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Course: Middle school Earth and space science - NGSS > Unit 5
Lesson 6: Activity: how and why is Earth's climate changing?Activity: How and why is Earth's climate changing?
Make science come alive in your classroom with this free hands-on activity aligned to middle school NGSS standards.
Activity: How and why is Earth's climate changing?
Earth’s climate is a result of complex interactions between sunlight and Earth’s water, land, atmosphere, and life. For millions of years, Earth’s climate has experienced periods of stability and periods of change.
How is the climate changing today? How can we tell if climate change today is similar to or different from climate changes long ago? In this activity, students analyze climate data from the last 400,000 years and develop a simple model of present-day climate change. Students then select a climate change solution and use their models to explain how the intervention would reduce the level of climate change.
Overview
This activity is designed to be completed in two 45-minute class periods, with additional time required for follow-up creative projects. The activity consists of the following parts:
- Setting the stage—Students review fundamentals about climate, fossil fuels, and carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. (15 minutes)
- Investigation (Part 1)—Students analyze data on carbon dioxide concentration, global temperature, and sea level over the past 400,000 years and identify patterns. (15 minutes)
- Investigation (Part 2)—Students use their knowledge of human activity to complete a simple cause-and-effect model of present-day climate change. (15 minutes)
- Let's get creative!—Students select a climate change solution and use their models to explain how the intervention would reduce the level of climate change. (45 minutes)
- Keep creating!—Students can choose from additional project ideas. Each project encourages students to combine scientific knowledge with creativity to produce something new.
Download the worksheets and get started today!
You can print out this activity or upload it to a digital classroom.
- Student activity guide (9 page worksheet)
- Teacher guide (step-by-step instructions)
NGSS performance expectations
MS-ESS3-5. Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
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how do we prevent the earth icecaps from melting(5 votes)
Good Question.
The thing named "Climate Change" or more oftenly used "Global Warming" can play some factors in this.
There are many ways to stop "Global Warming", but I am only listing three right now. You can review the "Human Impacts on the Enviroment" video where it states that "instead of using a car or a vehicle that uses gas for energy, use a bike". It also states that we plant more trees. But more trees does not mean that we stop everything and continue polluting, it means that some people plant trees so trees so the trees can use "photosynthesis" (correct me if I am wrong) to stop "Global Warming". Another way is that we could prevent unused factories to stay in buissness. Finally, we can "flatten the curve". In the video: "Earth's changing climate", there is the graph of the "average" temperature of the world. But recently, the chart got inflated. We can inflate it, but we have to deflate it too.
These are some of the ways to stop climate change.(6 votes)
Where do we find this data from thousands of years ago.(3 votes)
How do we know for sure if earth has went thought climate change before?(1 vote)
This is a good chapter.(1 vote)
what if the earth's temperature raises so much that everything dies(1 vote)- what is the air pressure on the mountain(1 vote)
- what is human impacts(1 vote)
- how would we prevent it from happening(1 vote)
i like this good job on explaining(1 vote)- if the icecaps melt will it thaw out new bacteria and animals(1 vote)