Several activities that introduce students to the concepts of earth as a series of systems that are all connected. All of the activities reinforce the idea that water, air, soil, and living things all interact in the Earth system. There are several components that educators can choose to use: a book, a play, two activities, and two coloring pages.

In these activities and story book, students wonder why hummingbirds have stopped visiting their school. They learn about the needs of the hummingbirds, the seasonal changes where they live, and the environment where the hummingbirds spend the winter. Students describe the seasonal changes in a local habitat, observe how colors in nature change through the seasons, and research hummingbirds.

Learning activities help students explore and describe soil, consider what is found in soil such as rocks, roots, critters, and organic material, and explain the importance of soil to plants and animals.

Students learn about the water cycle and hydrology through a series of three lessons, two coloring book pages, and an e-Book. The themes covered in this resource tie into Climate Science and fundamental climate principles, as well as, engages students in scientific methods.

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:

"All living things need phosphorus to survive. However, its low availability in soil is often a limiting factor for plant and microbial growth. Microorganisms in the plant root-soil interface (rhizosphere) can convert non-labile phosphorus into bioavailable forms. One way microbes do this is the mineralization of organic phosphorus compounds like phytate. Rising atmospheric CO₂ levels may accelerate mineralization, but the molecular mechanisms are not yet understood. Recent research confirmed that elevated CO₂ (eCO₂) increased the mineralization of phytate in the rhizosphere of wheat. Tracing the carbon flow showed that plants grown under eCO₂ increased the release of bioavailable carbon belowground, which corresponded to increased microbial growth and altered community composition. The bacterial community under eCO₂ favored groups of bacteria capable of degrading aromatic phosphorus compounds and the mycorrhizal fungi benefited from the increased supply of phosphorus and carbon..."

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

Description des différents éléments du milieu physique africain
Préciser les Principales caractéristiques des éléments du milieu physique.

The northern reaches of the planet are melting at a pace few nations can afford to ignore, yielding potentially lucrative returns in energy, minerals, and shipping. But debate is mounting over whether the Arctic can be developed sustainably and peaceably.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students compare and contrast emissions from different modes of transportation and explore the concept of transportation planning.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson asks students to investigate the amount of carbon emitted by different forms of transportation. The numbers used for the calculations are backed by peer-reviewed science, and the methodologies come from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This lesson has passed our scientific review process.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson builds upon students' understanding of place in the world and the impact of individual lifestyle choices.
-It features relevant real-world math problems.
-It offers career path integration in the sector of transportation planning and transit.
-Students creatively brainstorm solutions for real-world issues and civil concerns.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 2 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Transportation unit.
-Students should have knowledge of reading a bar graph and a basic understanding of interpreting data.
-If students do not have background knowledge of their community's public transportation systems, they should be appropriately introduced to the basics of how buses, metros, and railways work.
-The graph in the Inquire section uses the unit CO2e to measure emissions from different modes of transportation. CO2e stands for carbon dioxide equivalent, which is the measure of the impact of all greenhouse gases in terms of the amount of CO2 that would create the same amount of warming. For the purpose of this lesson and the age of the learners, it is probably best to just use the terms “carbon dioxide” and “CO2.”

DIFFERENTIATION:
-There can be number-set choices for math problems available for different abilities and skill sets.
-Students can work in pairs or small groups.

The Emotions of Climate Change" is a comprehensive professional development resource designed to help teachers address the complex emotions that students may experience in response to climate change, known as "eco-anxiety."

This video is part of the Billes de science series, produced by the La Main à la Pâte Foundation. It presents a series of classroom activities (

This climate simulation tool makes it intuitive to see how changes in energy, land use, agriculture, and other policies will affect Earth's projected temperature. Users move sliders on various policy actions and see immediate feedback on energy sources, emissions, and global temperature.

The En-ROADS guided assignment challenges participants to use the free online En-ROADS simulator (https://en-roads.climateinteractive.org/) to create a scenario that successfully addresses climate change while considering implications across the economy, environment, and society. The En-ROADS assignment is used in classrooms, ranging from middle school to graduate level students, and comes in short and long forms. It can also be adapted as an exercise for non-academic settings. Often, the assignment is given following an En-ROADS workshop or Climate Action Simulation role-playing simulation game (https://www.climateinteractive.org/en-roads/).

A Fifty-Year Science Adventure

Short Description:
Originally published in 1976 and newly revised for the 50th anniversary of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study, "The Endless Chain of Nature" follows the scientific adventures of student and professional researchers working in a small "closed" ecosystem in the Hubbard Brook Forest in New Hampshire. Written for middle-school readers and older, "The Endless Chain" introduces key ecological ideas in an engaging story of people solving puzzles and mysteries.

Long Description:
This real-life science adventure opens a window into a forest ecosystem in New Hampshire, and an experiment that has gone on for fifty years — so far.

In a three-hundred-year old old farmhouse near a forest lake filled with fish, tadpoles and splashing children, young people and professionals work side by side to solve puzzles about how land, water, living things, and the climate all fit together and all affect each other. The team includes students, teachers, and leading scientists from around the world.

Together they examine a closed ecosystem in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest — one of the first Long Term Ecological Research sites. In the past half-century it has led to important discoveries, including what we now know as acid rain. Their work is a fascinating study of the complex relationship between organisms and the environment.

Out in the woods, the team nets birds with the ornithologist, sifts through debris for insects with the entomologist, goes fishing with the ichthyologist, climbs trees with the botanist, chases salamanders with the herpetologist, and digs ancient mud cores out of the bottom of the lake with the paleobotanist. One student researcher — the grandson of a scientist who worked at the Brook in its earlier days — measures trees to help understand what affects their growth.

Using techniques that are both basic and advanced, they carry on experiments begun 50 years ago to see what has changed, and to figure out why. We see the ecology puzzle fit together into a picture of the complex and fascinating chain of nature, and we discover how our lives and actions affect other links in the chain. Surprises are in store in every chapter.

2013 marks the 50th Anniversary of the launching of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study. This pioneering effort to explore the complex ways in which water, air, soil, plants and animals interact began in 1963 in a 3,160 hectare reserve in New Hampshire. It became, and remains today, a world-renowned laboratory yielding many important insights, including identifying the phenomena of acid rain and enhancing the understanding of the impact of climate change on natural systems.

Word Count: 51536

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically as part of a bulk import process by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided. As a result, there may be errors in formatting.)

This video is from the Energy 101 video series. It explains the process for converting micro-algae into fuel and makes the case that algae-based biofuels hold enormous potential for helping reduce our dependence on imported oil.

This video highlights the benefits of electric vehicles, including improved fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, and lower maintenance costs.

This video explains what is involved in conducting a home energy audit. Such an audit evaluates how much energy you use in your house and suggests the most cost-effective measures you can take to improve the energy efficiency of your home. The outcomes are the use of less energy resulting in cost-savings on your energy bills.

Students explore a Global Energy Balance Climate Model Using Stella II. Response of surface temperature to variations in solar input, atmospheric and surface albedo, atmospheric water vapor and carbon dioxide, volcanic eruptions, and mixed layer ocean depth. Climate feedbacks such as water vapor or ice-albedo can be turned on or off.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This interactive provides two scenarios for students to look at issues related to energy and climate change: from the perspective of either a family, or a monarch.

Much of the general population believes that the energy sources we depend on are perpetual. While people believe that energy use is the culprit for environmental damage, they are not aware of the methods and principles by which energy conversion devices operate. This course will provide you with knowledge and information on the main operating principles of devices/appliances in common use and will help you in making energy efficient and economical choices. The objective of the course is to expose you to energy efficiency in day to day life in order to save money and energy and thereby protect the environment. I hope the information in this course will help you become an environmentally-responsible individual of this Global Village.

This course will explore how Americans have confronted energy challenges since the end of World War II. Beginning in the 1970s, Americans worried about the supply of energy. As American production of oil declined, would the US be able to secure enough fuel to sustain their high consumption lifestyles? At the same time, Americans also began to fear the environmental side affects of energy use. Even if the US had enough fossil fuel, would its consumption be detrimental to health and safety? This class examines how Americans thought about these questions in the last half-century. We will consider the political, diplomatic, economic, cultural, and technological aspects of the energy crisis. Topics include nuclear power, suburbanization and the new car culture, the environmental movement and the challenges of clean energy, the Middle East and supply of oil, the energy crisis of the 1970s, and global warming.