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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Studying Snow and Ice Changes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare the change in snow and ice over a 10 year period. In this environmental science lesson, students use the live data on the NASA site to study and compare the monthly snow and ice amounts on a map of the entire Earth. ...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Climate Change

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders compare the Arctic and Antarctic.  In this climate lesson students work in groups, research and complete an oral report or a poster. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trees: Recorders of Climate Change

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers study cross sections of trees or tree "cookies" to discover how the rings on tree sections give clues to the climate during the time the ring was produced. They study simulated cross sections of trees to determine the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

PLATE MOVEMENTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Pupils label three geological maps with continents provided to analyze the relationships between the movement of tectonic plates and the changes in the climate. In small groups, they discuss their findings and form hypotheses about the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Caterpillars and Climate: How Temperature Affects Feeding Rate In Insects

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Do you eat more when you are hot or when you are cold? Young scientists observe the eating pace of two caterpillars at different temperatures. The differences in endotherm and ecotherm animals' ability to adjust to temperature change...
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

EarthViewer Climate Guide Activity

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What did Earth look like 4.5 billion years ago, and what was the climate like then? Scholars explore a view of Earth throughout history. They observe continents moving, temperatures fluctuating, and huge changes in ecosystems. A learning...
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Lesson Plan
Kenan Fellows

Climate Change Impacts

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Turn up the heat! Young mathematicians develop models to represent different climates and collect temperature data. They analyze the data with regression and residual applications. Using that information, they make conclusions about...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tread Lightly: Our Changing Climate

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the concept of climate change. In this environmental studies lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding global warming and discuss their research findings as well as their impressions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Climate

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders create two dioramas out of household materials to compare the influence of various factors that impact climate. Each group discuss how the change in factors influenced the climate, flora, and fauna of their area.
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Activity
It's About Time

How Do Plate Tectonics and Ocean Currents Affect Global Climate?

For Teachers 7th - 12th
What do plate tectonics and ocean currents have to do with global climate? This fourth installment in a six-part series focuses on how plate tectonics and ocean currents affect global climate, both now and in the past, outlines an...
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Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Recent Weather Patterns

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Decide whether weather is changing! A two-part activity first challenges classes to review the differences between weather and climate. Once finished, individuals then analyze historical data to determine if climate change is happening...
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Classroom Activities: EarthViewer

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The spot you are standing in right now—how did it look 2,000 years ago, one million years ago, or even four billion years ago? Scholars use a model of Earth throughout history to learn about continental drift, climate change, changes in...
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Understanding Climate Change

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Explore the causes and effects of a warming planet with your students.
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Lesson Plan
US Environmental Protection Agency

Carbon Through the Seasons

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Meteorologists view an animated video by the Environmental Protection Agency to learn how the carbon cycle works, and then move into groups to analyze and graph actual data of the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration from Hawaii's...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Developing Models

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students study the concept of a scientific model and demonstrate climate change models.  In this scientific lesson students design a model using direct and indirect evidence and use it to make hypotheses.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Canada's Arctic Barometer

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research arctic climates. In this Web-quest investigation, students will identify Arctic climate changes, explain the effects of these changes, relate the changes to other regions, and write their findings in a letter format.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Developing Models

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students understand the concept of a scientific model and how it relates to climate change.  In this obsesrvation and gathering data lesson plan students design a trial and error model using PowerPoint. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trapping CO2

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students investigate climate change and how the properties of carbon dioxide and methane play a part.  In this climate lesson students use a chemical reaction to trap CO2 and methane.
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Activity
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National Park Service

It Was a Very Good Year

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park includes whitebark pines that are over 1,200 years old, meaning they have been there since before medieval times. The second lesson of five details how to read tree rings for climate change and...
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Lesson Plan
Center Science Education

Glaciers: Then and Now

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Cooperative groups compare pairs of photos of Alaskan glaciers. They match a historical photo to the recent photo of the same glacier. The class discusses what conditions are necessary for glaciers to retreat. This abbreviated activity...
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Lesson Plan
World Wildlife Fund

Land of the Midnight Sun

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
From days of 24 hour sunlight, to endless nights that last for days, the Arctic is a very unique place to live. Examine the seasonal changes that occur in the northern-most reaches of the globe and the impact they have on the plants and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Translating Science Into Public Policy

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students role-play participants at a panel on climate change. They represent either scientists or policymakers. "Scientists" use the information they've learned in other classes and assignments to present information to "policymakers,"...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Graphing Sea Ice Extent in the Arctic and Antarctic

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students graph sea ice data and predict long term trends in the data. In this climate change lesson, students use sea ice data from the Arctic and Antarctic to construct line graphs. They use their graphs to predict the effects of global...
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Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

The Tide is High, but I’m Holding On… Using ICESat Data to Investigate Sea Level Rise

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Based on the rate of melting observed from 2003-2007 in Greenland, it would take less than 10 minutes to fill the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium. The 17th lesson in a series of 21 has scholars use the ICESat data to understand the ice mass...