The Earth Scientist

Volume XXVIII, Issue 3
Page 31
Lesson Plans
There are two lesson
plans and one worksheet
to guide learning
with the Carbon
Projections applet
and one lesson plan
associated with the
Milankovitch Cycles
applet. These were
developed by teachers,
tested in classroom
settings and iteratively
refined. They can
be found under the
“Lesson Plans” tab in the navigation bar. Materials required are computers and Internet access.
(http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/climatechange/nav/lessonplans/).
Figure 1. Carbon Projections
Applet
Source: Tommy Jasmin
The Carbon Projection Applet is an interactive computer exercise where students can model future
projections of CO 2 sources and sinks and associated temperatures based on climate models used in
the IPCC report. The graphs and graphics provide a visually appealing and powerful illustration of
how choices can make a difference in future climate scenarios. The applet, like real life scenarios, is
somewhat involved, so the screen shots and sequences laid out in the Carbon Projection Applet
Worksheet provide an excellent guide for teachers and students to familiarize themselves with this
learning tool. For teachers who have more than one class period to devote to this topic, there is also
a Global Dilemma Scenario lesson plan where middle school students make choices about energy
generation options, and a Stabilization Wedges lesson plan to engage high school students around
strategies to reduce carbon levels from worldwide annual emmision totals.
The Milankovitch Cycles Applet lesson
plan was developed for high school
students to complete in one class period.
If you’re familiar with the Milankovitch
Theory, you’ll remember that it involves
cyclical variations in three elements of
Earth-Sun geometry. Traditionally hard
to teach, this applet enables teachers
and students to visualize these elements
and compare different configurations to
temperatures derived from the Vostok ice
core. This is another powerful teaching
tool made easier by the lesson plan freely
available for download.
Figure 2. Milankovitch Cycle
Applet
Source: Tom Whittaker
Another set of popular lesson plans on the website evolved from an activity on probability and
uncertainty. Several teachers have adapted and used the Simple Statistics Exercise on Uncertainty
lesson plan to have students analyze a historical climate dataset of seasonal ice cover qualitatively
and quantitatively. Instructions complete with screen shots are available for Excel 2003, Excel 2007
and Mac 2011. There is even a simplified version of this activity at the middle school level requiring
students to plot data and make graphs, rather than use Excel.
© 2012 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.