dlese.org|1007936
In this unit, students explore how scientists study climates of the past by modelling their methods through inquiry activities and investigating real data. The lessons address the difference between weather and climate, direct and indirect evidence of climate change, and natural indicators of climate such as tree rings. They will also examine what conditions were like in the 'Little Ice Age', a period of unusually cool conditions that occurred between 1300 and 1850 A.D. A lesson on glaciers uses imagery to show how they respond to climate change, and a lesson on sunspots uses real data to show the connection between sunspot activity and terrestrial climate. There is also a lesson on the effect of volcanism on climate and a summary activity that brings together all these concepts to draw conclusions about possible natural causes of climate change.
Summary
| Subject keyword(s) | Astronomy, Climate, Climatology, Earth and space science, Earth science, Geoscience, Meteorology, Physical sciences, Science, Space Science, Space sciences, Weather |
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| Grade level | Elementary School, Middle School, Informal Education |
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| Intended audience | Learner |
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| Resource type | Instructional Material |
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| Resource format | text, text/html |
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| Rights | The user is granted the right to use this Site for any non-profit, training, research, or educational purpose whatsoever -- and not for any direct or indirect commercial purpose or advantage -- without any fee or cost, to access, link to and use, create derivative works, publish, distribute, disseminate, transfer, or modify, revise, copy, edit, and digitize the information contained in this Site. In the event you breach of the Terms of Use or terms of use for a specific Materials, UCAR may suspend or immediately terminate your access to this Site and the Materials pursue any and all legal and equitable remedies available to it. |
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Found in collection(s)
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| Title | DLESE Community Collection |
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| Link | http://www.dlese.org/ |
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| Description | The Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) mission is to improve the quality, quantity, and efficiency of teaching and learning about the Earth System, by developing, managing, and providing access to high-quality educational resources and supporting services through a community-based, distributed digital library. Intended users include students, educators and citizens of all ages, in both formal and informal learning environments. The collection favors resources that convey linkages and connections; the general with the specific, theory with evidence, global with local, and that demonstrate the application of science to solving real world problems. This includes providing access to Earth data sets and imagery, and the tools and interfaces that enable their effective use. DLESE resources are community-contributed, by individuals, organizations, and formal collection efforts. |
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| Full description and distribution of resources |
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| Title | Middle School Portal: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2) |
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| Link | http://msteacher2.org/ |
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| Description | The Middle School Portal 2: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2) supports middle grades educators with high-quality, standards-based resources and promotes collaboration and knowledge-sharing among its users. Educators use MSP2 to increase content knowledge in science, mathematics, and appropriate pedagogy for youth ages 10 to 15. MSP2 employs social networking and digital tools to foster dynamic experiences that promote creation, modification, and sharing of resources, facilitate professional development, and support the integration of technology into practice. MSP2 is a project of the Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology, National Middle School Association, and Education Development Center, Inc., and is funded by the National Science Foundation. The partners integrate resources, tools, and services across projects, and support multiple methods of resource discovery to meet the needs of this audience. |
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| Full description and distribution of resources |
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Content contained within the resource
Welcome Educators! This teacher's guide was produced by the National Center for Atmospheric Research as a companion to the Climate Discovery exhibit at our Boulder, Colorado laboratory. It contains lessons appropriate for grades 5-9 on a variety of Earth system science topics that facilitate student learning about our planet's climate system. Investigating Climate Past: The Little Ice Age Case Study In this unit, students explore how scientists study climates of the recent and ancient past. Students model the methods of scientists through inquiry activities, investigating real data to learn more about changes in climate over the past millennium. Click on the links to the right to open the lesson plans within this unit. All lessons are in pdf format and require Acrobat Reader to open. (Click to download the free Acrobat Reader.) 1 Differences Between Weather and Climate 2 Natural Records of Climate Change: Working with Indirect Evidence 3 Living During the Little Ice Age 4 Where Have All the Glaciers Gone? 5 Trees: Recorders of Climate Change 6 Blooming Thermometers 7Sunspots and Climate 8 Dark Skies: Volcanic Contributions to Climate Change 9 Summary Lesson: Understanding Climate and Climate Change Climate Discovery Teacher's Guide For more information: What is NCAR? Visiting NCAR Exhibits at NCAR Our resources for educators Project Coordinator: Susan Foster Scientist: Caspar Ammann Educational Designer: Lisa Gardiner Teacher Consultants: Barbara Monday, Stephanie Weber, Doug Haller Funding for this project was provided by the NCAR Strategic Initiative and the NCAR Opportunity Fund.
