Extreme Conditions

Climate Change

Grades 4-12

SC15.6.16CAS SC.MS.3.11.A MS-ESS3-3 E.8.10.2NGSSS SC.4.E.6.3NGSSS SC.7.E.6.6 ESS.8.4.3SEEd 8.4.4TEKS S.8.12.A SCI.ESS3.D.m

Storyline

Created in collaboration with the National 4-H Association

Facing quickly rising global temperatures on Vespus I, the crew must work quickly to save lives and find the cause of the sudden shift in temperature.

Upon arriving, Vespus I is in chaos. Analyzing all the active catastrophes, the crew will decide to evacuate the highly populated Vespus City along the coast. When a flood destroys Vespus City's non-renewable energy source, the crew will assess several possible alternatives and construct wind turbines to restore energy to the city. Looking over thermal and atmospheric data, the crew will determine the cause for the sudden rise in temperatures is a gas pocket that was recently opened.

Est. time: 51 min.

Targeted Standards

SC15.6.16 Implement scientific principles to design processes for monitoring and minimizing human impact on the environment (e.g., water usage, including withdrawal of water from streams and aquifers or construction of dams and levees; land usage, including urban development, agriculture, or removal of wetlands; pollution of air, water, and land).*

CAS SC.MS.3.11 Human activities affect global warming. Decisions to reduce the impact of global warming depend on understanding climate science, engineering capabilities, and social dynamics.

A. Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.

MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

E.8.10.2 Create and defend a proposal for reducing the environmental effects humans have on Earth (e.g., population increases, consumer demands, chemical pollution, deforestation, and change in average annual temperature).

NGSSS SC.4.E.6.3 Recognize that humans need resources found on Earth and that these are either renewable or nonrenewable.

NGSSS SC.7.E.6.6 Identify the impact that humans have had on Earth, such as deforestation, urbanization, desertification, erosion, air and water quality, changing the flow of water.

ESS.8.4 Understand the environmental implications associated with the various methods of obtaining, managing, and using energy resources.

3. Analyze and interpret data to illustrate the relationship between human activities and global temperatures since industrialization.

SEEd 8.4.4 Analyze and interpret data on the factors that change global temperatures and their effects on regional climates. Examples of factors could include agricultural activity, changes in solar radiation, fossil fuel use, and volcanic activity. Examples of data could include graphs of the atmospheric levels of gases, seawater levels, ice cap coverage, human activities, and maps of global and regional temperatures. (ESS3.D)

TEKS S.8.12.A Explain how disruptions such as population changes, natural disasters, and human intervention impact the transfer of energy in food webs in ecosystems.

SCI.ESS3.D.m Evidence suggests human activities affect global warming. Decisions to reduce the impact of global warming depend on understanding climate science, engineering capabilities, and social dynamics.

3-Dimensional Science

Phenomenon

Human activity can have an impact on global climate change.

Science and Engineering Practices

Developing and Using Models

Using climate data to identify and predict climate-related hazards and changes.

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

Investigating various sources of climate change and their potential impacts.

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Proposing solutions to mitigate climate-related hazards based on collected data and evidence.

Crosscutting Concepts

Patterns

Analyzing data to recognize patterns of temperature rise and climate-related hazards.

Cause and Effect

Understanding the relationship between environmental factors and their effects on weather conditions and climate change.

Systems and System Models

Evaluating the interconnections between various environmental factors contributing to climate change.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ESS3.D: Global Climate Change

Exploring the impact of climate change on extreme weather conditions, temperature fluctuations, and environmental hazards.

ESS3: Human Impacts on the Earth

Investigating how human activities, such as pollution and deforestation, contribute to climate change.