Climate Change in the Arctic – Lesson 2
Lesson Overview (5 periods)
Students view two movies and read book passages about climate change in the Arctic to gather information for writing a letter in role about the effect of climate change on Arctic wildlife and people. They identify actions they can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Use for grade 7 science and geography.
Connections to Environmental Education
Students will learn about the health of the Arctic ecosystem, the impact of industrial and post-industrial society on the Arctic environment and the interconnectedness of environmental and social issues. They will have an opportunity to use a range of resources, communications skills and technologies in addressing environmental questions about the greenhouse effect and climate change in the Arctic. They have an opportunity to appreciate the fragility of nature in the Arctic, and become mindful of perspectives other than their own and be prepared to modify their ideas and beliefs when appropriate.
GRADE 7, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, GEOGRAPHY, LANGUAGE
Curriculum Expectations
Science and Technology (2007) – Understanding Life Systems: Interactions in the Environment
1. Students will assess the impacts of human activities and technologies on the environment, and evaluate ways of controlling these impacts.
1.1 Students will assess the impact of selected technologies on the environment.
2. Students will investigate interactions within the environment, and identify factors that affect the balance between different components of an ecosystem.
2.3 Students will use scientific inquiry / research skills to investigate occurrences that affect the balance within a local ecosystem.
History and Geography (2004) – The Themes of Geographic Inquiry
Students will analyse current environmental issues or events from the perspective of one or more of the themes of geographic inquiry.
Students will apply the perspective of one or more themes of geographic inquiry to produce a report on an actual or fictional environmental event.
History and Geography (2004) – Natural Resources
Students will describe positive and negative ways in which human activity can affect resource sustainability and the health of the environment.
Students will produce a report on the factors that affect the future availability of natural resources.
Language (2006) – Writing
1. Students will generate, gather and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience.
2. Students will draft and revise their writing, using a variety of informational, literary and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and audience.
Learning Goals
At the end of this lesson, students will understand the effect of climate change on wildlife and people in the Arctic. They will know what actions they can take to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
INSTRUCTIONAL COMPONENTS AND READINESS
Readiness
Understand the greenhouse effect and climate change.
Be able to take jot notes.
Know how to write a letter.
Terminology
Alternative energy sources, atmosphere, carbon dioxide, climate, climate change, endangered species, environmental impact, environmental stewardship, freezing, gas, glacier, global warming, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gas, melting, polar ice cap, weather
Materials
Climate Change in the Arctic Lesson Plan 2 (Print the lesson plan you are viewing)
BLM 7 – “Arctic Mission: The Great Adventure” – Learning Skills Self-Assessment
BLM 8 – “The New Northwest Passage” – Reading Passages
BLM 9 – Mieke Mike Letter – Check-bric
BLM 10 – WWF Living Planet Community – Student Resource and Permission
BLM 11 – WWF Living Planet Community – Teacher’s Guide
BLM 12 – Take Action: Reduce Your Greenhouse Gas Emissions (optional paper version)
“Arctic Mission: The Great Adventure” 5 DVD set ISBN 0-7786-2274-6 which includes the following 2 movies:
“Arctic Mission: The Great Adventure” disc 5 “Lords of the Arctic.” NFB 2003, 52 minutes, www.nfb.ca/film/lords_
“Arctic Mission: The Great Adventure” disc 2 “People of the Ice.” NFB 2003, 52 minutes, www.nfb.ca/film/people_
“The New Northwest Passage: A Voyage to the Front Line of Climate Change” by Cameron Dueck, Great Plains Publications, 2012. ISBN 978-1-926531-36-6
“WWF LivingPlanet Community” website http://community.wwf.ca/
MINDS ON
Whole class and individual. View movies and make jot notes.
Students view the movie “Arctic Mission: The Great Adventure” disc 5 “Lords of the Arctic.” Individually they make jot notes about the effect of climate change on Artic wildlife.
Students view the movie “Arctic Mission: The Great Adventure” disc 2 “People of the Ice.” Individually they make jot notes about the effect of climate change on the people of the Arctic. Students should be made aware that they will be writing a letter in role as Meike Mike, an Inuit woman featured in the movie, and they should watch for her in the film.
These are National Film Board Canada movies and the domestic home version may be viewed in the classroom for educational purposes.
Minds On: Assessment
Assessment as learning.
Students use BLM 7 – “Arctic Mission: The Great Adventure” – Learning Skills Self-Assessment to self-assess their learning skills after viewing the first movie and then to re-assess after watching the second movie.
Minds on: Differentiated Instruction
Students could use personal phones or other electronic devices to record jot notes.
ACTION!
Individual. Read passages. Make jot notes. Write letter.
Students read selected passages listed on BLM 8 – The New Northwest Passage – Reading Passages from “The New Northwest Passage: A Voyage to the Front Line of Climate Change” by Cameron Dueckand make jot notes about the effect of climate change on the Arctic ecosystem and the people living in the Arctic.
Students take the role of Mieke Mike from “Arctic Mission: The Great Adventure” disc 2 “People of the Ice.”
They write a letter, in role, to someone she might have met in one of her moves to the south; it could be a friend, an activist, a politician or another person. The letter explains the effect of climate change on the wildlife and people in the Arctic and finishes with a request for the recipient to take a specific action to help. They use information from all three sources to write the letter.
Action: Assessment
Assessment of Learning.
Use BLM 9 – Mieke Mike Letter – Check-bric to evaluate jot notes and letter.
Action: Differentiated Instruction
Students could choose an alternate format (e.g. brochure, poster, website, public broadcast, news report) to demonstrate their understanding of the effect of climate change on the wildlife and people of the Arctic.
CONSOLIDATION
Individual. Select actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The teacher uses BLM 11 – WWF Living Planet Community – Teacher’s Guide to create an account and set up a private class group on the “WWF Living Planet Community” website.
Students use BLM 10 – WWF Living Planet Community – Student Resource and Permission to create an account on the “WWF Living Planet Community” website http://community.wwf.ca/ and join a private class group. In the computer lab, students log on to the website and select actions that they are currently doing and actions that they plan to take to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. They post a paragraph on the private class group explaining why they selected three specific actions.
Consolidation: Assessment
Assessment as Learning.
In groups of four, students review each other’s paragraphs and provide feedback on justification of selected actions.
Consolidation: Differentiated Instruction
In situations where a parent/guardian has not given permission for a student to create an account on “WWF Living Planet Community” website, use BLM 12 – Take Action: Reduce Your Greenhouse Gas Emissions. This is a paper version of the “Take Action” webpage. Students without permission can print their paragraph from Word instead of posting it in the class group.
The paper version of “Take Action” can be used by anyone that prefers to work with paper instead of on a computer.