Final Project

My final project is to produce a lesson on global warming. Please keep in mind that would be intended to be a short lesson on global warming as it relates to a Biology class. The lesson would be intended to be used as a review or a short introduction to global warming before students take the 10th grade SBA test on science. The format for the lesson would be to develop an interactive lesson using Notebook software that would be presented on an interactive smartboard. The lesson will not be quite as "cool" here on blogger, but if you have seen a smartboard and use your imagination you will get the idea.

The 3 learning objectives will be:

1. Students will understand the difference between the Atmosphere, Biosphere, Cryosphere, Hydrosphere and Lithosphere.

2. Students will be able to explain the Green House effect.

3. Students will be able to list 3 effects of the global Warming.

Global Warming

The earth consists of several different layers, each very unique. Each layer and its role should be understood before we begin discussing global warming

1.The Atmosphere: A layer of gases that surround the earth

Click Here for an interactive guide to the atmosphere provided by Scripps Institution Oceanography

Teacher Domain
Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere

2. The Biosphere: The "Life Zone" of Earth

3. The Cryosphere: The portion of earth that is covered in ice.

Teacher Domain

Earths Cryosphere: Antarctica

4. The Hydrosphere: The portion of earth covered by water

5. The Lithosphere: The rigid, rocky outer crust of earth.

Teacher Domain

Tectonic Plates , Earthquakes and Volcanoes

What is the Greenhouse Effect?

Click Here :for an interactive lesson on the green house effect

Click Here For a great collection of graphs showing the dramatic increase of greenhouse gases in the last 50 years

What are the effects of Global Warming?

Global warming is currently affecting earth in many ways, not limited to but, including the following:

1. Arctic ice melting

TD Interactive Earths Albedo and Global Warming

2. Terrestrial ice melting

TD Video Losing Permafrost in Alaska

3. Cultural changes

TD Video Arctic Climate Perspectives

TD Video Melting Permafrost

Post test activity

1. Define and give 1 example of each

Atmosphere

Hydrosphere

Cryosphere

Lithosphere

Biosphere

2. Explain how all 5 are interconnected

3. Draw a diagram to explain the greenhouse effect. be sure to include at least 3 common greenhouse gasses.

4. List at least 3 effects of global warming

Module 8

The Cryosphere Arctic Sea Ice:

I am late with this blog since I went on spring break to Hawaii. My initial plan was to use some pictures from my trip , but I am having a hard time using pictures from Hawaii in an Arctic Sea Ice blog. I will try to fit them into my final project. My blog will follow a different format this week. For the last 5 or 6 weeks the format I was using seemed to be working just fine as my weekly evaluation scores reflected. However, my last blog for module 9 received a deduction in points even though I submitted my blog in the same format. I don't quite understand the deduction and the comment left on my blog gave me no insight. Soooooooo here goes something new. Rather than reflect on the material presented in the lesson, which by the way was sufficient for 6 weeks but not last week, I am am going to reflect on material related to the topic but not presented in the lesson.

In the picture above, provided by The National Snow and Ice Data Center, the pink line represents the median Arctic sea ice extent from 1979 - 2000. However, the white, which extends past the orange line shows the Arctic ice extent on March29 2010. But hold on!!!!! Before you begin announcing that Global warming is "over" or a "hoax" as some would proclaim, recent studies have shown that that was caused by an unusual cold snap and does not reflect recent climate data trends. You see, weather and climate are two different things yet they are commonly referred to as the same. To often in Alaska, in the winter time, we hear " it sure is cold today ...so much for global warming." The evidence of melting Arctic sea ice is over whelming.

The diagram above paints a more accurate picture of the effect of climate on Arctic sea ice. The trend shows a dramatic decrease in the amount of sea ice over a 31 year period as opposed to a 1 year anomaly.

In an report by msnbc, Satellite images have shown that summers are lasting longer in the Arctic and that sea ice melting is the result. Average Arctic temperatures have increased 5.4 degrees (and some scientists predicting a 13 degree increase during the next 100 years)over the last 50 year average. This has resulted in a sea ice measurement last September that was 20 percent less than than the average end of summer measurements since 1978.

As a person who has not seen global warming affect my daily life, I feel fortunate. However, climate change in the Arctic has dramatic effects on native cultures. As sea ice decreases many native cultures are experiencing changes in polar bear, whale, walrus , and seal feeding patterns and migrations. The positive feedback loops that result in the disappearance of sea ice has also led to the increased melting of permafrost which is also having a negative impact on many Arctic communities and is threatening many native cultures.

Blog Review

I have enjoyed reading many blogs through out this course. Many great educators who are passionate about teaching. There were many great personal stories about life in many different corners of Alaska. The following are a few responses I made to some of my class mates:
http://http://bill-wendlandt.blogspot.com/
Bill, I enjoy listening to you talk about your experience in the Arctic. It is obvious that you are enjoying your time there. You have a strong science background and are able to apply that knowledge to the new environment you find yourself in now. You are lucky in some regards to be a scientist who resides in the Arctic right now as it is undergoing so many changes.
http://catwalkerexplore.blogspot.com/2010/03/module-viii.html#comments
Cat, I had difficulty posting a comment directly to your blog but I thought you did a great job of finding external content and resources that applied to the last 2 modules. It is obvious that you are a great student and that is an attribute that I am sure makes you a great educator. Your students are lucky to have a teacher who values education like you do.
http://misty-wovenideas.blogspot.com/2010/03/module-ix.html#comments
Misty, I am impressed that you are in this science class as I see you are an art teacher. Any art teacher who incorporates science into her art lessons is ok in my book. Perhaps if would have had an art teacher like you, my art portfolio would consist of more than an elaborate collection of stick figures.
http://lisazalaska.blogspot.com/2010/03/module-ixthe-final-blog.html#comments
Lisa, I enjoyed hearing about activities you do with your students . You have obviously done your homework on this class and I am sure, like me, you learned a lot about our climate. By the way great pictures.

I did have difficulty posting some of these responses to some of the actuall blogs and others I did not have any problems at all. Oh well , yet another tricky quirk to the "blogger" program

Module 9

Essential Question:How are climate, terrestrial ice and Alaskan indigenous cultures all connected?

Explain: Scientists have discovered a wealth of knowledge by studying the layers we find in nature today . Whether it be layers of glacial ice, mud from the bottom of a lake or the layers(rings) of a tree, nature has archived thousands of years of climate history for us to interpret. When examining the major changes in climate that have taken place for the last several thousand years we notice that one degree Fahrenheit increase (more in the arctic climates) that has taken place in the 20th Century has proven to be extremely significant in terms of rapidly speeding the melting of the earths cryosphere over the past 1,000 years. Changes that we use to think took thousands of years are taking place in our life times and before our very eyes. Even though this has caught the attention of environmental scientists, indigenous cultures all across the arctic are noticing changes that are causing them to alter their lifestyles. these changes include:

1. Shorter winters and longer summers

2. Disappearing lakes due to melting permafrost

Causing significant increases in methane. A greenhouse gas 23x stronger than carbon dioxide

3. Changing weather patterns

4. Changing animal migrations

5. Changes in plant and animals that are replacing traditional ones

Just to name a few!

Extend:

Extreme Ice Great time elapsed photography as well as additional photos and videos I found on this site

Documenting Glacial Change Survey Awesome TD resource showing before and after photos showing glacial recession and forest succession.

USGS, Introduction to Glaciers Very use full information on all of the USGS links in this module. These sites would make great pre-lesson discussion questions to spark student interest.

Evaluate: This was a long module!! However it did provide more resources that I can use in my own lessons. I felt that a few of the digital resources were redundant and could be eliminated without diminishing the lesson, thus shortening the lesson.

Module 7

Essential Question: How is Earth's climate connected to its geological, biological and cultural systems?

Explain: Earths Climate is dictated by the geological and biological processes that have been taking place for last 4.5 billion years. It is a project in the making. Early in earths history the climate of earth was very inhospitable by our standards, cold and lifeless. But as biological processes started to create greenhouse gases, Earth became the water planet and it gradually warmed to a point that would support life. As life started to flourish around 550 million years ago the increase in earths biodiversity began to explode. Around 300 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period Earths biodiversity began laying down vast quantities of plant life that would later fossilize into today's fossil fuels.

So lets get one thing straight here. The natural greenhouse effect on our climate has been beneficial and earth has always been able to manage its climate fluctuations. But as stated in the TD resource ,Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect, the last 2 centuries have a seen a 25 percent increase in carbon dioxide emissions. This 25 percent increase due to mans industrialization has caused an unnatural balance in our climate and has left scientists guessing what the result will be.

Culturally speaking climate has been linked to some of the biggest events in mans short history. From the crossing of the Bering sea land bridge to man's penetration of the ice free corridors of North America, climate was the limiting factor in early civilizations as well as their impetus. And now it is mans self induced carbon dioxide footprint on the earth that is triggering , perhaps, our next biggest event worth taking note of. Since the introduction of life, planet earth has done a fairly good job of budgeting its energy savings and expenditure's. But mans recent industrialization of the last 150 years has exploited earths energy savings (fossil fuels) and expedited it's energy expenditure's ( burning fossil fuels).

Extend:

Energy Flow in the Coral Reef Ecosystem

This TD resource was great from a biological perspective. It was a great clip to be used in Biology class that shows the flow of energy through a coral reef ecosystem.

Evidence for the Big Bang

The Nova series is fantastic! I showed this series to my physical science students last year and I must admit I learned a lot. This series is packed full of the latest cosmic research. Although I must admit I am a Biology guy, but the Origins series host Neil deGrasse Tyson is fascinating to listen to.A ConversationWith Neil deGrasse Tyson

Evaluate: I truly enjoyed this module. Being a Biology guy I liked the biological undertone that it had. Although there has been material thought the class that can be worked into a biology lesson, I felt this module provided more useful info for a biology class. I don't have my final project all planned out yet, but I am definitely getting some good ideas.

Module 6

Essential Question: How are the Earth, atmosphere and cultures all connected?

Explain: With out the atmosphere, the earth would not exist as we know it. It is as responsible for our existence here as any other piece of the the puzzle that makes up our biosphere. Because of the prescribed nature of our atmosphere we are able to study and predict its behavior. In the TD Resource Alaska Native Pilots, Alaska natives talk about the way weather dictates life in western Alaska and how nature gives us many signs of changing weather patterns. The practice of observing the atmospheres signs has ben handed down from generation to generation for thousands of years and only until recently has ben augmented through the technology of western scientists. Technology has given rise to a deeper understanding of our atmosphere in ways that ancient civilizations , mariners, and explorers could have only dreamed about. Now at the click of a button , even villagers in the most remote villages of Alaska can access the latest, up to the minute, satellite photos of weather across their region, complements of NOAA.

According to an article by the Alaska Sea Grant on salmon decline, the history of salmon runs for the last several thousands of years has been linked to climate changes. Salmon abundance that occurred around 1200 AD are suspected to be the result of glacial advance as opposed to recent declines that we are experiencing in this time of glacial recession. However you slice it, small changes in our climate have dramatic effects on world wide subsistence cultures as well as global economics.

Extend:

NASA National Space Science Data Center Image Resources
I have accessed NASA before for images. However this link provided me with additional links that I was not aware of. I spent a lot of time on this site and will be spending more time on it the next time I teach an earth science class.

Warm Fronts and Cold Fronts

The TD resources such as the one above are providing wonderful, animated graphics that greatly enhance my classroom notes and discussions.



Evaluate: Although much of the material in this module was review for me, A few of the resources were packed full of information. I am sure that I will find something new that I can use in class each time i visit the NASA web site.

Module 5: Ocean Systems

Essential Question: How are climate, cultures and oceans all connected?


Explain: Our climate has been experiencing a warming trend since the 1970's. This brings about many changes for Alaskans. The closer an individual is tied to the sea the greater the changes one is experiencing during this time. Due to waters high specific heat capacity, the ecosystems in the the ocean have experienced major changes due to a 3 degree increase in temperature. This increase in temperature is suspected to be the culprit of many observable changes to individuals living along Alaska's coast lines. As water temperature increases, scientists have noticed a decrease in small fish populations. These small fish populations serve as the base of the marine food chain and it has had a serious ripple effect on many marine animal populations. Everything from fish to birds to marine mammals to man has been impacted by this small temperature increase. A few studies that have been conducted recently include: Lower sea bird numbers in the North Pacific, low steller sea lion numbers, low pollack numbers, lower crab numbers, low salmon returns for upper Cook Inlet and increased polar bear/man interactions to a loss of sea ice. Although this sounds like a lot, this only a few of the changes scientists and coastal communities have been observing over the past 40 years. Although climate is not solely responsible for these changes we must not overlook the need for management of these resources. As competition among user group's increases. Dolly Garza's audio clip reminds us of the need to manage our resources as global climate changes effect our resources as well as increased competition between user groups.

Thermocline and halocline understanding are crucial to the science of global warming. It is tricky at best for scientists to attempt to predict what affect changes in ocean circulation will bring over the next 100 years. But it is important for scientists to gather as much data now as possible in order to understand the global effect that all communities across the globe, not just coastal, will experience from the changes in thermohaline circulation. Although some models predict a warming trend others predict a short warming trend followed by a major cooling trend. Moore data now will lead to better understanding in the future.









Extend:





The Goggle Earth shot above,of the Kenai River, was intended to show the increased fresh water run off and sedimentation that is a direct result of the increased glacier melting of the Harding ice field in the Kenai mountains. However, I did not get my desired effect due to a photographic date in May when glacier melting is not at it's maximum.

In the TD resource Global View of the Seasons, the satellite imagery can also be used to show how the seasonal changes bring about other changes in Alaskan waters that correspond to the seasons, such as summer time plankton blooms in the Bering Sea.

The Ben Franklin You Tube clip on the gulf stream provided a great historical aspect to the science of ocean currents and could be a very powerful tool for engaging students with an interest in history rather than science.

Evaluate:

As you can see last week I learned how to attach resources to my blog. This week I have learned how to link web sites to my blog. I liked the way this was done in the weekly modules and I am glad I figured out how to do it. I can see this being another valuable tool in helping me create more dynamic lessons for my students.

Module 4

Essential Question: How do stories of cataclysmic events help inform students about geosciences and cultures?

Explain: Stories associated with cataclysmic events provide students from Hawaii to Alaska a basic understanding of the natural world, particularly those in seismically active regions. The mega tsunami that hit Lituya Bay in 1958 is the story that legends are made of. Although it was a very old story ,by the time I heard it in the early 90's, I was in awe of hearing about a father and his son who were swept over the tops of giant spruce trees and lived to tell about it. Today I learned of the geology of the major fault line that runs through the head of the bay and caused the event. Stories such as these that have been documented provide students with relevance that provide the hook to engage more meaningful learning.

Instrumentation such as seismographs, infrared, and satellite imagery have provided scientists and geologists valuable insight into the science of plate tectonics and vulcanology and have taken earthquake forensics to a whole new level. Mans ability to accurately predict cataclysmic events has significantly improved the quality of life for cultures that exist in seismically active areas.

Extend:

The measurement tool associated with Google Earth will be invaluable in any earth science class and would have helped me answer many student questions over the past 18 years.

The following Google Earth plug in , Real -Time Earthquakes, will make a nice compliment to other TD resources when teaching about earthquakes and relating their relevancy to our local area and our proximity to convergent plate boundary along the Aleutian trench and our placement on the Ring of Fire.

http://www.google.com/gadgets/directory?synd=earth&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fmapfiles%2Fmapplets%2Fearthgallery%2FReal-time_Earthquakes.xml

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.earthsys.aktectonic/

This TD resource is one of the best I have seen in regards to making earth science relevant to students who live in Alaska

Evaluate: Goggle Earth continues to amaze me! I spent time exploring the ocean feature associated with this program and find that it will be very useful in many of my lessons. I also spent time flying over my local area and although I haven't found a use, yet , for this feature I found it quite entertaining as did some of my students. The TD resources on the geology of the Hawaiian Archipelago was one of the best short videos of this class, up to this point. I also found the Lituya Bay ,You Tube , clip very good and will be utilizing it in my earth science class as well.

Module III

Review: I grew up on the western slope of Colorado. The sedimentary rock formations were fantastic as they had been eroded and shaped by millions of years of erosion. My small town of Palisade was situated at the base of the Rocky Mountains and my every day view fancied a large Shield volcano called Grand Mesa. Recently, Super Bowl Sunday, I traveled to Nunivak Island in the Bearing Sea to go musk ox hunting. The Island was born from a volcanic nature and has been transformed,flattened, by wind, water and the coast line cut by the grinding sea ice of the Bearing sea.
Explain: Many factors contribute to the formation of landscapes. The TD resource "Tectonic Plate movement in Alaska" the entire Pacific coast of Alaska has been transformed, creating large mountains such as the Wrangell's as the the Pacific plate subducts under the Yakutat block. This same subduction of the pacific plate has also produced many mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes along the the Pacific coast and which are illustrated in the TD resource "Tectonic Plates,Earthquakes and Volcanoes" These geographic features have defined the the cultures that call these places home. The high productivity of coastlines coupled with the fertile glaciated streams that feed these coast lines have sustained the needs of several cultures for generations. From the Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian to the south to the Dena ina to the north and Aleut to the west, many cultures have not onlly survived but flourished in this abundance of food and resources and is why these cultures have survived here since time immemorial.
Extend: I am having trouble including images to my posts. Although I can take a picture of Google Earth , I can not seem to attach it to this document. I tried looking on YouTube for some tutorials but the problem seems to be with this Bloggeer site. I see that others have done it but I have not been able to figure it out. (Edit: I went back into Google earth and with a little help from a colleague was able to upload my Google Earth screen shots. I was having trouble saving the screen shots as a jpeg. Once I figured this out it was easy.
Evaluate: This module has been good as I needed the extra time to practice with Google Earth. I recently obtained a Smartboard in my classroom and I believe that Google Earth will become integral part of my interactive lessons. The Td resources on plate tectonics were useful and I had already used one last fall with my students. I particularly enjoy all video clips that pertain to Alaska and I plan on incorporating them in to my lessons.

Module 2

Indigenous people and western scientists are connected in that each is based on a system of making and recording repeated observations. While indigenous methods may be recorded in an oral manner the scientific side prescribes more to a written and published version. Both records may be valid or invalid and it would be premature to think only written records hold any truth. In fact, while many scientific discoveries are truly great and have done much to advance mankind, scientists have only been making written recordings for a few hundred years. While many indigenous beliefs have been orally recording for thousands of years. That's a lot of observations, especially from a climate perspective. The advantage of knowing both way lies in the sharing and blending of these two knowledge bases. We are smarter as a whole than we are as pieces. From a teaching perspective I feel that is my responsibility to educate myself as best as I can from as many perspectives as I can in order to better meet the needs and learning styles of all of my students. In the TD resource "Dustin Madden: Science Teacher" science teacher Dustin Madden has blended traditional learning styles and knowledge with western methods and content in a way that will strengthen preserve a cultural belief system that may perhaps be in danger of being lost to future generations.
How do you incorporate indigenous perspectives into your lessons? We all tend to teach the way we were taught, but we also blend our experiences into our teachings. In what ways have your experiences enhanced your teaching?

Test

This is a test and only a test. If this were an actuall blog post you would be encouraged to respond. Please stay posted, as I will be bloging soon.