A collection of resources for middle school students to learn about the earth science aspects of the climate and climate change. Cover image credit Government of Canada.
This is an interactive website that provides descriptive information and data related …
This is an interactive website that provides descriptive information and data related to ten key climate indicators. These climate indicators and related resources show global patterns and data that are intuitive and compelling teaching tools.
In this activity, students calculate the cost of the energy used to …
In this activity, students calculate the cost of the energy used to operate a common three-bulb light fixture, and compare the costs and amount of CO2 produced for similar incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulbs.
This activity allows students to demonstrate the thermal expansion of water for …
This activity allows students to demonstrate the thermal expansion of water for themselves using water bottles and straws. The discussion allows them to explore the connection between this concept and sea level rise due to climate change.
This web-based activity tackles the broad reasons for undertaking ocean exploration - …
This web-based activity tackles the broad reasons for undertaking ocean exploration - studying the interconnected issues of climate change, ocean health, energy and human health. Students examine the types of technology ocean scientists use to collect important data.
In this lesson, students learn about transpiration and how transpiration plays a …
In this lesson, students learn about transpiration and how transpiration plays a role in cooling cities that experience extreme heat due to climate change.
Step 1 - Inquire: Students explore the idea of transpiration through a hands-on experiment.
Step 2 - Investigate: Students learn about trees' connection to urban heat island.
Step 3 - Inspire: Students create a proposal to improve tree equity in their neighborhoods.
This video describes the role that dendrochronology plays in understanding climate change, …
This video describes the role that dendrochronology plays in understanding climate change, especially changes to high elevation environments at an upper tree line. Dendrochronologists from the Big Sky Institute sample living and dead trees, describe how correlations between trees are made, and explain how tree cores record climate changes.
This narrated slideshow describes the impact of sea level rise on Tuvalu, …
This narrated slideshow describes the impact of sea level rise on Tuvalu, one of the low-lying island nations in the South Pacific. As the frequency and intensity of floods and cyclones increases, the island is shrinking and saltwater intrusion is affecting local food production on the plantations. As a result, many residents are moving off the island to New Zealand, where they face major cultural changes.
This module contains five activities, in increasing complexity, that focus on understanding …
This module contains five activities, in increasing complexity, that focus on understanding how to interpret and manipulate sea level data, using real data from NOAA. Students first need to understand how to access and interpret sea surface height and tide data. To understand how to interpret these data, students will review and practice computing mean values. Along the way, they will learn how different factors, such as storms, affect tide levels and how to measure them. The goal is for students to become experienced with these kinds of data and the tools for accessing them so that, by the end of the module, they can continue to explore data sets driven by their own inquiry.
This lesson plan has students working in small groups to research the …
This lesson plan has students working in small groups to research the Mountain Pine Beetle in Colorado and other inter-mountain Western states. Students identify the factors that control pine beetle population and research how warmer winters and decreasing spring snowpack allow the population of pine beetles to expand.
In this video segment adapted from the International Institute for Sustainable Development, …
In this video segment adapted from the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Inuit observers describe how their traditional understanding of weather patterns is being challenged by unpredictable weather behaviors.
In this activity, students examine a pair of satellite images of the …
In this activity, students examine a pair of satellite images of the ocean and determine whether there is a relationship between the height of ocean waves and the sea level. Data from the two images are plotted side by side and students discuss the reasons for their findings. The resource includes the images and a student worksheet. Summary background information, data and images supporting the activity are available on the Earth Update data site. To complete the activity, students will need to access the Space Update multimedia collection, which is available for download and purchase for use in the classroom.
In this resource, students learn about freshwater resources, how NASA uses satellites …
In this resource, students learn about freshwater resources, how NASA uses satellites to measure precipitation, and how that data can be used in agricultural practices. Students use data from the NASA Global Precipitation Measurement satellite to explore precipitation patterns in two parts of the world and then make recommendations for how to reduce water use in agriculture and in their own lives.
This YouTube playlist contains the video recordings of the lectures presented by …
This YouTube playlist contains the video recordings of the lectures presented by scientists at the Ocean Acidification workshop on July 11th, 2012. Playlist also contains a variety of other related videos that can be used as teaching tools and/or resources.
This visualization is a series of three short animations/videos that illustrate how …
This visualization is a series of three short animations/videos that illustrate how the changing ice sheets result in sea level rise. It uses satellite data to show how Greenland and Antarctica are losing mass at a rate of 283 gigatons per year and 145 gigatons per year, respectively. Simulation shows visualization of one gigaton and how much this translates to sea level rise.
In this video, students learn that the Exxon Valdez oil spill in …
In this video, students learn that the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989 was not the sole cause of the decline of species in the local ecosystem. Rather, an explanation is posited for why some animal populations were already in decline when the spill occurred. Many of these animals share a common food: the sand lance, a fish whose populations have shrunk with the steady rise in ocean temperature that began in the late 1970s.
In this video segment, adapted from a student video produced at Northwest …
In this video segment, adapted from a student video produced at Northwest Indian College in Bellingham Washington, Native American elders discuss the impact of climate change on salmon populations and the importance of restoring balance in the natural world.
This video documents the challenges that climate change presents for four specific …
This video documents the challenges that climate change presents for four specific Arctic predators: polar bears, Arctic foxes, beluga whales, and walruses.
In this lesson, students learn about the water cycle and how climate …
In this lesson, students learn about the water cycle and how climate change impacts its patterns.
Step 1 - Inquire: Students contemplate their relationship with water and observe a demonstration to determine if shifting climates may affect the water cycle.
Step 2 - Investigate: Students explore an interactive diagram about the water cycle.
Step 3 - Inspire: Students watch a video and complete a series of questions in their student journals.
This humorous video suggests what might happen if a weather forecaster reported …
This humorous video suggests what might happen if a weather forecaster reported the weather in the context of climate change. There is a sharp contrast between the anchor focusing on short-term local concerns and the weather forecaster describing what is happening on a long-term global basis.
In this video, students see how data from the ice core record …
In this video, students see how data from the ice core record is used to help scientists predict the future of our climate. Video features ice cores extracted from the WAIS Divide, a research station on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
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