Global Warming: Lessons

Global Warming Unit

This middle school unit is well designed with several supporting Internet links to allow visualization of some of the concepts. This unit describes four lessons and how to present them.

Earth & Space Sciences; Standard 1: Understands atmospheric processes and the water cycle
Life Sciences: Standard 6: Understands relationships among organisms and their physical environment
Nature of Science: Standard 11: Understands the nature of scientific knowledge
Nature of Science Standard 12: Understands nature of scientific inquiry
Geography Standard 14: Understands how human actions modify the physical environment
Geography Standard 18: Understands global development and environmental issues

Ozone and Temperature Data Analysis - South Pole, Antarctica

Designed for students in grades 5-12, this lesson provides links to data that students can use to chart the temperature and ozone concentration across the seasons of several years. Students will become familiar with the distribution of the ozone in the atmosphere from 0 to 35 kilometers. Designed by a teacher who was part of the Teachers in Antarctica and the Arctic program.

Earth & Space Sciences; Standard 1: Understands atmospheric processes and the water cycle
Nature of Science: Standard 11: Understands the nature of scientific knowledge
Geography Standard 18: Understands global development and environmental issues

Getting to the Core of Climate Change

Students in grades 6-9 can use ice core data provided on this site to map climate changes in Antarctica over thousands of years. This unit describes how to help students understand what ice coring is and how it is done. Use the URL www.imag-n-that.com/NOAA/www/icecore.htm to see the actual graphical data.

Earth & Space Sciences; Standard 1: Understands atmospheric processes and the water cycle
Nature of Science: Standard 11: Understands the nature of scientific knowledge

When Floating Ice Melts in the Sea

This site describes a science experiment that lets elementary students see what happens when floating ice melts. The description of the experiment would be quite messy if done as described. You might want to revise the procedures a little allowing more precise measurement and something to catch the overflow. See if your students can figure out a way to modify this experiment to show what happens to land masses surrounded by water when ice melts.

Nature of Science: Standard 11: Understands the nature of scientific knowledge
Nature of Science Standard 12: Understands nature of scientific inquiry

When Land Ice Melts

An experiment to contrast with the previous one. Pretty well-designed experiment for elementary students to try. Again, you will want to protect from the inevitable spills associated with this experiment. Be sure to ask your students if they think a block of wood is a good example of what would happen to the land. Is this experiment based on some assumptions about the earth and continent formation? Ask students what the water represents in this experiment. See if students can figure out how to modify this experiment to determine what would happen to another land body in the same ocean.

Nature of Science: Standard 11: Understands the nature of scientific knowledge
Nature of Science Standard 12: Understands nature of scientific inquiry

Lesson Plans Related to Climate Change & Sea Level

Several hands-on experiments using simple materials to help illustrate some aspects of Global Warming. These are designed for grades 5-9. Some that look particularly interesting are Measuring Quantities of Gases; Amount of Greenhouse Gases in the Global Atmosphere (see if your students can find more current data), and Moving Water and Waves.

Nature of Science: Standard 11: Understands the nature of scientific knowledge
Nature of Science Standard 12: Understands nature of scientific inquiry

The Difference Between Global Warming and Ozone Depletion

This experiment by Beakman shows the difference between global warming and the ozone layer. The information here should be easily understood by students in grades 4-5.

Nature of Science: Standard 11: Understands the nature of scientific knowledge
Nature of Science Standard 12: Understands nature of scientific inquiry