northern Europe were dwindling. The region’s
expanding population, no longer able to rely on wood for energy, began turning to another fuel that
was abundant in the region. Coal. Despite its drawbacks, coal was soon the fuel of choice, and the
rock that burns had begun a revolution.
Putting Coal to Work
In the early 1700s, British inventor Thomas Newcomen created a machine that changed the world.
Using coal to produce steam and the steam to power an engine, he designed a device that could do
the work of many men. After this invention, human activity would begin to reshape our planet—by
changing its natural environment.
Let There Be Light
Beginning in 1882, commercial production of
electricity from coal started what has come to be
known as the “Second Industrial Revolution”—a
revolution that continues today.
Our High Energy Society
Modern conveniences have vastly improved our lives,
but when fossil fuels provide the energy to make and
power them, the planet’s climate pays a price.
Guiding Questions
Visitors to the Climate Change exhibition are met with
a collage portraying technological advances since the
Industrial Revolution. An illuminated LED line runs
through this timeline, portraying the corresponding rise in
CO2 in our atmosphere. © AMNH/D. Finnin
1. How has the level of CO2 in Earth’s atmosphere
changed over the past 400 years?
The level of CO2 has increased from 274 parts per million (ppm) in the year 1600 to 389 ppm in the year
2010. PPM is the ratio of the number of CO2 molecules to the total number of molecules of dry air.
2. In the past 400 years, how have humans used coal and oil to produce energy?
Humans have burned coal for heat, to make steam to power engines, and produce electricity. Humans have used
oil to power cars.
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Gallery Overviews
Climate Change Today
A transparent, protective blanket, called atmosphere, envelops Earth. Atmosphere admits enough of the
energy streaming from the Sun to warm our planet, and it retains enough of that heat to keep it livable.
This heat-holding process is called the greenhouse effect. In its absence, Earth’s surface temperature would
be -18o C (0o F). There would be no liquid water—and no life on the surface.
Lately, though, we’ve been changing the makeup of our
insulating blanket. Human activity, particularly burning fossil
fuels, creates greenhouse gases. And one of those gases—carbon
dioxide (CO2 )—has now reached levels not seen for at least
800,000 years, and probably much longer.
Natural Gas
All fossil fuels produce CO2 but of those fuels, natural gas
produces the least. Currently, natural gas provides about a
quarter of the world’s energy supply.
Burning fossil fuels like oil and coal has made possible
the technologies and comforts that shape our world.
But doing so has had a cost we hadn’t understood until
the late 20th century. ©Kenn W. Kiser/Morguefile
Cement
The chemical reaction that creates cement—the binding agent
that holds stones and sand together to make concrete—releases
large amounts of carbon dioxide.
Driving and CO2
The average car, driven 12,000 miles a year, produces about 5.5
metric tons of CO2.
Oil
Oil—when refined into gasoline and diesel fuel—powers more than 90 percent of the world’s cars and
trucks and provides all the energy for air travel. Currently, petroleum emissions account for about 40
percent of total world CO2 emissions.
Guiding Questions
1. How do greenhouse gases affect Earth’s atmosphere? What are some examples of
greenhouse gases?
Greenhouse gases absorb incoming or outgoing infrared radiation and trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere. Water
vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane are greenhouse gases.
2. What human activities release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere?
The average car, driven 12,000 miles a year, produces about 5.5 metric tons of CO2. The chemical reaction that
creates cement—the binding agent that holds stones and sand together to make concrete—releases large amounts of
CO2. Paddy-rice farming produces methane. Trees return CO2 to the atmosphere when they are burned or decay
after being cut. Methane comes from the digestive tracts of cud-chewing animals like cows.
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Gallery Overviews
Making a Difference
There are many ways to save energy and consume less—
starting now. When it comes to climate change, even
small actions—if millions of people do them—can make
a big difference.
What Can We Do?
In most parts of the world, when we use energy,
we produce CO2 emissions. Lowering emissions
to help curb climate change is possible, starting
right now.
The Built Environment
Buildings, along with the electricity they
consume, account for about 30 percent of the
world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Whether
it’s a renovation or new construction, building
for energy efficiency means making use of
technology and innovations designed to
minimize environmental impact.
Forests located around the world absorb much of the carbon
dioxide emitted by human-based activities. To create more
needed green spaces, The Field Museum and the Chicago
Wilderness Coalition are restoring Beaubien Woods, located
in a former industrial area on the city’s far south side.
© Jennifer Hirsch, The Field Museum
Everyday Actions
If we all work together, we can indeed reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But to really make
a difference, it will take more than reducing personal consumption and adopting more efficient
building methods. Communities and countries need to take bigger steps, including rethinking our
policies and priorities. In particular we must transition from the use of fossil fuels to non-polluting
forms of energy, as explained later in the exhibition.
Guiding Questions
1. What are some actions you can take to lower CO2 emissions and curb climate change?
Driving less; purchasing fewer new products; reducing garbage; avoiding bottled water; limiting disposable
containers; eating more fruits, grains and vegetables; taking showers, not baths.
2. What are some features of a sustainable living environment?
A sustainable building generates much of its own power from solar panels, wind turbines and other renewable sources
and has energy efficient insulation and windows. Faucets and showers with low flow rates and dual-flush toilets
save on water use. Public transportation cuts traffic and pollution. Densely populated communities reduce land use
and encourage walking.
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Gallery Overviews
Changing Atmosphere
The atmosphere is warming and we are starting to feel the effects.
Weather Vs. Climate
Weather describes the conditions today, tomorrow or in the days to come. Climate is the average
weather over years, decades or longer. To learn about climate and climate change, we must look at the
weather in the same place over longer periods of time.
Intense Storms
Warmer temperatures cause more water to evaporate from the oceans, transferring energy and water
vapor to the atmosphere. The result is more intense storms that bring heavier rains and showers.
Air Temperatures
Scientists are certain that our globe is warming—because they’ve been
tracking the global average temperature for decades. Earth’s average
temperature has risen by about 0.8°C (1.4°F) over the past 100 years.
Using interactive images, Climate Change
demonstrates how air and ocean currents,
sun-ref lecting ice, and other factors
determine our Earth’s climate.
© AMNH/Roderick Mickens
Heat Waves
When heat persists for days to weeks, crops wilt, roads buckle,
animals suffer, and human death rates climb. As average air
temperatures continue to rise, heat waves will very likely become
even more common.
Evidence: Ice Cores
Long cores through the ice cap on Greenland (like the section model on display in the exhibition) tell us
a lot about the climate of the Northern Hemisphere over the past 110,000 years.
The Atmosphere
Clouds help control temperature on Earth. Global weather patterns are the result of the regular
movements of air through the atmosphere.
Guiding Questions
1. What are some predicted effects of a warming atmosphere?
Intense rainstorms that cause floods and landslides will become more common. Heat waves that cause droughts and
overheating will become more frequent and intense. Average air temperatures will rise.
2. What evidence suggests that the atmosphere is warming?
Data collected from tracking the average global temperature for decades shows that average daily temperature has risen
by about 0.8°C (1.4°F) over the past 100 years. Evidence from ice cores tells us that Earth is hotter today than at
any time in the past 400 years.
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Gallery Overviews
Changing Ice
Ice is melting at the poles—impacts will be global.
Sea Level Rise
Today, ice sheets are melting much faster than scientists had
previously assumed. Sea level will rise. What we know is
that current warming means some increase in sea level is
already locked in. Hundreds of millions of people will likely
feel the impact.
Permafrost
Permafrost—a soil layer that’s frozen not just in the winter,
but year-round—underlies an amazing 25 percent of the
Northern Hemisphere. Permafrost holds enormous amounts
of carbon, so its melting could release huge quantities of
carbon into the atmosphere as CO2 or methane, increasing
atmospheric warming everywhere.
As arctic tundra regions grow warmer, the
arctic fox’s hunting territories are being
overtaken by warmer weather predators.
© AMNH / Roderick Mickens
Ice and Climate
Ice plays an important role in Earth’s climate. The huge temperature difference between the frozen
poles and the equator drives wind and ocean currents. The ice-covered poles ref lect the Sun’s radiant
energy, and polar ice is an enormous reservoir of water.
Paleoclimate
Evidence from the past can teach us a lot about what we can expect—or hope to avoid—in the
coming years.
Biodiversity Consequences
The Arctic is heating up twice as fast as the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. For the people, plants,
and animals that call the Arctic home, the speed of climate change poses significant challenges.
Adaptations
Climate change will cause sea level to rise—how will we adjust? Adaptations to rising seas come in
many forms from highly engineered projects to community-based efforts.
Guiding Questions
1. How does ice affect Earth’s climate?
The huge temperature difference between the frozen poles and the equator drives wind and ocean currents. The
brilliant white of the ice-covered poles reflects the Sun’s radiant energy.
2. How does melting ice at the poles impact the world?
Movement of ice or water from land to sea makes sea levels rise globally causing increased flooding during storm
surges and permanent submersion of coastal land. When ice and snow melt, the surface that reflects the Sun’s
rays is reduced, exposing the energy absorbing darker surface. This in turn increases warming. The shrinking and
thinning of Arctic ice negatively impacts the plants and animals that live there.
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Gallery Overviews
Changing Ocean
The ocean regulates climate; changing waters mean a changing climate.
Ocean Chemistry
About 30 percent of the CO2 released by human activities over the past 200 years has already been
absorbed by the ocean, and much more will end up there. All that CO2 is having an unfortunate
effect: the ocean is “acidifying” or becoming less basic.
Ocean Food Chains
Warming and acidifying ocean waters may affect organisms in different ways and to different
degrees, throwing closely timed food chains out of sync.
CO2 Absorption
The ocean is enormous and holds more than 50 times as much CO2 as the atmosphere or biosphere.
As a result, the ocean plays a key role in Earth’s climate by helping to regulate the amount of the
greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. It is not clear how climate change will affect the ocean’s ability
to store CO2.
Into the Deep
Earth’s climate depends on the ocean: evaporation of ocean waters brings moisture to land areas and
transfers energy to the atmosphere where it helps drive weather systems, ocean currents move heat
from the equator to the poles, and the ocean absorbs and releases an enormous amount of heat with
little change in temperature.
Guiding Questions
1. What changes have scientists observed in the ocean as a result of climate change?
The ocean is “acidifying,” or becoming less basic. Over the past 50 years,
the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of the ocean has warmed about
0.10°C. Parts of the North Atlantic and the central North Pacific have
cooled over recent decades.
A diorama of a reef suffering from “coral
bleaching,” caused by ocean acidification because
more and more CO2 is dissolving into the oceans,
is set against a backdrop of a healthy, colorful,
living coral reef. © AMNH/D. Finnin
2. How does the ocean affect the climate?
Evaporation of ocean waters brings moisture to land areas and transfers
energy to the atmosphere where it helps drive weather systems. Ocean
currents move heat from the equator to the poles. The ocean absorbs
warmth from the atmosphere during summer and releases it back during
winter. The ocean helps to regulate the amount of the greenhouse gas in
the atmosphere: the ocean absorbs CO2 directly from the atmosphere and
some marine organisms take up CO2 from the water as they grow.
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Gallery Overviews
Changing Land
Droughts, f loods and fires will cause ecosystems and societies to suffer.
Threat of Drought
The last few decades have seen larger areas of the world enduring droughts. Increasing global
temperatures are altering the water cycle—hotter soils lose their moisture faster, intensifying
drought conditions.
Intense Rainstorms
As temperature rises, more water evaporates from the ocean, transferring energy and water vapor
to the atmosphere. The extra water vapor results in more rain and snow. Areas that are typically
rainy will likely experience intense down pours, but areas that are typically dry will likely become
more parched.
Wet Land/Dry Land
Can droughts in southern Africa have anything to do with ocean temperatures off the coast of
Ecuador? They can and they do. The most important periodic f luctuation in Earth’s climate, after
the seasons, is El Nino/Southern Oscillation or ENSO. In an El Nino year, dramatic warming
occurs in the ocean off the coasts of Peru and Ecuador affecting climate globally.
Foreshadowing Climate Change Impacts
Experts studying animals from birds to butterf lies to diseasecarrying insects agree: many species show the unmistakable
fingerprint of the change we’re causing.
Evidenced: An Archive in Wood
One way scientists detect past climate patterns is by studying
the annual growth rings of trees. A single annual ring usually
consists of a light band and a dark band. Wide rings mean
favorable growing conditions; narrow rings mean drought or
other stress.
An open-air diorama of a polar bear,
reduced to foraging through a garbage
dump, illustrates how some animals may be
forced to invade human-populated areas in
response to their dwindling habitat.
© AMNH/D. Finnin
Guiding Questions
1. How does a changing climate lead to droughts and f loods?
The warming atmosphere is altering the water cycle—hotter soils lose their moisture faster, intensifying drought
conditions. Heat also leads to more evaporation from the ocean. That evaporation transfers huge amounts of energy
into the atmosphere and feeds more moisture into rain and snow.
2. How is global climate change affecting other species?
Climate change is likely to increase the spread of some diseases. Changing rainfall patterns could extend the reach
of fungus spread by warm rain and increasing temperatures at higher elevations mean malaria carrying mosquitoes
can now reproduce and live at these elevations. Today, in temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere, spring
is arriving 10 to 14 days earlier than it did only 20 years ago. Scientists are finding some species can adjust to
this change and some can’t. Most tropical species can survive within only a narrow temperature range. As global
temperature warms, tropical animals are likely to feel the effects in unpredictable ways.
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Gallery Overviews
Cleaning Up Our Energy Future
How will we meet the world’s growing appetite for energy while also reducing CO2 emissions? Though
rapidly reducing global emissions will require a range of actions—from preserving Earth’s forests to
changing the ways we travel—providing clean sources of energy is most critical.
Wind: Energy in Wind
When wind turbines spin in the breeze, they
turn a shaft connected to an electrical generator
that produces electricity. Wind farms on land
or offshore can provide as much electricity as a
coal-fired electrical plant.
Nuclear: A New Look at Nuclear
Atoms can release an extraordinary amount of
energy when split into smaller pieces. Nuclear
reactors tap into this power source by splitting
uranium-235 atoms, which releases heat that is
used to drive an electrical generator. A single
pellet of uranium fuel can generate as much
electricity as about 150 gallons of oil.
Illinois is home to nearly a dozen wind farms. In all, they
generate enough power to run almost 300,000 homes.
© Dori
Fossil Fuels: Carbon Capture and Storage
Coal will be part of our future, at least for the next few decades. Experts are working on ways to
clean up coal by capturing CO2 gas before it can escape to the atmosphere. The gas is then turned
into a f luid and injected deep underground.
Solar: Plug Into the Sun
We have a variety of ways of using solar power. Solar panels capture sunlight and convert it directly
into electricity. Solar concentrators use mirrors to focus sunlight to heat f luid, which can then be
used to boil water, turn a turbine and generate electricity.
Geothermal: Energy from Earth’s Heat
Geothermal plants use steam released from hot springs and geysers to turn turbines, creating
electricity. In new, enhanced geothermal systems, engineers drill down to hot spots below ground,
inject water themselves, and capture steam as it is released.
Water: Hydropower and Ocean Energy
Hydroelectric power plants at dams or alongside rivers use moving water to turn turbines to create
electricity. Researchers are currently testing many other ways of tapping into waves, tides and
currents.
Faraway Forest Video
A 3-minute video describes how saving a tropical forest in Peru helps benefit everyone on the planet
by soaking up CO2, and how shares of that saved CO2 can be purchased as a “commodity”.
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Guiding Questions
1. Why is clean electricity key to addressing climate change?
Assuming that populations and economies continue to expand, energy demand will likely grow in the future. In
particular, demand for electricity will increase. Using current technologies, CO2 emissions from electrical plants
will also rise dramatically. Power plants already contribute almost 30 percent of global CO2 emissions—providing
clean sources of energy is critical.
2. What is an example of an action we can take to reduce CO2 emissions in the future?
What are some positive and negative aspects of taking this action?
Answers will include positive and negative aspects of using wind power, nuclear power, carbon capture and storage,
solar power, geothermal power, water power natural gas, biofuels, fuel-efficient transportation, and reforestation.
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Outside the Exhibition
The Chicago Climate Action Room
Chicago is the first major US city to create a comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to
adapt to the realities of climate change in our region. Relax on some comfy sofas in the Chicago Climate
Action Room, and learn how the city of Chicago leads the way amongst American cities in fighting and
adapting to climate change.
Chicago Wilderness
Chicago Wilderness is a regional alliance of organizations working together to restore local
nature and improve the quality of life for all who
live here, by protecting the lands and waters on
which we all depend.
The Chicago Metropolitan
Agency for Planning Agency for Planning
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
(CMAP) is the comprehensive regional planning
organization for northeastern Illinois. CMAP is
developing GO TO 2040, metropolitan Chicago’s
first truly comprehensive regional plan, which
will shape the region’s transportation system and
development patterns.
The Chicago Climate Task Force consulted leading scientists
and environmental experts to describe various scenarios for
Chicago’s climate future and how these would impact life in
the city. The result? The Chicago Climate Action Plan.
© The Chicago Climate Task Force
The Field Museum’s Environment, Culture, and Conservation Department
The Environment, Culture, and Conservation (ECCo) department partners with community
organizations to design locally led climate action campaigns aimed at reducing greenhouse gases
and improving quality of life.
Center for Neighborhood Technology
The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) has been working for more than 30 years to
help urban communities in Chicago and across the country become more sustainable. Their research
shows ways you can cut your emissions and adapt to a changing climate while saving money.
Environmental Protection Agency
Taking action on climate change is one of EPA’s top priorities.
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Guiding Questions
1. What are some organizations in Chicago that are working to curb climate change?
How do these organizations support this effort?
Chicago Wilderness works to protect the land and water in our region. CMAP promotes livable communities. A
livable community is one that is compact, with a mixture of uses, and designed to be easily walkable and supports
the use of transit. ECCo scientists collaborate with leading agencies around the Chicago region to engage diverse
communities in actions that reduce carbon emissions. CNT offers energy audits to help Chicagoans find the best
ways to make homes more efficient. A $500,000 EPA grant to the Chicago Green Healthcare Initiative is
helping Chicago area hospitals lower energy use by 5 to 15 percent.
2. What are the five strategies outlined in the Chicago Climate Action Plan?
1) Energy efficient building, 2) Clean and renewable energy sources, 3) Improved transportation options,
4) Reduce waste and industrial pollution, 5) Adaptation.
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Focused Field Trip
Climate Change: What can we do?
Corresponds with the Introduction / CO2 History and Making a Difference galleries
Illinois Learning Standards
Goal 13.B.2f Analyze how specific personal and societal choices that humans make affect local,
regional and global ecosystems. (Late Elementary)
Goal 13.B.3d Analyze the interaction of resource acquisition, technological development and
ecosystem impact (Middle/Junior High School)
Pre-Visit Activity
Begin by asking students: What do you know about climate change? What is it? Why is it happening?
How do you think it is affecting our planet? Explain that global temperature is rising, weather patterns are
shifting and other effects may be on our horizon. Plant and animal species are already feeling the impact,
and for the first time, humans are causing it. When it comes to climate change, even small actions—if
millions of people do them—can make a big difference. As a class, brainstorm a list of actions students can
take to help curb climate change. Explain that students will explore how they can make a difference while
visiting the Climate Change exhibition at The Field Museum. For more information, read the book Gas
Trees and Car Turds: Kids’ Guide to the Roots of Global Warming or visit epa/gov/climatechange/kids/.
Field Trip Activity
As you enter the Climate Change exhibition, ask students to examine the red line diagram showing the
change in carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmosphere over time. Have students answer the questions: How
has the level of CO2 changed over time? What factors caused these changes? Next, move students to the
Making a Difference gallery. Have students explore this gallery and generate a list of actions they can take
to reduce carbon emissions and curb climate change. You may want to encourage students to make a two
column list. In one column students can record actions they can take. In the second column students can list
changes that communities can make.
Post-Visit Activity
When you return to the classroom, ask students to review
the information they collected at the Museum. Review
the ideas: What is climate change? What is causing the
climate to change? What can we do to curb climate
change? Also ask students: Why? Why should we make
these changes? Encourage students to share what they
learned by creating a pamphlet that educates others about
climate change and the actions people can take to curb
climate change.
© The Field Museum, GN90760_160d
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Focused Field Trip
Climate Change: How will it affect biodiversity?
Corresponds with the Climate Change Today and Changing Land galleries
Illinois Learning Standards
Goal 12B.5a Analyze and explain biodiversity issues and the causes and effects of extinction.
(Late High School)
Goal 12.B.5b Compare and predict how life forms can adapt to changes in the environment by
applying concepts of change and constancy. (Late High School)
Goal 12.B.4b Simulate and analyze factors that inf luence the size and populations within ecosystems.
(Early High School)
Pre-Visit Activity
Before visiting the Climate Change exhibition ensure students understand the greenhouse effect. For more
information, refer to the site: epa.gov/climatechange/kids/greenhouse.html. Discuss how human activity
(specifically burning fossil fuels) adds CO2 and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, trapping more
radiation and causing the temperature of our planet to increase.
Field Trip Activity
As you enter the Climate Change Today gallery in the Climate Change exhibition, encourage students
to examine the Greenhouse Effect illustration. Have students answer the questions: What is causing climate
change? How are humans contributing to climate change? Then, proceed to the Changing Land gallery.
As you enter the Changing Land gallery, ask students to explore how climate change affects land. Guide
students with the questions: Why is the threat of drought rising? Why are areas that are typically rainy
expected to experience intense downpours? Then have students explore how these environmental changes
are affecting species. You may want to provide students with a chart to guide their exploration.
Name of Species
Change Observed in
Species Population
What caused this change?
How did climate change
contribute to the change?
If there is time, encourage students to visit the Making a Difference gallery to explore ways to save
energy and consume less.
Post-Visit Activity
Back in the classroom, ask students to review the details of species changes they recorded in the exhibition.
Early high school students can infer how this change could affect species’ ecosystems. Late high school
students can predict how species might eventually adapt to the environmental changes. Students can share
their findings by creating public service announcements (posters, f lyers, videos) to educate their community
about the effects of climate change and encourage others to take action to curb climate change.
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Focused Field Trip
Climate Change:
How will it affect Earth processes?
Corresponds with the Changing Ice and Changing Ocean galleries
Illinois Learning Standards
Goal 12.E.3a Analyze and explain large-scale dynamic forces,
events and processes that affect the Earth’s land, water and
atmospheric systems. (Middle/Junior High School)
Goal 12.E.4a Explain how external and internal energy sources
drive Earth processes.
(Early High School)
Goal 12 E.3b Describe interactions between solid earth,
oceans, atmosphere and organisms that have resulted in
ongoing changes of Earth. (Middle/Junior High School)
Rising water levels are projected onto a model of
Lower Manhattan, portraying possible scenarios of
a sea level rise of 10 and 16 feet due to melting ice
caps. © AMNH / D. Finnin
Pre-Visit Activity
Review the interconnectedness of Earth’s systems. Refer to a system that the students are familiar with (e.g.
hydrologic system, or water cycle). Discuss how the components and processes in the system are related
and could be affected by change. Explain that the students will investigate how changes caused by climate
change affect Earth’s systems. Divide the students into small groups based on interest in studying changing
ice or changing oceans.
Field Trip Activity
In this activity pre-assigned groups will explore the Changing Ocean gallery while other groups
explore the Changing Ice gallery. By group, have students research the following questions in the
appropriate gallery:
• Changing Ice - Explore the effects of polar ice melting. How does melting ice cause sea level to
rise? What are some effects of a rising sea level? How is climate change affecting the permafrost?
How does ice play an important role in Earth’s climate? How will melting ice affect our climate?
• Changing Ocean - Explore the effects of a changing ocean. How does the ocean regulate climate?
In what ways is climate change affecting the ocean? How will changes in our oceans affect our
climate and life on Earth?
As groups finish, encourage students to explore the Making a Difference gallery to learn what they can
do to save energy and consume less.
Post-Visit Activity
Back in the classroom, ask students to review the information they collected and work as a group to create
a presentation to share their findings with other students. Students may find it helpful to create diagrams
to convey their ideas. Allow time for groups to present materials to one another. Take time to discuss
similarities, differences, and connections between the effects of the melting ice and changing ocean. Ask
students to give examples of how a change within one system (e.g. hydrologic system) impacts various
other systems.
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Field Museum Connections
Harris Educational Loan Center
Give students an up-close look at teaching specimens and real artifacts from The Field Museum’s collections.
The Harris Educational Loan Program lends hands-on kits, known as Experience Boxes, which provide an
in-depth look at different cultures, rocks, fossils and much more. You can also borrow Exhibit Cases, which
feature plant and animal specimens in their natural setting.
Learn more about this library of resources by visiting Harris Loan online at
fieldmuseum.org/harrisloan or call 312.665.7555.
Materials related to the Climate Change exhibition:
• Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy (experience box)
This box will help you and your students understand the differences between renewable and
nonrenewable energy. It also introduces The Field Museum’s efforts to conserve, to recycle, and utilize
clean and renewable energy sources.
• Project Wild (experience box)
These trunks are packed with books, posters, and the science materials you need to get students out of
the classroom and doing their own research activities on urban wildlife and ecology. NOTE: Limited
availability.
• Explore! Rain Forest (experience box)
Explore the rain forest with all your senses. Hear bird calls, smell plant products, and observe bird
specimens, seeds, and leaves.
• Crisis: Planet Earth! (Audio/Video)
This video examines global warming and its connection to the greenhouse effect and human
consumption of fossil fuels. Activities to record electricity use, chart greenhouse gas production, observe
the ref lection and absorption of heat, and accompany site visits are included.
Related Exhibitions
Continue your exploration of the concepts in Climate Change by visiting a related exhibition during an
extended field trip or subsequent visit.
Evolving Planet fieldmuseum.org/evolvingplanet (Upper Level)
From the dawn of life to dinosaurs and our extended human family…How did life on Earth evolve?
Journey through 4 billion years of evolution.
Plants of the World (Upper Level)
Marvel at the diversity of the plant world. These beautiful plant models are famous for being so true to life.
Moving Earth (Upper Level)
Dig into the inner layers of Earth, plate tectonics, and how the constantly moving plates affect life on Earth.
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Additional Resources
On-line Resources
The Field Museum’s Climate Change website: fieldmuseum.org/climatechange
American Museum of Natural History Climate Change website:
amnh.org/exhibition/climatechange/
American Museum of Natural History Climate Change for Educators:
amnh.org/education/school_groups/exhibition.php?id=356
PBS NOVA: The World in Balance Voices of Concern: Ding Yihui:
pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/voic-yihu.html
United Global Change Research Program: Climate Literacy: The Essential Principals of Climate Sciences:
globalchange.gov/resources/educators/climate-literacy
EPA Climate Change for Kids Site: epa.gov/climatechange/kids/
The Field Museum Water Calculator: watercalculator.fieldmuseum.org
WhyReef, a virtual coral reef: whyville.net/smmk/top/gates?source=reef
Books for Educators
Constible, Juanita, Luke Sandro, and Richard E. Lee, Jr. (2008). Climate Change from Pole to Pole:
Biology Investigations. NSTA Press.
Enviromental Literacy Council and National Science Teachers Association (2009). Global Climate Change:
Resources for Enviromental Literacy. NSTA Press.
Enviromental Literacy Council and National Science Teachers Association (2007). Resources for
Enviromental Literacy: Five Teaching Modules for Middle and High School Teachers. NSTA Press.
Books for Students
Arnold, Caroline (2009). Global Warming and the Dinosaurs: Fossil Discoveries at the Poles. Clarion
Books/Houghton Miff lin Harcourt.
Cherry, Lynne and Gary Braasch (2008). How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate:
Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming. Dawn Publications.
David, Laurie and Cambria Gordon (2007). The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. Orchard
Books / Scholastic.
Johnson, Kirk (2007). Gas Trees and Car Turds: Kids’ Guide to the Roots of Global Warming.
Fulcrum Publishing.
Thornhill, Jan (2007). This Is My Planet: The Kids’ Guide to Global Warming. Maple Tree Press.
Woodward, John (2008). Eyewitness: Climate Change. DK Publishing.
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Key Terms
Adaptation:
Atmosphere:
Carbon dioxide (CO2):
Carbon cycle:
Climate:
Climate change:
Fossil fuels:
the adjustment of living things to environmental conditions;
human adaptation to climate change includes altering the way
we grow crops, build homes, consume energy, and manage
natural resources
a transparent, protective blanket that envelops Earth; the atmosphere admits
enough of the energy streaming from the Sun to warm our planet and retains
enough of that heat to keep it livable
a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms bonded to a carbon
atom; CO2 is a greenhouse gas that is present in Earth’s atmosphere
the continuous movement of carbon through Earth’s atmosphere, plants and
animals, soils, ocean and rocks
the average weather over years, decades or longer
an increase in global temperature and a shifting of global weather patterns
coal, oil, and natural gas, which formed from the remains of organisms that
lived millions of years ago
Greenhouse effect:
the process by which an atmosphere warms a planet; this takes place when
gases allow sunshine to pass through the atmosphere but absorb the heat that
radiates back from the surface, keeping it warm
Greenhouse gas:
gases that increase global temperatures by absorbing the radiation emitted by
Earth’s surface; carbon dioxide is the most important greenhouse gas as far
as climate change is concerned; other greenhouse gases include water vapor,
methane, and nitrous oxide
Ice shelves:
massive, f loating platforms of ice that surround the ice-covered continents of
Antarctica and Greenland
Methane:
a potent greenhouse gas that is produced as vegetation decays, through paddyrice farming and by cud-chewing animals like cows
Natural gas:
a fossil fuel that produces thirty percent less CO2 than petroleum and about 45
percent less CO2 than coal; currently natural gas provides about a quarter of
the world’s energy supply
Oil:
a fossil fuel that is refined into gasoline and diesel fuel to power more than 90
percent of the world’s cars and trucks and provides all the energy for air travel
Permafrost:
Weather:
a soil layer that has been frozen for at least two years straight
describes the atmospheric conditions today, tomorrow or in the days to come
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