Arctic Sea Ice vs. Time

Provided by: MIT Climate Action Through Education |Published on: February 4, 2025

Lesson Plans

9101112

Scientist Reviewed ↗

Synopsis

In this lesson, students will explore sea level rise data, learn about the difference between melting ice on land versus water, explain the correlation coefficient (R), and graph the data over time to look at the y-intercept and slope.
Students will learn how melting sea ice is an indicator of climate change, how scientists measure sea ice, and the impact of feedback loops.

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Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics

Authors: Gary Smith

Region: Polar Regions, Global

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

The questions in the student worksheet invite students to use critical thinking and analysis skills.
The resource includes guidance for teaching this topic through SEL and place-based learning lenses.

Prerequisites

Students will need to download the basic (free) version of Vernier Graphical Analysis or have access to graphing calculators.
There are resources linked in the lesson to support student knowledge of the basics of climate change.

Differentiation & Implementation

When watching the video, some students may benefit from pausing or slowing the video to read the text. Teachers can also play the video for the class and read the text aloud.
After completing this lesson, students can discuss the impact of land ice melt on sea level rise and, consequently, coastal communities.
Teachers can also use this Geometry Lesson: Calculating Sea Level Rise to support this topic.
To help students understand the differences between sea ice and land ice with a hands-on activity, teachers can use the resource, Is Ice, Ice Baby?, which includes videos and experiments.

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Arctic Sea Ice vs. Time

Synopsis

Teaching Materials

Scientist Reviewed

Related Teaching Resources