Professional development for teachers around these topics is almost non-existent, and quality educational resources are very hard to find. Teachers say they are often intimidated to teach about climate change due to the polarized political climate.
here is room for optimism in this dire scenario: the newly released Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) national science education standards aim to prepare young people to understand and respond to the climate and energy challenges of the 21st century. Th
"Professional development for teachers around these topics is almost non-existent, and quality educational resources are very hard to find. Teachers say they are often intimidated to teach about climate change due to the polarized political climate"
climate extremes — heatwaves, droughts and storms — can hamper plant growth, weakening a major buffer against the rise of CO2 in the atmosphere.
“Heatwaves and droughts will very likely become more frequent in a warmer climate, and ecosystems will somehow respond,” says Philippe Ciais, a carbon-cycle researcher at the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences in Gif-sur-Yvette, France. “More storms will add an extra dimension to the problem.”
Land plants create a huge carbon ‘sink’ as they suck CO2 out of the air to build leaves, wood and roots. The sink varies from year to year, but on average it soaks up one-quarter of the annual CO2
This NASA site is ideal to help build teacher background knowledge and presents clear data that would be great data sets for kids to use during graphing. The search features are useful and are able to help pinpoint the data you need.
Good site to get a world perspective on what is happening with regard to global climate change. Through an interactive map, participants take a world tour and discover that climate change is a world-wide problem. The "trip" is filled with short videos, challenges, and other useful bits of info.
This NASA site clearly explains how the excess carbon absorbed by the oceans creates an acidic water that does not allow animals to grow properly. A GREAT tie-in to animals unit
NASA has put the earth to a physical, and the news isn't great! This site has planet health reports for air, temperature, sea ice, and sea level in a format that kids can identify with: a health physical.
Great site for alternative energy projects. The wind energy projects listed are easily used as a springboard to other designs. Has a place to submit your own work. This site really inspires kids.
This NASA site show the Arctic sea ice from 1979-2012. It shows the perennial ice cover and how is has decreased with a very well done animated graphic. The same site has links to sea level, carbon emission, and global temperatures as well