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Learning Package Title: Global warming is it our fault?

Topic
Is global warming a natural occurrence or is it caused by humans?

Learner Context
This is a learning resources package for grade six students.

Rationale
Under the new national curriculum, through their studies in grades four and five, students will have a good understanding of interaction between living things and their environment, changes to the Earth as a result of both human activity and natural processes and that scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions. Middle years students are undergoing a period of rapid hormone increases and physical maturation, accompanied by significant development of the brain in terms of capacity, perception, memory, judgement, reasoning and function (Middle Years of Schooling Association (MYSA), 2008). This phase of learning can be fraught with less than optimal academic achievement, due to poor attitude, behaviour and lack of interest in education (Dinham & Rowe, 2008). It is important to develop pedagogy and utilise resources which incorporate students personal and social interests whilst delivering the curriculum (Beane, 1991, cited in Smyth & McInerny, 2007). Grade six students will be working towards curriculum goals including an understanding of how the growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment, how science involves testing predictions by gathering data and using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena and that scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples lives (Australian Curriculum, 2011). The resources provided support a constructionist approach, whereby each student is able to build on their prior knowledge and integrate new information (Cooper, 2004, cited in Geng, 2011). The resources will offer opportunities for social interaction allowing students to revise and reconstruct their views (Laurillard, 1995 cited in Geng, 2011), with the teacher acting as a facilitator. The resources are engaging and motivational, supporting social activity and thereby enhancing students cognitive development. Care has been taking to ensure that the following resources have sound educational value, are not pedagogically restrictive and do not trivialise important concepts. Computer aided instruction (CAI) such as the online student activity - can be as effective as traditional instruction and will be carefully delivered to ensure it effectiveness (Jenks and Springer, 2002, cited in Geng, 2011)

Key Focus Questions

What causes global warming is it a naturally occurring phenomenon or the result of human activity? What is climate change? What are greenhouse gasses? How do they influence climate change? What is the impact of humans on the environment? What can I do to improve the environment?

Humphries__Joanna_ETL339 _ 2011-2_Assignment number 2. 1

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Resource
POWERPOINT SLIDESHOW Whats up with global warming? National Wildlife Federation

Rationale
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF, 2007) surveyed 200 young readers to discover the most frequently asked questions about global warming from students from grades five to twelve. These were subsequently used to prepare a Powerpoint slideshow, intended for students in this age range. The Powerpoint is fully editable so teachers can add their own notes or adapt the language used to suit specific target students. According to the NWF (2007) website; This slideshow and its accompanying guide were designed in accordance with the North American Association for Environmental Educations Guidelines for Environmental Education and the National Science Education Standards. The National Wildlife Federation is a charitable and education organisation, whose main focus is maintaining habitats for wild animals, for which they see a main threat being global warming.

STUDENT CENTRED WEBSITE Living in the Greenhouse National Centre for Atmospheric Research

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR, 2011) is a non-profit consortium of research universities who grant doctorate degrees in atmospheric and related sciences. The Kids Crossing website is maintained under the management of UCAR and is therefore a reliable source of information. The Living in the Greenhouse section provides a colourful and interactive environment for students to learn about the climate, global warming and greenhouse gasses, answering key questions such as what is meant by climate, and the difference between climate and weather. This website addresses natural climate cycles and how they are monitored before moving on to human impact on climate change.

CLASSROOM TEXT & TEACHERS COMPANION How we know what we know about our changing climate - Cherry & Braasch (2008)

How we know what we know about our changing climate (2008) is an up to date, peer reviewed resource, recommended for students in grades four through eight. Along with a teachers guide companion text, written by a teacher of 20 years experience, the publishers (Dawn Publishing) website provides further resources such as Climate Change Made Age-Appropriate, climate change resources and activities pages. This text has received numerous awards, including AAA/Subaru/SB&F Excellence in Science Books Benjamin Franklin Award (Gold) John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers American Meteorological Assn. Louise J. Batton Authors Award Green Earth Book Award (Honors) 2009 Nautilus Award (Silver) ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year (Gold) Moms Choice Award (Gold) National Best Books 2008 Awards (Winner: YA Educational) National Parenting Publications Award New York Book Festival, 2009 (Honorable Mention) 2011 Purple Dragonfly Book Award 2nd Place (Green Books/Environmental)

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ONLINE STUDENT ACTIVITY Observations of Climate Change - Teachers Domain

Teachers Domain (2011) is a pathways portal to the National Science Digital Library, funded through the National Science Foundation and supported through grants from, amongst others, the U.S. Department of Education and NASA. Teachers Domain is an online library of free classroom media resources, which incorporate video, audio, Flash interactive and image. These activities can be modified to correlate with appropriate state or national standards. The online student activity is media rich and shows students how data collected through surveys and satellite imaging help formulate an understanding of the effects of climate change.

PRIMARY STUDENT WORKBOOK Save Energy @ School Department of Education & Training, Victoria

Save energy @ school is a primary student workbook, suitable for Curriculum and Standards Framework (CSF) levels three & four (grades three to six inclusive). The workbook was created by the Department of Education and Training, Victoria in 2003. It can be downloaded online through a government website, www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au, which is maintained by Sustainability Victoria and has been updated in 2011. This resource is suitable for understanding how human activity could be responsible for climate change and global warming. The range of classroom activities can be utilised to enhance students knowledge of energy saving practices, integrating science, numeracy and literacy skills.

EXPERIMENT INSTRUCTIONS & WORKSHEET Global Warming Experiment Maggies Earth Adventures

Maggies Earth Adventures was established in 1999 and is based in the USA. The company has produced a multi-media website with a range of activities, videos and games designed to educate students to be able to make informed decisions to build a sustainable future. This worksheet provides a hands-on opportunity for students to investigate global warming and features a complimentary teachers guide. The activity demonstrates the greenhouse effect in a way which will enable students to connect their understanding to the real world situation. The resource was created in 2001, by a team lead by Mason Howard, Master of Education.

WEBCASTS & MULTIMEDIA OFFERINGS Weather, Climate & Society - University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

As previously mentioned, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR, 2011) is a non-profit consortium of research universities. This web page hosts a selection of short webcasts on weather, climate and society. The clips are brief, ranging from just under three minutes to just over eight. This allows for pausing to reflect on the content and answering students questions, clarifying the issue raised if necessary. As the video clips are presented by university professors and doctors, the information is current and detailed, so this time for reflection is important to ensure that the content has been fully understood. The clips address the target content in a logical sequence; from what causes climate change, to how it is studied through to what can be done to respond to the problem.

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YOUTUBE VIDEO

This youtube video was posted in 2007 and has subsequently had over 7,000,000 views. It was posted by high school science teacher Greg Craven, who has taught Physics, Chemistry, and a variety of other science and math courses, whilst focusing on developing students thinking skills. The video presents a provocative approach to the global warming debate. Regardless of whether students believe global warming exists, is caused by humans or a naturally occurring event, the argument is that we should do something, because inaction is not a practical option. The presentation is engaging, amusing and thought provoking, helping students to make sense of the contradictory statements regarding climate change. This presentation will command attention and concentration from the students, taking advantage of listening skills, such as sound recognition and analysis of sounds and words, as Education Scotland (2011) assert that young students retain up to 1/3 of the words heard.

http://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=zORv8wwiadQ

INTERACTIVE GAME Living Together European Commission

The European Commission (2011) propose strategies and legislation regarding the environment, which are realised in agreement with the European Parliament. This interactive game has been produced through their climate change education programme. The resource is an interactive game in which the player lives in an apartment with 3 friends and has to educate them about environmentally friendly behaviour. The objective is to keep carbon dioxide emissions low whilst discovering new ways to protect the environment. It is an engaging way to ensure that students have integrated the knowledge gained throughout the duration of their studies on global warming.

MUSEUM EXHIBITION Climate Changers Exhibition Queensland Museum, Southbank

The Climate Changers exhibition is a range of childrens artwork and a short film, presented as part of National Science Week 2011, through Queensland Museum in Southbank. Students aged nine through eleven have created their own climate change solutions which would act as inspiration for the grade six students to complete a similar project after the field trip. The project was created by science educator Paul Brandon, arts-worker Juliette Kalifa and Jaina Kalifa, an experienced film maker who regularly works on community projects and who has a strong commitment towards sustainability. They were supported by Tipping Point Australia, an organisation which works alongside government agencies to produce projects which combine science and the arts, aiming to discuss and engage with innovative peers from the arts and science communities (Tipping Point Australia, 2011).

Creating artwork for the Climate Changers exhibition (Queensland Museum, 2011)

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Assignment template
All areas of this form marked with * are essential information and must be completed.

References
Department of Education and Training (2003). Save Energy @ School. Department of Education and Training, Victoria. Retrieved on September 5, 2011, http://www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au/documents/34SWB.pdf

Middle Years of Schooling Association (2008). MYSA position paper. Middle schooling: People, practices and places. Retrieved August 24, 2011, http://www.mysa.org.au/editorMedia/mysa/file/MYSA%20Position%20Paper.pdf

Teachers' Domain (2008). Observations of Climate Change. National Science Foundation, USA. Retrieved on September 5, 2011, http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ipy07.sci.ess.watcyc.saobclimate/

Dinham, S. & Rowe, K. (2008). Fantasy, fashion and fact: Middle schools, middle schooling and student achievement. Australian Council for Educational Research. Retrieved August 20, 2011, http://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=tll_misc&seiredir=1#search="fantasy+fashion+and+fact

Smyth, J. & McInerney, P. (2007). Teachers in the middle: Reclaiming the wasteland of the adolescent years of schooling . USA: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.

Geng, G. (2011). ETL339 Week 2: Theoretical Perspective/Underpinning: Constructivism . Charles Darwin University, Australia. Retrieved September 2, 2011, http link

Geng, G. (2011). ETL339 Week 4: Communication Tools (Web 1.0): Web 1.0. Charles Darwin University, Australia. Retrieved September 2, 2011, http link

Tipping Point Australia (2011). Tipping Point Australia. Retrieved September 2, 2011, http://tippingpointaustralia.com/

Cherry, L. & Braasch, G. (2008). How we know what we know about our changing climate. Dawn Publishing

National Wildlife Foundation (2007). Climate classroom Whats up with global warming? Retrieved September 9, 2011, http://online.nwf.org/site/PageNavigator/ClimateClassroom/cc_teachers_slideshow

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2011). About NCAR & UCAR. Retrieved September 4, 2011, http://www2.ucar.edu/about-us

Education Scotland (2011). Supporting curriculum for excellence. Retrieved September 4, 2011, http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/

European Commission (2011). European Commission Directorate General for Education and Culture. Retrieved September 4, 2011, http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/index_en.htm

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