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Character Education Science FCAT Warm-up
Respect – High School – January 2009
Respect is defined as showing consideration, understanding, and regard for people, places, and things. If you
show respect, you will gain respect. We should all show respect for the health of our planet. Our earth with all
its plants, animals, and microorganisms, form a complex web of life. The human race flourishes in a healthy
environment. Be sure to respect animals, plants, the environment, and yourself by showing consideration,
understanding, and high regard to all that share the planet with us. It is important not to take things you see
every day for granted!
Activity 1: Calculate Your High School’s Progress with Climate Change
Sunshine State Standards: SC.D.2.4, SC.G.2.4, SC.H.3.4, LA.9-12.5.2.2
High school students can investigate the link between everyday actions at their school, greenhouse gas
emissions and climate change. By using the EPA's Climate Change Emission Calculator Kit, or Climate
CHECK (http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/downloads/ClimateCHECK_1.0.zip) (WinZip of Excel
spreadsheet, 3.4 MB) students can learn about climate change, estimate their school’s greenhouse gas
emissions and conceptualize ways to mitigate their school’s climate impact. Students gain detailed
understanding of climate-change drivers, impacts, and science. They learn to produce an emission inventory
and action plan, and can even submit the results of their emission inventory to their school district. You can
also use Portfolio Manager www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=eligibility.bus_portfoliomanager_eligibility) to
compare the energy use of your school with other schools nationwide, and earn the ENERGY STAR for your
school if it qualifies as a top performer.
Write to Fight Climate Change: Have the students write a three to four paragraph essay explaining what their
high school is doing to help fight climate change. Also, have them give additional examples of what the school
can possibly do to have a greater impact on helping reduce climate change. As a class, prepare a list and
present to the school officials to review, make suggestions, and possibly implement.
Activity 2: Create Your Own Climate Change Conference
Sunshine State Standards: SC.D.2.4, SC.G.2.4, LA.9-12.5.2.2
1. If the students are not already familiar with the basics of climate change and its impacts, spend some time
on the basics, and also on the impacts as outlined in High School Backgrounder #12: Global Impacts of
Climate Change (www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-BG/BG_HS_12_O_E.html).
2. Introduce the plan of the conference to the students. Divide the class into groups (no more than five
students per group) and assign each group a country. Some countries that would be interesting to include are:
- Bangladesh
- China
- Canada
- Venezuela
- India
- Indonesia
- United States
- Kuwait
- Tuvalu, or other South Pacific island nation- Tanzania
3. Preparation: Distribute the Student Handout: An International Agreement on Climate Change – Is it
possible? (www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-lp/LP_35_H_MS_summit_SH.html#SH01).
Read through the handout with the students and clarifying what they need to do to prepare for the summit.
Allow time for student research and preparation. Tell the students that “High School Backgrounder #12: Global
impacts of Climate Change” is also a good resource for this activity, and make copies available. As you move
around the classroom, encourage the students to take strong positions that will result in lively debate and
discussion.
(Note: This research phase could be expanded to include preparation of an informational display on their
country, including pictures, country information, key points, etc.)
4. The Summit: Arrange the classroom so that the speakers are arranged in a large circle, with their support
groups clustered behind them. Encourage students to stay in-role. (They may even want to wear clothing
representative of the country). The teachers will as the summit chair and conference. The summit progresses
through these stages:

Presentation of Opening Position Statements – The conference chair welcomes participants, and gives the
speaker for each country two to four minutes to introduce their country, give some key facts relating to
climate change impacts in their country today and into the future, and state what they hope to gain from the
summit meeting. Don’t move on to general discussion until each person has been heard. Encourage the
countries to listen carefully to each other’s position. During the next phase of the summit, they may want to
team up with other countries that are taking similar positions.

Negotiation Break – The chair calls a five-minute break, to allow the country teams to negotiate with other
countries to enhance their position.

Working Towards a Solution – The chair facilitates a discussion as countries try to come to an agreement
on how to slow the progress of climate change. The speaker is the only one who can speak for the
country, but other group members may pass notes or whisper suggestions.

The class may not reach an agreement. (In fact, it may not be realistic for them to reach agreement.)

The most important thing is that differing views are presented, and that the students realize how citizens
from other nations regard the issue of climate change.
5. Debrief: Using the Teacher Handout: Reflecting on the Summit (www.climatechangenorth.ca/sectionlp/LP_35_H_MS_summit_SH.html#TH01), lead a class discussion to explore what students experienced and
learned from the summit.
6. Ask students to distill the key thoughts and ideas learned from their research and participation in the
summit into 200-800 word report.
Source: www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-lp/LP_35_H_MS_summit.html
Activity 3: Is Our Climate Really Changing?
Sunshine State Standards: SC.D.2.4, SC.G.2.4, SC.H.3.4, LA.9-12.5.2.2
Students work in small groups collecting information on the Greenhouse Effect, and evidence for and against
the possibility that it exists. They can visit Web sites collecting evidence that supports or refutes the
Greenhouse Effect. This is followed by a debate about whether the earth is in fact warming up due to the
Greenhouse Effect. Students will use the data they have collected to support their positions. Following this
discussion, the focus shifts to political and environmental policies that might increase the Greenhouse Effect,
have the whole class discuss the possible impact of the Greenhouse Effect.
Students begin by studying the Greenhouse Effect, using printed and on-line resources. As students research
the Greenhouse Effect, they should be collecting evidence that supports or refutes the theory. As they visit
these Web sites, students should also be identifying what effect climate change might have on the earth and
what possible solutions might exist to any Greenhouse Effect.
Questions that the groups should consider as they collect information include:
What impact might CO2 emissions have on overall climate change?
Is there a strong connection between CO2 emissions and climate change?
What impact have chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) emissions had on climate change?
How is the structure of the ozone related to climate change?
Would the earth be warming as quickly if we had not invented and used internal combustion engines for our
transportation?
How can we model future changes in the global climate with the scientific models available?
What can climate models tell us about life on earth for future generations?
How much emphasis should we place on the results of these models?
The groups gather to participate in a debate about the scientific merits of the Greenhouse Effect. As
participants offer their views, they should support their position with evidence drawn from their research.
Positions and evidence should be scrutinized by the group according to scientific merits, verifiability, weight of
evidence, and influences by outside parties.
As the discussion continues, students should write down what criteria would point to the existence of the
Greenhouse Effect.
Students can discuss what effect climate change and the Greenhouse Effect might have on their lives, as well
as the lives of others. Students can analyze the effects at a more local level and see what impacts will be seen
in South Florida as a result of climate change (i.e.– sea level rise, hurricanes, coral bleaching, habitat loss,
etc.)
Source: www.commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/letsnet/noframes/Subjects/science/b5u1l2.html