This brief article explains previous climates in Earth's history, presents a graph of paleoclimate data, and discusses how scientists can predict past climates.
There are nine reading comprehension questions at the end of the article and a Google Doc of the resource is provided.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This reading could be used as a starting point to help students understand climate change and the changes that have occurred on Earth over time.
The correlation between temperature and the shapes of leaves is an intriguing finding that could initiate a discussion about surface area to volume ratios, evolutionary pressures, and photosynthesis.
Additional Prerequisites
Background knowledge of the geologic time scale would be helpful.
Teachers will need to make a free account to access the materials.
Differentiation
Using the Google Doc, the teacher can adjust the questions for understanding to ensure that students at various levels are being challenged appropriately.
A teacher could use this resources as a way to activate students' prior knowledge on the topic or to provide all students with a base understanding of how climate has changed on Earth over time.
Other resources about paleoclimate include this video showing researchers drilling ice cores, this interactive resource, and this unit about past climates on Earth.
Scientist Notes
It is important for students to understand past climatic systems in line with geologic time scales. This is a good resource. It is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-5 Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
MS-LS2-3 Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Science & Technical Subjects (6-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
