Don’t Panic. OK, panic a little
Lesson Design
Grade Level: 5-6
Subject Area: Earth Science
Lesson Topic (What is the “big idea?”): What standard(s) and/or IEP goal(s) will it address?
-Human activities are impacting the climate system
-Climate change will have impacts on the earth system and human lives
6a: The overwhelming consensus of scientific studies on climate indicates that most of the observed increase in
global average temperature since the latter part of the 20th century is very likely due to human activities
6b: Emissions from the widespread burning of fossil fuels since the start of the Industrial Revolution have
increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
7a: Melting of ice sheets and glaciers, combined with the thermal expansion of seawater as the oceans warm, is
causing sea level to rise.
7c: Incidents of extreme weather are projected to increase as a result of climate change.
Supporting Colorado Science Standards:
Life Science 2.1: Changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of individual organisms,
populations, and entire species
Physical 1.2: Atoms may stick together in well-defined molecules or be packed together in large arrays.
Different arrangements of atoms into groups compose all substances.
Related Colorado Math Standards: 5.3.2, 6.3.1, 7.3.1, 8.3.1
Main Objective of Instruction (What do you want the student(s) to learn?):
Human CO2 emissions are warming the globe, and this will have impacts in our location and our lifetime.
Supporting Objectives:
Students will understand how CO2 and warming are linked
Students will understand that H2O is also a powerful greenhouse gas
Students will understand that the greenhouse effect is what allows us to live here, and is not something new
Students will understand that CO2 stays in the atmosphere for a long time, so each year we are putting more in, but still
have the effects of the CO2 that is already in the atmosphere
Specific Strategies to be taught/modeled:
-graphing data
-interpreting graphs
Planning for individual differences (mediated scaffolding): What are the accommodations/modifications you need
to prepare?
Students background knowledge will vary greatly. There will be a 5-6th grade version of the activity, a 7-8th grade version,
and an extra support version for students at a level lower than 5th grade. For group activities, levels will be mixed ability.
Students will receive behavioral support from para-educators.
What background knowledge do the students have/need?
- basic numeracy skills to understand relative values of CO2 measurements.
- an understanding of graphic representation of more than one variable in order to understand graphs.
- a basic understanding of molecules and elements
- a basic understanding of respiration and photosynthesis
- knowledge of the water cycle
- an understanding of the earth as a combination of systems
How will you assess students’ learning – pre, during and post?
Pre- After charting CO2 measurements on an existing graph, students will develop hypotheses about whether or not the
climate is going to continue to warm, and why
During- classroom observation and discussion
Post- Students will evaluate and modify their hypotheses
Materials and Resources:
Materials for greenhouse effect lab
http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/rfl/web/climatechangeguide/activities/greenhouseworksheet.html
Or http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmos/ll_gas.htm
And http://www.amnh.org/ology/features/stufftodo_climate/make_terrarium/need.php
Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: Don’t Panic; OK, panic a little
Main Objective of this lesson: Human CO2 emissions are warming the globe, and this will have impacts in our
location and our lifetime.
Session 1
Anticipatory Set – How will you get the student(s)’ attention?)
Look back at model data (3 scenarios) and tell students that there is a missing link about what will make us be
on one path rather than another, and that I will give them some clues…
It is not something you can see
All animals breathe it in and out
It is something humans also put into the air in other ways
It is sometimes called a “greenhouse gas”
It traps heat in the air
It’s a molecule
It is composed of two elements
There are two of one, and one of the other
It’s scientific name is CO2
Who wants to guess its full name?
Who wants to guess how humans put it into the air?
What do we want to know about it?
(10 minutes)
Teaching:
What are greenhouse gases? (touch on CO2 and H2O) (20 min)
Guided Practice/Discovery
Create terrariums in groups? and put in the sun. (30 min including clean up) (group predictions, and
measurement graphs)
Check for understanding: brief quiz (10 min)
Session 2
Check for Understanding-check in on terrariums, record temp, thoughts about what will happen?
(10 min)
Guided Practice/Discovery- CO2 and warming lab (1 of 2) (40 min)
Closure- Compare and contrast terrariums with CO2 lab
Session 3
Check for Understanding- check in on terrariums, record temp, thoughts about what will happen? (10 min)
Independent Practice: Graph CO2 over history, and remind students about paleo-climate proxy data and how
we know what CO2 concentrations were (30 min)
Closure:
Hypothesis plus Reflection writing/drawing. How will CO2 concentrations be related to climate in the future?
What explains the different possible scenarios? Are you worried about the world warming or not? Why? What
do you think Rifle will be like when you are 20? What about when you are 30? Do you think there is anything
you can do to change what it will be like? What?
Questions: (20 min.)
Session 4
Engage: Go outside again (speculate about how our environment might change due to warming, and
what affects it could have)
Write-up of ideas
(20 minutes)
Look at information about how we are and will be affected locally by climate change (using information from
Olga) 3 or 4 groups, report out findings
(video, hotter drier Colorado) (30 min)
Close: look back at your ideas. Highlight the ones that you have evidence for. Add what you’ve learned. Ask
some questions about (10 min)
Session 5
Facing the Future Climate Change Eyewitness accounts: limit to six stories, supplement with maps and
photographs of locations, and information about locations.
Glacial Lake—Nepal
Ice Cap—Antarctica
Tundra—USA
River—USA
Farmland—Spain
Grasslands—Argentina
Read, as each group shares, write down connection to your group on handout
(30 min)
Read more eyewitness accounts from the US / show videos (15 min)
Close: Write your own eyewitness account about Rifle… (or what you are concerned about) 15 min.
Same factors as Facing the Future