In this activity, students investigate how scientists monitor changes in Earth's glaciers, ice caps, and ice sheets. The activity is linked to 2009 PBS Nova program entitled Extreme Ice.

This video explores what scientists know about how changes in global climate and increasing temperatures affect different extreme weather events.

This video documents the scope of changes in the Arctic, focusing on the impacts of warming and climate change on the indigenous Inuit population.

This is the first of three short videos showcasing the dramatic changes in Alaska's marine ecosystems. This introduction to the impacts of climate change in Alaska includes interviews with Alaska Natives, commentary by scientists, and footage from Alaska's Arctic.

This video is the second of three short videos showcasing the dramatic changes in Alaska's marine ecosystems. The video highlights the marine mammals and birds and how they depend on Arctic sea ice, as well as questions about how these animals will cope in the face of climate change.

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, scientists in western Greenland explain how a glacier there is shrinking and moving faster due to increased melting.

This video from a 2005 NOVA program features scientists who study the Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier in western Greenland. The glacier is shrinking and moving faster due to increased melting in recent years. The video includes footage of scientists in the field explaining methods and animation of ice sheet dynamics leading to faster glacier movement.

In this video, several scientists identify and describe examples of increasing health problems that they believe are related to climate change.

In this activity, students learn about the urban heat island effect by investigating which areas of their schoolyard have higher temperatures - trees, grass, asphalt, and other materials. Based on their results, they hypothesize how concentrations of surfaces that absorb heat might affect the temperature in cities - the urban heat island effect. Then they analyze data about the history of Los Angeles heat waves and look for patterns in the Los Angeles climate data and explore patterns.

This video on phenology of plants and bees discusses the MODIS satellite finding that springtime greening is happening one half-day earlier each year and correlates this to bee pollination field studies.

This video describes how field research -- in this case, making water measurements in rugged mountain locations -- helps us to understand the complex relationships among changing climate, populations, and water usage.

This activity involves plotting and comparing monthly data on atmospheric C02 concentrations over two years, as recorded in Mauna Loa and the South Pole, and postulating reasons for differences in their seasonal patterns. Longer-term data is then examined for both sites to see if seasonal variations from one site to the other carry over into longer term trends.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn the five climate zones in New Jersey and interpret facts into a poetic voice from the point of view of nature.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson plan gives students an overview of the five climate zones in New Jersey and relates them to tones or poetry. As a note these are not the traditionally Köppen climate zones but rather zones specific to New Jersey. The link provided is accurate and up to date. Additionally, that website has more information if desired. This lesson helps students think about different climates from a more descriptive and imaginative perspective than just statistics, which can help provide a deeper understanding of the different climates. This resource is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson can be used in any English class.
-Students are given voice and choice in this lesson.
-Students learn to manipulate voice to achieve different outcomes.
-Students will use descriptive and poetic language.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-It may be best to confirm that all five climate zones have been selected by at least one student. Poems may become repetitive if all climate zones are not selected.
-You can read background information and analysis on “There Will Come Soft Rains” on this website.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Students’ communication and vocabulary can be as simple or as thorough as you desire.
-Students may use the poem outline at the bottom of the Student Handout if necessary.
-This lesson is easily adaptable to Advanced Placement or Honors level classes through incorporating specific literary and language elements.
-You can require students to add domain-specific vocabulary from the Rutgers website to their poems.

Students learn how scientists assess wildfires using remote sensing, then use some of the same techniques to solve grade-level appropriate math problems.

This NASA animation of the Five-Year Average Global Temperature Anomalies from 1881 to 2009 shows how temperature anomalies have varied in the last 130 years. The color-coded map displays a long-term progression of changing global surface temperatures from 1881 to 2009. Dark red indicates the greatest warming and dark blue indicates the greatest cooling.

This video introduces viewers to oceanic thermohaline circulation - the system of global ocean currents that cycle warm and cold water across the planet.

This interactive online visualization allows the user to view a variety of weather patterns including temperature, wind, and wave action over time.

After 90 percent of the town was damaged or destroyed by a tornado, Greensburg, Kansas, and Kiowa County Memorial Hospital developed a Long-Term Community Recovery plan to rebuild for resilience.

This resource has students role-play as farmers from around the world and consider how agricultural practices are part of climate solutions. This resource includes role-play activities for students to learn more about La Via Campesina, one of the largest social movements around the world. Students get to discuss why they may not have heard of this in their history books and embody La Via Campesina activists.