In this problem-based learning activity, students learn how the intensity and distribution of rainfall and the structure of clouds are critical information for flight navigators. Students assume the role of climatologists and assist a newspaper reporter in determining the veracity of a pilot's statement about weather conditions he encountered in flight using TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite data. The resource includes teacher notes, student worksheet, glossary and an appendix introducing problem-based learning. This resource is the second of the 3-part learning module, Investigating the Climate System:Precipitation.

In this problem-based learning activity, students learn about weather forecasting and the role of the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite in data collection. Assuming the role of climatologists, students assist a reporter in determining the accuracy of weather predictions published in The Old Farmer's Almanac. The lesson requires a street map of the local community, acetate sheets to cover the map, materials needed to build a homemade rain gauge, and sample pages of the almanac. Teacher notes, student worksheet, glossary and an appendix introducing problem-based learning are included. This resource is the first of the 3-part learning module, Investigating the Climate System: Precipitation.

Find out what people and organisations all over the world are doing to adapt to or mitigate climate change.

This integrated OER unit focuses on the 4th grade NGSS bundle addressing Structure, Function, and Information Processing (Performance expectations 4-PS4-2, 4-LS1-1, and 4-LS1-2). Students are engaged in a storyline which presents them with the problem of preserving the pika population who live in the Columbia River Gorge, a species which has recently been threatened in this region due to climate change. Through a series of activities, labs, and field STEM experiences, students engage in scientific modeling and investigation, while building their understanding of how an organism’s internal and external structures enable survival, growth and reproduction. The unit culminates with the development of a product that can be shared with a public audience to instigate positive change in the community and help protect the pika.

In this 2-part inquiry-based lesson, students conduct a literature search to determine the characteristics of the atmospheres of different planets (Venus, Mercury, Mars and Earth). After collecting and analyzing data, student teams design and conduct a controlled physical experiment using a lab apparatus to learn about the interaction of becomes CO², air, and temperature. The resource includes student worksheets, a design proposal, and student questions. Connections to contemporary climate change are addressed. This lesson is the first of four in Topic 4, "How do Atmospheres Affect Planetary Temperatures?" within the resource, Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate?

In this kinesthetic activity, the concept of energy budget is strengthened as students conduct three simulations using play money as units of energy, and students serve as parts of a planetary radiation balance model. Students will determine the energy budget of a planet by manipulating gas concentrations, energy inputs and outputs in the system in this lesson that supports the study of climate on Mars, Mercury, Venus and Earth. The lesson supports understanding of the real-world problem of contemporary climate change. The resource includes a teacher's guide and several student worksheets. This is the second of four activities in the lesson, How do Atmospheres affect planetary temperatures?, within Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate? The resource aims to help students to develop an understanding of our environment as a system of human and natural processes that result in changes that occur over various space and time scales.

In this activity, students simulate the interaction of variables, including carbon dioxide, in a radiation balance exercise using a spreadsheet-based radiation balance model. Through a series of experiments, students attempt to mimic the surface temperatures of Earth, Mercury, Venus and Mars, and account for the influence of greenhouse gases in atmospheric temperatures. The activity supports inquiry into the real-world problem of contemporary climate change. Student-collected data is needed from activity A in the same module, "How do atmospheres interact with solar energy?" to complete this activity. Included in the resource are several student data sheets and a teacher's guide. This activity is part of module 4, "How do Atmospheres Affect Planetary Temperatures?" in Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate? The course aims to help students to develop an understanding of our environment as a system of human and natural processes that result in changes that occur over various space and time scales.

The lesson provides an overview of cloud formation. Cloud formation results when warm, humid air rises and cools, causing the water vapor in the air to condense and form clouds. In this lesson, students will conduct an activity that demonstrates how this occurs. This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA. This lesson was modified from NASA series "Investigating the Climate System. They can be freely downloaded at https://www.strategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Clouds_04.pdf

This short investigation from Carbo Europe explores how temperature affects the solubility of carbon dioxide in water.

Effects of climate change on biodiversity. Video by California Academy of Sciences. Created by California Academy of Sciences.

This activity includes two experiments that explore shadows and light and how mirrors can demonstrate how light travels.

In this demonstration, students explore the concept of greenhouse warming. They determine whether an increase in the amount of heat-trappping gases in the atmosphere can cause the temperature on Earth to rise. Students compare the relative heat retention in two experimental systems that are identical except for one being covered with plastic wrap. Materials required include two small aquarium tanks, plastic wrap, two clamp lamps with 60 watt bulbs, modeling clay, rocks and pebbles, and two thermometers. Teacher background information, student worksheets and a scoring rubric are included. This is Activity 1 of the module Too Many Blankets, part of the lesson series, The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change.

In this lesson, students investigate the life history characteristics of different Antarctic penguin species and identify the changes that their populations have experienced.

In this activity, students use the GLOBE Student Data Archive and visualizations to explore changes in regional and seasonal temperature patterns.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students discuss what they know about air quality, play a game to facilitate understanding of air quality, and create an action plan to inspire solutions in their community.

SCIENTIST NOTES: In this lesson, students will learn about air quality and air pollution and its impacts on the human body. They will also discuss some of the causes of air pollution and think about ways they can make changes in their life to reduce the air pollution footprint. The resources on air quality all cite where they are getting their data from. Videos and links have been reviewed for accuracy. This resource is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson utilizes student choice, active listening, and active participation.
-The How’s Your Atmosphere game is engaging, and the Game Cards give specific examples of everyday actions that can have a positive or negative impact on air quality.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-Teachers should know how to use the resources Padlet or Jamboard.
-Teachers should know how to facilitate a Socratic seminar style discussion.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Movement is encouraged but not required for this game.
-Students in class who need support can be paired or grouped with others who can assist and give guidance.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Climate change may negatively impact cold-water fish while benefiting their parasites. That is the finding of a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Münster. An important biological question regarding climate change is how ecological and evolutionary dynamics will be altered in the face of temperature shifts. Climate change is expected to impact many species -- and parasites are no exception. But few studies have conducted empirical tests to determine precisely how environmental changes will affect host-parasite dynamics. To provide insights into this, a team of researchers conducted an experiment involving three-spined sticklebacks, a tapeworm parasite, and varying water temperatures. Sticklebacks -- and the tapeworms that infect them -- occupy a wide environmental range, making this an ideal system for studying such interactions..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This short video reviews how nations and individuals can work together to reduce the emission of CO2. It discusses strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (energy conservation, renewable energies, change in energy use) and the role that government can play in this process.

This set of three videos illustrates how math is used in satellite data analysis. The videos feature NASA senior climate scientist Claire Parkinson. Parkinson explains how the Arctic and Antarctic sea ice covers are measured from satellite data and how math is used to determine trends in the data. In the first video, she leads viewers from satellite data collection through obtaining a time series of monthly average sea ice extents for November 1978 – December 2012, for the Arctic and Antarctic. In the second video, she begins with the time series from the first video, removes the seasonal cycle by calculating yearly averages, and proceeds to calculate the slopes of the lines to get trends in the data, revealing decreasing sea ice coverage in the Arctic and increasing sea ice coverage in the Antarctic. In the third video, she uses a more advanced technique to remove the seasonal cycle and shows that the trends are close to the same, whichever method is used. She emphasizes the power of math and that the techniques shown for satellite sea ice data can also be applied to a wide range of data sets.

To achieve food security in a changing climate, the global community must operate within three limits: the quantity of food that can be produced under a given climate; the quantity needed by a growing and changing population; and the effect of food production on the climate. At present the planet operates outside that safe space, as witnessed by the enormous number of people who are undernourished. If current trends in population growth, diets, crop yields and climate change continue, the world will still be outside this ̢ĺŰĺ÷safe operating space̢ĺŰĺŞ in 2050. Humanity must urgently work to enlarge the safe space and also move the planet into the safe space (film credit: Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change, an initiative of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security, in collaboration with University of Minnesota Global Landscapes Initiative).

In this lesson, students explore how human activities will continue to impact Antarctic ice, discuss human contributions to climate change, and investigate what we can do to stop/reverse these negative effects.