Students play the role of carbon atoms to learn about the carbon …
Students play the role of carbon atoms to learn about the carbon cycle and how it is changing. Students create two carbon cycle diagramsâvisual models of the cycle before and after the Industrial Revolution. They reflect on the game and how scientists believe humans are impacting this critical Earth system.
In this activity, students consider how several communities are adapting to climate …
In this activity, students consider how several communities are adapting to climate change-related problems including drought's impacts on agriculture, loss of assets due to climate-related hazards, freshwater availability, and extreme heat waves. They will read brief case studies about agro-forestry, insurance strategies, the "Room for the River" program in the Netherlands, water storage from retreating glaciers, and city planning for heat waves. Based on these examples and knowledge of their own community, they will suggest possible adaptation strategies that will be most beneficial to their area.
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This game is an expansion on the popular board game Catan, it …
This game is an expansion on the popular board game Catan, it adapts the regular Catan game to become a game about sustainability and climate change. It's a neat idea, but teachers must already own the game and know how to play it.
This game-based learning would be great for after-school activities, environmental clubs, or a 'free' period in school. The amount of setup needed to get the game going and explain the rules may be too involved for regular classroom use.
In this activity, students research changes to the environment in the Arctic/Bering …
In this activity, students research changes to the environment in the Arctic/Bering Sea over time using oral and photographic histories. Developed for Alaska Native students, this activity can be customized for other regions.
Key figure from the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report …
Key figure from the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report that shows changes in global average surface temperature, global average sea level, and Northern Hemisphere snow cover from as far back as 1850.
Students focus on the three interconnected choices global society faces as Earth's …
Students focus on the three interconnected choices global society faces as Earth's climate continues to changeâsuffer, adapt, and mitigateâto analyze and predict current and future impacts to Earth's systems. Using videos excerpted from NOVA: Decoding the Weather Machine, students explore ways that adaptation and mitigation strategies can work at various levels to minimize suffering and then develop an evidence-based action plan for their local community.
This video and accompanying essay examine ways to reduce the environmental impact …
This video and accompanying essay examine ways to reduce the environmental impact of burning coal. Two technologies are discussed: turning solid coal into a clean-burning fuel gas (syngas), and capture and storage of CO2.
In this activity, students learn about the scientific evidence supporting climate change, …
In this activity, students learn about the scientific evidence supporting climate change, use this information to evaluate and improve conclusions some people might draw about climate change, and participate in a role-play to negotiate solutions to climate change.
Bell Telephone Science Hour produced this video in 1958, explaining how the …
Bell Telephone Science Hour produced this video in 1958, explaining how the production of CO2 from factories and automobiles is causing the atmosphere to warm, melting the polar ice caps, and causing the sea level to rise.
In this short video, learn about actions that humans can take to …
In this short video, learn about actions that humans can take to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts. Use this resource to stimulate thinking and questions about climate change and to provide opportunities for students to design solutions and communicate information.
This video focuses on the science of climate change and its impacts …
This video focuses on the science of climate change and its impacts on wildlife on land and in the sea, and their habitats in the U.S. There are short sections on walruses, coral reefs, migrating birds and their breeding grounds, freshwater fish, bees, etc. Video concludes with some discussion about solutions, including reduce/recycle/reuse, energy conservation, backyard habitats, and citizen scientists.
This unit introduces high school students to climate change, the carbon cycle, …
This unit introduces high school students to climate change, the carbon cycle, and the effects of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide on Earth's climate. Students create a model from string, toss bean bags, and sort chemical cards to review key processes in the carbon cycle. Then they quantitatively model the carbon cycle by playing a board game.
This unit consists of seven distinct activities that teach climate change, the …
This unit consists of seven distinct activities that teach climate change, the water cycle, and the effects of the changing climate on water resources through the use of games, science experiments, investigations, role-playing, research, and creating a final project to showcase learning.
Students will learn and research who is culpable in climate change by …
Students will learn and research who is culpable in climate change by participating in a role-playing trial. Students represent different groups (i.e. US government, consumers, oil and coal industry) and must present a case. Students can also act as a jury, and the teacher will be the prosecutor.
The Climate Momentum Simulation allows users to quickly compare the resulting sea …
The Climate Momentum Simulation allows users to quickly compare the resulting sea level rise, temperature change, atmospheric CO2, and global CO2 emissions from six different policy options projected out to 2100.
This short video discusses where carbon dioxide, the gas that is mainly …
This short video discusses where carbon dioxide, the gas that is mainly responsible for warming up our planet and changing the climate, comes from. It discusses how the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide comes directly from the burning of fossil fuels and indirectly from the human need for energy.
This is a simulation that illustrates how temperature will be affected by …
This is a simulation that illustrates how temperature will be affected by global CO2 emission trajectories. It addresses the issue that even if global emissions begin to decrease, the atmospheric concentration of CO2 will continue to increase, resulting in increased global temperatures.
This 2.5 minute video presents techniques used in climate change denial argumentation …
This 2.5 minute video presents techniques used in climate change denial argumentation in a humorous cartoon format. The argumentation techniques addressed are misleading cherry picking, fake experts, logical fallacies, impossible expectations and conspiracy theories.
Students research electricity, its sources, how energy grids function, how to make …
Students research electricity, its sources, how energy grids function, how to make grids most efficient, and how to bring different types of energy generation together to diversify grids. Students debate the costs and benefits of moving to a modernized Smart Grid.
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