Citizen Science - Understanding Climate Change and Phenology

Citizen Science - Understanding Climate Change and Phenology

Lesson 1 of 6 in this unit

  • Secondary
  • Year 7 - 8
  • Science
  • Biology
  • Environmental
  • Biodiversity
  • Citizen Science
  • Climate Change
  • ...

Lesson summary

Students are introduced to the topics of climate change and phenology. Students begin by brainstorming what they already know about climate change and then watch a clip to explore the issue further. Students then create a mindmap to explore how climate change might affect biodiversity, and watch another clip that shows how the science of phenology can be used to help us understand how climate change is impacting on biodiversity.

Learning intentions:

Students will...

  • know how climate change impacts biodiversity
  • are able to relate the study of phenology to wider environmental impacts

Success criteria:

Students can...

  • identify some of the causes, processes and consequences of climate change
  • explain how climate change might affect biodiversity
  • define the term phenology in their own words
  • describe, in their own words, how the science of phenology can be applied to understanding the impacts of climate change on biodiversity
  • describe some examples of altering phenology affecting the way plants and animals persist/continue to exist

Lesson guides and printables

Lesson Plan
Student Worksheet
Teacher Content Info

Lesson details

Curriculum mapping

Australian curriculum content descriptions:

Year 7 Science:

  • Communicate ideas, findings and evidence based solutions to problems using scientific language, and representations, using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS133)

Year 8 Science:

  • Communicate ideas, findings and evidence based solutions to problems using scientific language, and representations, using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS148)

Syllabus outcomes: SC4-9WS.

General capabilities: Critical and creative thinking.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.1, OI.2.

Relevant parts of Year 7 Science achievement standards: Students communicate their ideas using scientific language and appropriate representations.

Relevant parts of Year 8 Science achievement standards: Students use appropriate language and representations to communicate science ideas.

Unit of work: ClimateWatch: Citizen Science – Science – Years 7 & 8ClimateWatch: Citizen Science – Geography and Science – Years 7 & 8.

Time needed: 60 minutes.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – oversee activities and lead students in discussion.

Resources required

  • Internet, laptops and earphones
  • Student Worksheet – one copy per student
  • Butcher’s paper (optional)

Skills

This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:

  • Critical thinking
  • Problem Solving

Additional info

This lesson has been developed in partnership with Earthwatch. Earthwatch developed the ClimateWatch program with the Bureau of Meteorology and The University of Melbourne to understand how changes in temperature and rainfall are affecting the seasonal behaviour of Australia’s plants and animals. 

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