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D. Climate Change and Weather
Day: 9-11
Grade Level: 8
Time Required: 270 Minutes
Essential Question: How will climate change affect weather patterns on both a local and
global scale?
National Science Standards Addressed:
H.C.4 Interdependence of organisms
e. Human beings live within the world's ecosystems. Increasingly, humans modify
ecosystems as a result of population growth, technology, and consumption. Human destruction of
habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, atmospheric changes, and other factors is threatening
current global stability, and if not addressed, ecosystems will be irreversibly affected.
H.F.4 Environmental quality
a.
Natural
ecosystems provide an array of basic processes that affect humans. Those
processes include maintenance of the quality of the atmosphere, generation of soils, control of the
hydrologic cycle, disposal of wastes, and recycling of nutrients. Humans are changing many of
these basic processes, and the changes may be detrimental to humans.
Objective: Students will investigate the effects of climate change on local and global
weather patterns and produce a weather report that highlights the causes and effects of
one type of weather disturbance.
Teacher Notes: Students will read through electronic resources and watch video clips
related to climate change and weather during the first day. A local meteorologist will be
invited in to discuss forecasting and production of the weather segments on the news.
Student groups will create and act out a weather report for our area that highlights one of
the extreme weather events discussed.
Resources: Climate Communications Website
http://climatecommunication.org/new/articles/extreme-weather/overview/
Materials:
