Global Warming Lesson

Global Warming: Which Story is Less Wrong? 

 Objective: SWBAT examine and analyze current data used to support different stories about global warming. After considering the information available, students will determine what they believe to be the most accurate summary of observations (including in this their own observations about global warming). Students will use the web as a primary resource in obtaining information and thinking about the topic.  

 Students will begin by exploring the web to find differing resources about global warming. By the time this lesson was taught in class, students would already be familiar with the concept of science as story telling, but an introduction to the topic would be necessary using the chart below and making sure students understood that the issue of debate is not whether or not global temperatures are rising, but whether or not humans were the main cause of the rise in temperature and what actions should or should not be taken to combat the "problem." The chart below (borrowed from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming) demonstrates the global increase in temperature. When presenting the chart students could list observations they have from their personal experience that might support or contradict this summary of observations.

Global Temperatures 1860-2000

Following the lesson introduction students would begin to actually investigate the issue using the internet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming_controversy

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/globalwarming/interactive/interactive.html

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/

http://www.eredux.com/states/

After reading different perspectives on the issue and looking at the information and data available about each topic, students will engage in interactive online activities that will allow them to apply some of the knowledge they have acquired to think about the issues more deeply.

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/carbon/earthfire.html

 http://www.planetgreengame.com/

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Laboratory/PlanetEarthScience/GlobalWarming/GW.html

http://www.globalwarminginteractive.com/index.htm

After exploring the websites students will be asked to combine what they have learned with their own observations and write a summary of observations about what they believe.