Activity Introduction

climate-changeQuick summary: This lesson is designed for a flipped classroom, where students learn new content by watching a video in their own time. This strategy provides the opportunity for students to build their knowledge, attitudes and values by themselves, thereby freeing up class time for hands-on work.

Learning goals:

  • Students understand the basic principles of climate change, including some of the causes and consequences.
  • Students build their thinking and questioning skills.

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.1.

Australian Curriculum content descriptions:

Year 10 Science

  • Global systems, including the carbon cycle, rely on interactions involving the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere (ACSSU189)

Time needed: 30 mins

Level of teacher scaffolding: Low – allow students to explore the topic independently.

Resources required: Internet, laptops and earphones, Student Worksheet.

Key words: Climate change.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

climate change 101 photoframeTeacher Preparation

Overarching learning goal: Students take responsibility for their own learning by watching a video on climate change and completing a thinking routine.

The IPCC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was created to:

  • provide policymakers (governments) with regular scientific updates about climate change;
  • highlight the impact climate change will have on the planet in the future; and,
  • offer some ideas about how to tackle the challenges of climate change's potential effects on the planet.

In 2021-22, the IPCC released their sixth assessment report. This is the most up-to-date physical understanding of the climate system and climate change.

The report makes a number of important points:

  • It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.
  • Global surface temperature will continue to increase until at least mid-century under all
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Student Worksheet

Thought starter: How much can climate change?

Watch this clip and then answer the following questions:

Climate Change 101 with Bill Nye (https://youtu.be/EtW2rrLHs08)

How does this video make you feel about CLIMATE CHANGE?

How are the ideas and information presented in this video CONNECTED to what you already knew?

What new ideas did you get that EXTENDED or pushed your thinking in new directions?

What is still CHALLENGING or confusing for you? What questions do you now have?

Write your own definition of climate change: 

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