This lesson plan is from the climatechangenorth.ca website. For all supporting materials and for more lessons, go to http://www.climatechangenorth.ca

Climate Change: What’s Hot? What’s Happening?

In a Nutshell:

Students conduct a web-based project to analyze recent or on-going climate change research in the North.

Goal:

To expose students to the application of science in current research on climate change.

Background Learning:

Students: Prior to this lesson, students should be familiar with the basics of climate change as reviewed in:

• High school Backgrounder # 1: Climate Change: What’s the Big Deal?

• High school Backgrounder # 2: The Greenhouse Effect • High school Backgrounder # 4: Weather and Climate

Students should also have an understanding of the scientific method and be familiar with the use of the Internet.

Teachers: Prior to this lesson, teachers should be familiar with the basics of climate change and some of the potential impacts of climate change in the north as reviewed in:

• High School Backgrounder # 1: Climate Change: What’s the Big Deal? • High School Backgrounder # 2 : The Greenhouse Effect • High School Backgrounder # 4 : Weather and Climate • High School Backgrounder # 6: A Changing Land • High School Backgrounder #7: The Changing World of Water and Ice

Grade Level: 10–12 Subjects: Sciences, Social Studies, Northern Studies, English Language Arts Enrichment: Sciences Time: Two hours Setting: Classroom, computer lab Materials: Student handouts(2) Skills: Brainstorming, researching, analyzing, describing, presenting Key Vocabulary: Migration patterns, melting, permafrost, sea ice, marine life, sea levels

Climate Change: What’s Hot? What’s Happening? ~ 2

• High School Backgrounder # 8: Impacts on Northern Wildlife • High School Backgrounder # 9: Impacts on Fish and Fowl • High School Backgrounder # 10: Impacts on Northern Marine Life • High School Backgrounder # 11: Northern Community Impacts and

Adaptations

Learning Outcomes:

Visit the website and click on the icon for your territory to review the learning outcomes that are addressed by this lesson.

Introduction to Lesson Plan:

In this lesson, students will: • Review/learn about the basic science of climate change and anticipated

impacts • Brainstorm a list of questions researchers might be asking • Find a recent or ongoing research project addressing one of the questions

that they came up with in their brainstorming session • Complete a questionnaire about the research project’s objectives, findings,

funding sources, etc. • Give a brief oral presentation about the project they looked at, and possibly

submit a written report

Global warming is expected to have significant impacts in Canada’s Arctic and Subarctic. These regions contain a wide variety of physical features and ecosystems including glaciers, ice caps, sea ice, peatlands, tundra, and boreal forest that are sensitive to subtle increases in temperature. Expanses of ice and snow cool the climate in the arctic by reflecting the sun’s energy back to space. As the area covered by ice and snow is reduced, this cooling effect is lessened and warming is enhanced. As a result, the Arctic is predicted to experience the greatest temperature increases.

Climate Change: What’s Hot? What’s Happening? ~ 3

Many changes are already evident in the north including increases in average annual temperatures, reductions in the extent and thickness of arctic sea ice, shorter duration of ice coverage on rivers and lakes, thinning glaciers, and melting permafrost. These changes in turn affect wildlife habitat and human activities. (For more information about impacts, see High School Backgrounders 6–11).

Much of the recent research in the north has been inspired by the urgency to find out more about climate change impacts, learn how to adapt to these impacts, and find solutions to slow the rate of change. This activity gives students an opportunity to see how science is applied to a global issue.

Before the lesson, download and make copies of the backgrounders (depending on the students’ knowledge) and the two student handouts (a list of websites for ongoing or recent research projects and a question sheet to guide students) attached to this lesson.

Activity: 1. If your class has not done previous activities that have given them a basic

understanding of climate change and the potential impacts for northern Canada, have them read high school backgrounders 1, 2 and 4, and provide them with some key words or phrases related to the potential impacts outlined in High School Backgrounders 6–11. Some possible key words and phrases might include: migration patterns, melting permafrost, sea ice, marine life, and sea levels. Review with the students why the Arctic and Subarctic are considered to be among the regions to be most affected by climate change.

2. Have the students brainstorm potential questions for research by asking them what they think is important to know about climate change in the north. Encourage them to come up with a broad spectrum of questions including climate change impacts (ecological, economic, social), adaptations, and solutions. Sample questions might include: • What was it like here in the past when climates were warmer? • What impact will climate change have on caribou migration? • How will access to hunting be affected? • How should building designs be altered in areas where permafrost may melt? • How can greenhouse gas emissions in the north be reduced? • What barriers are there to people changing their behavior to reduce

emissions? • Which renewable energy technologies are most suitable in the north?

Climate Change: What’s Hot? What’s Happening? ~ 4

3. Explain to the students that they each will be looking at a recent or on-going climate change research project in order to find out more about some of the questions scientists are asking. The students’ primary source of information will be the Internet, although they also may be able to access some journal articles and/or be able to contact some of the research scientists through websites. Option: Explain the difference between Primary, Secondary and Tertiary or lower sources. Actual data is primary, a review could be secondary or tertiary (depending on distance from source), and National geographic type articles and textbooks are lower still. Pass out the student handouts. Student Handout #1 – Climate Change Research Summary will guide the students’ in their description of a research project of their choice. Students can initiate a web search for a project by beginning with key words such as “Arctic climate change research” or beginning with one of the websites listed on the student handout Student Handout #2 – Some Sites for Initiating the Web Search and following links from there. Encourage students to contact the researcher if there is insufficient information on the website. One way to keep track of which project each student has selected is to pin the title of the project to its location on a map of the north.

4. After their summaries are complete, ask students to give a brief oral presentation on the project they have learned about, focusing on selected questions from the student handout. As a class, the students will have completed a small survey of climate change research. Ask the students to comment on: their concerns about climate change and the research projects presented; their interests (what would like they like to know more about?); how easy they found the research; how the research was presented in the article or website; and so on.

Climate Change: What’s Hot? What’s Happening? ~ 5

Handouts:

Visit the website and click on the icon for the complete set of handouts that support this lesson:

• Student Handout #1 – Climate Change Research Summary • Student Handout #2 – Some Sites for Initiating the Web Search

Student Web-Exchange:

Students could post a summary of their research findings in a 400–800 word essay on the student exchange portion of this website. Visit the website and click on the icon for information on how to post material.

Evaluation:

Evaluate students on their oral presentation and written skills as well as their ability to gather relevant information from the Internet (or other) source and synthesize the material into key points and a concise essay and presentation.

Enrichment Ideas:

Science/Biology/Environmental Studies/Oceans

Design a project: Challenge the students to design their own research project to follow-up on one of the projects summarized or to answer one of the questions that the students brainstormed.

Interview: Arrange for the students to contact one of the scientists involved in one of the projects summarized. Have the students prepare questions prior to the email or telephone interview. If one of the scientists lives in or travels to your community, invite them to the class to present their research.

Who gets the funding? Have the students imagine they are a funding agency with several million dollars to spend on climate change research in the north. Their task is to come up with and defend a set of criteria for evaluating research proposals so they can select which ones they will fund.

More Information:

For additional websites, go to Resources.

Climate Change: What’s Hot? What’s Happening? ~ 6

About the Author:

Hello, my name is Brenda Hans and I’m a public education specialist with the GNWT Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development in Yellowknife.

Student Handout #1

Climate Change Research Summary 1. What is the title of the research project?

2. Who are the principal researchers and what is their affiliation (e.g. university, government, non-profit group, industry)? Be specific.

3. Who is funding the project?

4. Where is the research taking place or what geographic area does it cover?

5. What is the main research question?

6. Describe the research methodology.

7. Is traditional knowledge (e.g. local aboriginal knowledge passed down through many generations) considered in the research design? Do you think it should be? Why or why not?

8. Summarize the research results. If the project is ongoing, what has been learned to date?

9. How have the researchers linked their results to climate change? Do the results contribute to our understanding of the impacts of climate change, adaptations to climate change, or solutions for climate change? Explain.

10. What limitations do you see in the research design?

11. Give three new questions for further research that could arise out this project.

Student Handout #2

Some Sites for Initiating the Web Search http://sts.gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/ice2001/home.asp A Natural Resources Canada site

describing a project on Mt. Logan in the Yukon, which involves the removal of an ice core from a glacier in order to analyze past climate conditions.

http://www.iisd.org/climate/arctic/sachs_harbour.asp A website of the International Institute for Sustainable Development describing a project to record Inuit observations of climate change in Sachs Harbour.

http://www.mb.ec.gc.ca/nature/ecosystems/nei-ien/dc02s00/ dc02s01.en.html An Environment Canada site giving brief descriptions of research projects funded by the Northern Ecosystem Initiative. They include climate change related projects on eider ducks in Sanikiluaq, Inuit traditional knowledge in Pangnirtung, and the monitoring of spring budding times through a public program called Plantwatch North. Territorial contacts for Plantwatch North can be found at http://www.nunanet.com/~research/CONTACTS.pdf.

http://panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/where_we_work/ecoregions.cfm A World Wildlife Fund site describing impacts of climate change on polar bears.

http://c-ciarn.ca/index_e.asp?CaId=9&PgId=20 This is the search engine for the Canadian Climate Impacts and Adaptations Research Network. Try the advanced search to access descriptions of research projects and publications, e.g. caribou and global warming.

http://www.taiga.net/yourYukon/col335.html A site describing research on sea-bed organisms in the Beaufort Sea and the ocean’s ability to store carbon.

http://leadership.gc.ca/static/dayinthelife/learning/profiles/learning_for_canadians/kochtubajda_bohdan_e.shtml A site describing the work of a climatologist in the Mackenzie River Basin.

Some Sites for Initiating the Web Search ~ 2

http://www.taiga.net/nce/ Site of the Northern Climate Exchange, which includes a directory of contacts and a database of information sources.

http://www.emannorth.ca/ic/main.cfm Site of the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network of the North including links to descriptions of research projects such as this one describing research on the effects of temperature increases on tundra plant growth:

http://www.emannorth.ca/ic/datasets_about.cfm?ID=24

http://www.polarhusky.com/portal.html A site about researchers who set out to document arctic climate change traveling through Nunavut by dogsled, gathering scientific data daily from the field for NASA and Environment Canada.

http://www.onf.ca/sedna/index_en.html This site provides video clips and logs for a scientific sailing expedition through the Arctic’s Northwest Passage that set out to document the consequences of global warming.

www.nature.ca/sila A site created by the Canadian Museum of Nature for their climate change exhibit featuring several examples of research projects in the north. Available in April 2004.