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http://seagrant.uaf.edu/marine-ed/curriculum/grade-8/investigation-1.html

Alaska SeaGrant, Alaska Seas and Rivers Curriculum

This activity engages learners in exploring the impact of climate change on arctic sea ice in the Bering Sea. They graph and analyze sea ice extent data, conduct a lab on thermal expansion of water, and then observe how a scientist collects long-term data on a bird population.

Activity takes five to six class periods. Video streaming capability is necessary.

Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»


Climate Literacy

This Activity builds on the following concepts of Climate Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

Energy Literacy

This Activity builds on the following concepts of Energy Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines

1. Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills:B) Designing investigations
Other materials addressing:
B) Designing investigations.
1. Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills:C) Collecting information
Other materials addressing:
C) Collecting information.
2. Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems:2.1 The Earth as a Physical System:A) Processes that shape the Earth
Other materials addressing:
A) Processes that shape the Earth.
2. Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems:2.1 The Earth as a Physical System:C) Energy
Other materials addressing:
C) Energy.
2. Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems:2.3 Humans and Their Societies:D) Global Connections
Other materials addressing:
D) Global Connections.

Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials
Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy | Technical Details

Teaching Tips

  • There is an easy link to a very comprehensive teacher background section. In the NSIDC sea ice index visual, teachers should make sure that students can read and understand the bits of critical information at the top of each visual and that the right-hand visual represents a baseline at the beginning of collecting time.
  • NSIDC sea ice index is updated here: http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/
  • Also, Arctic Sea ice is tracked daily here at NSIDC: http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/

About the Content

  • The sea ice activity is the first of five investigations in which which students explore different impacts of climate change on arctic sea ice and the Bering Sea.
  • After they graph and analyze sea ice extent data, students explore thermal expansion of water as a lab and then observe how a scientist collects long-term data on a bird population.
  • Comments from expert scientist:The lesson demonstrates how Arctic sea ice is changing and helps students understand how those changes may impact climate, wildlife, and human activities.
  • It would be good to add mention of another part of the world's ice whose melt does affect sea level - namely land ice - the ice sheets and glaciers, and it could be demonstrated by dropping ice cubes into the water.

About the Pedagogy

  • Teachers should consider all of the investigations in this unit on Arctic Sea Ice. There is a lot of flexibility built into this series of investigations.
  • Teachers can use specific investigations or the entire set. Additionally there are multiple resources to choose from.
  • The teacher background section is very comprehensive.

Technical Details/Ease of Use

  • Sea Ice animation may work only in Chrome as it treats it as a download.
  • This link takes you to the Sea Ice Index Animation Tool https://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/archives/image_select.html, if you can't access the animation linked to in the activity pdf.
  • Capacity of available computers to stream videos may be a concern for some schools.

Related URLs These related sites were noted by our reviewers but have not been reviewed by CLEAN

http://nsidc.org/cryosphere/
alternate link for Alaskan Native thoughts on Climate Change video http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/pp06healy03.php
Entered the Collection: January 2012 Last Reviewed: December 2016

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