SYNOPSIS: This lesson explores ways in which students can address environmental injustice. …
SYNOPSIS: This lesson explores ways in which students can address environmental injustice.
SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson provides basic knowledge on how trees sink CO2 and give off O2. Trees are one of the key solutions to drawdown of CO2, and students learn how to interpret and analyze tree maps in relation to environmental justice and the right action to green their environment. This lesson, including additional links, is properly cited. In this light, we recommend this lesson for classroom use.
POSITIVES: -This lesson directly shows the relationships among race, income, tree cover, and air pollution. -It is very powerful when students compare the maps of Compton and Pasadena and begin to connect the dots.
ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES: -This is lesson 5 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Spaces unit. -You will use two maps of Los Angeles during the Investigate phase of the lesson. The best move would probably be to print the maps beforehand. The lesson also calls for plastic sheet protectors and dry erase markers so students can compare the maps. If you do not have these materials or access to a printer, students can compare the two maps on a device. -To learn more about youth climate activists, students can research groups like Zero Hour, Fridays for Future, or the Sunrise Movement.
DIFFERENTIATION: -Depending on the needs of your students, it may be best to compare the two maps of Los Angeles as an entire class. -Higher-level students can compare maps in another lesson designed for 6th-8th graders called Redlining & Environmental Racism.
SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn about youth activists around the world, …
SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn about youth activists around the world, choose an environmental campaign, and collect data to support their campaign.
SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson has students identify key environmental problems that concern them, learn from other young environmental activists, evaluate other activists' work, and take action to solve the environmental issues in their community. All materials embedded in the lesson are properly sourced. Accordingly, this lesson has passed our scientific credibility.
POSITIVES: -Students are able to share their climate feelings with each other. -Students are inspired by youth climate activists around the world. -Students collaborate to create a class climate action plan. -Students collect data in a real-world context.
ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES: -This is lesson 4 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Art for the Earth unit. -Students will need enough iPads or laptops to complete Option #1 in the Investigate section. If there are not enough devices for every student, this can be completed in groups or as a whole class. -Students will need an understanding of how to collect data in a table and the importance of accuracy and consistency in data collection. -The Explore Youth Activists Student Document should be printed or shared digitally with the students before class.
DIFFERENTIATION: -The Investigate section of this lesson features two options. Choose the one that fits best for your students. -Be strategic with partnering and grouping students throughout this lesson. When discussing feelings and ability to make change, it may be best to group students together who have varying levels of interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and existential intelligence. -A talking stick may be a great tool to use when students are choosing the class campaign. -The Inspire section calls for data collection. Depending on your campaign, it may be difficult for all students to participate. A select group of students could be the "data collectors" for the class. Another idea is to have students collect data in waves or groups outside of regular class time. Students could then collate the data into one larger data set.
In this exercise, students investigate long-term weather variables such as temperature and …
In this exercise, students investigate long-term weather variables such as temperature and humidity to determine their affect on the climate of a particular region. They will choose two cities, use an online resource to obtain geographic and climatic information for each, and use a spreadsheet program to produce graphs that compare data for the two cities.
SYNOPSIS: This lesson guides students to explore color in art and the …
SYNOPSIS: This lesson guides students to explore color in art and the connection of color to emotions.
SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson builds the capacity of students to analyze the contents in an artwork, probe why the artists used the colors in the piece, and explore the underlying feelings attached to the colors. The activity in this lesson would also enable them to interpret the colors in artworks and communicate their feelings towards extreme climate impact. All the materials featured in the lesson have been verified, and this lesson is recommended for teaching.
POSITIVES: -Students engage with hands-on activities to demonstrate their understanding of the relationship between color and emotions. -Students understand the meaning of climate change artworks. -Students understand why artists use color in their artwork. -Students practice painting techniques.
ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES: -This is lesson 2 of 3 in our K-2nd grade Emotive Art unit. -The Teacher Slideshow does not feature an Inquire section. You can use the Teacher Slideshow for the Investigate and Inspire sections of this lesson plan. -Make sure you prepare the Feelings Cards, templates, and painting materials prior to the lesson. -You can alternatively use cut-up colored paper instead of printing the Feelings Cards. -You will need to have artworks printed if you want students to participate in a gallery walk.
DIFFERENTIATION: -Students can complete the activities in pairs, small groups, or a whole class, dependent on ability. -Students could also split into ability groups to support all students.
This lesson engages students with identifying their own emotions through responding to …
This lesson engages students with identifying their own emotions through responding to artworks with body language, facial expressions, and their own artwork.
Step 1 - Inquire: Students identify different emotions and identify their emotional responses to artworks.
Step 2 - Investigate: Students engage with their emotions and share their emotions about climate change artworks.
Step 3 - Inspire: Students share their emotional responses through the creation of a collaged emotions artwork.
SYNOPSIS: This lesson engages students with identifying their own emotions through responding …
SYNOPSIS: This lesson engages students with identifying their own emotions through responding to artworks with body language, facial expressions, and their own artwork.
SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson features artworks that would engage students to communicate their feelings about climate change. They would learn how to use cutting, gluing, collaging, and other art techniques to create a piece and lead the climate conversation. This resource is verified and is recommended for teaching.
POSITIVES: -Teacher engages students by asking them to demonstrate using their face and body different feelings (happy, excited, sad, angry, worried, etc.). -Teacher introduces students to the vocabulary words. -Teacher explains the difference between emotions (what's inside), facial expression (our face showing our emotions), and body language (our body showing our emotions). -Teacher explains that students will be learning about emotions in artworks.
ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES: -Teacher shows the climate change artworks and encourages students to use their facial expressions and/or body language to demonstrate their emotions when looking at the artwork. -Students can explain why they feel those particular emotions. -It is important for the teacher to emphasize to the students that it is also OK if they do not know why they are feeling a certain emotion and that they may need time to process their feelings. -It is important to highlight to students that people have emotions when looking at the artwork. Art impacts everyone in different ways. -Students discuss as a class why the artist would want us to feel certain emotions whilst looking at artworks. -Teacher explains to students what each artwork is about.
DIFFERENTIATION: -Teacher creates groups of students. -Teacher gives each group of students collaging materials and a copy of one of the artworks discussed during the Investigation stage. -Students use the provided materials to create an emotional portrait of how they feel looking at the artwork in front of them. -Students share their work and explain why they feel that way. Students may write a simple sentence using sentencers or verbally explain their emotions to their peers, depending on student ability.
In this scenario-based activity, students design ways to either clean a water …
In this scenario-based activity, students design ways to either clean a water source or find a new water source, depending on given hypothetical family scenarios. They act as engineers to draw and write about what they could do to provide water to a community facing a water crisis. They also learn the basic steps of the engineering design process.
Water has unique properties, density is one of the most important as …
Water has unique properties, density is one of the most important as it is related to convection and density driven circulation in the ocean. Liquid water is densest at 4ºC, not the solid ice phase, which is lighter. This explains why ice floats in the ocean and cold, dense liquid water sinks. Saltwater adds another dimension by increasing the density of water. The combination of temperature and salinity produces a overturning, density driven circulation in the ocean or thermohaline circulation.
Convection circulation is the thermally driven with warm, less dense water rising and cold, dense water sinking, similar to boiling water on the stove. A short video demonstration of thermohaline circulation, called wind in a bowl illustrates the warm rising and cold sinking convection circulation. The video also shows that ice floats and the meltwater from the ice sinks. This demo could be conducted live in class.
The lesson should include a discussion of the properties of water, density and convection circulation with a demonstration of the properties. Then have the students work together on a problem in which warmer water than the bowl water is added to the surface of water. What would happen to the circulation? Then discuss how thermohaline circulation can be disrupted and how this relates to abrupt climate change and examples from the past such as the Younger Dryas. This can be demonstrated by adding warmer water than the bowl water (20ºC) with green food coloring to the water bowl.
In this lesson, students utilize case studies to learn about the ways …
In this lesson, students utilize case studies to learn about the ways climate change is currently impacting people and other living things around the world.
This static image from NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory Carbon Program offers …
This static image from NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory Carbon Program offers a visually compelling and scientifically sound image of the sea water carbonate chemistry process that leads to ocean acidification and impedes calcification.
SYNOPSIS: This lesson introduces the idea of green spaces to students. SCIENTIST …
SYNOPSIS: This lesson introduces the idea of green spaces to students.
SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson introduces students to green spaces and how they can be identified and mapped. The read aloud, vocabulary, and external links are thoroughly sourced and written. This lesson has passed our science review.
POSITIVES: -This lesson creates a collaborative learning environment for students as an introduction to green spaces and how to create more green spaces. -This lesson features kinesthetic learning if teachers walk with their students around their school. -Students will develop a strong connection to self and community through the read aloud of Sofia Valdez, Future Prez. -This lesson features excellent vocabulary development.
ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES: -This is lesson 1 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Spaces unit. -It is necessary to procure a copy of Sofia Valdez, Future Prez for this lesson. -Identify the green spaces on your campus on your own before introducing this lesson to your class to make sure that you have accounted for all the green spaces.
DIFFERENTIATION: -Think-pair-share during read aloud where students can make predictions or answer questions. -You can pause the read aloud before the text is read for students to make observations and predictions about the story. -Groups of students with mixed abilities can collaborate on their green spaces map. -Possible extension: Do a campus tour and have students take notes on green spaces they observe.
Students determine their carbon footprints by answering questions about their everyday lifestyle …
Students determine their carbon footprints by answering questions about their everyday lifestyle choices. Then they engineer plans to reduce them. Students learn about their personal impacts on global climate change and how they can help the environment.
This module contains an 8-lesson curriculum to study greenhouse gases and global …
This module contains an 8-lesson curriculum to study greenhouse gases and global warming using data and visualizations. The students will summarize the issue in a mock debate or a presentation.
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This demonstration will show how increased temperatures will hasten the melting of …
This demonstration will show how increased temperatures will hasten the melting of ice in the environment, contributing to a rise in sea level and subsequent flooding of coastal areas. Materials required include 2 aquariums, plastic wrap, a clamp light with a 60 watt bulb, modeling clay, ice, pebbles and rocks, and a ruler. Teacher background information, student worksheets and a scoring rubric are included. This is Activity 3 of the learning module, Too Many Blankets, part of the lesson series, The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change.
In this activity, students act as water molecules and travel through parts …
In this activity, students act as water molecules and travel through parts of the water cycle (ocean, atmosphere, clouds, glaciers, snow, rivers, lakes, ground, aquifer). Students use a diagram of the hydrologic cycle to draw the pathway they traveled.
This activity addresses naturally occurring climate change involving ENSO (El-NiÃo Southern Oscillation). In this activity, students play the role of a policy maker in Peru. First, they determine what sort of ENSO variation is occurring. Then, they must decide how to allocate Peru's resources to manage for possible weather-related problems.
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