Database Provider

Hot Mess

Authors

Hot Mess, PBS

Grades

3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th

Subjects

Science, Social Studies, Earth and Space Sciences, History

Resource Type

Video, 4 minutes, 58 seconds, CC, Subtitles

Regional Focus

Global

Format

YouTube Video

We've Ignored Climate Change for More Than a Century

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Synopsis

This video presents a succinct history of climate science over the last 200 years.
The video explains multiple reasons why humans find it difficult to act on climate change.

Teaching Tips

Positives

The video incorporates music, imagery, and text to ensure student engagement.
The video poses ideas that could be used as interesting discussion points.

Additional Prerequisites

There is an advertisement at the end of the video. The content finishes at 4 minutes, 38 seconds.
Students will benefit from understanding the term climate change before watching the video.

Differentiation

Elementary science teachers could use this video as a hook, then use the resource Meet the Greenhouse Gases to continue learning about greenhouse gases.
Middle school teachers could use the video as a hook, then use the resource Greenhouse Gases: A Closer Look to further explore greenhouse gases and the interactive Understanding Global Change, to test their knowledge.
Civics teachers could use this video when exploring ways students can create change. After the video, teachers could use the resources Personal Action, How to Help Climate Change, Chapter 10, or Climate: What Can We Change? to further explore these ideas.

Scientist Notes

It is well known in academic circles that scientists have understood the physics behind climate change for more than a century. This resource video from PBS explores how long we've known, and why it is difficult for people to take action. This resource is recommended for teaching.

Standards

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

Dimension 4: Taking Informed Action
- D4.6.6-8 Draw on multiple disciplinary lenses to analyze how a specific problem can manifest itself at local, regional, and global levels over time, identifying its characteristics and causes, and the challenges and opportunities faced by those trying to address the problem.
- D4.7.3-5 Explain different strategies and approaches students and others could take in working alone and together to address local, regional, and global problems, and predict possible results of their actions.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
- 5-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.

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