This video segment adapted from KET's Where the River Bends demonstrates how …
This video segment adapted from KET's Where the River Bends demonstrates how climate change and glacier movement during the Ice Ages destroyed the old Teays River and created the Ohio River, Kentucky's northern border.
In this problem-based learning (PBL) activity, students take on the role of …
In this problem-based learning (PBL) activity, students take on the role of a student research scientist and explore the role of solar energy in determining climate. Students conduct experiments to observe how a change in water phase affects surface temperatures. Materials required for the investigation include 2 aquariums, dry sand or soil, two heat lamps, and two thermometers.The lesson is supported by teacher notes, answer key, glossary and an appendix with information about using PBL in the classroom. This is the second of three activities in Investigating the Climate System: Energy, a Balancing Act.
Students learn about the underlying engineering principals in the inner workings of …
Students learn about the underlying engineering principals in the inner workings of a simple household object -- the faucet. Students use the basic concepts of simple machines, force and fluid flow to describe the path of water through a simple faucet. Lastly, they translate this knowledge into thinking about how different designs of faucets also use these same concepts.
SSAC Physical Volcanology module. Students build a spreadsheet to calculate velocity of …
SSAC Physical Volcanology module. Students build a spreadsheet to calculate velocity of rising magma in steady-state Plinian eruptions using conservation of mass and momentum.
In this problem-based learning activity, students learn how the intensity and distribution …
In this problem-based learning activity, students learn how the intensity and distribution of rainfall and the structure of clouds are critical information for flight navigators. Students assume the role of climatologists and assist a newspaper reporter in determining the veracity of a pilot's statement about weather conditions he encountered in flight using TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite data. The resource includes teacher notes, student worksheet, glossary and an appendix introducing problem-based learning. This resource is the second of the 3-part learning module, Investigating the Climate System:Precipitation.
In this problem-based learning activity, students learn about weather forecasting and the …
In this problem-based learning activity, students learn about weather forecasting and the role of the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite in data collection. Assuming the role of climatologists, students assist a reporter in determining the accuracy of weather predictions published in The Old Farmer's Almanac. The lesson requires a street map of the local community, acetate sheets to cover the map, materials needed to build a homemade rain gauge, and sample pages of the almanac. Teacher notes, student worksheet, glossary and an appendix introducing problem-based learning are included. This resource is the first of the 3-part learning module, Investigating the Climate System: Precipitation.
In this 2-part inquiry-based lesson, students conduct a literature search to determine …
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 activity, students simulate the interaction of variables, including carbon dioxide, …
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.
In this demonstration, students explore the concept of greenhouse warming. They determine …
In this demonstration, students explore the concept of greenhouse warming. They determine whether an increase in the amount of heat-trappping gases in the atmosphere can cause the temperature on Earth to rise. Students compare the relative heat retention in two experimental systems that are identical except for one being covered with plastic wrap. Materials required include two small aquarium tanks, plastic wrap, two clamp lamps with 60 watt bulbs, modeling clay, rocks and pebbles, and two thermometers. Teacher background information, student worksheets and a scoring rubric are included. This is Activity 1 of the module Too Many Blankets, part of the lesson series, The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change.
In this activity, students investigate how the atmosphere changes with altitude. They …
In this activity, students investigate how the atmosphere changes with altitude. They will obtain atmospheric data for locations of their choosing using online resources, graph it, and examine it to answer questions about changes in temperature, pressure, humidity, and dewpoint with altitude.
In this video segment adapted from NOVA, explore the theory that small …
In this video segment adapted from NOVA, explore the theory that small bits of gas and dust combined to form protoplanets billions of years ago, which in turn collided to create the four rocky planets of the inner solar system.
In this activity, to learn about the biological needs of mosses, students …
In this activity, to learn about the biological needs of mosses, students will grow and maintain their own moss terrarium. Through daily maintenance and observation, students will identify those factors necessary for the successful cultivation of moss.
This OLogy activity teaches kids the many things they can do to …
This OLogy activity teaches kids the many things they can do to preserve biodiversity. The printable checklist includes detailed examples in nine categories.
In this lesson, students will learn how great navigators of the past …
In this lesson, students will learn how great navigators of the past stayed on course that is, the historical methods of navigation. The concepts of dead reckoning and celestial navigation are discussed.
This video segment adapted from the Space Telescope Science Institute shows what …
This video segment adapted from the Space Telescope Science Institute shows what the Hubble telescope found when it stared at a single, nearly empty spot in the sky for 10 days in 1995. The unexpected result was a picture of a multitude of galaxies stretching into the distance.
This article examines the sixth of seven essential principles of the climate …
This article examines the sixth of seven essential principles of the climate sciences--"We Change Earth's Climate." Written for the science teacher, the article covers greenhouse gases, land-use changes, and other human-induced causes of global climate change. Each issue of the free online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle is structured around one of the seven principles. The content provides background information, lessons, and activities for K-5 classrooms.
This site assembles the information from the April 1997 American Museum of …
This site assembles the information from the April 1997 American Museum of Natural History symposium on the role humans have played, and continue to play, in the extinction of species. It presents an overview of extinction, the various hypotheses that explain this irreplaceable loss, details about what happened 14,000 years ago and the ongoing role humans play in the extinction process, a bestiary with notes and illustrations about some of the mammals that have gone extinct from the Pleistocene era through the 20th century, and what can be done to prevent another extinction event.
Map of Africa coded by the number of underweight children per square …
Map of Africa coded by the number of underweight children per square kilometer. It is thus a measure of the absolute density of hungry individuals, a combination of hunger and population density.
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