Climate Change in My Backyard: Grades 5-6, Unit 1

The first unit in a series of four focusing on climate change introduces fifth and sixth graders to the various systems that create the climate. They examine the natural and human causes of greenhouse gas emissions and conduct experiments to explore how color impacts reflectivity and heat absorption. The unit begins with an assessment of prior knowledge and ends with class members using the NASA Micro-GEEBITT climate modeling tool to explore how various variables impact global temperatures.