Title of Lesson Greenhouse Effect and Earth
Subject Area
Age or Grade Level
Brief Overview
Earth Science
8 th
Introduce the Greenhouse effect caused by the Earth’s atmosphere
Estimated Time 50 min
Standards/Unit Goals Learn appropriate vocabulary, Developing models
Essential Questions How does the Earth’s atmosphere help heat the Earth and create weather?
Skill Objective(s)
By end of this lesson, students will be able to
Use evidence provided by a simulation to make a claim about the correlation between greenhouse gases and earth’s temperature and energy.
Knowledge
Objective(s)
By end of this lesson, students will know
Have a cursory understanding of how the greenhouse effect works on earth. Be able to identify two most important greenhouse gases: Water and Carbon
Dioxide.
Materials Needed
Phet Greenhouse simulation. Worksheet
Technology Tools Used Greenhouse PhET simulation
Useful Vocabulary Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouse gas
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Prerequisite knowledge/skills
Understanding of the components of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Anticipated Student
Preconceptions/Miscon ceptions
May believe that the greenhouse effect is totally man made.
Instructional
Tips/Strategies for the
Teacher
Students may have an easier time by introducing the effect of clouds before we start to talk about gas molecules.
Lesson Sequence
Engage: Address the class referring to a previous lesson the makeup of the
Earth’s atmosphere and ask them what the earth would be like without and atmosphere. Discuss the consequences with the class and then lead them to a place where they realize that the surface temperature of the earth would be very different than they experience every day.
Explore: Using the Phet simulation and guide them filling out different pieces of evidence provided in the simulation.

Explain: Using a CER have the students explain the correlation between CO2 or GHG and Earth’s surface temperature.
Resources
Web links
Reproducible Materials
References https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/greenhouse;jsessionid=04B7FBC9D83
D3916239C297EBC01753F
Assessment
Extensions/Exploratio ns
Claim, Evidence, Reasoning to describe the correlation of GHG with the temperature on earth.
Anthropomorphic GHG production and consequences of rising global temperatures
Reflections
Contact Information Scott Gillard gillards@bu.edu