Fires, Floods, and Droughts: Impacts of Climate Change in the U.S.

Classroom activities

CO₂ and the Greenhouse Effect Demonstration

During the initial portion of the unit, students will learn about the mechanisms behind climate change. CO₂ emissions caused by the combustion of fossil fuels has led to higher quantities of CO² in the atmosphere. CO₂ is an example of a greenhouse gas; some amounts of solar radiation get trapped on Earth, leading to higher temperatures. To demonstrate the greenhouse effect caused by CO², I will perform a demonstration inspired by a project on the Teach the Earth Portal⁶⁵. Temperatures will be measured in two different environments, one where CO₂ has been introduced and one is a control of normal air.

Equipment:

• 2 empty 2-liter bottles with caps, holes drilled into the caps
• 2 thermometers
• 2 500 ml beakers
• 2 tablets of Alka-Seltzer tablets
• One lamp with lightbulb

Demonstration setup

Drill a hole into the caps of the two-liter bottles. The holes need to be just big enough to fit your thermometers. Fill each bottle with 500 ml of water. The lamp needs to be plugged in and placed in a convenient position for the demonstration.

Demonstration

Students will assist with the process. For the control group, water will be poured into the two-liter bottle. I will explain to students that this is the control and that the air inside the bottle is just normal air. For the CO₂ group, I will fill the two-liter bottle with water, and then drop 2 Alka-Seltzer tablets into the water. I will explain that Alka-Seltzer is an antacid and that it is made of sodium bicarbonate and citric acid. When it is dropped into the water, the bicarbonate reacts with the citric acid, producing water and CO₂ gas. The bubbles coming out of the water are CO₂ bubbles. As the gas is produced, it pushes out the normal air in the bottle. Once the bubbling has stopped, I will place the lid on the two bottles, and insert the thermometer. The two bottles will be placed side-by-side and, then the lamp will be pointed directly at both bottles (about 30 cm away) such that they are receiving equal amounts of light. I will have students take measurements of temperature every 10 minutes for both the CO₂ bottle and the control for a total of an hour. At the end of the hour, the data should show a higher temperature in the CO₂ bottle than in the control.

Ice-age mammals: Google Slides Research Project

As discussed in the unit content, an introduction to ice-age mammals will be included as a model for potential impacts of climate change on biodiversity. Students will learn about changes to the Earth’s climate during the end of the Pleistocene and beginning of the Holocene, and how many species of megafauna went extinct during this time (see above). To investigate the plight of ice-age mammals, students will choose one species, conduct online research about the animal, and produce a Google Slides presentation about their animal. To focus students, a template will be provided where specific information will be requested on each slide. Each student will work independently to research their animal and build the presentation. In the past, I have found that building a Google Slides presentation is an excellent method for student investigation of a phenomenon; it produces in-depth engagement, and students really seem to enjoy completing the projects. While they are building a Slides presentation of their research on their animal, I will not have them present their research to the class, though that certainly could be included. The project should take about an hour of class time.

First, students will pick an animal to focus on. There will be a list that they can choose from, or they can pick one of their own (must be an ice-age mammal, and it must be approved). Options: Woolly mammoth, Columbian mammoth, mastodon, woolly rhino, saber-toothed cat, American lion, giant deer, giant ground sloth (several genuses), straight-tusked elephant, cave-bear, procoptodon (a giant kangaroo), glyptodon (a giant armadillo), American cheetah, direwolf, giant beaver, scimitar cat, camelops, long-horned bison, Yukon horse, Yukon giant camel.

Next, students will conduct internet research on their animal. They will be looking for specific information to fill-in the Google Slides template. The following will be the instructions for the presentation.

Slide 1: Cover slide: This should have the title of your assignment and your name.

Slide 2: Introduce your animal. State both its name and scientific name. You should include at least one photo of a fossil or an artist’s rendering of your animal.

Slide 3: Diet: What did your animal eat? Was it a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore?

Slide 4: Habitat: What kind of habitat did your animal live in? Discuss the regions of the world in which they lived. How large was their range?

Slide 5: Adaptations: What structural or behavioral adaptations did your animal have to its environment (e.g., thick fur for cold, fins to swim fast, venom for killing prey, etc.)? Try to include a picture or drawing highlighting the adaptation.

Slide 6: Evolutionary relation: What modern-day species are related to your animal? How are they similar to those species? List some of the adaptations and features that the species share. Include a picture of one of the related species. 

Slide 7: Changing climate: At the end of the Pleistocene, the planet started to rapidly warm. How do you think that affected your animal? Would they be adapted to the new warmer climate?

Slide 8: Extinction: When did your animal go extinct? Why did it go extinct? Note: scientists may not know exactly why your animal went extinct, but discuss some of the possibilities. Did humans play a role?

Slide 9: Fun facts: Describe at least 3 other interesting facts about your animal that you think that your classmates would be interested in knowing.

Species Profiles: American Pica Group Work

Students will be taught about the impact of climate change on animals. They will also receive instruction on the possible mechanisms in which animals could survive climate change, including range shift, behavioral adaptation, genetic diversity, or changes in phenology (e.g., changes in migration patterns). As students evaluate specific species, they will be asked to consider which mechanism may be available for each animal. For this, I will have students work in groups to build species profiles, including this activity for the American Pika.

I will begin the lesson by introducing the Pika. I will show pictures of the animals and a short video. I will also have a stuffed animal of a Pika for students to interact with. Students will convene in groups of 4. Each member of the group will have a task that they need to complete, with 4 different categories. Each member of the group will be given a worksheet to complete as they research their aspect of the animal. These are the categories.

Group member A: Habitat: Where do they live? What time of habitat do they live in? What is their role in their ecosystem? What are their predators?

Group member B: Food: What do they eat? How do they forage and store food? Do they eat a variety of food? Are there times of food scarcity?

Group member C: Evolution: What are their evolutionary relationships? What animal is their closest relative? What order and family of animals do they belong to?

Group member D: Reproduction: What kind of mating strategy do they use? How often do they have offspring, and how many do they have? How long do they stay with their mother? How much parental investment does the father have?

Each member of the group will have 20 minutes to research their topic and record information on their worksheet. Then, each member of the group will share out with each other what they find. They will have 10 minutes to share. Next, students will answer questions as a group, and they will have 15 minutes to construct their responses.

• What impact will climate change have on the animal?
• How might the animal respond? (e.g., range shift, behavioral adaptations, etc.)
• Do you think the animal will go extinct within the next 100 years? Why or why not? Make sure you include evidence for your answer.

Finally, I will ask groups to share their answers with the class. Each group will explain their answers.