Created by: Bianca Whiteley, Kaitlyn Bradley, & Kira Starks for Intro into Physical Science with Professor Dianne Phillips

Transcription

1 Created by: Bianca Whiteley, Kaitlyn Bradley, & Kira Starks for Intro into Physical Science with Professor Dianne Phillips Time: -45 minutes to 60 minutes Climate Change Lesson Plan

2 Vocabulary: Weather The weather in a smaller area (your county, your town) over a short period of time (one season) Climate The average weather conditions in a large area (the Midwest, your state) over a long period of time (many seasons) Global Climate The climate of the entire planet, as opposed to a region, like the Midwest or your home country or state Climate Change Any change to the overall climate of the earth over several years Global Warming The temperature of the entire planet is rising Greenhouse Gases Gases that trap heat in the earth s atmosphere and cause global warming Carbon Footprint The amount of carbon dioxide produced due to human energy use, either individually or as a group Fossil Fuels Fuel (coal, oil, or natural gas) formed in the earth by plant or animal remains Glacier A large body of ice that very slowly flows down a slope or spreads across a landscape Renewable Energy- A resource which can be used repeatedly and replaced naturally Concepts to be learned: - Students will learn about climate change and some of the causes of climate change. Students will learn how to calculate and reduce their carbon footprint. Materials: - Copy of article for each student from this website: Arkansas Frameworks Used in Lesson: - ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems Human activities have significantly altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural habitats and causing the extinction of other species. But changes to Earth s environments can have different impacts (negative and positive) for different living things. (6-ESS3-3) Typically as human populations and per-capita consumption of natural resources increase, so do the

3 negative impacts on Earth unless the activities and technologies involved are engineered otherwise. (6-ESS3-3, 6-ESS3-4) Background: - Understand basic information about climate change and how our carbon footprint affects the environment. Preparation: minutes to print off article and worksheet Procedure: -Students will be given an article about climate change to read on their own. After they have read the article, the whole class will discuss the article. -The teacher will then go over the different vocabulary words and their definitions, before the students do the word matching activity. -Once the students have finished the word matching activity, the teacher will begin the Carbon Footprint Calculation Activity. Reflection: -After the activities have been completed the teacher will lead the class in a discussion about the different ways the students can reduce their carbon footprint. Assessment: -The teacher can use the Word and Definition Worksheet to assess what the students have retained. Match each word to its definition. Place the Letter beside each word beside its correct definition Word Definition A. Climate The average weather conditions in a large area (the Midwest, your state) over a long period of

4 time (many seasons) B. Weather The climate of the entire planet, as opposed to a region, like the Midwest or your home country or state C.Global Climate D.Climate Change E.Global Warming F.Greenhouse Gases G.Carbon Footprint A resource which can be used repeatedly and replaced naturally. The weather in a smaller area (your county, your town) over a short period of time (one season). Fuel (coal, oil, or natural gas) formed in the earth by plant or animal remains. Any change to the overall climate of the earth over several years A large body of ice that very slowly flows down a slope or spreads across a landscape. H.Fossil Fuels rising. The temperature of the entire planet is I.Glacier J.Renewable Energy Gases that trap heat in the earth s atmosphere and cause global warming. The amount of carbon dioxide produced due to human energy use, either individually or as a group. Carbon FootPrint Calculator Activity: Materials Needed: Notebook paper for each student and pencil

5 Directions: 1.) Read each question aloud to the students, and have the students write down their points for each question on their notebook paper. 2.) Have the students share with the class their total number of points. 3.) Have the students write down and share with the class the different ways they can reduce their carbon footprint. Questions: 1. The number of cars in your household? 2 points per car 2. How you get to and from school? a. Ride in a car with no other students 3 points b. Carpool with other students (including siblings) 1 point c. Ride the bus 1 point d. Ride your bike or walk 0 points 3. Does your family recycle each week? a. No 1 point b. Yes 0 points 4. Does your family use bottled water, or reusable water bottles? a. Bottled water 2 points b. Reusable water bottles 0 points 5. What about tote bags at the grocery store? a. We don t use tote bags 2 points b. We use tote bags 0 points Source for activity: Outline of Lesson Planning and Presentation:

6 We will be presenting a lesson plan that is intended to educate 6th grade students about climate change and our carbon footprint. Included in the lesson plan is an article that will offer information to the student about climate change, a carbon footprint calculator activity, and a vocabulary worksheet. This lesson plan meets the curricular goals for physical science through education students about climate change and how we can help reduce our carbon footprint. Each member equally collaborated with coming up with the idea for the lesson plan, the research, and writing out the lesson plan document.