Physical Science Unit 2: Climate and Weather

Course Goals:

  • To develop your understanding of the nature of science as it pertains to the physical world.
  • To understand and describe, qualitatively and quantitatively, the nature of matter and apply your understanding to natural phenomena you observe
  • To experience the engineering design process and demonstrate the interrelationship with science.

Course Essential Questions

  • How might scientific inquiry be used to investigation the natural world?
  • How can I use my experience in science to learn to think and communicate clearly, logically, and critically in preparation for college and a career?
  • How can I best assess my own learning and progress?
  • How can I use technology in my learning and become a better digital citizen?
  • How can I think more divergently, creatively, and innovatively as a scientist?
Unit Driving Questions
  1. How do I distinguish claims and scientific evidence?
  2. How can I evaluate and use scientific evidence to inform my thinking?
  3. How do scientists analyze the energy balance of the Earth?
  4. How do scientists gather and evaluate evidence to determine the impacts of the energy balance on the Earth's climate?
  5. How are day-to-day weather patterns related to regional and global climate?

Understandings

  1. A claim is a statement that needs evidence to support it.
  2. Energy balance involves the flow of energy into and out of a system, such as our Earth and atmosphere.
  3. Climate and weather are related but are not the same thing.
  4. Global warming and climate change are not the same thing.
Learning Targets:

Students will be able to.....

  1. Evaluate the scientific validity of information on the Internet and use this learning to evaluate print and media sources as well.
  2. Explain the difference between weather and climate. Give examples of each.
  3. Explain the relationship between budget and equilibrium, using the sun, the earth, and energy.
  4. List variables that can affect the energy entering and leaving the earth and its atmosphere.
  5. List gases that can affect the earth's energy balance and explain their impact on the earth.
Academic Vocabulary: Bricks Academic Vocabulary: Mortar

Day 1 Terms - Concept Map

  • weather
  • climate
  • climate system
  • weather
  • atmosphere
  • (2 factors affecting climate)
  • Sun (or sunlight)
  • Earth
  • Energy budget
  • albedo
  • equilibrium
  • long wave radiation
  • short wave radiation

Day 2 Terms - Concept Map

  • carbon dioxide
  • water vapor
  • methane
  • nitrous oxide (NO2)
  • chlorofluorocarbons
  • natural
  • anthropogenic
  • source
  • sink
  • greenhouse gas
  •  sea level
  • glacier
  • snow cover

Day 3 Terms - Concept Map
 

  • theory
  • law
  • claim
  • evidence
  • hypothesis
  • observation

Day 4 Terms - Concept Map
 

  • belief
  • fact
  • opinion
  • proof

 More academic vocabulary: Bricks

  • coral reef
  • boreal forest
  • arctic ecosystem
  • coastal wetland
 

More academic vocabulary: mortar

  • mitigation
  • adaptation

Links: Climate and Data

Links: Ecosystem Impact

Daily Learning Activities

Day 15
Oct 24

Driving Question: We often rely on the Internet for information. How do we know if the Internet source contain valid, evidence-based scientific information? How do we determine the validity of the information?

  • Read about DMHO at these websites:
    • Make a copy of this linked paper about DHMO and save it to your IPS-Lastname folder. Title it DHMO-Lastname.
    • On your copy of the document, highlight at least one example a statement that meets thedescription of a science term. Do this for each term. You should have at least 10 statements highlighted.
    • Be ready to explain your reasons for classifying the statements as you did.
  • Summary: Respond to the Driving Question on your Google doc. 
Day 16
Oct 26

Revisit Driving Question from last class; quiz
Driving Question: What is the difference between climate and weather?  Introduction to the weather and climate
Watch the video on Weather. Complete the handout. (MSWord version)

Watch each video and write the evidence on your handout (MSWord version)

Day 17
Oct 28

In class today:


Day 18

Nov 1

  • Build websites
  • How-to video and handout
  • Sample website for this class. Build each page shown on the sample. You will have the opportunity to build the pages later, as you need them. 

 Day 19 

Nov 3

Driving Question: Where and how does the Earth get energy? What happens to the energy once it hits Earth? Explain. 

  • Quiz: Experimental Design
  • Revisit Earth-Sun radiation activity - graph paper and phone flashlights; radiation demo
  • The Earth's Energy Budget
    • Equilibrium demo
  • What I know so far: respond to the driving question for today
  • Begin concept map: Day 1 terms

Day 20

Nov 7

Driving Question: Where and how does the Earth get energy? What happens to the energy once it hits Earth? Explain. 

In class:

Day 21
Nov 9

In class:

  • Write reflections on quizzes
  • Website catch-up

Day 22   Nov 14

What happens to the energy once it reaches Earth? How are the gases in the Earth's atmosphere affect the energy balance of the Earth?  What additional information do I need to answer these questions?

In class:  Experimental design - CO2 Lab 

  • What gases are in the atmosphere? How much of each?
  • What changes have taken place in the amounts of these gases over time?
  • Set up web page for data collection for CO2 Lab

What I know so far: respond to the driving question for today

Day 23
Nov 16

Data collection CO2 lab
Day 24
Nov 18

In class:

  • Data analysis for CO2 lab
  • Complete edits to Experimental Design Lab

Day 25
Nov 29

Driving Question: How is the composition of our Earth's atmosphere changing? What evidence do we have?

In class:

Day 26
Dec 1

Driving Question: How is the composition of our Earth's atmosphere changing? What evidence do we have?

In class:

Day 27
Dec 5

Driving Question: What is our evidence from long ago that the Earth's temperature is related to greenhouse gases? Explain. 

In class:

  • Use Cornell notes to take notes on the video
  • What I know so far: reference your findings from your CO2 investigation
  • Use graph handouts as needed.
  • Check out a Chromebook.
  • Create this page 
Day 28
Dec 7

Driving Question: What is our evidence from long ago that the Earth's temperature is related to greenhouse gases? Explain. 

In class: 

Day 29
Dec 9

Website catch-up day

Day 30
Dec 13

Driving Question:  How can I learn about what is being done to mitigate climate change? 

In Class:

Day 31
Dec 15
Snow day! 
Day 32 
Jan 3

Welcome back!  

Driving Question:  How does changing climate impact biological systems?

In class today:

  • Get your Chromebook
  • Review Claim, Evidence, Reason handout and your annotations (on plant growth) 
    • Discussion: What, specifically, is included in a claim? What is evidence? What makes a reason convincing?
  • Review the Climate Terms page (note new terms!), your responses to the questions, and the terms you added (New terms!) 
  • Review your concept map and make any edits.
  • Ecosystem terms presentation and discussion: Cornell notes
Day 33 
Jan 5

Driving Question:  How does changing climate impact biological systems?

In class today:

Day 34 
Jan 9

Driving Question: What can we as individuals and society do to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change? 

Mitigation and Adaptation (continued)

In class: 

  • Use the links above and your previous work to brainstorm specific ways to mitigate and adapt to our changing climate. Write your ideas on your whiteboard to share with the class. 
  • Create this page titled Mitigation and Adaptation Options. On your own, fill in the chart.
  • Respond to the driving question on your What I Know About Climate page. 

Day 35 
Jan 11
Snow day
Day 36 
Jan 13
Climate mitigation
Driving Question: Why is it important that we mitigate our impact on climate? What actions can we take?
Learning goals for 4-day activity:
  • work with others to create, analyze, and justify an evidence-based global mitigation plans in response to global warming. 
  • learn about technologies currently available that can substantially cut carbon emissions.

Goals for today: understand what a "wedge" represents, and why we will use 10 "wedges" in our work 

  • Introductory Reading and and Discussion: close read Mitigating Introduction
  • Expert groups: become an "expert" on 3 "wedges."
  •  Complete graphic organizer to share with your group.
Day 37 
Jan 18

Wedge station activity

  • Report back to home group.
Day 38 
Jan 20
  Wedge Station activity: 
Day 39 
Jan 24
Website Completion - mitigation and Driving Questions
Day 40 
Jan 26
  
Day 41 
Jan 30
  
Day 42 
Feb 2
Exam

                         Next Generation Science Standards:

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