PBS
Climate Change as a Scientific Theory
Get your class thinking about climate change as a scientific theory. Guided by a handout, emerging earth scientists read articles and take notes about glaciers and sea ice. To conclude, they write an evaluation of the evidence for...
University of Waikato
Investigating Sea Level Rise
Find an explanation for the sea level rise. Pupils investigate the difference that melting land ice and sea ice have on the sea level. Groups create two models—one with ice on land and one with ice in the water. As the ice melts, teams...
College Board
2018 AP® Environmental Science Free-Response Questions
Less than nine percent of all AP Environmental Science test takers scored a perfect five on the exam in 2018. Learn from the best answers as well as the common mistakes thanks to the College Board. Four questions from the test covering...
Polar Trec
Identifying Sea Ice
Sea ice contains 17 sub-types based on age and various characteristics. Scholars observe ice floating in a simulated ocean and record their observations. Then, they view photographs of different types of sea ice and learn to...
NOAA
Where Have All the Glaciers Gone?
What happens when ice melts? Well ... water happens. When that melting ice is a glacier, the amount of water that results produces change throughout the world. Middle school science sleuths uncover the truth about global warming, the...
Global Oneness Project
At-Risk Communities
"Waiting to Move," a photo essay by Ciril Jazbec, brings into sharp focus the threats posed by climate change. Class members examine images of Shishmaref Island and the Native Alaskan Inupiate coastal villages that are impacted by rising...
NOAA
Exploring Potential Human Impacts
Arctic sea ice reflects 80 percent of sunlight, striking it back into space; with sea ice melting, the world's oceans become warmer, which furthers global warming. These activities explore how humans are impacting ecosystems around the...
Curated OER
Life in the Crystal Palace
Marine biologists research sea ice communities. Assign some groups to construct paper models of sea ice communities in winter, and some to construct models of them in summer. The lesson is simplistic, but the Internet resources provided...
Curated OER
Sea Water Freeze
Students observe how salinity affects the time it takes water to freeze. They participate in an experiment to determine that ice is essentially salt-free whether formed from fresh or salt water
Curated OER
Scientific Investigation of Sea Ice Thickness
Students study the importance of global ocean currents, sea water chemistry, and cultural issues surrounding sea ice. In the field, students travel to the floe edge with their teacher and an elder to drill holes in the ice and measure...
Curated OER
Sea and Ice Salinity
Students conduct an experiment. In this salinity lesson, students learn about sea ice, why it is important and how changing amounts can affect the sea. Students conduct an experiment to find out the effects of salinity on the formation...
Curated OER
Graphing Sea Ice Extent in the Arctic and Antarctic
Students graph sea ice data and predict long term trends in the data. In this climate change lesson, students use sea ice data from the Arctic and Antarctic to construct line graphs. They use their graphs to predict the effects of global...
Curated OER
Sea Ice: Unscrambling the Egg Code
Learners determine sea ice thickness, concentration, and floe size by reading egg codes. For this sea ice conditions lesson, students color code a map based on prescribed criteria and use the maps to identify changes in sea ice...
Curated OER
Sea Ice Board Game
Students understand the sea ice cycle and can explain its stages. In this Sea Ice lesson, students play a game to identify types of sea ice. Students answer critical thinking questions about sea ice. Students complete a sea ice worksheet.
Curated OER
Penguins Nesting Know-How
Learners maintain a field journal as they follow penguin parents raising their chicks during the breeding season. They formulate testable questions. Students reflect on animal behavior in the field related to survival and chick rearing.
Curated OER
Whales and Sea Ice: Investigating Insulation
Students investigate the properties of insulation as it relates to whales and sea ice. They research whales and examine the atmospheric changes that occur when there are changes in sea ice.
Curated OER
Global Warming: Life in a Greenhouse
Students examine the evidence that scientists have used to support the existence of global warming and the greenhouse effect. How the concepts have been developed and evaluated form the focus of this lesson.
Curated OER
Observing Sea Ice
Students study and observe types of sea ice found in Alaska. In this sea ice instructional activity, students use the student network for observing weather to study the different types of sea ice. Students study sea ice depicted in...
Curated OER
Displaying Sea Ice
Students display their knowledge of sea ice. In this earth science lesson, students create displays reflecting their understanding of sea ice.Students research the development of sea ice on a variety of bodies of water, and use proper...
Curated OER
Sea Ice: Cracking the Egg Code
Learners study the egg code to learn about sea ice. In this sea ice instructional activity, students discuss and view a diagram to learn about the egg code when describing sea ice and its thickness. Learners work in groups to play a game...
Curated OER
Sea Ice and Satellites
Students study satellites and satellite images using Google Earth. In this satellite lesson, students discuss satellites and how they work. Students watch a demonstration of how satellites work and learn what they are used for. Students...
Curated OER
Sea Ice
Students observe the freezing times and temperatures of water with varying levels of salinity. They determine how icebergs form, how they act, and what they may be made of. They discover that salinity level affects the time it takes...
Curated OER
Biomes: Extreme Climate
Learners create a web connecting global warming, the Arctic, and wold climate. They write a paragraph explaining the role of the Arctic in world climate.
Curated OER
Sea Ice and Sheet Ice Melting Experiment
Learners observe the change in water level as a result of melting sea ice and melting sheet ice.