Lesson Plans & Activities

Ice Core Demonstration: The Past is the Key to the Future

Project EXTREMES lessons were written to be stand alone lessons but can be incorporated into a larger unit.

This lesson has students explore how the gases trapped in ice cores over the last quarter of a century can be used to understand how Earth's atmosphere has changed in the past. 

Lesson
Polar Science
Middle School
What’s Up With The Rising Temperatures in Colorado Cities?

This is the first lesson in the Climate Resiliency Education Middle School Climate Unit.

This lesson introduces why certain cities in Colorado are getting hotter using a video by the Denver Post that describes the pattern.

Lesson
Colorado-Based
Middle School
Why Are Cities Getting Hotter?

This is the first lesson in the Climate Resiliency Education High School Climate Unit.

During this lesson, students explore the increase in summer temperatures and describe the pattern as it relates to Colorado using a video by the Denver Post.

 

Lesson
Colorado-Based
High School
Arctic Feedbacks: Not All Warming Is Equal

This storyline unit consists of 10 lessons, each tied to NGSS Earth's systems standards

In this MS/HS unit, students engage with 360° virtual reality tours, authentic Arctic datasets, and app-based labs to construct models and explanations for the unit driving question, "Why might the Arctic be warming twice as fast as the rest of the world?"
Unit
Polar Science
Middle School
High School
Data Puzzle: On a Budget

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.

The Arctic is currently warming at a rate faster than the global average, a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze authentic Arctic datasets to construct explanatory models for the following question, "Why might the Arctic be warming faster than other places on Earth?"
Data Puzzle, Lesson
Polar Science
Middle School
High School
Data Puzzle: Balancing Act

This data puzzle is a stand-alone lesson that is part of a larger collection of data puzzles.

Since the early 2000s, the Greenland Ice Sheet’s mass balance has been consistently negative, meaning more mass is being lost than gained. But this change in mass balance hasn’t always happened at the same rate. What could account for observed changes to the amount of ice in the Greenland Ice Sheet in recent decades?
Data Puzzle, Lesson
Polar Science
Middle School
High School
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