This engaging resource introduces students to several climate scientists, includes a creative activity, and lets students hear from the scientists about their research, equipment, and discoveries made in the ecometeorology lab.
There is a teacher guide available here to make it even easier to incorporate this interactive content into your classroom.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The videos are brief with clear subheadings, so students can explore them individually or as a class.
The scientists introduce themselves with fun facts and their "superpowers," which are positive personality traits that students will find relatable.
Additional Prerequisites
Teachers and students will need Internet access and users must make a copy of the Google Slides file to make edits.
The video transcripts can be used for hearing-impaired students.
Differentiation
Many aspects of scientific research are mentioned, so teachers can have students work in small groups to take notes and present summaries of each informational video.
Counselors and advisory teachers can utilize this resource when discussing careers in science.
Discussion questions are included, so teachers can use the questions as mini-assessments or have students discuss them in groups.
Science classes can use this resource for green career conversations or to connect to topics such as photosynthesis, carbon cycling, nutrient cycling, ecosystems, and cellular respiration.
Scientist Notes
Students can learn from climate scientists conducting research in Wisconsin who are recording daily observations to monitor climatic variability and its effects on soil organisms, forests, biodiversity, agriculture, and the environment. This resource is well-sourced and is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
MS-ESS3-5 Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
MS-LS1-6 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2 Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.2 Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.
