Climate Literacy Over A Year

Alice Oshiro, Kim Lopez & Nancy Hernandez

Curriculum Map

Spheres• Biosphere

• Geosphere

• Hydrosphere

• Atmosphere

Connection to standards:

• 6.4B Students know solar energy reaches Earth through radiation, mostly in the form of visible light.

• 6.4E Students know differences in pressure, heat, air movement, and humidity result in changes of weather.

Holt Text Reference Pages:Systems: 82-89 Hydrosphere: 400-454 Atmosphere: 468-490

Atmosphere in a BagStudents will create a model of the atmosphere using grains of rice.

CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUND:This activity is useful to help students visualize the

composition of the atmosphere. This activity also helps students see how relatively scarce two of the major greenhouse gases (CO2 and H2O) in the atmosphere are, as well as illustrates the change in the percentage of CO2 since the beginning of the industrial revolution.

Earth's Surface• Earthquakes

• Erosiono Glacial

• Volcanoeso Aerosols

Connection to Standards: 6.2.D Students know earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and floods change human and wildlife habitats.

Holt Text Reference Pages:Structure: 190-197 Plates: 198-216

Earthquakes: 231-250

Volcanoes: 266-281 Erosion: 296-317; 330-351

Glacial ErosionStudents will conduct an experiment in which they

observe the difference in ice melting in oceans vs. on land by setting up a model using cups, ice cubes and popsicle sticks.

There is scientific consensus that global climate is changing, and that our poles (both north and south) are warming. This warming is having an affect on all that snow and ice.

• As the world warms, what will happen to sea level when floating sea ice melts?

• When ice on land melts what happens?

Movement• Conduction

• Convection

• Radiation

Connection to Standards:6.3 Heat moves in a predictable flow from warmer objects to cooler objects until all the objects are at the same temperature. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know energy can be carried from one place to another by heat flow or by waves, including water, light and sound waves, or by moving objects.

b. Students know that when fuel is consumed, most of the energy released becomes heat energy.

c. Students know heat flows in solids by conduction (which involves no flow of matter) and in fluids by conduction and by convection (which involves flow of matter).

d. Students know heat energy is also transferred between objects by radiation (radiation can travel through space).

Holt Text Reference Pages:Heat & Energy: 90-96

Cycles• Energy

• Rock

• Water

• CarbonConnection to Standards:6.3 Heat moves in a predictable flow from warmer objects to cooler objects until all the objects are at the same temperature. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know energy can be carried from one place to another by heat flow or by waves, including water, light and sound waves, or by moving objects.c. Students know heat flows in solids by conduction (which involves no flow of matter) and in fluids by conduction and by convection (which involves flow of matter).

6.4 Many phenomena on Earth's surface are affected by the transfer of energy through radiation and convection currents. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know the sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on Earth's surface; it powers winds, ocean currents, and the water cycle.b. Students know solar energy reaches Earth through radiation, mostly in the form of visible light.c. Students know heat from Earth's interior reaches the surface primarily through convection.d. Students know convection currents distribute heat in the atmosphere and oceans.e. Students know differences in pressure, heat, air movement, and humidity result in changes of weather.

Holt Text Reference Pages:Cycling of Matter: 104-110 Cycling of Energy: 98-

103

Carbon Cycle Game In this game, you will “become” a carbon atom that moves

among different parts of the Earth system (atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere), changing your chemical partners along the way. The total number of carbon elements on Earth stays the same, but, carbon moves at different rates from one storage place (also called a reservoir) to another.

Resources • Renewable

o Alternative

• Non-Renewableo Fossil Fuels

Connection to Standards:6.6.B Students know different natural energy and material resources, including air, soil, rocks, minerals, petroleum, fresh water, wildlife, and forests, and know how to classify them as renewable or nonrenewable.

Holt Text Reference Pages:Renewable/Nonrenewable: 128-143 Fossil Fuels: 158-172

Renewable vs. Non-renewable

Students will learn the difference between renewable and nonrenewable energy.

Materials needed: 1 large bag popcorn and bowls, cards labeled 1-3

Steps:

1. Teacher will hand out to students at random a card with the number 1, 2, 0r 3 on it.

2. Teacher will call up the students by number/generation. Group 1 can come up and take as much of the popcorn as they want, then invite group 2 after followed by group 3. Once the popcorn is gone do not give more.

3. Discuss with students how the popcorn represents a non-renewable resource, lead into other non renewable resources in comparison to renewable resources.

Ecology • Food Chain

• Timing of Biological Activity

Connection to Standards:6.1 Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the

environment. As a basis for understanding this concept:a. Students know energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into

chemical energy through photosynthesis and then from organism to organism through food webs.

b. Students know matter is transferred over time from one organism to others in the food web and between organisms and the physical environment.

c. Students know populations of organisms can be categorized by the functions they serve in an ecosystem.

d. Students know different kinds of organisms may play similar ecological roles in similar biomes.

e. Students know the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and on abiotic factors, such as quantities of light and water, a range of temperatures, and soil composition.

Holt Text Reference Pages:Food Chain: 548-565 Timing of Biological Activity:578-603

Biological Timing Activity Students will explore the concept of how climate change is affecting terrestrial life.

1. Teacher will lead students through a guided reading section followed by questions regarding conceptual knowledge.

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2009/04/springing-forward-2/

2. As a supplement to the lesson, a video about indicator species can be shown:

http://www.umac.org/ocp/videos/amphibianAlarm.html