Activity
Day 1:
1. Introduce the lesson by having students read the article
from BBC News; “Kyoto Protocol Comes into Force” from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4267245.stm
Discuss:
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What is the Kyoto Protocol? How does it attempt to stop
global warming?
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Why didn’t the United States sign the treaty?
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What are the arguments for and against the Kyoto Protocol?
Tell students that they will participate in a round
table discussion on climate change, specifically
global warming.
2. Assign students to eight groups, one for each
region of the world they explored during
the road race in
the previous lesson. ( Africa, Antarctica,
Asia, Central America, Europe & Russia, North America, Oceania,
and South America)
3. Students will research web sites to find
evidence of global warming in their region
to present
in the round table discussion. They will
also prepare a display
of
how climate change will potentially impact
the physical and living environment of their
region.
Day 2 and 3 (2 class periods): Take students
to the computer lab for their research. Have
them research
and record
the following information in their notebooks:
Student Instructions:
I. Read the article “Consequences of Global Warming”
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/fcons.asp to gain an understanding of the issue.
From the article, list how global warming
influences the earth’s geo-spheres. How do the interconnectedness
of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere
intensify the problem of global warming?
II. Use the web sites listed below to research
the impact of climate warming in your region:
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/brief.asp Natural Resources Defense Council
www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/climate/globalwarming.html National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
Global Warming
http://unfccc.int/2860.php United Nations
Convention Framework on Climate Change
http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/ Global Warming
http://www.climatehotmap.org/ Map on climate
change
Record the following information in your
notebooks as you research the topic of global
warming:
1. What is the major cause of global warming?
How do countries in your region contribute
to global warming?
2. How have the governments in your region
addressed the issue, if at all?
3. Note any evidence in your region that
the climate has been warming.
4. Note any changes that global warming has
made on the living organisms (plant, animal,
human) in your region.
5. Identify the major causes of global warming.
6. What suggestions can you make to stop global warming?
Create a map that shows potential physical changes in your region
if global warming continues for the next 25 years
-
In addition to your map, look for pictures, graphs, charts, etc. that you can
display during the round table discussion.
Day 4:
Students will work in the classroom to prepare for the round
table discussion. You might group students from each region
together so that they can collaborate and prepare a regional
presentation.
Day 5: Round Table Discussion
Arrange the room in a circle with the students from each
region sitting together. Tell the students that the purpose
of the discussion is to share their research findings and
present their conclusions on the issue of global warming.
The outcome will be for them to work together to create a “Global
Contract” on global warming. The contract should begin
with a common purpose and include an agreement on the cooperative
actions the world nations should take to stop global warming.
An extension to this activity might be for the students to
send a copy of the agreement to their U.S. Senator for his/her
feedback.
Closure
Students will sign the document they created as a result
of their round table discussion.
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Embedded
Assessment
During
a round table discussion students can be assessed on
their ability to explain the suspected causes of relatively
recent climate changes, specifically the observed warming
and their ability to discuss how unusual or extreme global
warming disrupts the balance of the earth’s geo-spheres.
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