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Climate Change for Kids
(and their teachers)
Bruce LarsonEnrichment CoordinatorStratham Memorial SchoolStratham, New Hampshire
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Climate is what we expect,weather is what we get.
Attributed to Samuel Clemens
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This is New Hampshire, not Kansassummer, 2008
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Newmarket, NH - May, 2006
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Blizzard of 1978 (Boston)Was this
weather or climate ?
Ice storm of 2008
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Activity:
Interview the person next to you aboutextreme weather events they have
experienced. Have they noticed anychanges in their local climate duringtheir lifetime?
Time: 6+ minutes
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In February 2007, an international panel of experts(the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change)concluded:
-Global warming is occurring.-Increase in global temperature is a result of human
activities.-Given current trends, temperature extremes, heat waves,
and heavy rains will continue to escalate in frequency.- The Earths temperature and seas will continue to rise
into the next millennium.
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As adults, we begin to wonder what is going on
Our students are experiencing extreme weatherat an age where they will begin to believe that
is the normal state of the climate.
It isnt!
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Teachers have a responsibilityto teach our students how to observeevents with perspective and exposethem to the tools they will need tounderstand those events. Commonterminology, age appropriate activitiesand a progression of insightfulexperiences will prepare our chargesto make hard decisions as adults.
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Activity:
Word Loop. Find the person whohas the card which answers yourquestion. Someone will be looking for your word!
Time: 6+ minutes
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Global Warming or
Climate Change?
Defining terms:
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In the past we used the term Global Warming todraw attention to some of the possible consequences
of increased temperature, such as sea level riseand glacial ice melt. Record snowfall in some areascoupled with cold rain and floods made intuitivenonsense of the term.
Climate Change allows for explanations andunderstandings of complex interactions whichsometimes yield contradictory events. A greaterunderstanding of how Earth systems interact in adynamic way is required to make some sense outof observed weather and climate data.
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Weather is what we experience on a day to
day basis and what guides our daily outfitand plans for local travel and recreation
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K-Grade 1: Observing how hot or cold it is outside.Observing and naming precipitation.Discussing clothing choices.Looking at thermometers and what they
are used for
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K-Grade 1: Observing how hot or cold it is outside.Observing and naming precipitation.Discussing clothing choices.Looking at thermometers and what they
are used for
Grades 2-3: Recording precipitation type, cloud cover,
hours of daylight and sunrise/sunset, andtemperature.
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K-Grade 1: Observing how hot or cold it is outside.Observing and naming precipitation.Discussing clothing choices.Looking at thermometers and what they
are used for
Grades 2-3: Recording precipitation type, cloud cover,
hours of daylight and sunrise/sunset, andtemperature.
Grades 4-5: Observing and recording cloud types,
temperature, wind speed, and relativehumidity.Introduction to barometric pressure andlayers of the atmosphere.Introduction to composition of air.
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Climate is the average of daily weatherparameters over many years and characterizes
seasons as well as geography.
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K-1: Observe seasons through weather eventsand natural history changes.
Awareness of diurnal cycle
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K-1: Observe seasons through weather eventsand natural history changes.
Awareness of diurnal cycle
Gr. 2-3: Observe and study animal adaptations toseasonal change and local climateIntroduce Earth-Moon-Sun relationship
Track hours of daylight vs. seasonsObserve and study animal migrations(Journey North)
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K-1: Observe seasons through weather eventsand natural history changes.
Awareness of diurnal cycle
Gr. 2-3: Observe and study animal adaptations toseasonal change and local climateIntroduce Earth-Moon-Sun relationship
Track hours of daylight vs. seasonsObserve and study animal migrations(Journey North)
Gr. 4-5: Introduce local climate data/graphingIntroduce graphs of CO2 over timeIntroduce ice core projects/graphsIntroduce orbital variations in Earth-Sun rel.Discuss human role in climate change
Climate change and other cultures
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Connecting students to the world mustbecome a priority. Without a sense of
global ownership, the innovation,sacrifice,and sharing of the burden forchange cannot occur.
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http://www.climatechoices.org.uk/pages/aboutpage.htm
http://www.practicalaction.org.uk/?id=whoweare
Practical Action is a UK based serviceorganization which has an excellentWebsite (Climate Choices) for grades 3- 5
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From the Climate Change page of the Practical Action website.
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From the Climate Change page of the Practical Action website.
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Activity:
Comparing Weather in Different Parts
of the World
Take a few minutes to look over the graphin your packet and discuss some of thestudent questions with a neighbor.
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Global Rainfall Comparisons
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
J a n u
a r y
F e b r
u a r y
M a r c h A p
r i l M a
y J u
n e J u l y
J u l y
A u g u
s t
S e p t e
m b e r
O c t o b
e r
N o v e
m b e r
D e c e
m b e r
Month
London
ChittagongNew Orleans
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Climate Change Benchmarks for Elementary Students: (In your packet )
Plotting hours of daylight (primary students) http://www.sunrisesunset.com/
Monarch migration dates http://www.learner.org/jnorth/
Robin Migration dates http://www.learner.org/jnorth/
Tulip/Crocus emergence dates and growth rates http://www.learner.org/jnorth/
'Ice out' dates for local lakes and streams some have years of records to graphhttp://me.water.usgs.gov/iceout.html
Bud break for different tree species annual records from cooperative extension Insect borne diseases like Lymes, Equine Encephalitis, and West Nile are moving
north due to warmer temperatures increasing the ranges of their hosts
Warmer weather tree parasites are driving species such as the sugar maple northward(ex. Massachusetts)
The paper birch range is shifting north as it is not well suited to the longer periodsof warmer weather.
Marine mammal beachings water temperature link?
'Red tide' algal blooms water temperature link?
Tracking and discussing extreme weather events
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Weather adds up to climate over time and
climate informs weather predictions - theyare connected through time and dependenton place.In order to understand climate change, students must have an understanding ofboth weather and climate.
More resources at www.lmnts.org
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The term Greenhouse effect has been
inaccurately used to describe how infraredabsorbing gases acted as a blanket to trapheat on a global scale. A real greenhousesimply keeps warmed air from blowing awayfrom the darker, sun warmed surfaces
whereyou want to grow plants.