In this lesson, you will learn that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are not all the same. You will investigate the type and severity of emissions released by different countries, states, industries, and cars.
This assignment will challenge you to estimate the impact of each factor on greenhouse gas emissions. You will also examine your own personal activities and find ways to help reduce the damage.
Overall Objectives:
The student will be able to:
Understand why the relative impact on global warming may vary depending on where you live, what car you drive, how many miles you drive, and how you live your life.
Understand how both government and corporate policy impact individual choices and vice versa.
Represent data illustrating differences in greenhouse gas emissions at various scales.
Calculate the relationship between gas mileage and carbon dioxide emissions in various automobiles.
Construct a concept map illustrating the relationships among government policies, individual behaviors, and global warming.
Evaluate multiple ways in which emissions of greenhouse gases can be reduced in the local community.
Note: Only two industrialized nations have chosen NOT to ratify the Kyoto Protocol: the United States and Australia. However, in the absence of a Federal agreement, several U.S. cities have chosen to adopt the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol on their own.
In this lesson, you will research the history of the Kyoto Protocol, the implications of the treaty, and the reasons many local governments have chosen to support it. You will then determine which communities in their state, if any, have “ratified” Kyoto and will interview local politicians on you reasons for supporting or not supporting “ratification.”
Finally, upon completing these investigations, you will role-play key officials from various countries in order to present the official government positions on whether to support the Protocol. City Council members, County Commissioners, Mayors, School Board members, parents, community activists, and others may be invited as audience members.
Objectives:
The student will be able to:
Locate, analyze, discuss, and evaluate sources describing the Kyoto Protocol and global warming.
Develop competencies associated with "public work" through data gathering, teamwork, public speaking, problem-solving, and civic participation.
Role-play the positions of several stakeholders on the issue of global warming.
Analyze global warming and associated problems from international, national, and local perspectives.
Learn how to solve complex scientific problems through the workings of a local democracy in a creative, constructive manner.
Tech Integration Project: Affecting Change: Our Greenhouse Earth
Description
Students will be using online tools to collaborate on a presentation. Our example is about climate change and global warming, but the project can be easily adapted for any subject area.
Students will learn how to work in a shared word processing document to collect information, and then divide up the work for creating an online presentation they can show on the Internet.
Goals
To provide students with the opportunity to use freely available online software tools for collaboration and project creation.
Objectives
The student will be able to:
Sign in to online services.
Create a new online word processing document.
Enter & format text in the document.
Share the document online to facilitate collaboration with others.
Add information gathered about their research topic.
Create active hyperlinks to Web resources.
Create a new online presentation document.
Add & modify template slides, as needed.
Insert images & other media on to the slides.
Download a copy of the presentation.
Play the presentation over the Internet.
Preparation and Skill Mastery
Students should have mastered basic computer skills, such as the use of input devices (mouse, keyboard, etc.), opening and closing applications, and saving documents to a personal folder or directory.
Students will need a valid email address to sign up for the online services they will use for this project.