Activity 1: What do you know about climate change? · Activity 1: What do you know about climate...

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Activity 1: What do you know about climate change? SummaryThisfirstbrainstormingactivityisdesignedtoencouragestudentstoactivatetheirpriorknowledgeofclimatechangefromanobjectivepointofviewandtogetabetterunderstandingoftheoverallknowledgesharedbythegroup.Itisimportanttorememberthatwhilemorethan97%ofscientistswhopublishworkinacademicjournalsagreethatitishighlylikelythathumanactivityisresponsibleforglobalwarming(andthisnumbercontinuestorise),therewillalwaysbeskepticsandthosewhodenythisreality.Toseealistofscientificgroupsthatagreethathumansarecontributingtoglobalwarming,visittheNASA’sclimatechangewebsiteathttps://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus/.Duration:60minutesLearningoutcomes

• Describethevariouswaysthathumanactivityandtechnologyimpactbothbalanceandinteractionsintheenvironment

• Describetheeffectofhumanactivityongreenhousegas(GHG)emissions

• Definethevocabularyassociatedwithclimatechange

Competencyoutcomes

• Criticalthinking• Research• Communication• Collaboration

Material:q 3packsofstickynotesin3differentcolours(e.g.4green,4yellowand4redperstudent)q “Sharpie”stylemarkers(1perstudent)q Climatechangeinfographicq AdaptingtoourChangingClimateinCanadaposter(alsoavailableontheNaturalResourcesCanada

website>Climatechangepublications,athttp://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/earthsciences/images/assess/2016/adaptation_poster_e.jpg)

q ComputerwithInternetaccessandprojectorq Internetaccessforstudents(optional)q CopiesoftheStudentBLM:WhatareGreenhouseGases(GHG)andwhatdotheydo?

Whattodo:

1. Inordertohelpstudentsthinkobjectively,askthemthefollowingquestion:

Overthelastseveralyears,we’veseenthatwhiletherearemanypeoplewhoareconcernedaboutthealarmingeffectsof climatechangeand its impactonourenvironment,others stillargue thatclimatechangeisanexaggeratedphenomenonandthatthereisnoreasontopanic.Whatdoyouthinkaboutthis?

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2. Inordertoanswerthisquestionindetail,studentsmustfirstanswerthequestion:Whatdoyouknowabout climate change? (It is important that they give their personal interpretations regardingwhattheyhaveseenorheardthemselves).

3. Handout3to4stickynotesineachcolourtothestudentssothattheycannotedowneverythingthattheyhaveseenorheardaboutclimatechange.Theymaynotedownasmanystatementsaboutclimatechangeastheylike,butjustonestatementperstickynote:

• Greenstickynotes:“factual”statements(withexplanationsastowhytheyhavenodoubtsabouttheirveracity);

• Yellow sticky notes: statements that they are not sure about or which are unproven (withexplanations);and

• Redstickynotes:statementsaboutthingstheyhaveseenorheardwhichtheybelievetobefalse(withexplanations).

4. Dividethetableorwallintothreedistinctsections(columns:thegreencolumnshouldcontain"factualstatements", the yellow column "unproven statements" and the red column "false statements").ExplaintothestudentsthattheycancomeupandsticktheirStickynotes intheappropriatecolumnoncethey’vefinishedwritingtheirclimatechangestatement.

5. Onceallstudentshavefinishedwritingdowntheirstatementsandhavestuckthestickynotes intheappropriate columns, take a look at the distribution of the colours on the table orwall and ask thestudentswhattheirfirstimpressionsare.

• Aretheremoreyellow,greenorrednotes?• Whatdoyounotice?

6. With the students, try to create new categories for more sticky notes (e.g. causes, effects,

consequences,actions).Assignafewstickynotestogroupsoftwostudentsandaskthemtoputthosenotesintodifferentcategories.

7. Askthemtotakeitinturnstoreadsomeoftheexplanationsgivenfortheclimatechangestatementsand initiateaclassdiscussionregarding thevariousexplanations that theclasshascomeupwith foreachcategory(green,red,yellowstatements).

8. In order to connect the students’ explanations to current information on climate change, hand outstudentnotebookstoeachstudent.Askthemtoeachnotedown1to2statements ineachcategorythattheywouldliketolearnmoreabout.

9. Tohelpthemwiththeirresearch,showthem:

• Thecollectionofinfographicsincludedinthiskit

• TheAdaptingtoourChangingClimateinCanadaposter(alsoavailableontheNaturalResourcesCanadawebsite>Climatechangepublications,athttp://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/earthsciences/images/assess/2016/adaptation_poster_e.jpg)

• Avideoillustratingwhatclimatechangeis,suchasHowdoesclimatechangeaffectbiodiversity?(CaliforniaAcademyofSciences)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFmovUAWQUQ

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• ThewebsiteSkepticalScience(https://skepticalscience.com)whichexplorestheconceptsthatpeopleareskepticalabout.

• CopiesoftheStudentBLM:WhatareGreenhouseGases(GHG)andwhatdotheydo?

10. Finally,askstudentsthefollowing:Basedonyourobservationsandexplanations,whatconclusionscanwecometo?

Howarefalsehoodsspread?TheSerengetiStrategy

Inthesamewaythatagrouplionswillattempttoisolateazebraontheoutskirtsofitsgroupsothatthey can capture it more easily, a scientist may be targeted by individuals who mobilize theirresourcestoattackandweakenhimorher.Thefighttodefendthemselveswill takeupa lotofthescientist’senergyandresources.Thestrategysucceedsnotonlyinisolatingascientistfromhisorhercolleagues(easiertoattackanindividualthantoattackagroup),butalsoservesasawarningtootherscientistsseekingtomaketheirstudiespublic.ThisstrategyhasbeenusedtodiscreditRachelCarson(effectsofDDTontheenvironment)aswellasthescientistswhorevealedthetruthabouttheharmfuleffectsoftobaccoconsumption.

Mann,M.E.(2015).TheSerengetistrategy:Howspecialintereststrytointimidatescientists,andhowbesttofightback.BulletinoftheAtomicScientists,71(1),33-45.http://www.meteo.psu.edu/holocene/public_html/Mann/articles/articles/MannBullAtomSci15.pdf

Activity developed with Beyond the Blackboard Educational Consulting © 2017

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Activity1–StudentBLM:WhatareGreenhouseGases(GHG)andwhatdotheydo?

a) Look at the picture above. In your own words, describe the role played bygreenhousegasesontheEarth.

b) AreGHGsgoodforlifeonEarthornot?Explain.

c) Researchthefollowinggreenhousegasesandnotewheretheycomefrom.

Naturalsources Man-made/anthropogenicsources(causedbyhumans)

Carbondioxide(CO2)

Methane(CH4)

Watervapour

Nitrousoxide(N20)

Chlorofluorocarbon(CFC)

Name:_________________________________________ Date:________________________