In this activity, students explore whether statements made by the news and media on climate change-related issues are actually true. Examples are provided for Antarctic sea ice and hurricane intensity, but the activity could be extended to other topics as well.

This video segment from 'Earth: The Operators' Manual' explores how we know that today's increased levels of CO2 are caused by humans burning fossil fuels and not by some natural process, such as volcanic out-gassing. Climate scientist Richard Alley provides a detailed step-by-step explanation that examines the physics and chemistry of different "flavors," or isotopes, of carbon in Earth's atmosphere.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students learn how cultural practices can spread not only ideas and traditions, but also invasive species into new areas.

SCIENTIST NOTES: This lesson gives students the go-ahead to explore the underlying cultural practices that could spread invasive species and ways to reduce the spread to maintain a healthy and balanced ecosystem. All materials embedded in the lesson are factual and accurate. That being so, this lesson has passed our science credibility review process and is recommended for teaching.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson features kinesthetic learning as students play Three Steps Forward, One Step Back.
-Students will develop a strong connection to self and community through learning about invasive species in their community.
-This lesson features excellent vocabulary development.
-Students learn through multiple games.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-One-to-one technology or cardstock with art supplies are required for poster creation.
-Students need access to research materials such as the Internet and/or books about invasive species.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-Groups of students with mixed abilities can collaborate on their educational posters.
-Possible Extension: Do a campus tour and have students take notes on species that could be invasive.

Residents of North Slope Borough, Alaska, look to solar-powered ice cellars and other strategies to preserve their traditional whaling lifestyle.

With valuable cultural and dietary assets at risk from sea level rise, this Pacific Northwest Tribe developed a plan to identify community adaptation priorities and concerns, and charted a course of action to address them.

Instructor provides an introduction to the weathering cycle and connection to ocean chemistry. We consider the following question as a group before splitting up for the Jigsaw portion of the exercise:

If we take the chemistry of wollastonite (CaSiO3) to represent continental rocks, what is the chemical equation of weathering with carbonic acid (H2CO3)?

Students conduct research and develop expertise in one aspect of the weathering-CO2 cycle. Each student produces a 1-2 page description of their area of expertise. Students studying the same aspect then meet to deepen understanding and identify and clear up any misconceptions. Groups check in with instructor or teaching assistant.

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An engaging and informational video describing the history of our knowledge about climate change.

This activity is a set of student-centered exercises that enable students to learn about the individual stories of Goldman environmental prize winners, the activism and organizing that grounds their work, and the underlying political and social contexts from which their struggles emerge. The lesson inspires critical reflection about justice, power, and democracy in green politics, and encourages ways to make personal connections to activism and environmental work.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This is a National Geographic short video that briefly describes how succulent plants in the South African Karoo biome are dying off due to changes in climate.

Dense populations of some microscopic algae (phytoplankton) in ocean waters can contaminate seafood, resulting in serious health problems for humans. Satellite data displayed in an online tool help fishermen monitor and avoid these harmful algal blooms.

This activity identifies and explains the benefits of and threats to coral reef systems. Students read tutorials, describe the role of satellites, analyze oceanographic data and identify actions that can be undertaken to reduce or eliminate threats to coral reefs. As a culminating activity, students prepare a public education program.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students explore the impact of climate change on small-scale fishing communities and best practices for building resilience.

SCIENTIST NOTES: In this lesson, students explore how climate change is changing industrial fishing. This lesson passes our scientific review process.

En esta lección, los estudiantes exploran cómo el cambio climático está cambiando la industria pesquera. Esta lección pasa nuestro proceso de revisión científica.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson builds on lesson 1 of the Cambio Climático y la Pesca unit by providing real-life examples of what students experienced in the role-playing game, El Juego de Peces.
-The authentic texts, game, and student choice in this lesson engage students in discovering new information while developing their Spanish language skills and increasing their capacity for intercultural understanding.
-In this lesson, students are invited to explore the topic of gender equity through data and by listening to the voices of women in the small-scale fishing industry.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-This is lesson 2 of 3 in our Cambio Climático y la Pesca unit.
-To successfully navigate this lesson, students should be at an intermediate-low proficiency level.
-Students familiar with the imperfect tense will be prepared to understand the interviews in the videos in which fisher people describe their childhoods.
-Students with the ability to use the present subjunctive will have the opportunity to employ this concept to express recommendations, doubts, and perspectives.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-The Conecto game in the Inquire section can be played in small groups or pairs by sharing the link with students.
-Students may want to watch the video in the Inquire section one time with the closed captions off and then again with the Spanish closed captions on.
-The tic-tac-toe activity in the Investigate section can be assigned as a graded mini-project or as un-graded collaborative classwork.
-The mural can be painted directly on a wall, or students can use a long sheet of bulletin board paper.
-After completing this lesson, advanced students can research small-scale fishing in their own community and record an AP-style cultural comparison presentation.

In this lesson, students explore the impact of climate change on small-scale fishing communities and best practices for building resilience.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students interpret infographics, play a game, and share what they know about the impact of climate change on fishing.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students deepen their understanding of sustainable small-scale fishing through a matching exercise and a tic-tac-toe research activity.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students create a mural to educate others about the importance of supporting sustainable, small-scale fishing.

SYNOPSIS: This lesson explores ways to reduce carbon emissions through the reduction of disposable plastics in daily routines.

SCIENTIST NOTES: We have a problem with plastics; they are everywhere. And they are bad for the climate and our health. This lesson shows how some countries are trying to reduce the use of plastics. This lesson passed our scientific review process.

Tenemos un problema con los plásticos; están por todas partes. Y son malos para el clima y nuestra salud. Esta lección muestra cómo algunos países están tratando de reducir el uso de plásticos. Esta lección pasó nuestro proceso de revisión científica.

POSITIVES:
-This lesson can easily be integrated into a unit on daily routines, the environment, or the present tense.
-Students are exposed to ways that Latin American countries are leading the way in solving the plastics problem.
-The lesson engages students with two games, Quizlet live and Kahoot.
-The vocabulary related to plastic items is scaffolded so that students can independently navigate the Spanish-language websites and complete the final project with confidence.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-The activities presume novice-high Spanish-language proficiency.
-Students should be familiar with reflexive verbs in the present tense, verbs like gustar to express opinions, and daily routine vocabulary.
-To prepare to teach this lesson, teachers can learn about plastics and recycling.
-This NPR/Frontline report from 2020 and this in-depth Greenpeace España report analyze the limits of recycling as a solution to the plastic problem.
-Bioplastics are made from natural ingredients such as corn. This flier, produced by Break Free From Plastic, provides data about the drawbacks of this solution.

DIFFERENTIATION:
-The lesson can be shortened by eliminating the vocabulary activities in the Inquire section or eliminating either Parte 1 or Parte 2 in the Inspire section.
-The lesson can be extended for advanced students by including supplemental reading and listening activities.
-Students can explore the 2024 international treaty on plastics using this summary in Spanish of the 22 foundational points.
-This RTVE report "La Unión Europea dice adiós al plástico de un solo uso" includes text and a short video.
-Recicladores de base are an important part of the recycling process in many countries. Marce La Recicladora from Colombia has an informative YouTube channel.

In Part A of this activity, students will learn about how sea ice forms and influences ocean currents around the globe. In Part B, they will look at how sea ice thickness changes over time. Finally, in Part C, students will use NSIDC sea ice index data to explore changes in sea ice extent on multiple time scales including months, years, and decades.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

In the first part of this lab, students learn about land ice and the processes and timescales involved in glaciation. In Part B, they use an online interactive to explore how glaciers provide scientists with evidence for climate change. Finally, students use image processing software to measure how much area a real glacier has lost over time due to rising temperatures.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Students read articles from sources such as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), NASA, the National Weather Service (NWS), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and develop summaries of unusual weather patterns that have occurred in recent years. They read and share 2-page articles of indicators of climate change from the EPA. Then they examine and discuss maps of changing global temperature and precipitation patterns and relate the changes in climate to changes in the suitability of a region for a particular plant species.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

"Earth's Energy Budget and the Greenhouse Effect" is a lab activity in which students use computers and scientific applications software to access, display, describe, analyze, and interpret global, climate-related data sets related to the earth's energy budget and the greenhouse effect.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

In this lab, modified from Barbara and David Tewksbury's sea level rise lab, students use bathy/topo DEMs from NOAA to predict the location of shorelines after certain amounts of sea level rise and tsunami inundation. This is then combined with TIGER census data to get estimates of the number of people affected by the change in shoreline. Students then display their results with data driven map pages.

This textbook is a comprehensive lab manual for the core curriculum Introductory Geosciences classes with both informational content and laboratory exercises. Topics include basic laws and theories in Geology, the Earth's interior and plate tectonics, water and climate change, igneous rocks and volcanoes, and earthquakes.