Teaching Activities

Little Shop of Physics
Students act out 4 different molecules (nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor) to discover which ones are greenhouse gases and which ones are not.

Grade Level: High School (9-12), College Lower (13-14), Middle (6-8), Intermediate (3-5)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities, Lab Activity
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Greenhouse gas emissions, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Meteorology:Atmospheric structure and composition, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Greenhouse effect, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Anthropogenic causes, Greenhouse effect, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climate Change:Greenhouse gas emissions, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Anthropogenic causes
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

How Do Long and Short EM Waves Interact with the Earth's Atmosphere? part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.lsop.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/...

Little Shop of Physics
This is a kinesthetic activity that demonstrates how shortwave radiation emitted by the sun and longwave thermal radiation emitted by the earth interact differently in the atmosphere. It allows ...

Grade Level: Middle (6-8), High School (9-12), Informal
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Lab Activity
Subject: Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Meteorology:Atmospheric structure and composition, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Greenhouse effect, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Greenhouse effect, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Solar radiation, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Decoding Ice Cores: Proxy and Direct Measurement part of CLEAN Collection

https://icedrill-education.org/portfolio/decoding-ice-co...

This two-part lab series from the US Ice Drilling Program teaches students about the process of science. It supports an understanding of how scientists use direct and indirect measurements to gain ...

Grade Level: High School (9-12), Middle (6-8)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Global change modeling, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climate Change:Global change modeling, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Climate Change:Paleoclimate records, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Paleoclimate records
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Eyes in the Sky: Using Remote Sensing to Explore the Poles part of CLEAN Collection

https://lamont.columbia.edu/education-outreach/resources...

This lesson covers a plethora of information on glacier dynamics, including basic glaciological concepts. Students learn through slide shows, hands-on activities, and discussion groups.

Grade Level: Middle (6-8), High School (9-12), College Lower (13-14)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Climate feedbacks, Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Climate feedbacks, Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Climatology :Climate sensitivity and feedbacks, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Climate Change Impacts part of CLEAN Collection

https://climate.mit.edu/til-about-climate-impacts-educat...

This comprehensive student and teacher guide from the MIT Climate Portal includes an introductory 10 minute podcast about water and climate change impacts, a water cycle class game, independent ...

Grade Level: Middle (6-8), College Lower (13-14), High School (9-12)
Online Readiness: Online Adaptable, Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Water Quality and Quantity, Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climatology , Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Hydrology, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Kinesthetic Astronomy: Longer Days, Shorter Nights part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.calacademy.org/educators/lesson-plans/kinest...

California Academy of Sciences
This kinesthetic activity demonstrates to students that the earth's tilt is what is responsible for shifting light patterns and the change in seasons. In this activity students will learn that ...

Grade Level: High School (9-12), Intermediate (3-5), Middle (6-8)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Global energy balance, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Natural causes, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Natural causes, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Orbital patterns, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Pumping Iron: How Dust Can Change the Climate part of CLEAN Collection

https://scied.ucar.edu/atmospheric-dust-climate/pumping-...

Center for Science Education
Pumping Iron is a station-based game meant to illustrate the movement of dust throughout different parts of the Earth system and the effects on the climate when iron-rich dust settles into the ocean ...

Grade Level: High School (9-12), Middle (6-8)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Environmental Science:Ecosystems, Biology, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Meteorology:Atmospheric structure and composition, Biology:Biogeochemistry, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climate Change:Impacts of climate change
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Connections in the Earth System part of CLEAN Collection

https://scied.ucar.edu/activity/connections

Center for Science Education
In this activity, students demonstrate their knowledge of connections between natural systems and the built environment in which they live.

Grade Level: Middle (6-8), College Lower (13-14), High School (9-12)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Climate feedbacks, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology :Climate sensitivity and feedbacks, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Climate Change:Climate feedbacks, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Engineering Challenge: Designing a Portable Drilling Rig part of CLEAN Collection

https://icedrill-education.org/portfolio/engineering-cha...

Bill Grosser and Louise Huffman
This resource guides students through the iterative engineering design cycle to build a functional model of a drill rig that can be broken down, reassembled in Antarctica (or other cold icy regions), ...

Grade Level: Middle (6-8), College Lower (13-14), High School (9-12)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

It is a slippery slope part of CLEAN Collection

https://www.polartrec.com/resources/lesson/it-is-a-slipp...

Glenn Clark
This is a demonstration that includes a review of scientific abstracts that show how warm water currents speed up ice sheet loss and sub-ice water infiltration into the Southern Ocean.

Grade Level: High School (9-12), Middle (6-8), College Lower (13-14)
Online Readiness: Designed for In-Person
Resource Type: Activities: Activities
Subject: Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate, Global Change and Climate:Climate Change:Climate feedbacks, Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Oceanography, Atmospheric Science:Climate Change:Climate feedbacks, Impacts of climate change, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climatology , Climatology :Climate sensitivity and feedbacks
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary