Session 1: what is climate change?

Transcription

1 Oxfam Educatin Sessin 1: what is climate change? Age range: years Outline Learners will first explre their existing ideas abut climate change. They will then use the infrmatin prvided t develp their knwledge and understanding f climate change. Finally, they will carry ut a practical activity t reinfrce their understanding f what the greenhuse effect is. Learning bjectives T recgnise the difference between climate and weather. T recgnise that the Earth s climate is changing and understand that human activities are cntributing twards this change. T understand hw the greenhuse effect wrks and the rle f carbn dixide as a greenhuse gas. Key questins What d I knw abut climate change? What is the difference between climate and weather? What is climate change? What is the greenhuse effect? What is the rle f carbn dixide in the greenhuse effect? Learning utcmes Learners will develp their knwledge and understanding abut climate change. Learners will be able t explain the results f an experiment that helps them t understand what the greenhuse effect is. Learners will share their knwledge and understanding abut climate change with thers. Resurces Climate challenge A slideshw: slides 2 8. Activity sheet: The greenhuse effect in a jar.

2 Oxfam Educatin England KS3 Science Wrking scientifically - Pupils shuld be taught t make predictins using scientific knwledge and understanding. - Pupils shuld be taught t interpret bservatins and data, including identifying patterns and using bservatins, measurements and data t draw cnclusins. Bilgy: Interactins and interdependencies Relatinships in an ecsystem - Pupils shuld be taught abut hw rganisms affect, and are affected by, their envirnment, including the accumulatin f txic materials. Chemistry: Earth and atmsphere - Pupils shuld be taught abut the prductin f carbn dixide by human activity and the impact n the climate. KS3 Gegraphy Human and physical gegraphy - Pupils shuld be taught t understand hw human and physical prcesses interact t influence, and change landscapes, envirnments and the climate; and hw human activity relies n effective functining f natural systems. Wales Curriculum links Science: Enquiry - Pupils shuld be given pprtunities t carry ut different types f enquiry- planning, develping and reflecting. Develping number - Learners develp their number skills acrss the curriculum by using mathematical infrmatin, calculating, and interpreting and presenting findings. ESDGC: Climate Change Sctland Sciences - I can explain sme f the prcesses which cntribute t climate change and discuss the pssible impact f atmspheric change n the survival f living things. SCN 3-05b - Thrugh explring the carbn cycle, I can describe the prcesses invlved in maintaining the balance f gases in the air, cnsidering causes and implicatins f changes in the balance. SCN 4-05b Scial Studies I can investigate the relatinship between climate and weather t be able t understand the causes f weather patterns within a selected climate zne. SOC 3-12a

3 Activity 1.1: Climate change bard race Oxfam Educatin Shw slide 3 and explain briefly what a bard race is. A bard race is run like a relay with the persn at the frnt f each team running up t the bard r piece f paper and writing smething related t the questin r tpic. As sn as they have written smething they run back t their team and hand the pen t the next persn in line and then head t the back f the queue. The next persn then has a g but they must nt repeat anything that is already written n their grup s bard r piece f paper. The prcess is repeated until the time is up. Tell learners that the tpic fr this race is Climate change and that yu will give them five minutes t get as many ideas n their paper r bard as pssible. Organise learners int equal grups f fur t six and line them up in frnt f a piece f paper (r a sectin f whitebard) fr each grup with the tpic Climate change written at the tp. Give the first persn in each grup a pen r pencil. If there is insufficient space t run a bard race yu culd carry ut a similar activity with grups staying at their tables and learners passing arund a pen r pencil t take turns t write n a piece f paper. At the end f the race, ask learners t sit dwn. Cunt the number f answers fr each team. Feedback the range f ideas fcusing n any themes which emerge. Cngratulate learners n hw much they already knw and emphasise that they will be building n their knwledge and understanding abut climate change during the sessin. Differentiatin Make it harder: Make the grups smaller. Make it easier: Buddy up learners, with ne persn writing and the ther giving ideas. Activity 1.2: The greenhuse effect in a jar Surce: This activity is based n ne in Climate Chas (WWF 2005), which can be dwnladed frm Use slides 4 t 6 t explain the difference between climate and weather, what the greenhuse effect is and why the climate is getting warmer. Explain that we can use a glass jar t shw the principle f the greenhuse effect. Display slide 7 which shws tw thermmeters, ne in a glass jar and ne in the pen air. Explain t learners that glass acts like carbn dixide in the atmsphere by trapping infra-red radiatin emitted by the sun. Please nte that this is a simplified explanatin f the prcess fr a yunger audience. Ask learners t use their existing knwledge, understanding and experiences t predict what will happen t the temperature n each thermmeter shwn in slide 7 ver time. D yu think the temperature will always be the same n bth thermmeters at any given time? What d yu predict will happen t the temperature ver time n each thermmeter? Why d yu think this?

4 Oxfam Educatin Explain that learners are ging t try this experiment (alternatively yu culd d this as a whle class demnstratin). Ask learners t set up (r set up at the frnt) tw thermmeters clse t a filament bulb. D nt use a flurescent bulb as they give ff less heat. One thermmeter shuld be placed inside a glass jar and the ther thermmeter shuld be in the pen air. A diagram f the experimental set-up is prvided n slide 8. Safety nte: Ensure learners take care when handling glass jars t minimise the risks f breakage and pssible injury. Discuss with learners hw they shuld set up the experiment: What shuld be kept the same fr bth thermmeters? Hw will yu measure the results? What d yu predict will happen t the temperatures f the thermmeters? Check that learners psitin the bulb s that it is equidistant frm each thermmeter and that they time each thermmeter fr the same length f time. Turn n the bulb and measure the change in temperature at intervals, such as 30 secnds r ne minute, fr minutes. Ask learners t recrd their results using a table and line graph. At the end f the time perid, ask learners t cmpare the temperature change fr each thermmeter. What did yu find? Why d yu think this happened? Were yur predictins crrect? Recap n what the learners learned abut climate change in slides 4 t 6. Gases such as carbn dixide have a similar effect n the Earth s temperature as the glass jar had n the thermmeter. This is why the glbal warming caused by the emissins f gases such as carbn dixide is called the greenhuse effect. The greenhuse effect is imprtant fr us as it has made the Earth warm enugh t supprt life. Hwever, human activity is making the layer f greenhuse gases thicker and the Earth is getting htter. Scientists are predicting many negative effects as a result f these changes in temperature and peple are already being affected. Differentiatin Make it easier: Learners culd use the templates prvided n the activity sheet, The greenhuse effect in a jar, t recrd their results. Activity 1.3: What d yu understand abut climate change? Draw an utline f the Earth n a large piece f paper and write Climate change in the middle. Learners culd write anything they have fund ut abut climate change r wrds related t climate change inside the Earth. Display the earth in a prminent place in the classrm and encurage learners t add t it as they g thrugh their climate change learning jurney. Any questins that learners have abut climate change culd be written utside the Earth. Discuss hw learners might find ut the answers t these questins.

5 Oxfam Educatin What infrmatin surces culd yu use? What supprt might yu need? Ask learners t use secndary surces f infrmatin t find ut mre abut what climate change is. Explain that the learners shuld fcus n the science arund climate change. Tell them that they will be finding ut mre abut the causes and impacts f climate change, as well as ptential slutins, in subsequent sessins. The fllwing web links might be useful: Learners culd add the findings frm their research inside the Earth.

6 Further ideas Oxfam Educatin Use Activity 1.2 as an pprtunity t explre wrking scientifically in mre detail by allwing mre time fr learners t design and carry ut the experiment themselves. Discuss what factrs r variables might affect the extent t which the glass jar influences the temperature. Pssible factrs include: the vlume f the jar, the gases inside the jar, the thickness f the glass r the clur r translucency f the glass. Intrduce a third jar int the experiment where learners vary ne f these factrs. Remind learners f the imprtance f changing nly ne variable and ask them what they will d t ensure that all the ther variables are kept cnstant. Learners culd pur a small, equal vlume f water int each jar and add an effervescent tablet t the water in ne f the jars. This will prduce mre carbn dixide in ne f the jars cmpared t the nrmal air in the ther jar (simulating the greenhuse effect). Ask learners t decide hw t recrd and present their results, fr example using a line graph. Learners culd use digital thermmeters t enable them t plt the results electrnically. Learners culd investigate micrclimates within the schl grunds. Ask learners t cllect and cmpare weather data ver a perid f time frm different parts f the schl, such as near t and far away frm a building r frm areas with nrth and suth facing aspects. Terms f use Cpyright Oxfam GB Yu may use these phtgraphs and assciated infrmatin fr the educatinal purpses at yur educatinal institutin. With each use, yu must credit the phtgrapher named fr that image and Oxfam. Yu may nt use images and assciated infrmatin fr cmmercial purpses r utside yur educatinal institutin. All infrmatin assciated with these images relates t the date and time that prject wrk tk place.

7 Temperature ( C) Oxfam Educatin The greenhuse effect in a jar Use the table and graph belw t recrd yur results. Time Temperature N jar Temperature Glass jar Time (minutes)