Download Character Newsletter for Middle School Students

Tolerance
Middle School -
April 2012
Character Education
Newsletters
Broward County Air
Quality Program
Tolerance is the ability to recognize and respect the differences, values, and beliefs of other people.
Just in time for Earth Day, your students can learn about tolerance as it relates to environmental
issues. Through participation in local Earth Day activities and research, students will be able to
educate themselves about environmental issues affecting our county, state, and country.
Go Green
This April 2012 issue is the last for the current school year. We sincerely hope you enjoyed the
activities and announcements found in the newsletters throughout the school year. Please take our
short survey on the FCAT Warm-up Character Education Newsletters. We value your opinion and look
forward to hearing from you. The link to take the survey is www.surveymonkey.com/s/9CHXMQ6.
Enjoy the rest of the school year and have a safe summer!
NatureScape Broward
Greenhouse Effect…Building Our Own
This is a hands on activity in which students will set up a simplified model of the earth and the
greenhouse effect. By comparing temperatures inside a jar to temperatures outside the jar, they will be
able to draw conclusions about how an envelope of greenhouse gases is affecting the earth in terms of
climate change.
Background Information for this lesson plan:
 For Teachers:
The Greenhouse Effect - www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-BG/BG_HS_02_O_E.html
 For Students:
Basics of Climate Change: What’s the Big Deal? - www.climatechangenorth.ca/sectionBG/BG_I_02_I_E.html
Materials:
 Two small thermometers
 One large jar with a lid – standard glass lab thermometers are about 25 centimeters long (make
sure the jar is large enough that the thermometer fits inside, and make sure to use an alcohol –
NOT mercury – thermometer)
 one clock or watch
 two strips of cardboard approximately 2 cm longer and 4 cm wider than the thermometer
(cardboard must be stiff and strong enough to support the thermometer, so corrugated cardboard is
recommended)
 rubber band
 bright desk lamp or sunny window
 graph paper (one piece per student)
 ruler – one per student
 pencil
 at least two colored pens per student
 chart paper
 markers
 Student worksheet (handout, found at http://www.climatechangenorth.ca/sectionLP/LP_06_I_B_greenhouse_SH.html ).
Introduction to Lesson Plan:
Where does the term “greenhouse effect” come from? Picture a greenhouse, built with walls of glass or
clear plastic. As sunlight passes through the walls, its heat is absorbed by both the soil and by the
plants. Some of the heat is radiated back into the air, warming the greenhouse. The walls trap the
warm air inside the greenhouse.
A similar trapping of heat happens in the earth’s atmosphere. Sunlight passes through the atmosphere
and is absorbed by the earth’s surface. Some of that heat is later radiated back into the air where
some of it is trapped by the atmosphere. Without the atmosphere, heat would reflect into space and
the earth’s temperature would average about –18ºC. Greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, however,
trap more of the radiating heat than the atmosphere normally does. This warming due to heat-trapping
gases is called the “Greenhouse Effect”.
In the classroom experiment, the air around the exposed thermometer is constantly changing due to
convection currents in the classroom. Warm air rises and is replaced by cooler air. The air trapped in
the jar is unable to circulate to the rest of the room, however, and as a result the air gets warmer.
Activity:
Group the students and distribute the materials. Be sure to include the downloaded student
worksheet.
Hold the two strips of cardboard together (face to face), and wrap the rubber band around what will
now be the top ends. The two pieces are now attached.
Slide the thermometer between the pieces of cardboard, with the top end under the rubber bands,
roughly flush with the top of the cardboard. You should now have a thermometer sandwich: the
thermometer should be secured under the rubber band, between the two pieces of cardboard.
Bend the cardboard out a bit in a teepee shape so that the thermometer is suspended between the two
pieces. Make sure the numbers on the thermometers are facing out.
Stand the teepee up to make sure it is self-supporting.
Place one of the thermometers inside the jar and put the lid on the jar.
Place the jar in a sunny window or beside a desk lamp. Place the second thermometer next to the jar.
Be sure that both thermometers are shaded from direct light by the cardboard to get an accurate
reading.
Wait for approximately three minutes so the thermometers will be giving accurate readings and then
have the students record the initial temperatures from both thermometers.
Record the temperatures on the student worksheet every 10 minutes for one hour.
Plot a line graph with both sets of data on the same axes (temperature on Y, time on X). See the
example below.
Climate Change
Broward County Kids
Corner
Upcoming Events
EARTH DAY!
@Broward Environment
@Broward Environment’s
Channel
Note about graphs: Line graphs can be used to
show how something changes over time, also
called a time series plot. They have an x-axis
(horizontal) and a y-axis (vertical). Usually, the xaxis has numbers for the time period (independent
variable), and the y-axis has numbers for what is
being measured (dependent variable). The data
that gets plotted are called “values.” Plotting data
generally allows the investigator to determine the
existence of a trend (general direction) in the data
more easily than looking at a table or notes.
Lead a discussion on the results:
Why is it hotter inside the jar? (The glass lets the sun’s energy inside, and then traps the heat.)
What would cause the temperature in the jar to change at different times? (Different sun conditions)
In what ways is our mini-greenhouse like the sun’s atmosphere? In what ways is it different? (The jar
traps heat, like the earth’s atmosphere. But the earth’s atmosphere is not solid, like glass. Some of the
heat radiating from the earth’s surface escapes into space. Some is absorbed for a short time by
greenhouse gases and then emitted back to the earth’s surface.)
Evaluation:
Have each student complete his or her data sheets and hand them in.
Ask each group to take the discussion questions above and answer them on chart paper to be hung up
for further discussion.
After the follow up discussion above, ask each student to write a paragraph or two explaining what
happened in their experiment and why. Ask them to answer the questions at the bottom of their
worksheet as well
Enrichment Ideas:
Students may want to continue the experiment and record the two temperatures every day at the same
time for a week. Graph the data and discuss how the temperatures fluctuate from day to day.
Source: http://www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-LP/LP_06_I_B_greenhouse.html
Weather and Climate
This lesson will help students learn how weather and climate are connected through time. It will also
broaden students’ understanding of how weather changes and the present state of the Earth's climate
(climate change).
Overview of Weather - Climate Lesson
At present, alterations to our climate are having major consequences for life on Earth. These changes
are expected to continue unless greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced. . Changes to our
atmosphere and climate over tens of thousands of years are measured by scientists drilling into the
ancient glaciers and ice sheets. They are able to determine the amount of gases that were present in
the atmosphere. By comparing the change in the amount of gases in the atmosphere over time,
scientists are able to understand how the atmosphere has changed and make better predictions of
atmospheric change in the future.
Lesson Objectives:
1. Understand difference between climate and weather.
2. Understand the relationship between weather and climate, and the importance of climate
stability to society.
3. List methods in which rain, wind, and air pressure can be measured.
Climate/Weather Lesson
1. Write the words ‘Weather’ and ‘Climate’ on the board. Ask students to come up and write a
phrase or a word about these words. (Anything goes!) Conduct a class discussion on weather
and climate using the student’s words and ideas. Attempt to form a class definition of “weather”
and “climate’. For example: - The weather is the condition of the atmosphere and how it
changes over a short period. Climate is the effect of the weather over a whole area or country
for a definite longer period of time. Resource: http://www.global-greenhousewarming.com/climate-weather.html
2. Lead a discussion on the climate of the whole world and discuss averages for different global
regions. Climate indicators – average temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, and wind
speed. Regions - polar, tropics, temperate, oceanic, and high altitude.
3. Why do we measure the weather? It doesn’t matter where we live in the world, being able to
predict the weather is an advantage. Most activities are closely linked to the weather. Having
some idea about “what the weather will do”, helps in planning these activities. People have
developed local lore about weather, for example; "Red Sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in
the morning, sailor take warning; Clear moon, frost soon; Rainbow in the morning gives you fair
warning." How useful might these saying be? Measuring wind, rain, clouds, air pressure,
snowfall etc provides an information base to predict or forecast weather. Stability is important
because civilizations rely on consistent predictable conditions for resource supply. Reference
http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/climate-weather.html
Make A Barometer
A barometer is an instrument that is used to measure changes in air pressure. Barometers used in
weather stations are very sensitive and expensive.
Materials:
 Transparent glass jar or plastic bottle.
 A length of transparent tube (drinking straw)
 Blu-tac or modeling clay
 Tap water
 Small quantity of food coloring
Instructions:
1. Take the transparent container and fill it around half-full with tap water.
2. Add a few drops of the food coloring to the water, enough so you can clearly see the water
change to the color of the dye.
3. Insert the straw or tube into the container, and tape it to the inside of the container (ensure that
the straw is not touching the bottom of the container).
4. Draw the liquid up through the straw (suck on it) until it appears above the water line.
5. Quickly pinch the end of the tube and seal off with blu-tac or clay.
6. Attach a short ruler or piece of paper to the outside of the container in order to measure and
record changes in air pressure.
7. Keep the barometer out of direct sunlight to reduce evaporation and thermal expansion.
What Happens?
As the pressure in the atmosphere rises, water in the jar is forced downwards which in turn, will put
pressure on the water in the straw and force it to rise. Rising air pressure means rising water in the
straw and falling air pressure means the water level in the straw drops. You may have noticed when
watching weather reports on TV, that when the air pressure is rising, the weather generally becomes
fine, clear, and generally dry. The reverse is generally the case and when the air pressure falls, the
weather becomes more unsettled.
Sources: www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/support-files/l1climateweather.pdf
www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/support-files/climatel1act1.pdf
One of the ways to reduce our carbon footprint and help with climate change is to recycle. Broward
County now has single source recycling, so students can recycle plastic bottles, aluminum cans, glass
jars and paper all in one recycling bin. Even in the classrooms this can be done. Which of the following
explains the high value of recycling aluminum cans?
a.
b.
c.
d.
It will quickly turn to copper if not recycled.
It has an unstable nucleus, so it decomposes very easily.
It is very reactive, so it is rarely found in a pure form in nature.
It is not very reactive, so it is often found in a pure form in nature.
Answer: C
Please Take Our Survey
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and provide your candid feedback to help the
Broward County Air Quality Program assess your educational needs. To thank you for your time, all
responses received by Wednesday, May 23, 2012 will be entered into a drawing. Each of three
winners will receive one of these great environmental prizes including: "365 Ways to Live Green" by
Diane Gow McDilda, the Ventura County Film "AIR" or a deluxe 18oz stainless steel water bottle. The
link to take the survey is www.surveymonkey.com/s/9CHXMQ6. Enjoy the rest of the school year and
have a safe summer!
Pioneer Middle School Environmental Awareness Day
Join the students, staff and environmental experts for a fun educational event.
When: Saturday, May 12, 2012, from 9am-Noon
Spread the Word!!!
Subscribe to our FREE electronic Character Education Science FCAT Warm-up
Newsletters Today!
The monthly edition of this newsletter is distributed only through a FREE electronic e-mail
subscriber list. E-mail the Broward County Air Quality program at [email protected]
to receive this valuable curriculum resource. The newsletters are also available on our
Environmental Kids Club web site at www.broward.org/kids. Archived copies of the
newsletter are also available through the School Board’s BEEP system.
2012 Sustainable Schools Poster Contest
New Deadline: April 27, 2012
A sustainable school is one that meets the educational and environmental
needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability is managed by
balancing the areas of education, environment, society, and economy to
contribute to a healthy future for all.
For contest rules and more information on the poster contest, please visit
http://www.broward.org/Kids/Contests/Pages/2012SustainableSchoolsPost
erContest.aspx.
For Sustainable Schools Poster Contest examples, visit
http://www.broward.org/Kids/Contests/Pages/2012PosterContestExamples.aspx.