This activity asks students to investigate different aspects of gold mining and …
This activity asks students to investigate different aspects of gold mining and think critically about the perceived and real needs for this mineral resource as well as the impacts (both positive and negative) that both gold mining and recycling can have. It integrates concepts and terminology from earlier in the course into real-world situations and personal decision making. This exercise is set up as a small-group jigsaw activity.
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This 20-minute video, produced by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, …
This 20-minute video, produced by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, describes adaptation strategies undertaken by several groups and nations in response to rising sea level and other aspects of climate change.
In this activity, students assess individual and national opinions on climate change …
In this activity, students assess individual and national opinions on climate change and explore strategies that communities are employing to adapt to aspects of climate change already affecting them in addition to those likely to affect them in the future.
This contemplative practice inquires into the complex web of interdependencies linking global …
This contemplative practice inquires into the complex web of interdependencies linking global climate change, the War on Terror, Afghan poppy production, opiate addiction, and food security through the lens of systems theory. The exercise challenges students to consider these linkages not only conceptually but also somatically and emotionally.
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After the Ice: Our Food discusses changes in historic food sources for …
After the Ice: Our Food discusses changes in historic food sources for Arctic Native Americans. Global climate change is altering yearly cycles of both ice coverage and depth in the Bering Sea. Changes in the ice affect the way local native groups hunt in order to feed their community.
This 7-minute video illustrates how the historic homeland for Arctic Native Americans …
This 7-minute video illustrates how the historic homeland for Arctic Native Americans is being affected by climate change. Shorefast ice and pack ice are present for a shorter part of the year. This has profound affects on the way of life in the Bering Sea region, to the point where the community may have to relocate.
This video discusses how the historic way of life for Arctic Native …
This video discusses how the historic way of life for Arctic Native Americans has changed. Global climate change is altering the ice cycle (yearly coverage, depth, and persistence) in the Bering Sea and weather patterns. Changes in the ice affect the way local native groups are able to hunt for food, and maintain their community.
This short, time-lapse video shows the changes in the Columbia Glacier from …
This short, time-lapse video shows the changes in the Columbia Glacier from May 12, 2007 to August 20, 2010. Narration provides general description of the geophysical dynamics and processes.
In this activity, students explore the basic living requirements of algae (phytoplankton)through …
In this activity, students explore the basic living requirements of algae (phytoplankton)through hands-on experience and an interactive game. Students investigate what algal biofuels are, how they are made, where they can grow, and, most importantly, why this topic should be investigated. Algal biofuels are an emerging source of renewable energy.
Road deicers raise several environmental and cost concerns. In this activity students …
Road deicers raise several environmental and cost concerns. In this activity students consider alternatives while investigating colligative properties.
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Global temperatures continue to be affected by the combustion of fossil fuels …
Global temperatures continue to be affected by the combustion of fossil fuels and the subsequent release of carbon dioxide. This 3-week unit is designed to give 9th grade physical science or environmental science student an introduction to climate change, how humans are influencing it, and what efforts we can make to help limit or prevent it. Topics necessary for this unit include electricity, circuits, greenhouse gases, alternative energies, embodied energy, payback period, and life cycle assessments. This unit functions as a culminating project incorporating all of the topics listed above and challenges students to conduct research, engineer their own alternative energy solutions and prove their efficiency through calculation. Individually or in pairs students must pick an alternative energy, spend a day or more researching it, a day drawing a blueprint for it and creating a materials list, two or three days building model “power plants” to light 3 LEDs, and two to three days writing summary research papers. The quantitative analysis of their models (included in their research papers) and student’s ability to prove their models environmental superiority over fossil fuels will be weighted heavily.
This is a research project for an Environmental Geology class, in which …
This is a research project for an Environmental Geology class, in which each student selects or is assigned a type of alternative energy to investigate. The project culminates in a 10-15 minute class presentation with accompanying written abstract.
This lesson is a lab in which students use thermometers, white and …
This lesson is a lab in which students use thermometers, white and dark paper, and lamps to measure differences in albedo between the light and dark materials. Connections are made to albedo in Antarctica.
Children experiment with freezing water to observe a state change of water, …
Children experiment with freezing water to observe a state change of water, and discover that it is less dense as a solid (ice) than it is as a liquid (water). Amazing Expanding Ice is an overnight activity requiring 20 minutes of preparation, overnight freezing of the experiment, and 10 minutes of follow-up discussion.
This video provides a detailed description of the habitat of the American …
This video provides a detailed description of the habitat of the American Pika and how this organism may serve as a climate indicator species because they have a relatively narrow ecological niche and specialized habitat.
This video production is a part of a four-panel report from the …
This video production is a part of a four-panel report from the National Academies' America's Climate Choices project. The video maps out the realm of our accumulated knowledge regarding climate change and charts a path forward, urging that research on climate change enter a new era focused on the needs of decision makers.
A video that discusses the perspectives and insights necessary to report out …
A video that discusses the perspectives and insights necessary to report out about climate change. The video can be used to demonstrate how different perspectives impact different stakeholders and different levels, and that there is a need to have a clear, coordinated national response.
This video from the U.S. National Academies summarizes the energy challenges the …
This video from the U.S. National Academies summarizes the energy challenges the United States faces, including the technological challenges, and the need for changes in consumption and in energy policy.
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