Climate Change Lesson 5

Lesson 5:
Tying up Loose Concept Ends & Thinking like a National Park

Summary: This multi-day lesson brings the focus back to the Indiana Dunes. Provided is a modifiable PowerPoint that outlines the main ways climate change impacts the dunes and three different approaches to these changes. This is followed by a jigsaw activity where students explore the effects of climate change in four different habitats of the Dunes.

Lesson Components:

Activity	Students will...	Indiana State Standard Addressed
Data Detectives Video	Make a comparison between collecting evidence from a crime scene and collecting scientific evidence for climate change	SEPS.6 & 7 6-8.LST.4.3
Climate Change Dunes Presentation	Receive direct instruction on the Indiana Dunes Climate Change Adaptation Plan	SEPS.7 & .8 6-8.LST.1.1
Dunes Habitat Jigsaw Activity	Reflect on/discuss ways climate change is impacting 4 habitats in the Indiana Dunes National Park	SEPS.4, 6, 7, 8 6-8.LST.1.1 6.LS.4 & 5 8.LS.9

Teacher Homework:
Please read the Executive Summary and pages 18-19 in the Indiana Dunes Climate Change Adaptation Plan. Reading through pages 7-10 would also be helpful when trying to prepare for the PowerPoint presentation that’s present in this lesson.

Modify the presentation to best fit the needs of your class. The presentation was made with the intention of providing diagrams that would help students better understand how climate change is impacting the Dunes and the different kinds of response the Park and surrounding areas can have to these changes.

Lesson Set-Up: Download and modify the Indiana Dunes & Climate Change PowerPoint as needed, print off copies of the four habitat sheets and their respective worksheet.

 

Activity: Data Detectives Video

Purpose: Illustrates how science is all about collecting evidence and trying to piece it together, and is directly related to climate change.

Set-Up: This video can be found at http://gettingthepicture.info/2/ in the conclusion segment at the bottom of the page. It is called “The Scientific Case of Global Warming.”

Procedure:

• Before playing the video, ask the question: Let’s say we stopped burning fossil fuels and emitting carbon today. Why would the earth continue to warm for a while?
• Play video
• Restate above question and debrief

 

Activity: Climate Change & the Indiana Dunes Presentation

Purpose: The presentation is adapted from information found in the Indiana Dunes Climate Change Adaptation Plan. Teachers should modify this resource to help review any or all of the following: (1) habitats that make the Indiana Dunes special (2) data that shows temperature and precipitation patterns are anticipated to change (3) ways in which climate is already changing and will continue to change at the Dunes (4) debrief on 3 different approaches the Park has when it comes to dealing with climate change.

Set-Up: Download the PowerPoint and modify it to best suit your needs. The full plan can be dowloaded here: https://savedunes.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Indiana-Dunes-Climate-Change-Adaptation-Plan-2018-2.pdf

Procedure: Review the presentation with your students. Maybe implement partner think-pair-shares, maybe ask students to compare data in the presentation to data they did during their data dive, maybe ask students to make predictions about what changes are to come.

 

Activity: Dunes Habitats and Climate Change Jigsaw

Purpose: Students will compare and contrast how climate change impacts different habitats in similar and different ways.

Set-Up: Make sure each student/pair has a copy of their habitat sheet and modified habitat worksheet. A worksheet with a question bank has been prepared for each of the four habitats and can be modified to best suit the needs of the teacher.

Procedure:

1. Assign individuals or pairs a habitat and provide them with their respective worksheet and habitat information handout.
2. Give students time to use the handout to fill out their worksheet.
3. After a student/pair does some investigating into the one habitat, the student or the pair of students works with another individual or pair to compare habitats.
4. There are a few follow-up questions for when two individuals or two pairs team up and share information.
5. It’s encouraged that the class regroup and share some of the information they learned and their thoughts on it.