Normal Climate Patterns

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This activity develops students' understanding of climate by having them make in-depth examinations of historical climate patterns using both graphical and map image formats rather than presenting a general definition of climate. Students explore local climate in order to inform a pen pal what type of weather to expect during an upcoming visit. Students generate and explore a variety of graphs, charts, and map images and interpret them to develop an understanding of climate.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Betsy Youngman, Earthlabs from TERC, LuAnn Dahlman

Northwest Passage

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In this activity, students use Google Earth and information from several websites to investigate some of the consequences of climate change in polar regions, including the shrinking of the ice cap at the North Pole, disintegration of ice shelves, melting of Greenland, opening of shipping routes, effects on polar bears, and possible secondary effects on climate in other regions due to changes in ocean currents. Students learn to use satellite and aerial imagery, maps, graphs, and statistics to interpret trends accompanying changes in the Earth system.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Glenn A. Richard, Mineral Physics Institute Stony Brook University, SERC On The Cutting Edge Collection

Ocean Impacts on an El NiÃo Event

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This lesson explores El NiÃo by looking at sea surface temperature, sea surface height, and wind vectors in order to seek out any correlations there may be among these three variables using the My NASA Data Live Access Server. The lesson guides the students through data representing the strong El NiÃo from 1997 to 1998. In this way, students will model the methods of researchers who bring their expertise to study integrated science questions.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Missy Holzer, My NASA Data

Ocean Tipping Point?

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This video highlights research conducted at Woods Hole on how heat absorbed by the ocean and changes of ocean chemistry from human activities could lead to a tipping point for marine life and ecosystems. Includes ice bath experiment that models the tipping point of Arctic sea ice.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: PBS Now

Oceans of Energy

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This lesson focuses on the importance of ocean exploration as a way to learn how to capture, control, and distribute renewable ocean energy resources. Students begin by identifying ways the ocean can generate energy and then research one ocean energy source using the Internet. Finally, students build a Micro-Hydro Electric Generator.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: NOAA Ocean Explorer

Oil Spill Cleanup

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This hands-on activity will provide students with an understanding of the issues that surround environmental clean-up. Students will create their own oil spill, try different methods for cleaning it up, and then discuss the merits of each method in terms of effectiveness (cleanliness) and cost. They will be asked to put themselves in the place of both an environmental engineer and an oil company owner who are responsible for the clean-up.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Janet Yowell, Malinda Schaefer Zarske, Melissa Straten, Sharon D. Perez-Suarez, TeachEngineering of Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, CU Boulder

Our Energy System

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This interactive diagram from the National Academy of Sciences shows how we rely on a variety of primary energy sources (solar, nuclear, hydro, wind, geothermal, natural gas, coal, biomass, oil) to supply energy to four end-use sectors (residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation). It also focuses on lost or degraded energy.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: The National Academy of Sciences

PETM: Unearthing Ancient Climate Change

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In this video, a team of paleontologists, paleobotanists, soil scientists, and other researchers take to the field in Wyoming's Bighorn Basin to document how the climate, plants, and animals there changed during the Paleocene- Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). During this time a sudden, enormous influx of carbon flooded the ocean and atmosphere for reasons that are still unclear to scientists. The PETM is used as an analog to the current warming. The scientists' research may help inform our understanding of current increases in carbon in the atmosphere and ocean and the resulting impact on ecosystems.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: American Museum Natural History

Temperature Puzzle

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This NASA video discusses the impacts of the sun's energy, Earth's reflectance, and greenhouse gases on the Earth System.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: NASA-GISS

Plant for the Planet

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This video describes the foundation Plant for the Planet, a foundation created by a 9-year-old German boy, Felix. This foundation has planted more than 500,000 trees in Germany, which he says help sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The student rallies, first his community and then other children, to plant millions of trees to offset our energy-use emissions.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Young Voices for the Planet

Plugged in to CO2

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In this classroom activity, students measure the energy use of various appliances and electronics and calculate how much carbon dioxide (CO2) is released to produce that energy.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Jonathan Hoffman, Lisa Gardiner, Marie Johnson, Windows to the Universe

Power Source

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In this short activity, students or groups are tasked to make concept sketches that track the source of electrical power as far back as they can conceive. The concept sketches reveal students' prior conceptions of the power grid and energy mix, and lead naturally into a lesson or discussion about energy resources and power production.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: SERC - On the Cutting Edge Collection, Steven Semken

Probabilities, Uncertainties and Units Used to Quantify Climate Change

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In this exercise learners use statistics (T-test using Excel) to analyze an authentic dataset from Lake Mendota in Madison, WI that spans the last 150 years to explore ice on/ice off dates. In addition, students are asked to investigate the IPCC Likelihood Scale and apply it to their statistical results.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: University of Wisconsin - Global and Regional Climate Change, Wendy Van Norden

Reason for the Seasons

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This activity engages learners to investigate the impact of Earth's tilt and the angle of solar insolation as the reason for seasons by doing a series of hands-on activities that include scale models. Students plot the path of the Sun's apparent movement across the sky on two days separated by three months of time.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Baylor College of Medicine, et. al., Nancy Moreno

Samoa Under Threat

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This video adapted from Bullfrog Films examines the effects of global warming on the Pacific island of Samoa with testimonials from an expert in both western science knowledge and traditional ecological knowledge. Background essay and discussion questions are included.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Andrea Torrice, Bullfrog Films; Teachers' Domain

Saved by the Sun

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This activity features video segments from a 2007 PBS program on solar energy. Students follow a seven-step invention process to design, build, and test a solar cooker that will pasteurize water. In addition, they are asked to describe how transmission, absorption, and reflection are used in a solar cooker to heat water and to evaluate what variables contribute to a successful cooker.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Jeff Lockwood, NOVA Teachers

Mapping Sea Level Rise

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In this activity, students will learn the difference between sea ice and glaciers in relation to sea level rise. They will create and explore topographic maps as a means of studying sea level rise and how it will affect Alaska's coastline.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Geophysical Institute of University of Fairbanks

Sea Surface Salinity Influence on Earth's Climate

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This short NASA video focuses on the Aquarius satellite, which was launched in 2011 to observe how variations in ocean salinity relate to climatic changes. By measuring salinity globally, Aquarius shows the ocean's role in climate change and climate's effects on ocean circulation.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Brooke Harris, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Seasons and Ecliptic Simulator

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An interactive simulation of Earth's seasonal dynamics that includes the axial tilt and other aspects of Earth's annual cycle. This is part of a larger lab from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln: http://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion1/motion1.html

Material Type: Simulation

Authors: The Nebraska Astronomy Applet Project, University of Nebraska

Secrets of the Sediments

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In this activity students graph and analyze data from marine sediment cores of the coast of Santa Barbara to predict what the global climate was during the past 160,000 years.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Consortium for Ocean Leadership, Ramona Smith