How does the changing climate impact the penguins around Antarctica? | CEEE

How does the changing climate impact the penguins around Antarctica? In this lesson, students investigate the life history characteristics of different Antarctic penguin species and identify the changes that their populations have experienced. Context for Use This is the second lesson of a five-part curriculum about Antarctic physical environments and ecosystems.  Photo Credit: Anna Ruth Halberstad Resource Type Lesson Topics Climate and Weather Climate Change Earth's Systems Ecosystem Polar Regions High School Instructional Time 60 minutes NGSS Disciplinary Core Idea(s) LS4C: Adaptation Published Date December 1, 2020 Funding Information How does the changing climate impact the penguins around Antarctica? Funding Information × Funded by NSF OPP Award #1643715 Close Goals Header What Students Will Do Describe penguins' general behaviors and habitat requirements necessary to survive in the harsh Antarctic environment. Interpret and summarize population trends. Connect the species' natural history with their population changes in light of climate changes occurring in Antarctica. Teaching Materials Student Handout: How does the changing climate impact the penguins around Antarctica? File Lesson 2 Student Handout.pdf Teacher Guide: How does the changing climate impact the penguins around Antarctica? File Lesson 2 Teacher Guide.pdf Map of Antarctica File Lesson 2 Map of Antarctica.pdf Description Part 1 –  (25 minutes)  Penguin Behavior and Habitat Requirements Students will collect and share information on the natural history of several species of penguins found in and around Antarctica. Emphasis will be on the physical traits and behaviors that allow them to survive in extreme conditions. Part 2 –  (20 minutes) Penguin Population Dynamics Students will analyze data on penguin population sizes in different regions of Antarctica to understand changes that have occurred in different parts of Antarctica. Part 3 –  (15 minutes) Connecting the Data Students will connect what they have learned about penguin natural history and the impacts that climate change has had on regions of Antarctica with what they observed in the penguin population data.   Additional Resources Go to the next lesson in this unit Go to the unit homepage Similar Resources Data Puzzle: Tracing Carbon Through the Arctic Food Web In this Data Puzzle, students trace the flow of carbon through the Arctic food web to construct explanatory models for the following question, "How might the decline in sea ice affect Arctic organisms large and small?" What do we already know, or think we know, about climate & Antarctica? Lesson 1 Exploring Arctic Climate Data Activity 3 Antarctic Life & Albedo Lesson 3