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Great Lakes Climate Change Curriculum Products

Products part of Great Lakes Climate Change Curriculum series


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Great Lakes Climate Change Curriculum

OHSU-EP-1529
Great Lakes Climate Change Curriculum

A complete set of Great Lakes Climate Change Curriculum lessons in one PDF download.

Download the separate Google Earth Tour file required for How Will Climate Change Affect a Great Lakes State? here.

Visualizing changes in the Great Lakes: Which Great Lakes factors will increase and which will decrease as a result of climate change?

OHSU-EP-1020
Visualizing changes in the Great Lakes: Which Great Lakes factors will increase and which will decrease as a result of climate change?

PowerPoint module to incorporate into presentations

ABSTRACT:

This activity visualizes the connections between different climate change effects, and encourages thinking beyond obvious factors like increased temperatures. It can be used to introduce the topic of climate change to an audience, or it can be a culminating activity to draw different aspects of multiple topic areas together. Depending on the impact cards used, the activity can be part of a wide range of topic area presentations.

This activity is adapted from “Visualizing Changes in the Great Lakes,” a lesson in Ohio Sea Grant’s Great Lakes Climate Change Curriculum. Reading through it might help in running the activity.

LENGTH: 5 pages

Water Levels on the Great Lakes: How do the levels of the Great Lakes change?

OHSU-EP-1502
Water Levels on the Great Lakes: How do the levels of the Great Lakes change?

In this activity, students analyze, interpret and make inferences from web-based data on Great Lakes water levels.

ABSTRACT:

Most scientists agree that climate change will affect the levels of the Great Lakes. While sea level is expected to rise, changes in the Great Lakes region are likely to result in lower water levels, though there will be differences from lake to lake. In this activity, students analyze, interpret and make inferences from web-based data on Great Lakes water levels.

How do energy use decisions influence global climate change?: Cars on Trial

OHSU-EP-1000
How do energy use decisions influence global climate change?: Cars on Trial

Students role play a courtroom trial to discuss energy use as it is related to climate change.

ABSTRACT:

This activity encourages discussion about energy use decisions, greenhouse gases, and global warming. Students role play a courtroom trial to discuss energy use as it is related to climate change: Cars are accused of emitting a dangerous gas (carbon dioxide) into the
atmosphere, and students (the jury) must decide how harmful they think automobiles really are and what, if anything, should be done about them.

LENGTH: 8 pages

How will climate change affect a Great Lakes state?: Learning with Google Earth

OHSU-EP-930
How will climate change affect a Great Lakes state?: Learning with Google Earth

This lesson uses examples of climate change from one Great Lakes state, Ohio, to determine local relevance of climate change.

ABSTRACT:

To make climate change relevant to students, they need examples of changes that are occurring or are expected in areas near them. This lesson uses examples of climate change from one Great Lakes state, Ohio, to determine local relevance of climate change. An online source provides similar information for other states.

LENGTH: 5 pages

Greenhouse gases

OHSU-EP-950
Greenhouse gases

In this hands-on lab, students simulate a portion of the greenhouse system using carbon dioxide.

ABSTRACT:

The Earth’s climate depends on the amount of solar radiation received and the atmospheric abundance of clouds and greenhouse gases. Certain gases have been increasing in concentration in the atmosphere on a timeline concurrent with increasing global temperature. In this hands-on lab, students simulate a portion of the greenhouse system using carbon dioxide.

LENGTH: 9 pages

Climate Change and Aquatic Invaders: What do scientists know about aquatic nuisance species of the Great Lakes and effects that climate change will have on them?

OHSU-EP-940
Climate Change and Aquatic Invaders: What do scientists know about aquatic nuisance species of the Great Lakes and effects that climate change will have on them?

Students use references, inference, and observation to match cards that identify aquatic nuisance species and explain the effects of global climate change on these species.

ABSTRACT:

Students use references, inference, and observation to match cards that identify aquatic nuisance species and explain the effects of global climate change on these species.

LENGTH: 17 pages

Global and Great Lakes Climate Change

OHSU-EP-970
Global and Great Lakes Climate Change Groups of students graph data reflecting temperature anomalies over a short period in the recorded climate history of the world or in part of the Great Lakes region. ABSTRACT:

Groups of students graph data reflecting temperature anomalies over a short period in the recorded climate history of the world or in part of the Great Lakes region. Using only their own data, they predict how their actual temperature anomaly trend might continue; then student groups assemble and observe the trend of the 130-year data set. In addition to the science of the lesson, important conclusions can be drawn about how the construction of a graph scale can influence how data are interpreted.

LENGTH: 12 pages

Trees on the Move: Can maples and buckeyes migrate?

OHSU-EP-980
Trees on the Move: Can maples and buckeyes migrate?

This set of 4 lessons for midde and high school focuses on sugar maple and buckeye trees as species that will be affected by climate change.

ABSTRACT:

Activity A: What do climate models predict about tree ranges?
This lesson introduces examples of how General Circulation Models [GCMs] predict possible scenarios of climate change. Three methods of visualizing change are introduced, and students compare how the climate niches of sugar maples and buckeye trees are likely to be altered.

Activity B: How can trees migrate?
The seeds of maples and buckeyes are “dispersed” in an outdoor simulation of how far a tree species might be able to spread over several tree generations.

Activity C: How does temperature affect maple seed germination?
Students examine research data on seed germination at different temperatures to infer some of the impacts of temperature on species survival.

Activity D: After the maples, then what?
Students study an outdoor area that has sugar maples and other species. They catalog the size and relative abundance of species in the plot and infer what species is likely to succeed if maples disappear.

LENGTH: 27 pages

Visualizing changes in the Great Lakes: More or less?

OHSU-EP-960
Visualizing changes in the Great Lakes: More or less?

In this activity, students construct a concept map of things that may increase or decrease as a result of a changing climate.

ABSTRACT:

Teacher Activity A: Which Great Lakes factors will increase and which will decrease as a result of climate change?
As we consider the impacts of climate change on the Great Lakes, there are a number of ways of visualizing those effects. In this activity, students construct a concept map of things that may increase or decrease as a result of a changing climate.

Teacher Activity B: What will people see on the long walk to the water’s edge?
Students examine information about how climate change will likely impact the Great Lakes of North America and assume that they are in a part of the region experiencing a water level decline of over two meters! They listen to [or read] a story in which they imagine that they have spent a lifetime visiting the Great Lakes. With their “memories” and their science information, they describe the changes they have noticed in the Lakes during their lifetime.

LENGTH: 23 pages

Estuary values and changes

OHSU-EP-990
Estuary values and changes

These activities explain some of the beneficial environmental functions wetlands contribute and what may happen to some estuaries as climate change occurs.

ABSTRACT:

These activities explain some of the beneficial environmental functions wetlands contribute and what may happen to some estuaries as climate change occurs.

LENGTH: 18 pages
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