Learning Experience 2.11
Climate Change Assessment
This assessment task requires you to apply your understanding of climate change to deliver
two different task requirements:
PART A – Climate Change Essay
Your task is to plan and present an essay to demonstrate your understanding of climate
change. You are encouraged to develop your own essay topic and paragraph plan as part
of the I.C.P. research process. Your note-taking should reflect this planning through careful
consideration to the development of your three levels of focus questions. As a guide and as a
minimum requirement your essay needs to include one paragraph on each of the following
topics:









What is climate change?
What human activity has caused climate change to occur?
What natural activity has caused climate change to occur?
What are the effects of climate change?
What can we do globally to stop climate change?
What can we do nationally to stop climate change?
What can we do locally to stop climate change?
What can we do personally to stop climate change?
What do you and/or others think about the management of climate change?
It is expected all paragraphs are drafted using the paragraph framework.
You will need to submit the following
o
o
o
o
o
o
A completed A3 ICP Planning sheet.
All note-taking addressing all focus questions and your paragraph plan.
A paragraph plan outlining the main idea of each paragraph.
A completed paragraph framework for each of your paragraphs
A final copy of your completed essay
A resource list showing where you got your information from. You need to have used
at least three different resources.
Use the following marking guide to help you decide what you need to include in your essay.
PART B- Think Globally, Act Locally
Your task is to think of a way that you can limit the impact your home, school or local
community has on global warming. You must then implement an action plan and determine a
way to evaluate if its implementation has had a positive impact. This is your opportunity to
really make a personal difference to our global environment. The extent to which you engage
and implement change is endless.
For example:
You could put a plan in place to lower the amount of electricity your house uses in a week.
Over a period of a week you could record readings from your meter box to measure how
much electricity your household uses. During this period of time record your observations of
electricity use in your household (e.g. lights left on, electrical equipment on but not used,
unnecessary use of power etc). Review your information and implement an action plan. Call a
family meeting and outline the changes you would like implemented over the next week.
Repeat your meter box readings and observations. Determine the impact your changes made
and evaluate the costs and benefits to your household and our environment. Could these
changes be maintained to ensure a permanent difference is made?
Be creative – this is your opportunity to make a difference.
Following the implementation, monitoring and review of your action plan you will be required
to present a talk to the class. In your talk share with them what you did, explaining the
process, the changes and the impact your plan had. You need to hand in a written overview
of your action plan research.
ASSESSMENT RUBRIC:
Level
Earth and
Beyond
Place and
Space
Resources
2
Describe the
physical conditions
inside a
greenhouse.
Identify how you,
your family or other
groups conserve
water, energy or
recycle materials in
the home or the
community.
Suggest different
ways to improve
resource (e.g. energy
and water).
With teacher
direction you can
follow an
investigation and
collect information.
You are able to
describe what you
have found out and
present this from
your own point of
view.
Explain how
innovations (e.g.
improved technology –
transport) may have
positive and negative
effects on people and
the environment.
With teacher
guidance you can
select aspects of a
topic to investigate
and record
information from
more than one
source.
You are able to draw
simple inferences
from his information
to support a point of
view.
3
Recognize sources
of air pollution.
Link air pollution to
changes in the
atmosphere.
Use basic
terminology such
as greenhouse and
warmer to explain
how air pollution
can affect the
Earth’s climate.
Use this information
to predict what
might happen to the
Earth’s climate in
the future.
4
Identify particular
gases that result in
the enhanced
greenhouse effect.
Explain the
relationship
between particular
human activities
and climate
change.
Describe the
greenhouse effect
terminology.
Discuss ways in
which you can
cooperate to care
for the environment.
Identify issues that
arise when people’s
actions impact upon
the environment.
Recognise that
varying
perspectives may
give rise to different
views about the
care of the
environment.
Identify and discuss
why cooperation is
necessary to
achieve a
sustainable future.
Describe the
various positions
individuals and
groups hold on an
issue related to
impacts of people’s
actions on the
environment.
Profile a group that
acts to sustain the
environment.
Identify examples of
previous innovations
(e.g. motor vehicles,
CFC’s, emissions)
which are now seen to
have a negative
impact on the
environment.
Make
recommendations on
how consumers might
use information in
making decisions to
conserve the
environment.
Discuss how the
present use of nonrenewable resources
might limit future
choices.
I.C.P.
You can negotiate an
investigation and
collect and record
accurate information
from different
sources and points
of view.
You are able to
combine this
information to
support and make
simple
generalisations in
your presentation
which presents an
informed opinion.
Describe ways
emissions may be
lowered globally,
nationally, locally
and personally.
5
Use a greenhouse
model and use
terms such as
infrared, radiation
and absorbing to
explain the
enhanced
greenhouse effect.
Predict using
current information
possible trends in
global warming.
Describe processes
that can be put in
place to reduce
emissions globally,
nationally, locally
and personally.
Describe how these
processes will
affect resource use
such as coal, oil
and gas.
Identify the main
elements of
arguments and
suggest reasons for
views presented by
groups and
individuals involved
in an issue related
to the environment.
Make a judgement
about whether an
individual’s or
group’s actions
about caring for the
environment meet
the principles of
ecological
sustainability.
Justify your own
views on issues
related to caring for
the environment.
Describe how access
to information
influences people’s
ability to act in an
environmentally
responsible manner.
You can plan an
investigation and use
appropriate data
collecting and
recording
techniques.
You use discipline
language to explain
patterns in the
evidence and to
draw conclusions.
Your presentation
shows that you have
considered facts,
opinions and motives
for particular
viewpoints.