National Science Standard 3... Life Science

Speaker...Dr. Reese Halter
Director of
Global Forest Science

Interactive Map of the Effects of Global Warming

 

 

Take the

Global Warming

Pledge!

Essential Questions
1. What is global warming? How is it changing life on Planet Earth?
2. What actions can we take to prevent or slow damage from global warming?
3. How do trees affect our climate and weather? Why are
trees important in helping to improve our air quality and relieve global
warming?

SCIENCE STANDARD 5 - 8
SCIENCE STANDARD 9 - 12

Lesson Plans:

  • CO 2 Bubbles…Windstar EARTHcamp Curriculum
    Objective: Using dry ice as a visualization, students will understand how much CO 2 is produced each day and why the conservation of trees is important in our world. Dry ice can be hazardous if the gas is breathed in or if the skin touches the solid. Use gloves! Work outdoors, if you can. Never put dry ice in an enclosed "air tight" container. The bubbles CAN be safely touched by the students.
    Materials:
    · Two to three pounds of dry ice. This is available by the pound at most grocery stores, but you may want to call ahead.
    · A large, clear plastic bowl
    · Smaller bowls
    · Rubber gloves
    · A hammer for breaking the blocks of dry ice
    · Warm water
    · Bubble soap or liquid dish soap
    · Food coloring (optional)
    Background Information to Share with Students: Dry ice is frozen Carbon Dioxide. Humans breathe out gaseous Carbon Dioxide, trees breathe in gaseous Carbon Dioxide, and Carbon Dioxide is in the bubbles in our soda. But, Carbon Dioxide can be frozen. When it's frozen solid, it's called dry ice and it is very cold, -109 degrees Fahrenheit (-80 degrees Celsius). Explain that we are going to go from solid to gas with our dry ice. Regular ice needs to go through a liquid state first. The quick change from solid to gas is known as a phase change.

  • Activity 1:
    · Tell students that the dry ice in its gaseous state represents the CO 2 that we breathe out every day. We breathe out an amount equivalent to 8000 baseball-size bubbles.
    · Add liquid soap to some warm water.
    · Let the students observe as you put the solid CO 2 into the small bowls and pour water over them.
    · You will suddenly see a gas that looks like a fog trapped inside the soap bubbles.

    Some of the bubbles will ooze out of the bowl, but you should be able to lift the bubbles with your hands. Once the fog of CO 2 is inside the bubble, it is safe for the students to touch and play with. (The food coloring gives the bubbles a tint of color.)

  • Activity 2:
    · Now put some dry ice into the larger bowl and pour warm, soapy water over it.
    · It will start to ooze bubbles, and some fog may escape.
    · Run a damp towel over the bowl slowly to produce one large bubble on top of the bowl.
    · Tell students that this represents the Earth's atmosphere, and the CO 2 is trapped inside. Without enough trees and plants to take in the CO 2 and produce oxygen, our atmosphere could become poisonous to us. Make a point of talking about the clear cutting of trees and not enough green spaces left on Earth to produce oxygen.
Follow-up: As students what they think they can do to protect our air and trees. Let the students brainstorm ways in which they can help in their own communities.

Additional Educator Resources

Books:
Forest Adventure with Bruni the Bear
By Reese Halter (for the younger crowd!)

Buckminster Fuller: Anthology for a New Millenium
By Thomas Zung

An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It
By Al Gore

Amory Lovins: Natural Capitalism
By Amory Lovins, et al

Movies:
An Inconvenient Truth

Photos:
Habitat Change
World View of Global Warming
World Without Borders

Websites:
Envirolink
World Wildlife Foundation
Environmental Protection Agency
Natural Resources Defense Council
Sierra Club
Trees From Grass Roots
Woods Hole Research
Kids Global Warming!
How Stuff Works...What Can I do About Global Warming


Current News:
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Global Warming put the Arctic on Thin Ice

Student Friendly Web Sites:
Lick Global Warming...combined efforts to halt global warming from Ben and Jerry's, Savetheenvironment.org and Dave Matthews.com

Journal Topic:
John Denver wrote Amazon because he believed that humankind will have much
to regret if we do not start caring for our environment.
What one lifestyle change would you be willing to make to help prevent further damage to theEarth?
Why?

Student Self-Evaluation

1. This speaker emphasized…
2. One fact that surprised me was…
3. I will always remember…
4. The important message I would like to pass on is…

Teacher Evaluation

1. The student used the journal question as a reflection after the program.
2. The student was able to answer the self-evaluation questions.

Amazon

There is a river that runs from the mountains
That one river is all rivers
All rivers are that one

There is a tree that stands in the forest
That one tree is all forests
All trees are that one

There is a flower that blooms in the desert
That one blossom is all flowers
All flowers are that one

There is a bird that sings in the jungle
That one song is all music
All songs are that one

It is the song of life
It is the flower of faith
It is the tree of temptation
It is the river of no regret

There is a child that cries in the ghetto
That one child is all children
All children are that one

There is a vision that shines in the darkness
That one vision is all of our dreams

It is a vision of heaven
It is a child of promise
It is the song of life
It is the river of no regret

Let this be a voice for the mountains
Let this be a voice for the river
Let this be a voice for the forest
Let this be a voice for the flowers
Let this be a voice for the ocean
Let this be a voice for the desert
Let this be a voice for the children
Let this be a voice for the dreamers
Let this be a voice of no regret

Words and music by John Denver

Curriculum Home Page     Symposium Home Page     Windstar Home Page

The suggested links on the curriculum pages have been recommended by professional educators.
Not all of the sites were created by the Windstar Foundation or our 2006 Symposium Speakers.
Please preview the sites to be sure they are appropriate for your students' age and level.

Curriculum written and designed by Debbie Murphy and Barbara Davis