New in 2020!What if you could challenge your sixth graders to come up with a way to help tackle climate change in their own community? With this volume in the
STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can!
Human Impacts on Our Climate outlines a journey that will steer your students toward authentic problem solving while grounding them in integrated STEM disciplines. Like the other volumes in the series, this book is designed to meet the growing need to infuse real-world learning into K–12 classrooms.
This interdisciplinary, three-lesson module uses project- and problem-based learning to help students investigate aspects of climate change that have been driven by the rise in global temperatures over the past century. Working in teams, students will use an engineering design process to identify a local environmental problem, develop a model to help monitor and minimize its impact, and create a presentation about their findings. To support this goal, students will do the following:
• Explore differences between weather and climate and explore temperature as an indicator of global warming.
• Examine the role that greenhouse gases play in global temperature warming.
• Explain the causes and effects of climate change and how humans have influenced it.
• Use mathematical modeling and numerical data to explore climate change’s impact.
• Analyze and synthesize credible resources to form scientific arguments regarding climate change.
• Develop a deeper understanding of how climate change influences the economy, our society, and people everywhere.
The
STEM Road Map Curriculum Series is anchored in the
Next Generation Science Standards, the
Common Core State Standards, and the Framework for 21st Century Learning. In-depth and flexible,
Human Impacts on Our Climate can be used as a whole unit or in part to meet the needs of districts, schools, and teachers who are charting a course toward an integrated STEM approach.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
About the Editors and Authors
Acknowledgments
Part 1: The STEM Road Map: Background, Theory, and Practice
1 Overview of the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series
Standards-Based Approach
Themes in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series
The Need for an Integrated STEM Approach
Framework for STEM Integration in the Classroom
The Need for the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series
References
2 Strategies Used in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series
Project- and Problem-Based Learning
Engineering Design Process
Learning Cycle
STEM Research Notebook
The Role of Assessment in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series
Self-Regulated Learning Theory in the STEM Road Map Modules
Safety in STEM
References
Part 2: Human Impacts on Our Climate: STEM Road Map Module
3 Human Impacts on Our Climate Module Overview
Module Summary
Established Goals and Objectives
Challenge or Problem for Students to Solve: Think Globally, Act Locally Challenge
Content Standards Addressed in This STEM Road Map Module
STEM Research Notebook
Module Launch
Prerequisite Skills for the Module
Potential STEM Misconceptions
SRL Process Components
Strategies for Differentiating Instruction Within This Module
Strategies for English Language Learners
Safety Considerations for the Activities in This Module
Desired Outcomes and Monitoring Success
Assessment Plan Overview and Map
Module Timeline
Resources
References
Chapter 4: Human Impacts on Our Climate Lesson Plans
Lesson Plan 1: Weather Versus Climate and Global Warming Trends
Lesson Plan 2: The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change
Lesson Plan 3: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
5 Transforming Learning With Human Impacts on Our Climate and the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series
Appendix: Content Standards Addressed in This Module
Index