Climate Intro

Climate Change Introduction

Overall Introduction Objectives:

Students will:

• Demonstrate the ability to interpret metaphors

• Describe the factors contributing to climate change

• Make connections between human behavior and environmental changes

Overall Estimated Grades/Times:

• Prep Exercise (below) - (Grade: 5th+; Time: 45 min)

• Activity 1: Carbon Through the Seasons (Grade: 6th+; Time: 60-90 min)

• Activity 2: What's the Difference (Grade: 5th+; Time: 30-45 min)

Overall Vocabulary (click on the vocabulary to see the source):

• • Circulatory System - is an organ system that permits blood to circulate and transport nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hormones, and blood cells to and from the cells in the body to provide nourishment and help in fighting diseases, stabilize temperature and pH, and maintain homeostasis

  • Climate - is determined by the long-term pattern of temperature and precipitation averages and extremes at a location

  • Metaphor - a word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show or suggest that they are similar

  • Salt Marsh - are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides

  • Weather - the day-to-day conditions of a particular place

  • Wetlands - are lands where saturation with water is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and animal communities living in the soil and on its surface

Overall Principles/Standards:

• Ocean Literacy - 6 The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected

  • Climate Literacy - 4 a Definition of climate and climatic regions

  • Climate Literacy - 5 b Observations are the foundation for understanding the climate system

• Benchmarks for Science Literacy - 4B/M2ab (Grades: 6-8 ): The earth is mostly rock. Three-fourths of the earth's surface is covered by a relatively thin layer of water (some of it frozen), and the entire planet is surrounded by a relatively thin layer of air.

• NSTA National Science Education Standards - D.3.4 (Grades: 5-8 ): The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the earth's surface, such as growth of plants, winds, ocean currents, and the water cycle. Seasons result from variations in the amount of the sun's energy hitting the surface, due to the tilt of the earth's rotation on its axis and the length of the day.

Guiding questions for this section:

1. What is climate?

2. What makes climate different from weather?

3. What is global climate change?

4. What are the effects of global climate change?

5. How is climate change impacting humans?

6. What is a wetland and/or salt marsh?

7. What functions do wetlands and/or salt marshes do in relation to global climate change?

Prep Exercise Directions:

Step 1) Either read to or have students read the following statement (Climate's Heart)

Climate's Heart: The oceans regulate the climate system the way your heart regulates the flow of blood throughout your body. The heart sustains the body by controlling the circulation of blood, making sure the right amount gets to all parts of the body - not too much and not too little. The oceans act as the climate's heart, sustaining the climate by controlling the circulation of things like heat and humidity.

The oceans are the heart of a circulatory system that moves heat and moisture through all parts of the climate system, including oceans, land, and atmosphere. As the heart of this circulatory system, the oceans regulate the climate by helping to control the earth's temperature. By absorbing heat from the sun and emitting it back into the atmosphere, the oceans maintain a regular flow of heat and stabilize the earth's temperature. And ocean currents and winds move heat and moisture to different parts of the world, which keeps the climate stable.

Burning fossil fuels damages the oceans' ability to maintain good circulation of heat and moisture. When we burn fossil fuels, we put a lot of stress on the oceans, which damages their ability to keep the climate stable -- so sometimes the oceans pump too much heat and moisture through the system, sometimes too little. Burning fossil fuels weakens the oceans' ability to regulate the climate system.

Step 2) Have students watch the video (NASA The Ocean: A Driving Force for Weather and Climate), here is a transcript to the video to print out if needed

Step 3) Ask them for verbal or written feedback

Step 4) Conduct the activity titled (Climate Change Metaphors). Depending on age level this can be turned into a student-driven skit.

• • 1. Warm students up by asking if they have heard of global warming or climate change; what effects might this have on us, plants, and/or animals; what is causing climate change; what can stop it.

    2. Let students know there are many things contributing to climate change and many solutions to fix it.

    3. Provide students a random item (multiple ways of doing this, i.e., have them draw it from a bag, let them select it from a basket, assign objects). Ideas for items are found on pages 4 and 5.

    4. Let students review the item. Either have students say out loud what their item is (or if you are having them do this at their desk, have them write it down).

    5. Ask students how their item might be tied to climate change. Either have students say it out loud as someone (or you) is capturing it on the board (or have them write down their response to read aloud later).

    6. When all metaphors have been identified have students help you group them into CAUSES of climate change and SOLUTIONS for climate change.

    7. Ask students to contribute any other knowledge they may have about the reasons for climate change.

    8. Have students come up with three examples of actions that could be taken at school to reduce their carbon contribution.