What Does Climate Change Mean for You?

Teacher Name
Subject Area
Topic

Miss Webb
Science 20
Unit C: The Changing Earth

Time: three classes

Grade 11

GLO 4: Students will analyze the evidence of, and assess the explanations for,
natural variations in Earths climate over the last two million years

Specific Learner
Outcome(s)
Taken from
Alberta Program
of Studies

Learning
Objectives
What do you want
your students to
learn?
Assessment
How will you know
your students
have learned?
Materials
What resources
will you need?

Introduction

Body

SLO: 20-C4.1k describe the geologic evidence for repeated glaciation over large
areas of Canada and in their local area
20-C4.2k explain how ice cores from polar icecaps provide evidence of warming
and cooling in the past hundred thousand years.
20-C4.3k explain, in general terms, how changes to Earths climate and how mass
extinctions could be caused by changes or variation in the following: Earths orbit
around the sun, the inclination of Earths axis, solar energy output, Earths
geography due to crustal movement, volcanic activity, ocean currents, atmospheric
composition or asteroid impact

Students will analyze and judge then evidence an understanding of the implications
of climate change for their generation and future generations through blog posts on
Edmodo. Students are allowed and encouraged to bring in external evidence and
articles to support their opinion.
This project will be formatively assessed- students will work on their critical thinking
and ability to analyze material and formulate their own opinions. Students will do
this through blog posts on their Edmodo discussion page and comment thoughtful
and meaningful comments on one anothers.
- Laptops
- Links to Edmodo for discussion board and resources

I will begin the lesson by discussing social/ethical and political issues that arise in
science and how there is often a disconnect between them. Students are familiar
with these topics as we have used them before, but this will serve as a great review.
I will then ask students using Padlet to brainstorm one social or political issue that
climate change brings into play. (15 minutes)
- The Padlet activity will spark interest, ideas, and help students to see more social
and political issues that they can write about in their blog posts.
- I will then give instructions on the assignment- Students will be writing blog posts
(2) on potential social and political implications of climate change and what that
means for them and future generations. I will explain that this project is meant to be
individual and should take them 2/3 classes.
- Students will then begin watching the videos and reading the articles posted on
Edmodo individually. Once complete students are encouraged to find other
resources or educational videos to learn more and strengthen their understanding.
(30 minutes)
- The next class will involve students beginning to write their blog posts, which will

Closure

take the whole class before they have posted and commented on another
classmates. Once complete students will begin working on their final project
I will close the classes by have a short discussion on some social and political
factors students found that were not mentioned during our Padlet activity, as well as
some implications or statistics that were concerning or frightening to the students.
This discussion will serve as a connection to why we are doing it- to educate
ourselves and each other on the real issues of climate change we will experience (5
minutes)