This article and video explain why sea levels are rising and how NASA measures sea levels using satellites.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The resource uses text, images, and video to explain how scientists measure sea level.
The photos and diagrams will help visual learners to understand the more challenging concepts.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should have a basic understanding of global warming.
Students should be familiar with how a satellite works.
Differentiation
Before reading the article, teachers can ask students the following questions:
Why is important for scientists to know the sea level?
How can scientists measure sea levels?
How often do you think scientists should measure sea levels? Why?
Scientist Notes
The resource is simplified to ease students' learning of the causes of sea level rise and how to design strategies for community resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change impact. It is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS2: Earth's Systems
3-ESS2-2 Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.
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.
4-ESS3-2 Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.
5-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
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.
