This activity was selected for the On the Cutting Edge Reviewed Teaching Collection
This activity has received positive reviews in a peer review process involving five review categories. The five categories included in the process are
- Scientific Accuracy
- Alignment of Learning Goals, Activities, and Assessments
- Pedagogic Effectiveness
- Robustness (usability and dependability of all components)
- Completeness of the ActivitySheet web page
For more information about the peer review process itself, please see https://serc.carleton.edu/teachearth/activity_review.html.
- First Publication: November 22, 2010
- Reviewed: May 10, 2019 -- Reviewed by the On the Cutting Edge Activity Review Process
Lab 1: Getting to Know the Cryosphere
The lab activity described here was developed by Erin Bardar of TERC for the EarthLabs project.
Summary and Learning Objectives
In Part A of this lab, students will learn about the different components that make up the cryosphere and where they can be found on Earth. In Part B, they will be introduced to some of the ways climate and the cryosphere influence one another, as well as how and why scientists study changes in our planet's snow and ice. In Part C, students will learn about some of the ways that humans, plants, and animals are connected to and affected by the cryosphere.
After completing this investigation, students will be able to:
- list the major components of the cryosphere
- identify where snow and ice are found on Earth
- explain the role of albedo in balancing Earth's radiation budget
- give at least 3 examples of how the cryopshere impacts life on Earth
- explain why scientists use the cryosphere to study climate
Open the Student Lab »
Components of the cryosphere and their time scales. (Source: IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007, Figure 4.1)
![[creative commons]](/images/creativecommons_16.png)
Provenance: Image Source: IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007, Figure 4.1
Reuse: This item is offered under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ You may reuse this item for non-commercial purposes as long as you provide attribution and offer any derivative works under a similar license.
Overview and Teaching Materials
Detailed overview of what students will do in each lab activity, how long it will take, and what materials are required to complete the lab.
In Part A: Students are introduced to the different components that make up the cryosphere. They will explore the National Snow and Ice Data Center's All About the Cryosphere website to learn about what the cryosphere is. They will then use a map of the cryosphere to learn more about where the cryosphere is.
Time estimate: 50 minutes
In Part B: Students measure the albedo of different materials and explore how color affects heat absorption and temperature. For each small group of students, you will need:
- light source
- 4 plastic containers (plastic shoeboxes work well)
- snow or shaved ice
- dirt or soil
- gravel
- sand
- light meter or probe (e.g., Vernier light sensor)
- printed image of Antarctic sea ice
- two thermometers
- ruler
- Data Tables (Acrobat (PDF) 488kB Jun24 22)
- graph paper or spreadsheet program such as Excel
Time estimate: 50-75 minutes
In Part C: Students watch the NASA video A Tour of the Cryosphere 2009, which takes viewers on a satellite-view tour of snow and ice around the globe. This video should help students understand that the cryosphere is highly variable on a variety of timescales and that changes in the cryosphere affect everyone's lives. To watch the NASA video, you may need to install or upgrade your computers' media player. Click here for additional formats and information about the video. For other cryosphere videos, check out the NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio. NOTE: If students will be watching videos on individual computers, you may wish to provide headphones so that students will not be listening to videos over one another.
Students will also begin to think about human connections to the cryosphere as they watch a short documentary video clip about how erratic snow, ice, and weather patterns in the Arctic are affecting the North Baffin Inuktitut community. Finally, students are asked to consider how their own lives might be affected by changes in the cryosphere.
Time estimate: 50 minutes
Printable Materials
Download and print files needed for each lab activity, including images, data tables, and Stop and Think questions.
Right-click (Win) or control-click (Mac) the linked text below and choose File > Save As... to save files to your computer.
- map of the cryosphere (Acrobat (PDF) 1.6MB Jun24 22)
- Sample Data Tables (Acrobat (PDF) 488kB Jun24 22)
- printable image of Antarctic sea ice
- Stop and Think Questions (PDF (Acrobat (PDF) 211kB Jun23 22) and Word (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 58kB Jun23 22))
-
Suggested Answers
This file is only accessible to verified educators. If you would like access to this file, please enter your email address below. If you are new to the site, you will be asked to complete a short request form. If you have already been verified by the EarthLabs project, you will be taken directly to the file download page.
Teaching Notes and Tips
General recommendations for classroom implementation as well as guidelines and facilitation tips for leading class discussions.
General Recommendations:
- Read through the lab and teacher resources BEFORE implementing with your students.
- Print out any paper-based materials before starting the lab.
- Have students keep a journal or notebook to record all of their notes, questions, and findings.
In Part B: Set up all lab materials before students arrive. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the use of the temperature probes before teaching this lab so you will be prepared to help students who might run into trouble.
Purpose of the discussion: In this part of the lab, students were introduced to the relationship between albedo and temperature. A discussion will help to expand upon this understanding, and to make the issue more relevant to students as they prepare to learn more about the cryosphere and its importance in regulating Earth's climate.
Facilitation Tips: Write the primary discussion question on the board and give students three minutes to share ideas in pairs or to write in their notebooks before starting the full class discussion.
Primary discussion question: What do you think would happen to the temperature of the planet if the albedo decreases? What evidence do you have to support your hypothesis?
Supporting questions:
- What does it mean for albedo to decrease?
- What are some possible scenarios that could result in a change in the planet's albedo?
- What did you do in this lab that supports your claim about what would happen to the temperature of the planet if the albedo decreases?
Wrap Up: The cryosphere is an important regulator and indicator of climate. Changes in the amount of snow and ice on Earth (increase or decrease) would alter the planet's albedo and could significantly alter the planet's energy balance and overall temperature. After the discussion, ask students to keep in mind what they have learned about albedo and temperature as they move on to the next part of the lab about the changing cryosphere.
In Part C: Have students take notes during the NASA animation and documentary video clip, so they will be able to answer follow-up questions. Because most students are not likely to have studied the cryosphere before, some of the vocabulary may be unfamiliar. Direct them to the Cryosphere Glossary, which can be found after Lab 6 in the navigation bar on the left side of the student pages.
Purpose of the discussion: The Tour of the Cryosphere video introduces a lot of new information about the cryosphere, which could be a little overwhelming for students who are new to the topic. A discussion will help students unpack what they have seen and heard in the video.
Facilitation Tips: Write the primary discussion question on the board and give students three minutes to share ideas in pairs or to write in their notebooks before starting the full class discussion.
Primary discussion question: What were the key ideas presented in the Tour of the Cryosphere video?
Supporting questions:
- What was something new that you learned from the video?
- What was something that confused you in the video?
- What were your reactions to the rate at which changes happen in the cryosphere? Were they faster or slower than you would have expected?
Wrap Up: Students may still have a lot of questions about the cryosphere—and that's okay! They have the rest of the module to answer them. Before moving on, it's important to make sure your students are getting the idea that the cryosphere is changing all the time, on a variety of time and spatial scales.
Purpose of the discussion: In this lab, students were introduced to the cryosphere—a topic that is likely brand new and unfamiliar to many students, particularly those who live in a warm climate. This discussion is intended to help students think about how the cryosphere impacts all life on Earth, even for those who don't live where temperatures dip below freezing on a regular basis.
Facilitation Tips: Write the primary discussion question on the board and give students three minutes to share ideas in pairs or to write in their notebooks before starting the full class discussion.
Primary discussion questions:
- How is your life currently affected or influenced by the cryosphere?
- What consequences do you think you might experience if the cryosphere were suddenly or drastically altered? What evidence could you use to support your hypotheses?
Supporting questions:
- Does it ever snow where you live?
- Do you ever vacation in a snowy place?
- Does your community rely on glacier or snow melt for drinking water?
Wrap Up: Everything is connected. Changes in the cryosphere can affect people all over the world[entity]even those who don't live in cold climate areas. After the discussion, ask students to keep these connections in mind as they continue through the rest of the Climate and the Cryosphere unit.
Student Notebooks
Suggestions for how to use Student Notebooks for Lab 1.
Suggestions for how to use Student Notebooks for Lab 1:
- Have students write down the learning objectives for Lab 1.
- Have students record answers to all Stop and Think questions.
- Have students record answers to all Discussion questions.
- In Part A: Have students write down the definition of cryosphere.
- In Part C: Have students take notes as they watch the Tour of the Cryosphere and Eyewitness Documentary of Climate Change in the Arctic videos.
- Have students write down any questions they still have about the content covered in this lab.
Assessment
There are several options for assessment of student understanding of material introduced in this lab. Choose from the following list, or create your own assessments.
There are several options for assessment of student understanding of material introduced in this lab. Choose from the following list, or create your own assessments.
Assessment Options:
- Assess student understanding of topics addressed in this investigation by grading their written responses to the Stop and Think questions or by using Stop and Think questions as part of whole-class or small group discussions.
- Written Test for Lab 1
PDF
This file is only accessible to verified educators. If you would like access to this file, please enter your email address below. If you are new to the site, you will be asked to complete a short request form. If you have already been verified by the EarthLabs project, you will be taken directly to the file download page.
Word
This file is only accessible to verified educators. If you would like access to this file, please enter your email address below. If you are new to the site, you will be asked to complete a short request form. If you have already been verified by the EarthLabs project, you will be taken directly to the file download page.
Lab 1 Test key
This file is only accessible to verified educators. If you would like access to this file, please enter your email address below. If you are new to the site, you will be asked to complete a short request form. If you have already been verified by the EarthLabs project, you will be taken directly to the file download page.
Science Standards
Lab 1 supports the following Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):
Science and Engineering Practices
4. Analyzing and interpreting data
5. Using mathematics and computational thinking
7. Engaging in argument from evidence
Disciplinary Core Ideas
HS.ESS2.D: Weather and Climate
HS.ESS3.A: Natural Resources
HS. ESS3.B: Natural Hazards
HS.ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems
Cross-Cutting Concepts
2. Cause and effect
7. Stability and change
Examples of how students engage with the standards:
Provenance: Content from NGSS (http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards)
Reuse: This item is offered under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ You may reuse this item for non-commercial purposes as long as you provide attribution and offer any derivative works under a similar license.
Provenance: Content from NGSS (http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards)
Reuse: This item is offered under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ You may reuse this item for non-commercial purposes as long as you provide attribution and offer any derivative works under a similar license.
Go to
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Additional Resources
Explore background information and content extensions related to Lab 1.
Background Information
- Refresh your knowledge about Weather & Climate Basics.
- Use the National Snow and Ice Data Center's Education Center to find a range of information about Earth's snow and ice, from comprehensive "All About" sections to quick facts on popular snow and ice topics.
- Visit the National Snow and Ice Data Center's website for background reading about how Indigenous People and Wildlife are affected by changes in sea ice.
- For additional background information about climate changes occurring in the Arctic and what they mean for the Inuit people, watch, read, or listen to Sheila Watt-Cloutier's speech Inuit's Challenge in the Arctic.
Content Extension
Read more
Hide