Unraveling Climate Change: Understanding Earth's Gassy Jacket
Lesson Description
Video Resource
Key Concepts
- The Greenhouse Effect
- Carbon Sinks and the Carbon Cycle
- Environmental Justice and Climate Change
Learning Objectives
- Explain the greenhouse effect and its role in maintaining Earth's temperature.
- Describe the impact of human activities on increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
- Identify and explain the function of carbon sinks.
- Discuss the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable communities and the concept of environmental justice.
Educator Instructions
- Introduction (5 mins)
Begin by engaging students with the Crash Course Biology #8 video: 'What is Climate Change?'. Briefly introduce the topics that will be covered: the greenhouse effect, carbon cycle, and environmental justice. - The Greenhouse Effect (15 mins)
Discuss the greenhouse effect, explaining how greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere. Emphasize the importance of this natural process for making Earth habitable but explain how increased greenhouse gas concentrations are enhancing the effect, leading to global warming. Highlight the contributions of scientists like Eunice Foot and Svante Arrhenius. - Carbon Sinks and the Carbon Cycle (15 mins)
Explain what carbon sinks are and their importance in the carbon cycle. Discuss how the ocean acts as a major carbon sink and how increased carbon dioxide levels are causing ocean acidification. Use diagrams and models to illustrate the movement of carbon through the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere. - Environmental Justice (10 mins)
Discuss how climate change disproportionately affects low-income communities and communities of color. Use the example of Nicole Hernandez Hammer's work to illustrate the importance of environmental justice in addressing climate change. Facilitate a discussion about potential solutions and actions students can take. - Review and Wrap-up (5 mins)
Summarize the key concepts covered in the lesson. Preview the next steps or related topics for further exploration.
Interactive Exercises
- Carbon Footprint Calculator
Have students use an online carbon footprint calculator to estimate their personal carbon emissions. Discuss ways they can reduce their impact. - Debate: Climate Action
Divide the class into two groups to debate different approaches to climate action, such as government regulations vs. individual responsibility.
Discussion Questions
- How would Earth be different without the greenhouse effect?
- What are some ways that increased carbon dioxide levels are impacting the ocean?
- Why is climate change considered an environmental justice issue?
- What actions can individuals and communities take to mitigate climate change?
Skills Developed
- Critical Thinking
- Data Analysis
- Problem-Solving
- Communication
Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1:
Which of the following is NOT a greenhouse gas?
Correct Answer: Nitrogen
Question 2:
The greenhouse effect is a ________ process.
Correct Answer: Natural
Question 3:
What happens when carbon dioxide meets water?
Correct Answer: It creates an acid
Question 4:
What is the ocean's role in the carbon cycle?
Correct Answer: A carbon sink
Question 5:
Who was one of the first scientists to theorize that increased carbon dioxide would warm the planet?
Correct Answer: Eunice Foot
Question 6:
What is the approximate increase in global temperature since 1880?
Correct Answer: 1.1 degrees Celsius
Question 7:
How are ice cores used to study past climates?
Correct Answer: By analyzing trapped air bubbles
Question 8:
What is a carbon sink?
Correct Answer: A place where carbon is stored
Question 9:
How does climate change impact hurricanes and typhoons?
Correct Answer: Makes them more frequent and intense
Question 10:
Which of the following is an example of climate change's impact on communities, specifically in environmental justice?
Correct Answer: Disproportionately affecting lower income communities and people of color
Fill in the Blank Questions
Question 1:
The process where greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere is called the ______ effect.
Correct Answer: greenhouse
Question 2:
The ocean is the planet's largest ______ ______, storing vast amounts of carbon.
Correct Answer: carbon sink
Question 3:
Burning ______ ______ releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Correct Answer: fossil fuels
Question 4:
______ ______ is the long-term weather conditions averaged over many years.
Correct Answer: climate
Question 5:
When carbon dioxide mixes with water, it leads to ocean ______.
Correct Answer: acidification
Question 6:
Polar ice caps melting contributes to rising ______ levels.
Correct Answer: sea
Question 7:
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is measured in parts per ______.
Correct Answer: million
Question 8:
Climate change is not only a scientific issue but also a matter of ______ ______.
Correct Answer: environmental justice
Question 9:
We can slow the impacts of climate change by breaking up with ______ ______.
Correct Answer: fossil fuels
Question 10:
The remains of plants and animals that lived before the dinosaurs form ______ ______.
Correct Answer: fossil fuels
Educational Standards
Teaching Materials
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