Detailed, annotated example of Socratic questioning for topics of climate change, global warming, and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

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Scientists say the planet is warming because of human activities, namely the greenhouse effect from carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere when burning fossil fuels. But, how do we know? How do scientists know?
Students are presented with the following questions:
1) What makes a greenhouse gas a greenhouse gas?
2) Is carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas? [Instructor: How do we know?]
3) Is the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increasing? How do we know?
4) Is carbon dioxide [in the atmosphere] increasing because of human activities? [Instructor: How do we know?]
---- Discussion of results and prediction of what students expect will happen to global average temperature...
5) Is global average temperature increasing? How do we know?

Separate groups of students research just one question each on the internet and submit a brief summary to the instructor. The instructor and class go over results for just the first four questions. The instructor addresses "How do we know" for questions 2 and 4. Then, students are asked what they think will happen to global average temperature based on results of the first four questions (i.e. make an hypothesis). Finally, the results from the last group are presented and students are asked to discuss how observed global temperature changes compare with their hypothesis.

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This lesson introduces students to the concepts of air pollution and technologies that have been developed by engineers to reduce air pollution. Students develop an understanding of visible air pollutants with an incomplete combustion demonstration, a "smog in a jar" demonstration, construction of simple particulate matter collectors and by exploring engineering roles related to air pollution. Next, students develop awareness and understanding of the daily air quality and trends in air quality using the Air Quality Index (AQI) listed in the newspaper. Finally, students build and observe a variety of simple models in order to develop an understanding of how engineers use these technologies to clean up and prevent air pollution.

How do greenhouse gases affect the climate? Explore the atmosphere during the ice age and today. What happens when you add clouds? Change the greenhouse gas concentration and see how the temperature changes. Then compare to the effect of glass panes. Zoom in and see how light interacts with molecules. Do all atmospheric gases contribute to the greenhouse effect?

This resource provides a basic introduction to the greenhouse effect, global warming, and climate change. It is aimed roughly at undergrad classrooms (which is where I have taught), but it's also suitable for high school teachers, lifelong learners, climate change outreach, etc., and can be used for 'just in time' professional development by everyone.

In this simple lab, students collect data to demonstrate basic atmospheric science concepts. Groups of students measure the effect of carbon dioxide on temperature using soda bottles with thermometers inserted. One bottle is filled with air and capped. The second bottle is filled with carbon dioxide using a specific procedure. To conduct the experiment, both bottles are placed under a lamp while students record the increase in temperature over five minutes. The bottle containing carbon dioxide has a greater increase in temperature than the bottle containing air. This lab demonstrates the fundamental concept that underlies climate change science by providing data that are easy for students to interpret.

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In this short video, atmospheric scientist Scott Denning gives a candid and entertaining explanation of how greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere warm our planet.

Explore how the Earth's atmosphere affects the energy balance between incoming and outgoing radiation. Using an interactive model, adjust realistic parameters such as how many clouds are present or how much carbon dioxide is in the air, and watch how these factors affect the global temperature.

This lesson covers different aspects of the major greenhouse gases - water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides and CFCs - including some of the ways in which human activities are affecting the atmospheric concentrations of these key greenhouse gases. This is lesson six in a nine-lesson module about climate change.

Make your own miniature greenhouse and measure the light levels at different "times of day"--modeled by changing the angle of a lamp on the greenhouse--using a light sensor. Next, investigate the temperature in your greenhouse with and without a cover. Learn how a greenhouse works and how you can regulate the temperature in your model greenhouse.

Module: “the Greenhouse effect: a natural phenomenon that has been adversely affected by human activities”IntroductionThis module is about the Greenhouse effect and provides the basic concepts of this natural phenomenon as well as the repercussions on it by human activities. The intended group of learners is students of 10 to13 years of age and it is a module that may fit into a course about the Environment. The components that consist this module include videos, interactive models on the computer, experiments and measurements, analogies, the construction of a greenhouse and physical activities to illustrate the vibration of different elements.Set of goalsAfter the completion of this module, the students should be able to:- Recognize that the greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon without which no life would exist on Earth and describe how it works- Compare and contrast the characteristics of other planets of our solar system and reach conclusions about their status- Name the main greenhouse gases and illustrate the way they react to absorbing energy-  Associate the concentration of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere with the rising of the global temperature after using interactive simulations- Justify the analogy used for the greenhouse effect – simulating Earth to a greenhouse – and point out the discrepancies of this analogy- Conduct experiments about the greenhouse effect and draw conclusions about how temperature rises- Be aware of the adverse effects human activities have had on this natural phenomenonThe processTo initiate the first talk and to present the topic of the module we will show a 2’ video titled: Global Warming: The Physics of the Greenhouse Effect (https://www.oercommons.org/courses/global-warming-the-physics-of-the-greenhouse-effect/view )As soon as the video is finished we discuss with the students if they have ever heard of the terms “greenhouse effect” and “global warming” and ask them to share what they know.We make a short presentation of the components and processes of the Greenhouse gases, as they are found on https://wikieducator.org/Green_house_effect and https://www.windows2universe.org/?page=/earth/interior/greenhouse_effect.html and then show them the 6’ video by prof. Denning talking about the greenhouse effect and the greenhouse gases reaction to the absorbing of energy. The concept of infrared radiation emitted by the earth is not easily understood by students since it is not visible as the light from the Sun. There is an analogy we can use by showing them a reptile light lamp, where light is not visible but the thermoradiation emitted is felt when we feel the heat with our hand. This is an idea taken from http://denning.atmos.colostate.edu/videos/Climate/CO2.tips4teachers.mp4Then we ask them to play a game on how the different greenhouses vibrate when they absorb energy, so as to use their bodies and come to experience the whole process. The idea is taken by the “little shop of physics” video presenting an activity where students wear different colored hats that represent different chemical elements forming certain greenhouse gases and move their bodies to different directions simulating the vibration of these gases when they absorb the infrared radiation emitted from the earth. (http://denning.atmos.colostate.edu/videos/Climate/CO2.tips4teachers.mp4 )The next activity is based on an MIT resource found on https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/earth-atmospheric-and-planetary-sciences/12-340-global-warming-science-spring-2012/lecture-notes/MIT12_340S12_lec5.pdf where the idea about comparing the planets Earth’s, Mars’ and Venus’ atmospheres is introduced. The students are given facts about these planets and are asked to compare the components and thickness of their atmospheres and their temperature range. They are led to conclude that too much of CO2 in the atmosphere would result into the scorching temperatures of Venus, while too little CO2 in the atmosphere would result into the freezing temperatures of Mars (information taken by  http://www.kidsastronomy.com/venus.htm, http://www.kidsastronomy.com/mars.htm)Working on the analogy of the greenhouse, students can perform a series of experiments. They are given instructions on how to make a model greenhouse and by putting lamps over it we can simulate the whole process. There are also instructions given on how to take measurements and make graphs. They process the data and come to realize how a greenhouse works (https://authoring.concord.org/activities/1052/single_page/52db8f13-a8c5-4513-86b1-2428a8407c4b ). It is important that we point out what each object represents in the analogy (the sun is the lamp, the earth is the greenhouse and the greenhouse gases is the glass or plexiglass the greenhouse is made of) as well as the discrepancies there are between the model and the real phenomenon (e.g. the greenhouse gases absorb and emit back the infrared radiation emitted by Earth – they do not absorb the light coming from the Sun).Next, there are different kinds of interactive simulations the students can perform on the computers, so we ask them to take turns in front of the computers and interact with the data given in the simulations and record back how the changes in temperature occur. There is one simulation where you add and remove greenhouse gases on the interactive model and the temperature rises and falls accordingly. (https://authoring.concord.org/activities/1032/single_page/93da01c3-33cf-438e-bfa1-c211c1a7236b). Another simulation shows the infrared spectra of the greenhouse gases and how the vibrated and absorb energy and you can add and remove gases monitoring the changes (http://www.explainingclimatechange.ca/Climate%20Change/javascript/IR%20Windows/IRWindows.html). There is one more simulation on how temperature rises when there are more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, without naming these gases separately (https://www.oercommons.org/courses/the-greenhouse-effect/view). After the students have played with these different interactive models we ask them to explain why we talk about global warming, what it means and what its connection is to the greenhouse gases. There is a 2’ video we can show, where a case is presented on how people are actually responsible for the deterioration of the greenhouse effect that leads to global warming (https://www.oercommons.org/courses/natural-cycle/view).Before closing the module we can revise every information presented and ask them to do a quiz to assess the knowledge gained during the whole procedure, found at http://www.sciencecourseware.org/eec/GlobalWarming/tutorials/greenhouse/ .There are two more resources that we can give as studying material for homework: https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/question746.htm andhttps://scied.ucar.edu/longcontent/greenhouse-effect.          

This short Youtube video shows a visual model of greenhouse gases using tennis balls, explaining why carbon dioxide absorbs more heat energy than oxygen or nitrogen.

This lesson explores the chemistry of some of the greenhouse gases that affect Earth's climate. Third in a series of 9 lessons from an online module entitled 'Visualizing and Understanding the Science of Climate Change'.

This animated video explains how the molecular structure of atmospheric gases can absorb and re-radiate infrared energy. The video uses simple models and analogies to aid in student understanding.

This is a kinesthetic activity that demonstrates how shortwave radiation emitted by the sun and longwave thermal radiation emitted by the earth interact differently in the atmosphere. It allows students to experience this difference and reinforces their understanding of greenhouse gases as well. Students should have an understanding of shortwave and longwave thermal radiation and of greenhouse gases before doing this activity, but there is a minimal amount of background information about those topics included in this pdf. Additional resources/background info for teachers can be found on the website for the Little Shop of Physics.

This video succinctly explains the mechanism of the natural greenhouse effect and the cause of global climate change (anthropogenic global warming). It is short, basic, and to the point. It's also available in 12 languages!

This short video, is the fifth in the National Academies Climate Change, Lines of Evidence series. It focuses on greenhouse gases, climate forcing (natural and human-caused), and global energy balance.

In this 2-part inquiry-based lesson, students conduct a literature search to determine the characteristics of the atmospheres of different planets (Venus, Mercury, Mars and Earth). After collecting and analyzing data, student teams design and conduct a controlled physical experiment using a lab apparatus to learn about the interaction of becomes CO², air, and temperature. The resource includes student worksheets, a design proposal, and student questions. Connections to contemporary climate change are addressed. This lesson is the first of four in Topic 4, "How do Atmospheres Affect Planetary Temperatures?" within the resource, Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate?

In this kinesthetic activity, the concept of energy budget is strengthened as students conduct three simulations using play money as units of energy, and students serve as parts of a planetary radiation balance model. Students will determine the energy budget of a planet by manipulating gas concentrations, energy inputs and outputs in the system in this lesson that supports the study of climate on Mars, Mercury, Venus and Earth. The lesson supports understanding of the real-world problem of contemporary climate change. The resource includes a teacher's guide and several student worksheets. This is the second of four activities in the lesson, How do Atmospheres affect planetary temperatures?, within Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate? The resource aims to help students to develop an understanding of our environment as a system of human and natural processes that result in changes that occur over various space and time scales.

In this activity, students simulate the interaction of variables, including carbon dioxide, in a radiation balance exercise using a spreadsheet-based radiation balance model. Through a series of experiments, students attempt to mimic the surface temperatures of Earth, Mercury, Venus and Mars, and account for the influence of greenhouse gases in atmospheric temperatures. The activity supports inquiry into the real-world problem of contemporary climate change. Student-collected data is needed from activity A in the same module, "How do atmospheres interact with solar energy?" to complete this activity. Included in the resource are several student data sheets and a teacher's guide. This activity is part of module 4, "How do Atmospheres Affect Planetary Temperatures?" in Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate? The course aims to help students to develop an understanding of our environment as a system of human and natural processes that result in changes that occur over various space and time scales.