This Earth Science module explores climate change: what it means, what the difference is between climate and weather, and evidence of climate change. The global climate system is presented as a complex system with feedback loops and interconnected processes. The goal is to clarify what is known, what scientists believe is happening and how climate change impacts our environment and species. Students use, modify and customize an agent-based model of the build-up of greenhouse gases and its impact on the climate.

• View Climate Change videos
• Read summaries of the upcoming lessons
• Read Climate Change background document (optional)
• Check your understanding
  

Watch video of climate as a complex adaptive system

Video introduction to Climate Change:

Lesson 1: Climate Change Overview and Introduction to the Greenhouse Gas Model

In this lesson students will engage in discussion on climate change and greenhouse gases, stimulated by a video and an online activity.  The short video will serve to provide discussion points and introduce key concepts related to climate change.  In the online activity, students will use an online carbon footprint calculator to investigate ways of reducing their carbon footprint.  Finally, students will be introduced to the Greenhouse Gas base computer model and how to run it.

Lesson 2: Use the StarLogo Nova Greenhouse Gas Base Model

In this lesson, the students will USE the StarLogo Nova Greenhouse Gas model, change a variable to run an experiment, and add code for a slider.  In the first activity, the students will learn how to use the model and how to change the variable related to albedo.  In the second activity the students will be asked to inspect the code and identify code blocks they are familiar with.  In this way they will learn to deconstruct a computer code into its building blocks.  They will also be asked to identify new blocks of code, as well as “missing” code.  In the third activity, students will add code to make an albedo slider, and then will run an experiment, using the slider. Finally, students will be asked to think of ways to improve the model from home, based on what they know about climate change, greenhouse gases and human emissions of CO2.

Lesson 3: Adding CO2

In this lesson, the students will modify the Greenhouse Gas base model by adding a factory that emits CO2 to answer the question, “Does adding CO2 affect the temperature?” In the first activity, the students will add a factory that emits CO2 to the model and work together to create the necessary code to implement it.  In the second activity, students will use the new model as an experimental test bed, creating a hypothesis, running an experiment and analyzing the results to see what effect the modification had on the model. 

Lesson 4: Create your own Greenhouse Gas Model

In this lesson, students design their own Greenhouse Gas projects consisting of a question, experimental design and model.  In the first activity, students will learn about computational science and how to design a model, and will use this knowledge to scope their project.  This leads to a second activity, in which they start designing and implementing their model, using the Greenhouse Gas base model as a starting place.

Lesson 5: Experiment with you New Greenhouse Gas Model

In this lesson, students will finish coding their chosen modifications.  Students will then debug their code, checking to make sure it works as they intended, and fixing errors as they find them.  In the second activity, students will use their new model as an experimental test bed.  They will modify the question they came up with in Lesson 4 if necessary, and they will run experiments to address this question, using replication.  Students will critically analyze their results, as well as their model, and relate it back to the bigger picture - climate change.  Students will reflect on what modeling with Greenhouse Gases has taught them about climate change and their actions.  Students should share their findings with the whole class.

Background document: Introduction to Climate Modeling

Quiz questions: