The Atmosphere and Climate

Videos

Grades6-APBiology, Earth and Space Sciences, History

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by Khan Academy

Open Resource

What it is

This video explains that even though the Earth's climate has changed throughout history, burning fossil fuels has caused an unprecedented rise in global temperatures.
Students will learn about the techniques that scientists use to study the Earth's climate history and how changing the amount of carbon in the carbon cycle contributes to global warming.

Teaching tips

Positives

Colorful animations keep this video interesting.
A full transcript of the video is available with a tracking feature, so students can easily follow along.

Additional Prerequisites

The interactive quiz can be recorded in Google Classroom if you sign in.

Differentiation

Students in science classes could draw pictures or diagrams to show how humans have interrupted the natural climate cycle by burning fossil fuels.
History and science classes could discuss what they think would have happened to society and the planet if we had not discovered fossil fuels.
Cross-curricular connections could be made with civics or government classes by having students draft a global policy to end climate change using the information in the video and additional research.
Other resources on this topic include this interactive presentation on how scientists use ice cores to learn about the past, this lesson on climate change in Earth history, and this interactive resource that shows changes in the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

From the scientist review

This short video (<4min) offers a brief overview of the climate, factors that change naturally, and how human activity is changing the atmosphere rapidly. This resource is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 6-AP
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences, History
Other types: Assessments, Interactive Media
Language: English
Location: Earth
Provider: Khan Academy
Authors: Khan Academy
Published: April 27, 2021
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · D2.His.1.6-8 + 9 more

Core

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D2.His.1.6-8Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts.
D2.His.1.9-12Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

MS-LS2-4.Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
MS-ESS2-6.Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.
MS-ESS3-5.Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
HS-LS2-6.Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.
HS-ESS1-6.Apply scientific reasoning and evidence from ancient Earth materials, meteorites, and other planetary surfaces to construct an account of Earth’s formation and early history.
HS-ESS2-2.Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.
HS-ESS3-3.Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.
HS-ESS3-5.Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.

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