Grade/Setting: 10 th Class: Biology Length of Lesson: 50 minute class Subject/Unit: Climate Change
Knowledge of Context and Learners to Inform Teaching
In what type of school do you teach (i.e., preschool, elementary, middle school, high school, other; and urban, suburban, rural)?
I teach in a suburban high school.
List any special features of your school or classroom setting (e.g., outdoor classroom, school forest, charter, co- teaching, themed magnet, classroom aide, bilingual, team taught with special education teacher) that will affect your teaching in this learning segment.
In my classroom, I have access to a forest plot on our school land. This forest area can be used for my instruction within a class period. In addition, I have a classroom aide for my class periods with high at-risk populations.
Describe at least one potential learner who may require differentiated instruction.
I have one learner that is English as a Second Language (ESL) learner.
Background Information
Global climate change is an important topic in not only science today, but also for the general public. Citizens around the world are aware of this ever-growing environmental, social, and political issue. Global climate change, or global warming, is a major issue in our world today. Global warming is defined as a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earths atmosphere (Oskin, 2013). As a science teacher, it is my responsibility to educate my students on the causes, effects, and possible future outcomes of global warming. At the root of this issue is the human effect, which is a politically charged subject. It is important for students passing through my high school science classroom to be literate in this issue as they move into the real world after high school. Greenhouse gasses play a large role in global climate change. Greenhouse gasses, with the help of energy from the sun, warm Earth. The suns radiation reaches our atmosphere and some of it is reflected back into space while a majority of it passes through the atmosphere and reaches Earth. The radiation that reaches Earth is responsible for heating the planet. The greenhouse effect involves heat from Earths surface being radiated outward. Greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere trap this radiant heat, which keeps Earth warm enough to sustain life as we know it. These greenhouse gasses consist of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide as well as other gasses (The Greenhouse Effect, 2013). The gas that is most responsible for global warming is carbon dioxide. CO2 is increasing in the atmosphere at such a fast rate that even though it is not the greatest heat-trapping gas, it has the greatest effect (Global Warming, 2013). The problem with global warming is that the levels of greenhouse gasses are increasing in the atmosphere, trapping more and more radiant energy from Earth. This, in turn, is effectively allowing Earth to continue heating up. Many things affect the levels of greenhouse gasses and in effect the balance of global climate, but one major contribution is human activities. There are three factors that contribute to the warming of Earth: the suns radiant heat energy, Earths reflectivity, and greenhouse gasses ability to trap radiant heat energy from the Earth (Environmental Defense Fund, 2007). According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a panel of scientists from around the world, the sun has not contributed to a significant increase in global temperatures (Exploratorium, 2002). Earths reflectivity has been noted to have contributed to Earths cooling if anything, due to pollutants in the air making Earth more reflective and thereby allowing less radiant heat (Environmental Defense Fund, 2007). Therefore, all of this evidence points to greenhouse gasses being the number one cause of Earths warming trend. As noted earlier, the main greenhouse gas that scientists have focused on is CO2 because of its high concentration in the atmosphere. Historically, CO2 levels have varied between 180 up to 300 parts per million (ppm) over the last million years. Today, CO2 levels hover around 390 ppm, more than 30% higher than natural levels over the past 800,000 years (Environmental Defense Fund, 2007). Scientists have also been able to pinpoint the source of this extra CO2 in the atmosphere due to its unique fingerprint. The excess CO2 is mainly from the burning of coal and oil. Knowing this, it is fair to say that human activity is causing Earth to get warmer (Environmental Defense Fund, 2007). Due to the affects of humans on global climate, many effects can be seen around the world. There are some impacts from increasing global temperatures that we can already see. For starters, ice is melting all around the world, particularly at Earths poles but also on the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland (Global Warming, 2013). Sea levels are climbing faster than ever before, and there is also more precipitation on average across the globe (Global Warming, 2013). In addition, partly because of loss of habitat, there has been a decline of the Adelie penguins of Antarctica and scientists have seen some butterflies, foxes, and alpine plants moving farther north to adjust to warming global temperatures (Global Warming, 2013). If warming continues, scientists have predicted other effects that could take place within this century. Sea levels are expected to continue rising to between 7 and 23 inches by the end of the century (Global Warming, 2013). Melting of ice at the poles and the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland are expected to contribute to 4 to 8 inches of this increase (Global Warming, 2013). In addition to melting ice sheets causing an increase in sea levels, it will also affect the amount of fresh water available. For example, the Quelccaya ice cap in Peru is the main source of fresh water for the people that live there. If melting continues at the current rate, this ice cap will be gone by 2100 and the inhabitants will be left without drinking water (Global Warming, 2013). Hurricanes and other natural storms are expected to become stronger, including floods and droughts becoming more common (Global Warming, 2013). Finally, ecosystems and habitats will continue to change. This could lead to species being out of sync, for example, flowers blooming before pollinating insects are active (Global Warming, 2013). In addition, species will be forced to move, adapt, or die in order to meet the changing environments. We will see species moving farther north to find a similar climate that they are used to. On the other hand, we will see species becoming extinct because they cannot move or adapt to the changing environments (Global Warming, 2013). After reading through the data and scientific findings, two things are clear: global temperatures are increasing at an alarming rate and humans are responsible for this warming trend. It should also be evident that global warming is going to significantly change the world we live in. Changes in global temperatures affect the ice sheets, ocean levels, and furthermore habitats and ecosystems that many plants, animals, and humans rely on. The most important point to take away from this is that we are the cause of these changes and we can make a choice to stop contributing to global warming. As Gerald Meehl, a report author and senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research says, We have a choicewe can choose a different future. We can choose what future we have by the choices we make right now.
References: Environmental Defense Fund. (2007, April). Retrieved from How We Know Human Activity is Causing Warming: http://www.edf.org/climate/human-activity-causes-warming Exploratorium. (2002). Retrieved from Global Climate Change: http://www.exploratorium.edu/climate/primer/index.html Global Warming. (2013). Retrieved from National Geographic: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/#close-modal Hulsey, E. (2013, November 11). The 3-Minute Video That Will Make Any Problem You Have Seem Astonishingly Trivial. Retrieved from Independent Journal Review: http://www.ijreview.com/2013/11/93638-3-minute-video-will-make-problem-seem- astonishingly-trivial/ Oskin, B. (2013, September 27). New Climate Report More Confident About Alarming Changes. Retrieved from Live Science: http://www.livescience.com/40024-climate-change-report-differences.html Project Learning Tree. (2013). The Global Climate. In Environmental Education Activity Guide (pp. 363- 369). Washington D.C.: American Forest Foundation. The Greenhouse Effect. (2013). Retrieved from National Geographic: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-overview- interactive/
Big Idea/Central Focus/Enduring Understandings of Lesson
Greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect are crucial to maintaining life on Earth.
Global warming, associated with the alarming increase in levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human impacts, is an important environmental problem in our world today.
There are many steps that we can take as inhabitants of the Earth in order to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and help stop the effects of global warming.
Standards Content Area Standard(s):
B.12.5 Explain how science is based on assumptions about the natural world and themes that describe the EE Standard(s):
B.12.3 Evaluate the stability and sustainability of ecosystems in response to changes in environmental natural world
H.12.1 Using the science themes and knowledge of the earth and space, life and environmental, and physical sciences, analyze the costs, risks, benefits, and consequences of a proposal concerning resource management in the community and determine the potential impact of the proposal on life in the community and the region
H.12.5 Investigate how current plans or proposals concerning resource management, scientific knowledge, or technological development will have an impact on the environment, ecology, and quality of life in a community or region
conditions
B.12.9 Evaluate ways in which technology has expanded our ability to alter the environment and its capacity to support humans and other living organisms
D.12.5 Develop a plan to maintain or improve some part of the local or regional environment, and enlist support for the implementation of that plan
E.12.3 take action in regard to environmental issues in the home, school, or communities Learning Outcomes/Objectives
B.12.5 Students will be able to describe what greenhouse gases are and the role they play in the greenhouse effect.
H.12.1 Students will be able to assess the value of their actions in terms of the carbon dioxide emitted by their choices.
H.12.5 Students will be able to evaluate their daily choices to see the impact they have on the communitys quality of life.
B.12.3 Students will be able to describe the effects of global warming on local ecosystems and the local environment.
B.12.9 Students will be able to evaluate the effects of technology and industry on increasing carbon dioxide levels.
D.12.5 Students will develop their own personal plan for reducing their carbon dioxide emissions.
E.12.3 Students will be able to speak in a scientifically literate way to other students, their families, or community members about global warming.
Essential Questions
What are greenhouse gases? What effect do they have on the greenhouse effect?
Why is the greenhouse effect necessary for life on Earth?
Why are carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere increasing? What role do humans and industry play in this increase?
What effect does global warming have on ecosystems and the environment?
How can we reduce our own personal daily carbon dioxide emissions?
Assessments
Student responses and behavior during class discussions and activities are informally monitored. Students will also be graded on the accuracy and completeness of their answers on the Saving a Ton of CO2 worksheet. Students will be graded based on the relevancy of their responses on daily 3-2-1 exit slips. This is a daily class activity that I have my students complete each day. It is composed of three things that they learned in class that day, two things they found interesting, and one thing they still have a question on. This allows students to give proper feedback on my lesson as well as offers me another opportunity to assess their learning in a formative way.
Academic Language
Lesson Concepts/Academic Vocabulary
Atmosphere-the whole mass of air that surrounds the Earth Solar radiation-the suns process of emitting radiant energy in the form of waves or particles Positive feedback-feedback that tends to magnify a process or increase its output Negative feedback-feedback that tends to dampen a process by applying the output against the initial conditions Greenhouse gases-any of various gaseous compounds (as carbon dioxide) that absorb infrared radiation, trap heat in the atmosphere, and contribute to the greenhouse effect Greenhouse effect-warming of the surface and lower atmosphere of a planet that is caused by conversion of solar radiation into heat in a process involving selective transmission of short wave solar radiation by the atmosphere, its absorption by the planets surface, and re-radiation as infrared which is absorbed and partly reradiated back to the surface by atmospheric gases Global climate change-the recent increase in the worlds temperature that is believed to be caused by the increase of certain gases (such as carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere Fossil fuels-a fuel (such as coal, oil, or natural gas) that is formed in the earth from dead plants or animals Emissions-the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source
*All definitions were provided by Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Prior Knowledge and Pre-Lesson Data Analysis
Prior to this lesson, students must be able to understand: -what the atmosphere is, how it works, what it is composed of -effects of solar radiation -positive and negative feedback systems -oceanic currents -ecosystem disruption and its effects
In order to determine prior knowledge, I will engage students throughout the semester leading up to this activity by providing them with the proper background knowledge. In addition, I will use a background knowledge activator to get students primed for this lesson.
Some common misconceptions about global warming include the following: -all greenhouse gases are bad -global warming is a political hype, there isnt a real scientific concern -if global warming continues, our planet will continue heating until it burns up -individual actions are not large enough to actually make an impact
I will use this information in planning my instruction as to make sure it is addressed in my lesson. An activation of background knowledge will be conducted to get students to recall prior knowledge and be prepared to begin this lesson. In addition, I will address many of these misconceptions within my lesson so that students no longer have the misconceptions listed above.
Lesson Procedure
Resources, Materials, and Technology:
-SMARTboard presentation -Mauna Loa Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations Excel spreadsheet -Earth & Sky: Transcripts from the International Science Radio Program worksheet -Saving a Ton of CO2 worksheet -sample electric bill from home (if possible) otherwise teacher provided electric bills
Instructional Plan
Introduction (1 minutes):
Welcome students to class and take attendance. Remind students that 3-2-1 exit slips require them to fill out three things they learned that day, two interesting things that they learned, and one question they have about the material covered. Tell students that today we will be covering content material and taking notes for about 10 minutes and then we will move on to two different activities.
Activation of Background Knowledge (4 minutes):
Show students The 3-Minute Video That Will Make Any Problem You Have Seem Astonishingly Trivial. Ask students what negative effects they think humans have on the environment and our world.
Lecture on Global Climate Change (10 minutes):
Define greenhouse gases. Explain to students that greenhouse gases are not necessarily harmful to Earth; however their rapid increase is cause for concern. Reiterate the fact that we need greenhouse gases in order for Earth to maintain a temperature that allows for life. Define global climate change, or global warming. Explain to students that throughout Earths history, CO2 levels (an important greenhouse gas that indicates global temperatures) have fluctuated; however, recently levels have become alarmingly highalmost double any previous maximum level of CO2. Take this moment to show students the Excel spreadsheet with the data from the Mauna Loa Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations worksheet. Walk students through the simple steps to making a linear graph that indicates rising CO2 levels. Ask students to list any possible sources of CO2 emissions in our world today. Talk about human impact on global climate change.
Earth & Sky: Transcripts from the International Science Radio Program Activity (15 minutes)
Hand out Earth & Sky: Transcripts from the International Science Radio Program worksheets. Ask students to read Part One. Discuss the purpose of the study described, the procedure used, as well as what students think the results of the study might be. Ask students to read Part Two. Discuss what the results of the study were, if any of the results were surprising, any conclusions that can be drawn from the study, if there were any weaknesses of the study, possibly implications or impacts the study might have, as well as any additional effects that might be added.
Saving a Ton of CO2 Activity (15 minutes)
Ask students to think of ways that they use energy in a given day. Formulate a class list on the SMARTboard. Explain to students that people burn fossil fuels when driving cars, heating their homes, and indirectly by using electricity. Have students calculate the amount of CO2 their family generates in a month. (Hint: 1.24 pounds of CO2 per kilowatt-hour) Add up results to see how much CO2 the class generates in a month. Pass out Saving a Ton of CO2 worksheet. Have students identify possible ways that they can reduce their familys electric bill, therefore reducing the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. Make it a homework assignment that students take home their worksheet and review it with their parents.
Wrap-up (5 minutes):
Reiterate to students that global warming is a scientific problem as well as a social and political problem. Remind students that it is our job to take care of our world so that our children, grandchildren, and their children have a place to live. Reiterate the fact that each individual does in fact make a difference and their efforts do help reduce CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Remind students that they must hand in their Saving a Ton of CO2 worksheet with a parent signature indicating they reviewed it with a parent or guardian at the beginning of the next class period. Have students hand in their 3- 2-1 exit slip on their way out the door.
Differentiated Instruction
In order to accommodate my English as a Second Language (ESL) student, a copy of the presentation outline will be provided for him/her to take notes on. In addition, any reading portions of the classroom activities (for example, reading Earth & Sky: Transcripts from the International Science Radio Program) will be completed in table groups with the partner sitting next to them. Finally, during the activity Saving a Ton of CO2 I will be walking around the classroom, maintaining focus for all of my students, but I will also be available for any questions regarding the assignment.
Lesson References
Environmental Defense Fund. (2007, April). Retrieved from How We Know Human Activity is Causing Warming: http://www.edf.org/climate/human-activity-causes-warming Exploratorium. (2002). Retrieved from Global Climate Change: http://www.exploratorium.edu/climate/primer/index.html Global Warming. (2013). Retrieved from National Geographic: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/#close-modal Hulsey, E. (2013, November 11). The 3-Minute Video That Will Make Any Problem You Have Seem Astonishingly Trivial. Retrieved from Independent Journal Review: http://www.ijreview.com/2013/11/93638-3-minute-video-will-make-problem-seem- astonishingly-trivial/ Oskin, B. (2013, September 27). New Climate Report More Confident About Alarming Changes. Retrieved from Live Science: http://www.livescience.com/40024-climate-change-report-differences.html Project Learning Tree. (2013). The Global Climate. In Environmental Education Activity Guide (pp. 363- 369). Washington D.C.: American Forest Foundation. The Greenhouse Effect. (2013). Retrieved from National Geographic: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-overview- interactive/