COURSE TITLE:
A HOT ISSUE: Integrating Climate Change into the Classroom
NO OF CREDITS:
2 QUARTER CREDITS
[Semester Cr Equivalent: 1.33]
INSTRUCTOR:
Jeff Crapper, M.A.T.
503/550-0920
jeffcrapper@sterlink.net
WA CLOCK HRS:
Oregon PDUs
20
20
COMPLETION DATE: 6 months from your registration date
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:
This course requires assignment responses to be posted in a password-secured ONLINE website hosted by
The Heritage Institute.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Global climate change remains one of the hot issues in science, both politically and environmentally. In this
class, we will explore, using various Internet tools, the effects of global climate change--such as the loss of
polar ice fields, and the local effects-- the shrinking mountain glaciers of the Pacific Northwest. Teachers will
navigate through tools that can be easily incorporated in to their classroom, such as interactive ice
monitoring web sites, simulations, videos, educational/scientific blogs, and podcasts. Through completing
this course, teachers will have tangible lessons and technological tools that they can use in their Science
curriculum when addressing the issue of climate change with their students.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, participants will:
1. Have a more complete understanding and greater conviction about the negative effects of global
climate change and its harmful impacts on individual regions and the environment.
2. Have an inventory of print and Internet resources which can be integrated into their teaching, with
some idea on how these will be put to use.
3. Have reflected on their own thoughts regarding global climate change and how to bring these
forward in their teaching.
4. Have designed and implemented some form of action project for/with students which minimizes the
impact of their carbon footprint.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Participants will complete assignments and post responses online to specific questions outlined for each
assignment. Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit. The Heritage
Institute does not award partial credit.
HOURS EARNED:
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns
participant’s their choice of 20 Washington State Clock Hours or 20 Oregon PDUs. The Heritage Institute is
an approved provider of Washington State Clock Hours and Oregon PDUs.
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UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION
REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Continuing Education Quarter credits are awarded by Antioch University Seattle (AUS). AUS requires 75% or
better for credit at the 400 level (Upper Division) and 85% or better to issue credit at the 500 level (PostBaccalaureate). These criteria refer both to the amount and quality of work submitted.
1. Completion of Information Acquisition assignments
30%
2. Completion of Learning Application assignments
40%
3. Completion of Integration Paper assignment
30%
CREDIT/NO CREDIT
Antioch University Seattle (AUS) Continuing Education (CE) Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No Credit
basis; neither letter grades nor numeric equivalents are on a transcript. 400 level credit is equal to a “C” or
better, 500 level credit is equal to a “B” or better. This information is on the back of the transcript.
AUS CE quarter credits may or may not be accepted into degree programs. Prior to registering determine
with your district personnel, department head or state education office the acceptability of these credits.
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION
COURSE MATERIAL and/or TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
You will need high-speed (DSL) Internet access in order to view online resources. Some of the reading
materials may be provided in the online environment as PDF documents, a format readable by with Adobe
Acrobat Reader. You may download a free copy of Acrobat Reader from our website.
Required Textbook:
Text required for 400/500 Credit Option: Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change
by Elizabeth Kolbert. Purchase from Amazon (used price is $5.50)
GETTING STARTED:
 After registering for the course, you will be sent an email with the website address, password and course
key you need to access your online course, along with log in instructions.
 Access each assignment listed here in the online course environment and enter your responses.
 Write your responses in a WORD document and then ‘copy/paste’ them into the Responses box.
 When all assignments are completed, CLICK the 'ALL ASSIGNMENTS COMPLETED'. The instructor
will be notified that you have completed all assignments.
 After the instructor reviews your work and enters his responses you will be notified by email. You will be
instructed to log in and view those responses. SAVE a copy of assignments and responses.
NOTES TO ALL PARTICIPANTS:
 You are not required to be present (i.e. online) specific days or times. You will work at your own pace.
 All responses will be posted online. Large documents, files, photographs or PowerPoint presentations
may be attached as part of your response by using the “Share A File” option.
 You may work collaboratively and submit similar responses on all assignments except the Integration
Paper, which must be individually authored.
 To maintain privacy, please do not refer to students in your papers by their actual names, but rather use
an alias or designation such as “Student A.”
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ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR HOURS OR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
A.
INFORMATION ACQUISITION
Assignment # 1:
The PBS Documentary Global Warming: The Signs and the Science profiles people who are living with the
grave consequences of a changing climate, as well as the individuals, communities and scientists inventing
new approaches to safeguard our children's future. Filmed across the U.S., Asia and South America, this
program brings the reality of climate change to life and offers viewers a variety of ways to make a difference
in their own communities. This assignment will help you reflect on what you value most by completing the
following unfinished sentences. Write no more than 1-2 paragraphs per statement. The video may be
accessed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVQnPytgwQ0
Post your answers in the online response box.
(a) My questions regarding global change are…..
(b) Global climate change can affect me personally by…
(c) Potential implications of global climate change are…
(d) Ways I can limit my carbon footprint are…
Assignment # 2:
The mission of the National Park Service is “to promote and regulate the use of the...national parks...which
purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to
provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for
the enjoyment of future generations."
However, the effects of global climate change have taken quite a toll on our protected, scenic areas.
Visit the NPS web page at http://www.nps.gov/climatefriendlyparks/about.html
Read the section on Climate Change
Post your responses to the following questions or statements in the online response box.
(a) What is your personal opinion on the politics behind the global climate change discussion?
(b) Describe in detail some of the misconceptions you may have heard regarding global
climate change and how the NPS Climate Friendly Parks resources addressed those
misconceptions.
(c) Click on the “Personal Emissions Link” on the NPS Climate Friendly Parks resource page or visit
the site directly at http://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/
Calculate your greenhouse emissions and reflect on your results.
Assignment # 3:
Visit the US National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change Educational
Resources http://www.globalchange.gov/
· Review and read about the impact of global climate change in your region.
· Select at least one area of interest or potential concern for your region and complete a one-page summary of
the environmental or economic impact.
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Assignment # 4:
The decline of arctic ice has potential economic, social, and political implications, in addition to the world wide
environmental impact attributed to sea level/water rise.
· View the NASA web site on Arctic Ice decline at http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/arcticice_decline.html
· Complete a one-page summary on the potential impact and threats of declining arctic ice.
Assignment # 5:
NOTE: You will need to have the iTunes application installed on your computer for this assignment If you do not have
iTunes downloaded on your computer you can download it for FREE from http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/. The
download/install may take 30 minutes.
There are many podcasts online that address the issue of climate change.
Open the iTunes application (desktop Icon)
Click on the Podcasts button on the iTunes window (in “Library”, upper left corner menu).
Go to the Podcast Directory
Select “Power Search” (in Quick Links, upper right corner menu)
Put the term global warming in the “Description” box and search.
Listen to at least five of the podcasts and for each of the podcasts, post your answers to the following questions in the
online response box.
(a) What was the title of the podcast you downloaded from iTunes
(b) How is the issue of global warming addressed in the podcast?
(c) What are some of the political and social ramifications discussed in the podcast?
(d) What did you learn or think was an important issue addressed in the podcast?
Assignment # 6:
Create a YouTube channel that contains a playlist with at least 10 different videos on the topic of climate
change. Once completed, send me the link to your YouTube Channel and write a 3-4 sentence summary on
why you included each of the 10 videos on your YouTube Channel
This completes the assignments required for Hours.
Continue to the next section for additional assignments required for University Quarter Credit.
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ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
B.
LEARNING APPLICATION
(Required for 400 and 500 Level)
In this section you will apply your learning to your professional situation. This course assumes that most
participants are classroom teachers who have access to students. If you are not teaching in a classroom,
please contact the instructor for course modifications. If you are a classroom teacher and start or need to
complete this course during the summer, please try to apply your ideas when possible with youth from your
neighborhood, at a local public library or parks department facility (they will often be glad to sponsor
community-based learning) or with students in another teacher’s summer classroom in session.
Assignment # 7:
Purchase and read Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert.
It is available from Amazon. Write a brief (1-2 page) summary of what interested you most about this
information.
Assignment # 8:
North Cascades National Park is home to more glaciers than anywhere else in the contiguous 48 states and
one of the first locations in the country that began monitoring glaciers in the early 1920s. Read about the
Glacier Monitoring Program at North Cascades National Park at
(http://www.nps.gov/noca/naturescience/glacial-mass-balance1.htm)
Write a 1-2 page synopsis on how glaciers are being monitored and current trends regarding glacial mass
loss.
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Assignment # 9:
From all the online research, web site reviews and the book Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature,
and Climate Change, prepare a unit of 8-10 lessons you can implement with your students.
Describe any suggested texts or other reading students will do. You may use your school or district’s own
lesson plan format or the Lesson Plan Template provided with this document. To preserve formatting of your
unit plan, please upload your document using the file share capability in this online system. Save your file as
a pdf, if possible, before uploading. If you include HTML links to web pages, online videos etc, please also
upload the raw text so that your instructor may click the active links.
500 LEVEL ASSIGNMENT
Assignment #10:
(500 Level Only)
In addition to the 400 level assignments, complete the following:
In an instant gratification society where teenagers struggle to consider the future, explain how you plan to
discuss the concepts of global climate change with enough relevancy to your students’ lives. Looking both at
your own teaching and what you see in schools today, describe in 250-500 words:
(a) What do you think can be done to simplify the curriculum and make learning more engaging for
students regarding global change?
(b) Please comment on what you have done in your own teaching to develop a sense of urgency
and empathy toward the environment for your students.
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ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENT REQUIRED FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
C.
INTEGRATION PAPER
(Required for 400 and 500 Level)
Assignment #11:
Complete the requirements for university quarter credit by submitting a final Integration paper (1-2 pages). A
heading is required; please use the following format.
Your Name:
Date:
Course Name:
Course Number:
Number of Credits:
Level: (400 or 500)
Advisor’s Name:
Respond online to each of the 5 questions below. (First list the question and then write your answer)
1. What did you learn vs. what you expected to learn from this course?
2. What aspects of the course were most helpful and why?
3. What further knowledge and skills in this general area do you feel you need?
4. How, when and where will you use what you have learned?
5. How and with what other school or community members might you share what you learned?
INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS ON YOUR WORK:
Be sure to mark the “All Assignments Completed” section in the online course environment to notify
the instructor that you have completed the course.
Upon receiving notification of your completion of all course assignments, your instructor will provide final
written comments in the HOL online environment.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING THIS COURSE:
Jeff Crapper, MAT is a National Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescence Science and currently
teaches science in the alternative education and high school environments in a small suburb outside of
Portland, OR. In addition, Jeff spends his summers as an interpretive park ranger at North Cascades
National Park where he develops educational tools and lessons for teachers.
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A HOT ISSUE: Integrating Climate Change into the Classroom
Bibliography of Books
Required Reading for Credit:
Kolbert, Elizabeth 2006. Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change. Bloomsbury
USA. 240 pages. Long known for her insightful and thought-provoking political journalism, author Elizabeth
Kolbert now tackles the controversial and increasingly urgent subject of global warming. In what began as
groundbreaking three-part series in the New Yorker, for which she won a National Magazine Award in 2006,
Kolbert cuts through the competing rhetoric and political agendas to elucidate for Americans what is really
going on with the global environment and asks what, if anything, can be done to save our planet. Now
updated and with a new afterword, Field Notes from a Catastrophe is the book to read on the defining issue
and greatest challenge of our times.
Suggested Reading:
Cherry, Lynne and Braasch, Gary. 2008. How We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids
Explore Global Warming. Dawn Publications. USA. 66 pages.
When the weather changes daily, how do we really know that Earth's climate is changing? This book takes a
look beyond the headlines – providing evidence from flowers, butterflies, birds, frogs, trees, glaciers and
much more, In addition, it encourages and empowers young adults, their families, and teachers, to learn
more about climate change and take action
David, Laurie and Gordon, Cambria. 2007 Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. Orchard Books. USA.
128 pages.
Down-to-Earth is filled with facts about global warming and its consequences. The book contains many
photos and illustrations, as well as suggestions for how kids can help combat global warming in their homes,
schools, and communities. This book helps educate and empower students, leaving them with knowledge
they need to understand this problem.
Dessler, Andrew and Parson, Edward: 2006. The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change: A Guide
to the Debate. Cambridge University Press. 200 pages.
This is an excellent way into the subject for the beginner. There's some very sound science, most of which is
agreed upon and a good understanding of how policy making works, or doesn't. The two ideas are brought
together along with a discussion as to how we might proceed. One of the strengths of the book is the
frequent use of boxes to put alternative viewpoints and summaries to show where we are in the debate.
Solomon, Lawrence,(2008)The Deniers: The World Renowned Scientists Who Stood Up Against Global
Warming Hysteria, Political Persecution, and Fraud**And those who are too fearful to do so:
Minneapolis,MN: Richard Vigilante Books
Spencer, Roy (2008) Climate Confusion: How Global Warming Hysteria Leads to Bad Science, Pandering
Politicians and Misguided Policies that Hurt the Poor, New York, NY: Encounter Books
Required Web Sites:
PBS Documentary Global Warming: The Signs and the Science
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVQnPytgwQ0
National Park Service Climate-Friendly Park
http://www.nps.gov/climatefriendlyparks/about.html
North Cascades National Park Glacier Monitoring Program
http://www.nps.gov/noca/naturescience/glacial-mass-balance1.htm
US National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Varibility & Change Educational
Resource
http://www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrp/nacc/education/default.htm .
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The NASA web site on Arctic Ice decline
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/arcticice_decline.html
Environmental Protection Agency Personal Emissions Link
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html.
Additional Websites:
Any NOVA website such as the following.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/activities/27gw_warming.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/viewing/3302_07_nsn.html
Curb Population Growth To Slow Global Warming.
www.PopulationInstitute.org
An Inconvenient Truth
http://www.aninconvenienttruth.com.au/truth/doc/sg_an_inconvenient_truth.pdf
The Most Terrifying Video You’ll Ever See, created by a Science Teacher in Independence, OR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zORv8wwiadQ
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THE HERITAGE INSTITUTE
ONLINE COURSE
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE
Grade Level:
____________
Subject:
______________________________________________________________________
Theme/Topic: ______________________________________________________________________
Student Outcomes: (with Connection to relevant State Standards)
Required Materials and Equipment:
Agenda: (The major events of the day posted for public viewing. Schedule warm-up, bathroom breaks,
surprises (pop quiz), guest speakers, specials, assemblies, movie clips, outside assignments etc. so
students can manage their time with you.)
Warm Up: (A one to two sentence task, written or drawn on the board, to be completed alone or in groups
prior to the beginning of the lesson. At the elementary level it would be used for classroom transitions, and
in grades 7-12 to define one content area from another. The warm-up is designed to access learning from
the previous lesson and settle students into the flow for the present lesson on hand.)
Anticipatory Set: (Attention Getter to kindle student interest)
Direct Instruction (10-20 mins): (Input, Modeling/demo, giving directions, check for understanding)
Guided Practice (x mins): (Under teacher’s direct supervision, students individually apply or practice what
they have just learned and receive immediate feedback)
Closure (x mins): (Actions designed to cue in students that they have arrived at an important point in the
lesson or at the end of the lesson; often closure consists of review and clarifying key points)
Independent Practice: (Student directed, may be incorporated before closure or as outside assignment.
The aim is repetition in enough different contexts so that the learning may be applied to any relevant
situation, not only the context in which it was originally learned.)
Assessment and Follow-Up: (Self-reflection, collaborative rubric, other rubric, anecdotal evidence, teacher
created quiz/test etc., peer review, standardized test, exhibition, portfolio piece(s))
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