This engaging video begins with a reminder of tolerance and then proceeds to debunk the myth that climate change today is a natural cycle that we shouldn't be worried about.
It explains several important concepts like heat transfer, energy budgets, the greenhouse effect, solar cycles, volcanic eruptions, El Niño, and orbital fluctuations.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This video is informative and fun, incorporating lively animations and references to pop culture and comments from people online.
It provides students with useful information they can use to educate others on the science of climate change and the many ways we know that it isn't natural or normal.
Additional Prerequisites
Most concepts in the video are explained, but students should understand terms like average global temperature, precipitation, climate, and weather before watching the video.
A sponsored ad plays between 16:34 and 17:08 and there are multiple ads.
Differentiation
Since many complex topics are explained one after the other, it may be best to pause the video and reflect on the issues discussed in each section as a class or in pairs.
Parts of this video could be used in social studies lessons about conspiracy theories, myths, propaganda, or misinformation.
This is a great video to help Earth science or physics students visualize the Milankvich cycles and get a basic understanding of heat and energy.
Biology classes could use the sections about mass extinction events and the oceans to connect to lessons on those topics, while introducing their connections to climate change.
This video can be used as a follow-up to learn more about human-caused climate change and its effects, and this StC lesson can be used to learn more about the solutions to climate change.
Scientist Notes
This is a 29-minute video that explains the natural and human factors that cause our climate system to change rapidly. The Earth's energy budget, the greenhouse effect, the impact of sun spots, volcanism, the Milankovitch Cycles and other factors have been extensively discussed in this video. Climate scientists develop models to explain these changes and allow us not to be tricked by deniers but to take urgent action to limit further warming of the planet. This resource is devoid of any scientific misconceptions and is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS1: Earth's Place in the Universe
HS-ESS1-4 Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system.
ESS2: Earth's Systems
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-ESS2-4 Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth’s systems result in changes in climate.
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
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.
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
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.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
