Initial Publication Date: December 12, 2005

Name of Resource: Carbon Dioxide: The Heat Is On
Climate Change Theme: Carbon
Sponsoring Organization: Teachers Exploring Antarctica (TEA)
Intended use: Learning Activity
Intended audience: Learners
URL: http://tea.armadaproject.org/activity/tea_activity_heat_is_on.html
Average Review Ratings (Poor to Excellent, 1-5 scale): 3.5 stars

Description: This is one of the most scientifically-accurate activities I've seen for explaining the greenhouse effect. The rationale stated for this activity (how phytoplankton in the Antarctic act as a CO2 sink) has several problems, including (1) this activity has nothing to do with phytoplankton and (2) photosynthesis by phytoplankton in the Antarctic is also affected by high nutrient levels. (CM)

Summary of Reviews

Reviewer: Carrie Morrill 4 stars
Comments: Activity demonstrating how greenhouse effect works using jars, heat source, thermometers, and candle. The activity is well-designed, but its presentation on this webpage could be significantly improved, including rewriting the rationale and presenting steps and information in a more logical order.
Read entire review: link text (Acrobat (PDF) 60kB Jun21 05)

Reviewer: Kirsten Butcher 3.5 stars
Comments: With proper educator guidance, students could benefit from this hands-on activity. But the directions are confusing so students will need support in integrating knowledge with experience here. Assessment activities could be improved to include more thought-provoking questions that tie into larger concepts more directly.
Read entire review: link text (Acrobat (PDF) 47kB Jun21 05)

Reviewer: Robert Croft 4 stars
Comments: Great Activity. Has a lot of Setup and lesson plan organizational problems, however, it is a good hands-on activity for the teaching about a difficult concept (explaining how a greenhouse gas works) that makes this worth using.
Read entire review: link text (Acrobat (PDF) 65kB Jun21 05)