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Ecosystem Workshop Module 3B: Summer 2010
Lesson Plan for Module 3B:
Biosphere Response to Changing Climate
Instructor: Ryan Kelly
Teaching goals:
 Give a concise overview of projected climate
change
 Explain the potential effects of climate change
on the biosphere
 Offer specific examples of biome shifts
expected to occur given climate predictions
Learning objectives:
At the end of the lesson student will be able to:
 Describe major patterns in climate change
projections for the 21st century
 Understand the broad impacts that climate
change may have on the biosphere
 Give examples of biome shifts that may occur
due to climate change
Equipment / supplies needed:
 Worksheets (1 & 2)
 Figures of maps
Homework / papers to be collected:

Other considerations:
 This lesson is meant to be paired with Module
1A: Distribution of the World’s Biomes
Homework to be assigned:
 Finish worksheet
Ecosystem Workshop Module 3B: Summer 2010
Time allotted:
7 minutes
Lesson activities for the instructor and the students:
Discuss global climate change with the students. Encourage specificity in terms of the
amount, spatial pattern, and rate of climate change: How much warming is really expected,
and over what time scale? Where will climate change be most severe? How do projections
of precipitation and temperature change differ? Show a slide of temperature and precipitation
projections for the late 21st century, for use in the following activity.
8 minutes
Roughly divide the class into 3-5 groups and assign each a biome. Ask the students to
brainstorm briefly with their neighbors to predict changes to their assigned biome, given
their own prior knowledge and the climate maps on display. After several minutes, discuss
several of the predictions to get a feel for the major concepts that 1) ecosystem shifts are
expected over the next 100 years, and 2) many factors may complicate the actual responses
of ecosystems to climate change.
25 minutes
Ask students to work with a partner on completing the attached worksheet. Remainder of
worksheet can be assigned as homework.
10 minutes
Debrief students on their findings. Emphasize dramatic ecosystem shifts that would be
predicted based on climate change alone. Are such shifts actually likely on such a short time
scale? What about shifts into “No Analog” climates—that is, some places may have climates
in 2100 that aren’t even on the biome diagram!