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Provided by: MIT Climate Action Through Education |Published on: January 18, 2025
Activity - Classroom
9101112
Synopsis
In this experiment, students build a model of a greenhouse in order to investigate the greenhouse effect, albedo, and their relationship to climate change.
Students can graph data collected in the experiment to look for relationships and discuss solutions to climate change.
This experiment allows students to have a hands-on experience with the greenhouse effect.
The lesson plan provides many teacher tips and an answer key, making it easy to teach.
Prerequisites
The following materials are needed for the experiment:
Greenhouse template
Plastic wrap
Light source (heat lamp)
Scissors
Thermometer/temperature probe
Transparent tape
Masking tape
Ruler
Stopwatch
Hole puncher
White and black construction paper (if doing the extension activity about albedo).
The greenhouse template should be printed on heavy gauge paper or cardstock.
Differentiation & Implementation
The lesson plan includes many resources about greenhouse gases that can be used for extension.
The experiment includes a math extension for graphing data, a valuable skill in both math and science.
In order to complete the pre-lab questions, students need to do quite a bit of reading. To scaffold this for students, you can break it up into a jigsaw, substitute videos for some sections of reading, or present some of the sections to the class.
