Space Awareness
The Big Meltdown
Explore the world (our world) of melting ice caps. Why are these caps melting? What is the effect of melting ice caps? Dive into the ever-present issue of global warming with a resource that has learners looking at data and participating...
NOAA
Where Have All the Glaciers Gone?
What happens when ice melts? Well ... water happens. When that melting ice is a glacier, the amount of water that results produces change throughout the world. Middle school science sleuths uncover the truth about global warming, the...
Curated OER
The Big Burp: Where's the Proof?
Young scholars research the evidence for prehistorically formed methane hydrates contributing to global warming. In this climate change lesson, students work in groups to research methane hydrates, global warming, The Cambrian Explosion,...
Curated OER
How Does the Earth's Energy Budget Relate to Polar Ice?
Learners use satellite data to see how radiation budget relates to the ice that is present in the North. In this energy lesson students correlate data to see a relationship.
Global Oneness Project
Witnessing Icebergs
Camille Seaman's photoessay, "Witnessing Icebergs" documents just a tip of the problem of climate change through images of icebergs in both the Arctic and Antarctic polar regions. After viewing the haunting images, viewers respond to a...
Global Oneness Project
At-Risk Communities
"Waiting to Move," a photo essay by Ciril Jazbec, brings into sharp focus the threats posed by climate change. Class members examine images of Shishmaref Island and the Native Alaskan Inupiate coastal villages that are impacted by rising...
Curated OER
Earth's Warming Climate: Are We Responsible
Students examine the atmospheric data for CO2. In this web-based atmospheric lesson, student follow instructions to examine and plot on-line scientific data about the CO2 levels in our atmosphere and analyze the changes found in the data.
Curated OER
The Fact of Global Warming
Students investigate the harmful impact of global warming by reading news articles. In this environmental care lesson plan, students analyze an article about the Kyoto Protocol and its goal of saving our environment. Students...
Curated OER
How Does the Loss of Ozone Affect Our Climate
Students explore the greenhouse effect and what it does to the environment. They discuss if and how human behavior contributes to global warming and test natural materials for carbon content.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Albedo, Reflectivity, and Absorption
What is reflectivity, and what does it have to do with the Earth's climate? As reflectivity is measured by albedo, scientists can gather information on Earth's energy balances that relate to global warming or climate change. Budding...
Curated OER
Changing Planet: Sea Levels Rising
Begin by showing a six-minute video, Changing Planet: Rising Sea Level as an anticipatory set. Pupils draw a topographic map of a potato continent. Finally, they will visit NOAA's sea levels online map and NASA's carbon dioxide...
Curated OER
Changing Planet: The Warming of Our Large Lakes - Reasons for Concern
Another A+ lesson on the impact of climate change comes to you from the National Earth Science Teachers Association. In this installment, learners model the stratification of water in lakes due to temperature differences. The lab also...
Curated OER
Climate And the Greenhouse Effect
Students demonstrate the greenhouse effect. They recognize that relatively small changes to our environment can stimulate significant climate changes. They determine that the "scientific method" is a process of testing hypotheses and...
Curated OER
Ice Breakers
Middle schoolers understand the effects of global warming on icecaps. They investigate the worldwide consequences that may result.
Global Oneness Project
A Vanishing Island
The effects of rising sea levels on Isle de Jean Charles, located off the coast of Louisiana, are documented in Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee's poignant short video. Viewers are asked to consider not only the plight of residents but also what...
Curated OER
Sea and Ice Salinity
Students conduct an experiment. In this salinity activity, students learn about sea ice, why it is important and how changing amounts can affect the sea. Students conduct an experiment to find out the effects of salinity on the...
Curated OER
The Mathematics of Convection: Nature's Model for Energy Production
High schoolers conduct a series of experiments to investigate density, buoyancy and climate. In this math lesson, pupils design and build a hot air balloon to demonstrate convection. They research and write a paper about solar chimneys.
Curated OER
Where Have All the Glaciers Gone?
Fourth graders discover that scientists examine evidence from around the world in order to explain global climate change. They see that records of climate change exist, and describe photographs interpreting changes in glaciers over time.
Curated OER
Biomes: The Threat of the Sea
Young scholars create posters to raise awareness about Global Warming as an immediate threat. In this environmental lesson, students respond to the video Biomes: The Threat of the Sea by researching global warming and making posters to...
Curated OER
On the Rise . . . Sea Level and Global Warming
Ninth graders conduct an experiment to determine how melting sea ice affect sea level. In this earth science lesson, 9th graders explain the environmental consequences of rising sea level. They relate this lesson to global warming.
Curated OER
The Big Burp: Where's the Proof.
High schoolers explore the Cambrian explosion and Paleocene extinction events. In this climate change instructional activity, students read articles to link evidence they find to extinction and climate change. Links to the articles are...
Curated OER
Polar Energy
Students define and read an article on polar energy. In this polar energy activity, students answer questions about the article. Students participate in activities related to isotopes, half-life and radiocarbon. Students make global...
Curated OER
Global Warming Statistics
Students research real-time and historic temperature data of U.S. and world locations, and analyze the data using mean, median, and mode averages. They graph the data and draw conclusions by analyzing the data. A spreadsheet is used to...
Curated OER
Climate Change: What's Hot? What's Happening?
Students conduct a web-based project to analyze recent or on-going climate change research in the North. They are exposed to the application of science in current research on climate change.