Purpose of UnitThe purpose of this Climate Science NTC Project GLAD® unit is a call to action, providing equity of access for all students. Through a model of instruction that promotes language development within core content, the Voices of Hope unit teaches students the science behind climate change and equips them with the tools necessary toward making a positive impact on our planet. This unit was written for 4th - 7th grade.

The activity combines aspects of Earth science (volume of oceans and ice sheets) with calculus (area of a 1x1 degree tile) and Matlab programming. Students calculate the volume of oceans and of ice sheets given the 1x1-degree digital elevation file. They then determine how much ocean levels would rise if all is on Antarctica and Greenland were to melt. To solve this problem in Matlab entry-wise matrix multiplication, loops, selection of cells using the "ginput" command, and different visualizations (grid and contours) are useful. Conceptually students need to think about inundation of coastal areas and shifting of coastlines.

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An applet about the Milankovitch cycle that relates temperature over the last 400,000 years to changes in the eccentricity, precession, and orbital tilt of Earth's orbit.

This activity with a lab report instructs students to solve and plot 160,000 years' worth of ice core data from the Vostok ice core using Excel or similar spreadsheets to analyze data. Students learn about ice cores and what they can tell us about past atmospheric conditions and the past atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and CH4.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson introduces African environmentalist Wangari Maathai and links deforestation with the concepts of governance, poverty, and income opportunities for women in Kenya.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson introduces students to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Wangari Maathai and deforestation. The Global Forest Watch resource is continually updated. This lesson has passed the science quality assessment.

POSITIVES:
-Learning Wangari Maathai’s story is empowering for students because it emphasizes the fact that nobody is too small to make a difference. Maathai grew up in poverty in rural Kenya. Now she is remembered as one of the most powerful voices for environmental conservation, proper governance, and peace.
-This lesson can inspire students to take direct action, just like Wangari Maathai.
-This lesson is excellent for teaching the interdependence of environmental conservation, proper governance, poverty, income opportunities, and women's rights.
-Global Forest Watch is an incredible resource. It has beautiful, detailed data. Students may want to continue exploring on their own time.
ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:Wangari Maathai (1940-2011) was an environmental and political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
-In 1977, she founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental organization focused on planting trees and promoting gender equality.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Making the connection between deforestation and other topics (governance, poverty, income opportunities, and women’s rights) might be difficult for some concrete thinkers.
-You could frame these topics using the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
-Goal 1: No Poverty
-Goal 5: Gender Equality
-Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
-Goal 15: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

This is a ten-question quiz of basic to intermediate information about global climate change.

In this video, students learn that the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989 was not the sole cause of the decline of species in the local ecosystem. Rather, an explanation is posited for why some animal populations were already in decline when the spill occurred. Many of these animals share a common food: the sand lance, a fish whose populations have shrunk with the steady rise in ocean temperature that began in the late 1970s.

In this video segment, adapted from a student video produced at Northwest Indian College in Bellingham Washington, Native American elders discuss the impact of climate change on salmon populations and the importance of restoring balance in the natural world.

This video documents the challenges that climate change presents for four specific Arctic predators: polar bears, Arctic foxes, beluga whales, and walruses.

In this video segment adapted from the College of Menominee Nation, learn about the emergence of invasive forest species and diseases and their possible impact on the Menominee tribal forest.

Two graphs from the NASA Climate website illustrate the change in global surface temperature relative to 1951-1980 average temperatures. The NASA plot is annotated with temperature-impacting historic events, which nicely connect an otherwise challenging graphic to real-world events.

In this podcast - Going to war for the environment? Dr Matthew Humphrey, Reader in Political Philosophy assesses a controversial theory by Australian academic Professor Robyn Eckersley.

Professor Eckersley is among a group of experts who believe that military intervention may be reasonably used to protect natural resources.

Climate scientists project that future climate conditions will result in increased risk of wildfire across much of the Southwest. Although fires are a natural part of Southern California landscapes, efforts by SDG&E and their partners may help minimize the impacts of future fires.

This video looks at how water is provided for our use through the hydrologic cycle. It also explains how global climate change disturbs the storage of water in the various global compartments. This video is part of the Sustainability Learning Suites, made possible in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation. See 'Learn more about this resource' for Learning Objectives and Activities.

This video takes viewers high into the Rocky Mountain snowpack, where researchers dig snow pits to explore the source of Colorado's water supply. Highlights the importance of snowpack on the supply of fresh water available in western and southwestern states. Snowmelt dynamics are discussed, including the impact of a warming climate.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson activates students’ background knowledge about water and allows them to make connections while introducing the types and locations of water in the world.

SCIENTIST NOTES: The lesson discusses water, where it is located, spatial extent on Earth, the different forms of water, including estuaries, and how humans can connect with it for abstractive and non-abstractive purposes without altercation. It also provides clear insights for students to understand water resources and the interactions within the marine ecosystem. The images, videos, and accompanying materials in the lesson are well-sourced, and this lesson is recommended for classroom use.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson builds an understanding of the importance of water in our lives.
-This lesson features kinesthetic learning as students move their bodies into yoga poses.
-Students develop an understanding of different types of water.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 1 of 4 in our K-2nd grade Water and Plant Survival unit.
-You will need a copy of Wet by Carey Sookocheff or a similarly themed book for this lesson.
-You will need a large open area for students to complete the yoga exercises. This could be in the classroom or outside.
-Students need green and blue colored pencils or crayons for the Inspire section of the lesson.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-The Shared Reading Guide in the Teacher Document includes several discussion questions. Choose the ones that are best for your students’ interests and experiences with the topic.
-Students can think-pair-share during the read aloud to make predictions or answer questions.
-Sentence frames in the Inquire section are differentiated for student proficiency:
-Circle = basic
-Triangle = target
-Square = challenge
-You can pause the read aloud for students to make observations and predictions about the story.
-There are multiple graphic organizers to choose from in the Investigate section. Use the option menu in the Teacher Slideshow to choose the option that best suits your classroom and students.
-Students with restrictions in mobility can participate in mindful breathing and enjoy as many of the yoga poses as are comfortable for their bodies. Suggestions for modifications are listed in the speaker notes of the Teacher Slideshow.
-If specific directions for yoga poses prove difficult, read the prompts about the living things and play the videos. Instruct students to move their bodies naturally mimicking what they see.
-The Student Document includes several options for the Inspire section. Provide students with scaffolding as appropriate to their reading and writing level.
-Possible extension: Look at the map to find an estuary near your school.

This activity was developed to give participants an understanding of Earth's water cycle by completing a WebQuest and building a model of the water cycle.

This visualization, from the US Geological Survey, provides a simple schematic of the various pathways that water can take as it cycles through ocean, lakes, atmosphere, surface and ground.

This lesson is an instructor demonstration that focuses specifically on two aspects of the water cycle: evaporation and condensation. This is a well described instructor led demonstration for introducing and exploring the water cycle.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn about the water cycle and how climate change impacts its patterns.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson introduces students to water cycle, water scarcity, and issues related to water conservation and climate change, including the global water crisis. Water scarcity and pollution are also discussed, and students are required to test hypotheses to determine if there is a relationship between climate change and the water cycle. All the data sources are properly cited, and this lesson has passed our science credibility process.

POSITIVES:
-Students share diverse perspectives and ideas using the journal prompts which encourage action.
-Students build on their unit journal with each additional lesson in the unit.
-Students participate in multiple interactive and hands-on learning activities to engage in kinesthetic, auditory, and visual learning.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 1 of 4 in our 6th-8th grade Water Cycle, Deforestation, and Climate Change unit.
-Prior set-up is necessary for the Inquire section.
-Materials required for the demonstration include the following:
-4 heat lamps (on a hot sunny day you can use the sun along with a way to amplify the sun's rays)
-3 bowls
-3 mugs or cups
-Plastic wrap
-A recommended heat lamp can be purchased here.
-Previous student knowledge of the water cycle and climate change will be beneficial in this unit. This interactive game can help students learn about the water cycle.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students may use the Emotions Board for vocabulary support as they watch the video in the Inquire section.
-The demonstration may be completed in lab groups with each group experimenting with a different system (control, drought, global warming).
-Students may be placed in mixed-ability lab groups to aid in understanding.
-Interactive diagrams can be differentiated based on ability.
-Journal prompts can be used for whole group discussions.