Lesson 1 - Our Solar System
Question
:
Where is Earth's location in space?
Activity
:
The students will use magazines to cut out images and create a collage showing the positions of the planets in our Solar System.
Vocabulary
: universe, galaxy, Solar System, star, planet
Technology
: At the beginning of the class, I will show first 10 minutes of “Cosmos” Episode 1. This episode generalizes Earth’s age in relation to the universe and explains theories behind Earth’s formation. It provides a visual anchor for students as they grapple with the universe as a place and context for Earth’s existence.
Description
:
The unit will begin with a brief explanation of Earth's location in the universe. This will include our Solar System as well as our location in our galaxy and so on. Students will learn why it is called a "solar system" and what it means for the Earth to be part of it. It is important for students to understand the scale of this so that they can understand Earth's role in juncture with the sun and in space. This will give a big picture image to students before delving into the seasons.
Lesson 2 - Seasons
Question
:
Why does Earth have seasons?
Activity
:
I will demonstrate day and night as well as the year, using a globe and a flashlight. This will help students gain a spatial understanding of Earth's movements around the sun and about it's own axis.
“The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change”:
“A Brief History of Planet Earth,” p. 15
Vocabulary
: tilt, gravity, hemisphere, orbit, equator, poles
Technology
: http://www.cleanvideosearch.com/media/action/yt/watch?v=z8aBZZnv6y8 This short video clip shows Earth’s planets and the rates at which they move.
http://www.cleanvideosearch.com/media/action/yt/watch?v=9n04SEzuvXo
This video shows how Earth rotates and revolves around the Sun. These videos will provide a visual example for them to reference throughout the lesson.
Description
:
Students will next delve into the Earth's tilt and how and why it effects the hemispheres differently at different times in the year. Students will draw the equator and label the hemispheres and poles onto a small Styrofoam sphere. Students will work with a partner. One will user a flashlight and act as the "sun" while the other student moves in Earth's orbit. Students will document their observations. I will briefly discuss how the moon effects our climate as well.
Lesson 3 - Climate
Question
:
What does climate effect weather?
Activity
:
Students will create a Venn Diagram specifically outlining the similarities and differences between what weather and climate. Students will then explain how weather affects climate.
Standards
: 6.3.3. Climate is the long-term conditions experienced by different regions on earth, and is influenced by the amount of solar energy penetrating the atmosphere to reach Earth’s surface.
“The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change”
: “Climate Science,” p. 63
Vocabulary
: weather, climate, seasons, equinox, solstice, wind
Description
:
Students will discover the similarities and differences between weather and climate and how seasons affect both. Students will also learn about equinoxes and solstices. Students will discuss typical weather patterns in CT and explore how climate determines those changes. Understanding that climate and weather analyze different things is crucial to their understanding of CT weather.
Lesson 4 - CT Weather
Question
:
How does Connecticut’s climate affect our normal weather patterns?
Activity
:
Students will begin a daily weather log that they will keep up as we move through the unit. Each day after the students log the daily weather, a few students will take turns giving a small “weather report” using the vocabulary they learn in this lesson.
Standards
: 6.3.a. Local and regional weather are affected by the amount of solar energy the area receives and proximity to a large body of water.
6.3.2. Weather on Earth is caused by the daily changes in the temperature, pressure and amount of moisture in the lower atmosphere.
6.3.15. Connecticut weather is influenced by its closeness to the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound. Water temperature causes coastal temperatures to be cooler in summer and warmer in winter than temperatures inland. 16. Connecticut often has rapidly changing weather because three patterns of moving air interact here: cold, dry air from the north, warm, moist air from the Atlantic Ocean coastline, and air moving across the US from west to east.
Vocabulary
: meteorologist, weather report, temperature, air pressure, barometer, dew point, humidity, pollen count, visibility, wind chill
Technology
: Students will watch a few examples of News8 Weather reports and take notes on the voice, fluency, dress, enthusiasm, and delivery of the weather reports.
Description
: Students will learn about the weather patterns in CT and phrases used to describe local weather. Students will learn about how meteorologists deliver the weather forecast and why it is important to daily life. Students will report on the daily weather after keeping their logs for the duration of the unit.
Lesson 5 - Earth's Atmosphere
Questions
:
What makes up our atmosphere?
Activity
:
Students will construct a movable model of the layers of the atmosphere and draw what usually occurs in each layer. For example, they may draw a satellite in the exosphere.
Standards
:
6.3.1 Earth is surrounded by layers of gases (atmosphere) that influence the environmental conditions on its surface. Earth’s atmosphere (air) is a mixture of different amounts of gases (mainly nitrogen and oxygen, along with small amounts of carbon dioxide, water vapor and other gases).
6.3.2. Weather on Earth is caused by the daily changes in the temperature, pressure and amount of moisture in the lower atmosphere.
“The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change”:
“Carbon Dioxide,” p. 40
Vocabulary
: atmosphere, troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere, carbon dioxide, water vapor, moisture, nitrogen, oxygen, ozone
Description
:
Students will gain an understanding of the layers of Earth's atmosphere, what gases and temperatures make it up, and what goes on in each layer through a series of short videos. The students will create an atmospheric layer wheel out of card stock and label what gases make up each layer and draw what occurs in each layer. In order to fully understand the Greenhouse Effect, students need to understand which elements exist in the atmosphere and also the Ozone Layer's role in protecting us. I will briefly discuss the hole in the Ozone layer and the banning of CFCs and those effects.
Lesson 6 - The Water Cycle
Question
:
How does the Water Cycle work?
Activity
:
Students will create a labeled diagram of the water cycle to keep in their notebooks as a point of reference.
Standards:
6.3. 12. Water on Earth evaporates into the atmosphere (humidity) driven by energy from the sun. Higher temperature causes more evaporation. Clouds form when warm, moist air evaporates, rises and cools, causing its molecules to condense onto tiny dust particles suspended in the air. Different cloud formations are associated with different weather.
“The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change”
: “Water,” p. 89
Vocabulary
: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, clouds, water vapor, solid, liquid, gas, temperature
Description
:
In order for students to understand the scope and importance of Earth’s atmosphere, they need to have a basic understanding of the gaseous cycles that are constantly occurring. At the beginning of the year, the students learned about the Water Cycle through the creation of terrariums, so this is a review for them. However it also explains how a lot of weather occurs, and helps to tie the year’s units together in a cohesive manner.
Lesson 7 - The Carbon Cycle
Question
:
How does the Carbon Cycle work?
Activity
:
Students will create a labeled diagram of the water cycle to keep in their notebooks as a point of reference.
“The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change”:
“Carbon Dioxide,” p. 39
Vocabulary
: carbon dioxide, photosynthesis, waste, respiration, fossil fuels, emissions, uptake, decay, methane, organic
Description
:
In order for students to understand the scope and importance of Earth’s atmosphere, they need to have a basic understanding of the gaseous cycles that are constantly occurring. The Carbon Cycle explains how carbon, the most common greenhouse gas, moves in our atmosphere. We will also discuss how humans are adding carbon dioxide to the air in large quantities and how this can affect worldwide weather. Many scientists believe this is a large component to climate change.
Lesson 8 - Radiation
Question
:
What does the sun emit?
Activity
:
Students will take part in an activity in which they use different materials and surfaces to measure the temperature and discuss how and why different materials may be different temperatures.
Vocabulary
: electromagnetic spectrum, infrared, radio waves, wavelength, visible light, ultraviolet, x-ray, gamma ray, microwave, radiation
Description
: Students will watch a video about the electromagnetic spectrum (BrainPop ®) to give them a base for their background knowledge. We will pause the video and take notes at specific parts in a graphic organizer provided by the BrainPop website. Students will use this information to make inferences on how and why different surfaces heat up at different rates and to different temperatures. The materials they will be setting up in sunlight and monitoring will be black paper, aluminum foil, white paper, blue paper, a plastic plate, and a wooden Popsicle stick. The students will use surface thermometers to measure the temperatures after about 10 minutes.
Lesson 9 - The Greenhouse Effect
Question
: How does the sun warm the Earth?
Activity
: Students will plant mustard seeds in 2 small cups in a group. One cup will have another clear plastic cup over the top with holes poked, and the other will not. Students will water the plants and take the temperature of the plant inside the cup and outside the cup daily to discuss show how one plant is essentially in a greenhouse.
Vocabulary
: greenhouse gases, greenhouse, atmosphere, temperature
Description
: As a review of the terrarium projects in the beginning of the year, the students will gain an entirely new understanding of how the sun heats the Earth's atmosphere, and will be able to draw connections between the plant in the cup and the Earth's atmosphere- and how both act as “greenhouses” protecting the temperatures. We will discuss why this would be important for life on Earth. We will also discuss which gases stay within the atmosphere and which bounce back out. We will briefly discuss rising CO2 levels, but will delve further into that in the lesson, “Human Interactions with the Environment.”
Lesson 10 - Climate Study Through Ice Coring
Question
:
How do ice cores help to tell scientists about world climate?
Activity
:
Analysis of an "ice core": Students will receive a picture diagram of an ice core and using their new knowledge on what traits of layers indicate about climate in the past, the students will analyze what past weather/climate patterns may have been.
“The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change”:
“A Brief History of Planet Earth,” p. 15, “The Ice Ages,” p.27-29, 48-50
Vocabulary
: glacier, ice core, Antarctica, layers
Description
:
Students will learn about ice core research through a series of excerpts from Richard B. Alley's "The Two Mile Time Machine". Students will gain an understanding of glaciers versus ice sheets, glacial behavior, what ice coring is and what it tells us, and then analyze pictures of ice core layers to predict climactic behavior from past years. Ice coring has provided scientists with concrete evidence of the climate in Earth's recent and distant past. The layers tell us about precipitation patterns and climactic behavior by the thickness and makeup of layers of ice much like the layers of a tree tell us about rainfall and climactic conditions within the years that make up a tree's life.
Lesson 11 - Alternative Energy Sources
Question
: How can we create power without fossil fuels?
Activity
: Students will create paper windmills in order to see how much power can be generated using natural power. Students will create several different types and compare and contrast which was most powerful. Students will also be forced to think about models that would be able to generate power with minimal wind.
Technology
:
Before the lesson, I will show an excerpt from “Cosmos” Episode 7, explaining the creation of Solar Power and what it was initially used for, and why it disappeared as a concept for many years.
The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change:
“Techno-Fix,” p. 145, “Uncertainty,” p. 121
Vocabulary
: solar power, wind power, turbine, water power, dam, windmill, fossil fuels, carbon dioxide
Description
: Students will learn about alternative energy sources such as wind, water, and solar power. We will discuss fossil fuels, and how they are harmful and non-renewable. Students will gain an understanding as to why fossil fuels are not ideal as a power source forever. Students will be able to understand how harnessing natural energy sources can be beneficial and environmentally friendly. We will also look at the downsides to some of these sources for energy (such as wind turbines effecting bird populations.)
Lesson 12 - Human Interactions with the Environment
Question
:
How can humans help to correct some of the mistakes we have made when caring for our environment?
Activity
:
Students will create environmental awareness posters for the school. Students will use their knowledge of alternative energy sources to raise awareness around the school on the topic.
“The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change”
: “Tragedy of the Commons,” p. 135, “Beyond Fossil Fuels,” p. 171
Vocabulary
: awareness, alternative energy
Description
:
Students will learn about the burning of fossil fuels, the rising CO2 levels, pollution, and other ways that humans are harming the environment. Students will read excerpts from various print sources discussing alternative energy. Students will create posters to hang around the school calling upon people to make changes in their daily lives to help the environment.
Lesson 13 - Solar Ovens
Question
:
How does the sun power a home-made oven?
Activity
:
Students will create solar ovens using pizza boxes, black paper, and tin foil.
Standards
: 6.3.a. Local and regional weather are affected by the amount of solar energy the area receives and proximity to a large body of water.
6.3. 8. Solar energy is absorbed by different surfaces on the earth and radiated back to warm the atmosphere. Land absorbs solar energy at a faster rate, and releases it at a faster rate, than water. Air temperature above the land or water depends on the amount of solar radiation absorbed.
Vocabulary
: solar power, radiation, conductor, absorption, convection, conduction
Description
:
Students will explain conduction and convection by making and cooking in a solar oven. Students will see solar energy at work and explain what is happening. This will take several days.
Lesson 14 - Community Outreach
Question
:
Why it is important to inform the public of environmentally friendly information?
Activity
:
Students will create brochures explaining the climate of Connecticut at different times in the year, environmental issues in Connecticut, and tips for helping the environment that people can do every day, ie. Reusable bags as opposed to single use plastic bags.
Vocabulary
: community, environmentally-friendly, outreach, public information
Description
:
After discussing human interaction with the environment, and after creating the solar ovens, the students will be armed with new knowledge on how to lighten their “carbon footprint.” I have found that many students become passionate about helping the environment after this unit and often want to do more for the public. In this lesson, students will be pairing down what they learned in this unit into a brochure that we will copy and distribute throughout New Haven in the free newspaper bins around the city. The intention of the brochure is to show they students that they can make a difference even through doing something small like this. It helps to engage them in what they learned and take it far beyond the classroom.