Download Earths Shifting Climate Teacher Guide without NASA logo 7/28/13

Earth’s Shifting Climate
Teacher Guide and Lesson Plans
Draft versions of these lesson plans, student worksheets, assessments, and
planetarium show found at:
http://terra.nasa.gov/news/climate-change-immersive-earth/
Goal: To create awareness in middle school that climate change is happening
Focus Question:
- What is climate change, how do we observe it, and how does it affect us?
Essential Questions – “The Keys to Saving Our Planet”:
What is climate?
What is the difference between climate change, climate variability, and weather?
How do scientists observe, study, and predict climate change?
What is the greenhouse effect and does it affect climate change?
How does climate change affect ecosystems around the world?
What human activities affect climate change and can we minimize those effects?
(notes: this is our question simplified:: http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/bigQuestions/)
Objectives of the lesson:
Students will define climate.
Students will describe the differences between climate, and weather.
Students will understand how scientists observe, study, and predict climate change.
Students will observe, and analyze Earth-observing satellite data and understand its
connection to climate change.
Students will describe how greenhouse gases affect the Earth’s climate.
Students will conclude that climate change affects the Earth’s ecosystem.
Students will understand that human activities contribute to climate change.
Subtopics:
Comparing climate on different planets. (link to question #4)
Time factors of climate change (link to question #2)
Lesson In Context: Where does this lesson fit into a unit or topic?
These lessons fit into a unit on atmosphere and oceans.
Prerequisite Knowledge (What should students know about this topic before
these lessons?)
Earth’s Shifting Climate
1. Heat transfer through radiation, convection, and conduction.
2. Understanding of the biomes of the world and the types of organisms found
within each.
3. Atmospheric layers and composition.
4. Earth’s systems including energy budget, water cycle, and carbon cycle.
National Science Standards
NSES.D.1.8, NSES.D.1.9, NSES.D.1.10, NSES.D.2.1, NSES.D.3.4
D.1.8.The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and trace gases that include water vapor. The
atmosphere has different properties at different elevations.
D.1.9.Clouds, formed by condensation of water vapor, affect weather and climate.
D.1.10.Global patterns of atmospheric movement influence local weather. Oceans have a major effect on
climate, because water in the oceans holds a large amount of heat.
NSES.D.2.1.The earth processes we see today, including erosion, movement of lithospheric plates, and
changes in atmospheric composition, are similar to those that occurred in the past. Earth history is also
influenced by occasional catastrophes, such as the impact of an asteroid or comet.
NSES.D.3.4.The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the earth’s surface, such as growth
of plants, wind, ocean currents, and the water cycle. Seasons result from variations in the amount of the
sun’s energy hitting the surface, due to the tilt of the earth’s rotation an its axis and the length of the day.
State Science Standards
Minnesota Academic Standards
8.1.1.2.1.Use logical reasoning and imagination to develop descriptions, explanations, predictions and
models based on evidence.
8.3.2.1.3.Explain how heating of the Earth's surface and atmosphere by the sun drives convection within
the atmosphere and hydrosphere producing winds, ocean currents and the water cycle, as well as
influencing global climate.
8.3.2.2.1.Describe how the composition and structure of the Earth's atmosphere affects energy
absorption, climate and distribution of particulates and gases.
Earth’s Shifting Climate
Curriculum Outline
Lesson 1 - How Scientists Study Climate Change
Lesson Goal: Students learn about remote sensing by comparing observations made at
their site versus satellite pictures. Students will learn what types of information can be
gathered using remote sensing and infer how scientists might use that data to study
Earth processes.
Key Vocabulary: remote sensing, satellite, aerial photography
Materials: digital cameras, computer access, projector, Journal Question #1 (with
pictures of history), optional: printer (to print pictures if needed), optional: use the
Washington DC data set if you do not want to prepare pictures of your own site
Classroom Environment: Students sitting in groups of 3-4 people, access to the
pictures of your site, or Washington DC data set of pictures
Preparatory Work Before Lesson:
Background information on remote sensing on this page:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/RemoteSensing/
http://serc.carleton.edu/eyesinthesky2/week1/remote_sensing.html#explore_more
Preparatory work for students - Take pictures of your site with digital cameras.
Prep work for teachers 1. Download pictures taken by students onto the teacher’s computer so they can be
shown to the class with your projector.
2. Download and open Google Earth. Put in your location. Click on “historical
imagery” icon on the top tool bar. Look at how your location has changed over
time.
a. Optional: If you want to have your students look at multiple sets of data
sets, the teacher may also complete steps 3-4.
2. 3. Go to google maps at https://maps.google.com Enter your address. On the
right hand corner, click on the “satellite” icon. Even though it is called a satellite
image, it really is an aerial view image (taken by airplane).
3. Use terraServer at http://www.terraserver.com/ to find an easy way to find a
satellite picture.
* If teachers really want to get a true satellite image, use the Image J direction sheet to
download a satellite image of your site.
Anticipatory Set: Students are given (either paper copy or digital picture) of “Journal
Question #1” and asked these questions:
Earth’s Shifting Climate
http://arch.ced.berkeley.edu/kap/background/history1.html
1. What do all pictures have in common? (Answer: They all can take pictures of things,
they all go off the ground, they all can gather data. Answers may vary)
2. What kind of information, or data, can be gathered by each of the pictures above?
a. Pigeon with camera (Answers may vary...areas as large as a small building)
b. TERRA satellite (Answers may vary...area as large as multiple states)
c. Unmanned aerial vehicle plane (UAV) (Answers may vary...areas as large as a city)
d. Camera mounted on a kite (Answers may vary...areas as large as a building)
3. What is the difference between the type of data that the NASA satellite can gather
and the type of data that the pigeon with the camera can gather? (Answer: The pigeon
cannot be controlled well, so you will get pictures that are fairly close to the ground,
detailed, but less information in them (smaller area). The satellite can gather information
about the entire Earth over time, in bands. It cannot gather finite details, but can gather
an abundance of data.)
Lesson Sequence:
1. Explain the anticipatory set, and go over a brief history on remote sensing.
2. Project and analyze the images that the students took with their digital cameras at
your site. The teacher asks “What places and objects can you identify and describe in
your photos? What kinds of detail can you describe in these photographs?” (ex: tree,
playground equipment, sidewalk)
3. Compare those images with the aerial photographs the teacher found online using
Google Earth. The teacher asks, “What places and objects can you identify and
describe in these photos? (ex: rivers, buildings, parking lots, forests, roads, pools,
lakes, airports)
4. Teacher adjusts the “historical imagery” icon on the top tool bar of Google Earth to
see older aerial pictures of your site. As a class, discuss how the data shows how your
location has changed over time.
5. Teacher asks “What are the limitations and advantages of these data sets?”
Answer: Images taken on the ground are very detailed, yet you can only see a limited
area. The higher you go when you take an image, you get less detail, but you can
cover more area in your image. ex: you could take a picture of a tree burning, but back
up and look at the same are again from space and see that there is a entire forest
burning (or not).
6. Optional - If teacher has used Terra server or any satellite photos you can find or
prepare (using Image J) of your area to make one final observation. What places and
objects can you identify and describe in these photos? What kinds of detail can you
Earth’s Shifting Climate
describe in these photographs? How are these pictures different than the pictures that
you took?” (ex: towns, rivers, farms, forests, glaciers, volcanoes)
7. If teacher is using the Washington DC set of photos, start with the 5-meter spatial
resolution ASTER photo (that is farthest away) and ask the students what kinds of
details they can gather from this aerial photo. As you go on, have the students compare
that image to the natural color LANDSAT image, and images 3-6. As you get closer
and closer in to pictures of the Capitol building, the students should infer limitations and
advantages of each set of photos. Afterwards, compare the aerial photos of
Washington DC to the close up photos of the recognizable buildings in those photos.
Try to have students figure out clues that they can use to find the buildings in the
original 2 images (example: you can see the shadow of the Washington Memorial, and
the Pentagon is shaped in a pentagon)
8. Show video on satellite data and why it matters.
Video:
http://www.climatewatch.noaa.gov/video/2012/tell-me-why-satellite-climate-data-matter
Possible Extensions:
Have students brainstorm reasons environmental scientists might use remote sensing
to study our Earth and the processes that occur on it. (example: Track oil spills or other
pollutants)
Have students research NASA’s remote sensing accomplishments:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/RemoteSensing/remote_09.php
Show animation on how satellites cover the ground area to produce an all Earth
“picture”
http://aquarius.nasa.gov/aquarius_animation6.htm
Good Activity:
http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/Echo_the_bat/remote_sensing.pdf
Match the satellite and its job?
Check out Viewing Earth From Outer Space:
http://wwwtc.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/media/uploads/earthdays_tg_space.pdf
Earth’s Shifting Climate
Lesson 2 - Evidence of Climate Change - Planetarium Visit

Please see the “Planetarium Script” and “Planetarium Script Visuals” for the
lesson plan.
Lesson 3 - What changes are we observing on Earth and what
inferences can we make about why the changes are happening?
Lesson Goal: Students will analyze the changes happening on Earth (information they
were exposed to in the planetarium show) and infer that climate change is occurring on
our planet.
Key Vocabulary: observation, inference
Materials: Evidence of Change pictures, a copy of ”Evidence of Change Analyzation
Sheet” for each student (student analysis worksheet), Optional: Use the “Observing
Climate Change Presentation” projected at the front of the class with a projector
Classroom Environment: student desks in group of 3-4
Preparatory Work Before Lesson: Teacher should make enough copies of “Evidence of
Change Analyzation Sheet” for each student. Laminate pictures on “Evidence of
Change Pictures” and set one picture at each group of 3-4 students.
Anticipatory Set: Students are asked what the difference between an observation and
an inference are. Give 3 minutes to come up with a definition for each word, and record
on their sheet.
Lesson Sequence:
1. Explain the anticipatory set. Teacher goes over the definition of what an observation
and inference are and writes the definition on their “Evidence of Change Analyzation
Sheet”. Answer: An observation is a description of something that you make with your 5
senses. An inference is an assumption based on the observations made, or prior
experiences. (The assumption can be about what is going on, what happened before,
etc.)
2. Students are given 10 - 15 minutes to analyze the picture given to them. Students
should record observations that they can see or read on the picture, and then infer what
is going on in the picture.
(Optional...information pages are included for each picture. The teacher can choose to
use this information as general background information just for the teacher, or give
students the information page after 5 minutes so that the students can read and gather
additional data to present.)
Earth’s Shifting Climate
3. Each group takes turns sharing their picture observations and the inferences they
have made about what is happening. (Optional: The teacher might want to project the
“Observing Climate Change Presentation” in front of the class while students are
presenting their observations and inferences, so that they can refer to the pictures when
showing their observations.) As students share, other groups should take notes. The
teacher could collect “Main idea” notes on the board from each group as they are
presenting.
4. Wrap up discussion - What changes have we observed on planet Earth that would
affect climate? (Teacher makes the connections for the students. More aerosols from
burning fossil fuels and trees = more CO2 in atmosphere = more global warming. More
deforestation = more CO2 in atmosphere = more global warming due to greenhouse
effect = Warmer sea surface temperature = more coral bleaching. Warmer Sea Surface
temperature = less phytoplankton because they like cold, nutrient rich waters = less
food for organisms in the ocean biome.)
5. Teachers can review this topic by using the “I Never Knew” discussion strategy.
Students take turn at their tables of 3-4 saying “I never knew” and something new they
learned in the lesson. When the first student finishes, the student to their right can
share and so on until everyone at the table shares. You could potentially ask “How
many other people learned that?”
Possible Extensions:
Atmospheric Gas Activity - Great to do before the next lesson! This gives a good visual
of the kinds of gases in our atmosphere and the volumetric measurements of the trace
gases.
http://www.ei.lehigh.edu/eli/cc/sequence/day4.html
Earth’s Shifting Climate
Lesson 4 - Kinesthetic Greenhouse Gases Activity - adapted from
Astro-Venture: Atmospheric Science Educator Guide, lesson 3
(http://astroventure.arc.nasa.gov/teachers/pdf/AV-Atmoslesson-3.pdf)
Lesson Goal: Students will observe which gasses in our atmosphere are greenhouse
gases. They will understand how the Sun’s radiation is sometimes reflected back into
space, and sometimes absorbed by the atmosphere and the Earth’s surface. They will
also understand how greenhouse gases trap radiated energy from Earth’s surface and
release some of it back towards the Earth, increasing the temperature. Students will
understand how this helps to maintain a stable temperature necessary for human
survival.
Key Vocabulary: infrared radiation / radiant heat energy, greenhouse gases, water
vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, ozone, reflection, absorption,
atmosphere
Materials: Atmospheric gas nametags, Sun picture, Earth picture, Cloud pictures,
Energy nametags, Optional: Use the “Greenhouse Gases Kinesthetic Presentation” and
a projector to guide this lesson
Classroom Environment: A large, open area (preferably at least 20 feet by 20 feet),
(desks and chairs should be moved to the side of the room to create an open space)
indoors with a projector and screen at the front of the room. This activity can also be
done outside with 2 students holding the Sun and Earth surface cards; however the
presentation cannot be used outside!
Preparatory Work Before Lesson: Teacher creates nametags for gasses and energy
(laminated with strings to go over students’ necks). The gas nametags will be one
sided, while the energy nametags will be double sided with Sun’s energy on one side,
and infrared energy (radiant heat energy) on the back. Teacher should also tape the
Sun picture on one wall and the Earth picture on the wall on the opposite side of the
room from the Sun.
Anticipatory Set: (This is included in the “Greenhouse Gases Kinesthetic Presentation”)
Students are asked to think about the following questions, and reflect on them in their
notebooks:
1. What is a greenhouse gas? (Hint…think about what it feels like in a greenhouse.)
2. What gases found in our atmosphere are greenhouse gases?
3. How do greenhouse gases affect Earth?
Lesson Sequence:
1. Explain the anticipatory set. Teacher should ask the students to report what they
wrote down in their notebooks (to get an idea of misconceptions students may have).
Teacher should review the gases found in our atmosphere and their approximate
Earth’s Shifting Climate
volumes (nitrogen is 78%, oxygen is 21%, argon is 0.93% and the rest are trace gases
0.04% by volume of the atmosphere). Teacher reviews the trace gases (carbon
dioxide, neon, helium, methane, krypton, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide,
xenon, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, iodine, fluorinated gases (like CFCs) and ammonia) and
which gases are greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water
vapor, ozone, and fluorinated gases like CFCs.).
2. Teacher introduces the kinesthetic greenhouse activity “Today, we will be physically
modeling how the sun’s radiation travels through our atmosphere to Earth and back out
to space. We will also find out how greenhouse gases affect solar radiation.”
3. Teacher hands out the “roles”, describing what each person represents as the roles
are handed out.
 On one side of the classroom, one wall (or student if activity is done outside) will
represent the Sun, and the opposite wall (another student if outside) will
represent the Earth’s surface. Place the name tags on each wall (or student).
 Two groups of 2 students (4 all together) will represent clouds and will wear the
cloud nametags. Have the 2 students group up together, arm in arm. They
should stand between the Earth and the sun, never let go of their partner, and
not move. (*Note...Clouds will come and go, as water vapor condenses into
water. They will move as well in nature with the wind. Clouds are also found in
the troposphere which is the closest layer of the atmosphere to Earth, not on the
outskirts of the atmosphere as this part of the simulation would have you think.
This part of the simulation is not correct, but is just for the sake of easy cloud
simulation.)
 In a class of 30, there will be 16 students that represent the gases methane,
ozone, H2, O2, N2, H2O, and CO2 (2 students will be 2 gas molecules of the
same kind) . Each student will wear a sign or name tag that indicates the gas
molecule that they represent. These students should spread out randomly
between the clouds and the Earth’s surface, but not move until they experience
an infrared energy group.
 A group of four students should link arms to represent the Sun’s radiation. Each
person in this group should have a name tag that says “Sun’s energy” on one
side and “Infrared Energy” on the other side. The group of students should start
out standing next to the Sun. Teachers should remind the students that as these
students stay in the atmosphere longer, the Earth will warm up more.
4. Start simulation 1! (Note: The “Greenhouse Gases Kinesthetic Presentation” helps
give directions on how the sun’s radiation should move.) Students who represent “The
Sun’s radiation” should leave the Sun and travel towards the Earth, linked arm in arm.
When they get close to the clouds, one person should let go from the group of four and
travel back to space (out towards the sun). This represents the amount of energy that
gets reflected back to space by the clouds.
5. The rest of the group of 3 “Sun’s radiation” should travel uninhibited to the Earth,
going under the arms of the bonded molecules or around the molecules.
Earth’s Shifting Climate
6. Once the “Sun’s radiation” students reach the Earth, they should turn their signs over
showing “Infrared Energy (Radiant Heat Energy)” and “bounce” off and travel through
the atmosphere towards space, still linked arm in arm. On their way back out to space:
 If they encounter a methane, ozone, CO2 or H2O person, the methane, ozone
CO2 or H2O person should start to vibrate in place. One of the “IR energy”
students should let go, and travel the opposite direction, “bouncing” back toward
Earth again. The other two “IR energy” students should continue in the same
direction they were going until they reach the clouds where they are free to
escape into space. (It is helpful for the greenhouse gases to raise one hand
during this part, so the students representing the Sun’s radiation know how to
react.)
 If they encounter H2, O2 or N2 they should travel under the arms of the bonds or
around these molecules, and keep moving in the same direction out towards the
sun.
MISCONCEPTION: A common misconception that may confuse students is that clouds
are water vapor. Given this misconception, they may observe that clouds block sunlight
and assume that the heat from the sun should be bounced back from the water
molecule out to space. Clouds are actually condensed water, which is different from
water vapor. Make sure that the water molecule is clearly
labeled: water vapor, and if necessary explain this distinction to students.
7. Students who represent infrared radiation should continue to move through the
“atmosphere of gases” letting go of each other, and switching directions if they come in
contact with a methane, ozone, C02 or H20 person (greenhouse gases). If they come
in contact with a H2, O2 or N2, they should stay connected with their partner and
continue traveling along their path.
8. This should go on until all of the “IR energy” people have escaped out passed the
clouds into space.
9. It is good to do a “trial run” showing the “energy people” how to move in the
simulation. Then, do a second run, a bit faster, describing the motions that the group is
doing. Each time a simulation starts, it is good to remind the students to pay attention
to the length of time the “energy people” are within the limits of the atmosphere. The
longer they stay in the atmosphere, the more warming is happening.
 Optional: You may let more than one “Sun’s radiation” group of four go into the
atmosphere of gases at the same time before moving on to session 2. This
simulates more accurately the sun’s energy continuously entering our
atmosphere.
--------------------Simulation 1 is complete------------------------
Earth’s Shifting Climate
-------------------Beginning of Simulation 2 ----------------------9. Teacher adds 5 more CO2 molecule people, (or trade the cards of 4 other gases to
Co2) to the group of gases, and announces to the students that “This extra CO2 has
been added by human activities”.
10. Ask students “What kinds of human activities might add CO2 to our atmosphere?”
 Answer:
The combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity, transporting people and
goods (this includes transportation sources such as highway vehicles, air travel,
marine transportation, and rail), industrial processes (such as the production of
cement, certain metals like iron and steel, and chemicals), and mismanagement
of forests and crops. (adapted from:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html)
11. Students repeat the same situation as simulation 1, but with more CO2 molecules.
This should make the IR radiation people stay in the Earth’s atmosphere longer,
warming up the atmosphere more, inducing global warming.
-------------------End of Simulation 2 ----------------------Discussion:
12. Teachers collect nametags, have students sit down to record/draw what they
witnessed in the simulation, and explain the role of greenhouse gases in the surface
temperature of Earth and the subsequent effect on human life using these questions.
student should record their answers in the notebooks.
• Focus Question: What role do greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, ozone,
methane, and water vapor play in the temperature of the Earth’s surface?
• Answer: Greenhouse gases absorb heat that is radiated from Earth’s surface
and release some of the heat back towards the Earth, increasing the surface
temperature.
• Focus Question: How does this affect human life on Earth?
• Answer: By absorbing heat, greenhouse gases help to maintain a stable
temperature for human survival. Without enough greenhouse gases, it would be
too cold for human survival.
• Focus Question: Do all gases absorb heat?
• Answer: No. Only some gases (like methane, ozone, C02 or H20 ) have the
unique property of being able to absorb heat.
• Focus Question: What happens to the IR energy (radiant heat energy) when the
amount of greenhouse gases increases? (simulation #2)
• Answer: With high levels of greenhouse gases, the “heat people” stayed in the
atmosphere longer. This might cause it to be too warm or cause other
disruptions in the Earth’s system that could jeopardize human survival.
13. Show energy budget diagram, review vocabulary with students.
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Possible Extensions:
Experiment with a Model The Greenhouse Effect
http://www.ei.lehigh.edu/eli/cc/sequence/day11.html
Making A Greenhouse Activity
http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaWiFS/LIVING_OCEAN/TEACHER6.html
Look at kinds of radiation that reaches Earth’s surface:
http://www.google.com/imgres?start=101&hl=en&safe=active&client=firefoxa&hs=0Xg&sa=X&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:enUS:official&biw=1138&bih=520&tbm=isch&tbnid=mn0S7NXO8z2vYM:&imgrefurl=http://
www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/earth_atmosph_radiation_budget.html&d
ocid=WXfm_cPQ4HGdKM&imgurl=http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere
/images/em_radiation_atmosph_depth_stsci.jpg&w=475&h=420&ei=RELrUO-mDeA2gWc6oG4CQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=869&vpy=131&dur=313&hovh=141&hovw=16
0&tx=200&ty=77&sig=111161293071704002438&page=6&tbnh=141&tbnw=160&ndsp=
22&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:100,i:52
Go further into the Earth’s energy budget with this activity:
http://serc.carleton.edu/files/eslabs/weather/energy_balance_pdf.pdf
Look at the net radiation movie from 1985-1986 using ERBE data from NASA
http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/PRODOCS/erbe/table_erbe.html
Good Graphic on the Greenhouse Effect
http://www.columbia.edu/~vjd1/greenhouse.htm
Many very good possible extensions for climate change topics (albedo, paleoclimate,
climate hotspots, weather and climate) found at this website:
http://www.ei.lehigh.edu/eli/cc/sequence/index.html
Earth’s Shifting Climate
Lesson 5 - How have humans contributed to climate change?
Lesson Goal: Students will analyze the human impact on greenhouse gases by
reviewing an article on the changes in greenhouse gases since the Industrial
Revolution. Students will determine which greenhouse gases have increased as the
Earth’s temperature increased since that time.
Key Vocabulary: ice core, ppm, ppb, greenhouse gases, atmospheric concentrations
Materials: One copy of “What are the greenhouse gas changes since the Industrial
Revolution?” per student, Optional: Use the “Greenhouse Gas Change Presentation”
projected on a screen to guide this lesson
Classroom Environment: Students should be in a desk arrangement where they can
talk with others easily in groups of 3-4, A whiteboard/smartboard/Greenhouse Gas
Change Presentation powerpoint should be used at the front of the classroom to gather
and post student questions
Preparatory Work Before Lesson: Teacher copy enough articles for each student,
Teacher can look at the possible answers that students might come up with when
analyzing the article using the “Greenhouse Gas Change Presentation with Answers”.
Original Article:
http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_SUPERARTI
CLE&node_id=859&use_sec=false&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=d9968971-a6e34ae0-ab9e-a46bb96f0c6e
Lesson Sequence: Can you figure out what impact humans are making on global
climate change?
1. Teacher hands out article and asks students to breakdown the title of the article,
“What are the greenhouse gas changes since the Industrial Revolution?” into key
words. (This is activating background knowledge and connecting their experiences with
their reading.)
ex: Greenhouse - is a glass house that stays warm all winter, where people grow
plants
Greenhouse Gas - Co2, methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide
Gas - not solid or liquid
Change - does not stay the same
Industrial - manufacturing, lots of factories
Revolution - change in power
Industrial Revolution - the transition to new manufacturing processes that
occurred in the period from about 1760 to 1840
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Students work in groups of 3-4 to come up with key words and their definitions, and
then the teacher surveys the class to pool all of their answers into one large class
breakdown. Students record the list in their notebooks.
2. Teacher has the student groups come up with a list of at least 5 “why” or “how”
questions (questions with multiple correct answers to them) about what they think will
be in the article. Teacher prompts groups to ask questions about what they know about
the article and what they want to learn more about. (These focus questions gets the
students to set a purpose and create a schema for learning.)
ex: How have scientists used ice core data?
Why has the concentration of CO2 changed over the years?
3. Teacher prompts each group to look at their list of questions and pick out 1 question
that they think “is their best” at each table.
4. Teacher asks each group for their question and lists them on the board (should be
about 5-8 questions). Students record the class’s questions on their notebook.
5. Teacher asks students to individually read the article and highlight anything that
answers the 5-8 questions written on the board.
6. When finished, students help the teacher answer the questions using their
highlighted text. Students record answers in their notebooks.
7. Teacher asks students to reread the article to comprehend the information in the
article and to get a deeper meaning of the article. (This step helps the students
“translate understanding” from the class discussion to the text.) Teacher asks the
students to do the following while rereading:
“Think like a detective” while reading
Determine the author’s purpose - What does the author really want you to get out of this
article?
Analyze the language used in the text - Are there specific words that are used to
persuade you?
Students write down notes on these points as they reread the text.
8. When students are finished with the reread, the teacher asks the final question:
”What is the human impact on greenhouse gases?”, and the class comes up with a
conclusion together.
Possible Extensions:
Have students create a list of the kinds of activities humans use fossil fuels for.
Analyze the greenhouse gases sources and sinks in this
article:http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_SUPE
RARTICLE&node_id=860&use_sec=false&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=fa098ce09d8c-49f3-a46d-76be5b06656e
Have students research the natural sources (non-man made) of greenhouse gases on
our planet.
Earth’s Shifting Climate
Read “Who’s Most to Blame For Global Warming” article and analyze graphs in text
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/07/whos-most-to-blame-for-globalwarming/
Compare the carbon footprints of different countries around the world using this article:
http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/greenhouse-gas.html
Look at the world’s top polluted cities data set, graph the data, and analyze reasons
why each city might have such pollution problems, or solutions to fix the pollution
problems.
(http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2011/air_pollution_20110926/en/index.h
tml)
(http://www.gobloglog.com/list-cities-highest-levels-air-pollution/3908/)
Earth’s Shifting Climate
Lesson 6 - How Does Climate Change Affect The Biomes of the World?
Lesson Goal: Students will analyze how certain precipitation and temperature changes
in our climate can devastate certain biomes, forcing the types of organisms living there
to die out and be replaced by others.
Key Vocabulary: biome, annual precipitation, annual temperature, taiga (boreal forest),
tundra, temperate grassland, desert, savanna, temperate deciduous forest, tropical
seasonal forest, tropical rainforest, biome succession
Materials: One copy “How Climate Affects the Biomes of the World” per student,
whiteboard or overhead projecting anticipatory set, (*Note: There is a Whittaker Biome
Diagram that has an additional range depicted by a dotted line. The dotted line depicts
seasonal, fire, and other anomalies that change the biomes. Here is a link for this extra
diagram: http://instruct.uwo.ca/biology/320y/climveg.html
In this lesson, we chose to use the simplified diagram to get at the main point.)
Classroom Environment: Students should be in a desk arrangement where they can
talk with others easily in groups of 3-4
Preparatory Work Before Lesson: Teacher makes copies of materials for each student
and familiarize themselves with the kinds of organisms found in the biomes. These
websites are a good overview of the major biomes in North America:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/
http://www.mbgnet.net/index.html
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/
http://www.thewildclassroom.com/biomes/index.html
Anticipatory Set: Students are asked to think about the following questions, and reflect
on them in their notebooks:
1. What is a biome?
2. List as many examples of different biomes you might know.
3. Next to each biome you listed, write 3 organisms that live in that biome.
4. Which biome do you live in?
Lesson Sequence:
1. Teacher explains the anticipatory set, and explains the goal of the lesson. Students
reflect about biomes in their notebook, and class does a quick “think, pair, share” with
their neighbor about what they wrote in their notebook.
2. Teacher hands out a copy of the “How Climate Affects the Biomes of the World” to
each student. Each group of 3-4 students gets assigned one of the biomes from the
diagram to analyze.
3. In the activity, students will be asked to analyze the ranges in temperature and
precipitation that their biome can withstand. They will be asked to find a coordinate of
Earth’s Shifting Climate
the average precipitation and temperature for their biome (estimated middle coordinate
from the diagram). Students will then analyze 3 changes in temperature and
precipitation. They will figure out how their “mid-coordinates” will change with such a
shift, if that shift will be enough to change the organisms living there, and subsequently
the biome type. When a biome “changes” from one to another, this is called biome
succession.
Note: If shift changes result in an area that is off of the Whitaker Biome diagram, tell the
students that the biome would fail to exist. Everything would die out in that case.
4. When all groups are done and have finished the “How Climate Affects the Biomes of
the World” handout, the teacher leads a “Conference on Climate Change” discussion.
The teacher should go through the 3 temperature changes first and ask groups to stand
up if their biome changed during that shift in temperature. When each groups stands
up, the teacher asks which biome they were assigned, what the shift caused the biome
to change into, and their opinion of the kind of organisms that would be now seen there.
5. After each group that had a biome shift shares, the teacher should ask students to
look at the “Major Biomes of the World” map and figure out a place where a biome shift
like that could happen. (Example: For a tundra to taiga shift, you could give an example
location shift of “Being in northern Alaska but feeling like southern Canada”. Or if the
change was from grassland to desert, the location change could be “Being in southern
MN to feeling like Arizona.”)
6. Teacher repeats step 4 and 5 but with precipitation changes, asking student groups
to stand up and share the shift in their biome.
7. To conclude, the teacher goes over these important points:
 Changing climate affects ecosystems around the globe.
 When climate changes, organisms are forced to migrate or die off, leading to
biome succession.
 Global warming is increasing the amount of land that is becoming deserts, or
desertification, around the globe.
Possible Extensions:
Teacher could lead a discussion about climate changes and their effects on watery
biomes of the world. Coral reefs, for example, have a very small range of tolerance for
temperature changes and will “bleach” (or die out) with a 2 degree Celsius change.
Phytoplankton, which live in our world’s oceans are also greatly affected by climate
changes. These organisms, being on the bottom of many oceanic food chains, can
affect much larger sea life.
Global Climate Change and Coral Reefs: Rising Temperatures, Acidification and the
Need for Resilient Reefs (book chapter for reference)
http://www.icriforum.org/sites/default/files/CLIM%20Acid%20and%20temps%20FINAL%
20CH1%20-%20Dec08_0.pdf
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Coral Reefs and Climate Change Movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgFS5f_MUMg
Coral Reefs as Indicators of Paleoclimate
http://www.marine.usf.edu/pjocean/packets/sp00/sp00u1le4.pdf
You Tube video Climate Change and Ecosystems
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8976iKm3fYI&list=WLZBIv8MRoJs0O6eb6eoSSvTpu
DZhqa0ie&safe=active
The Great Graph Match - Match up the Biome with its precipitation and temperature
graphs
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/graphindex.php
Fleeting Phytoplankton
http://earthdata.nasa.gov/featured-stories/featured-research/fleeting-phytoplankton
To map out Coral Bleaching Events on a Global Scale (click on maps, “Coral Bleaching
and SST” and select only Coral Bleaching Severity = all values)
http://reefgis.reefbase.org/
Earth’s Shifting Climate
Lesson 7 - Wrap up - How will humans be affected by our future
climate change? What can we do to help our changing climate?
Lesson Goal: Students will take on a role in the global climate change decision
“debate” and fight for their position. Students will vote on the best environmental
decision based on the cases presented, and reflect on what they learned that week.
Key Vocabulary: global climate change, greenhouse gas contributor
Materials: One copy of “Global Climate Change Debate Roles” per student
Classroom Environment: Students should be in a desk arrangement of 5 large groups,
with students split evenly between the groups. (Note: Larger classes can be split up
into more than 5 groups. There will just be multiple groups with the same role.)
Preparatory Work Before Lesson: Teacher copies enough “Global Climate Change
Debate Roles” - 1 for each student (There are 5 roles with an optional 6th role, and
students only need one role sheet a piece. If you have a class of 30, copy 6 copies of
each role). Teacher copies at least 2 “Solving Global Warming - Doing Something”
mind maps for each table group. The class before, the teacher should split the class up
into 5 groups, and assign one role to each group. For homework, the students should
familiarize themselves with their role, and brainstorm ways to present their position to
the class.
Lesson Sequence:
1. Reiterate to the class the main points that they should have learned through the
lessons this week. They are:
 Our climate is changing - it is warming currently.
 We know this because of evidence we can observe (using satellite data, aerial
data and ground experiments).
 Humans have a role in climate change because we are contributing greenhouse
gases to our atmosphere.
 Changing climate affects biomes around the globe.
2. Teacher has their class sit in their assigned role groups. At each table group, the
teacher places 2 “Solving Global Warming - Doing Something” mind maps to help
students come up with ideas for their proposal. In their groups, students are given 1015 minutes to answer the following questions to prepare for the persuasive role play
discussion:
 Read through your position and your goals for your role that you will present to
the group today. Brainstorm! Make a list of phrases you might use when talking
about your role to the rest of the class.
 As a team, decide how your group is going to propose how to lower carbon
dioxide gas emissions in the next 30 years. Make sure you stay in your role and
consider your roles primary, secondary and selfish goals. List the 3 main points
Earth’s Shifting Climate
of your proposal you need to present to the rest of the class. Don’t forget to sell
your proposal - other teams need to know why your proposal is the best,
fastest, most effective, or cheapest way to lower carbon dioxide emissions!
(Use the mind map picture to help build your proposal.)
 Questions to think about before the proposal: Does your role have the power to
change something in order to get to the Earth objective? (example: propose a
law or make people pay a fee for too many carbon emissions) Does your
primary goal conflict with the Earth objective? If so, how will you navigate that?
Can your role team up with another group to be more effective?
 Who is willing/most prepared out of your group to present your role and these
ideas?
3. One by one, have the “group leader” present their role to the class, and their
proposals. Allow the audience to ask 2-3 questions to each role representative for any
clarification on their proposal. (At this point, some students might “poke holes” in the
proposals of others.)
4. At end of presentations, have all students vote on the role that had the best solutions
to the global problem. The “rules” are that the students cannot vote for their own
group’s role, and each person only gets one vote.
5. After students have chosen the best proposal, go over the solutions as a class, and
rank them. Ask “What would the potential problems be? What are the strengths of
these proposals?”
6. Students can write a personal reflection to end the lesson in their notebooks on
“What are everyday changes that I can easily do to help the climate change problem?
What life changes can I commit to that would limit my carbon dioxide emissions?”
Possible Extensions:
Students create brochures or posters to help educate others how to live a life with low
carbon dioxide emissions.
Students calculate their carbon footprint with these online calculators:
http://www.cooltheworld.com/kidscarboncalculator.php
http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/ind-calculator.html