Who Cares About an Earlier Spring?

Micro Overview
Kristie McLaughlin
Timeline

Lesson 1: How can we read climate from plants around us?

Goals:

Students will understand what climate and climate

change are (Definition: HS-ESS2-4 assessment
boundary)

Objectives:

Students will define climate and climate change,

understanding their assessment boundary
Students will make hypotheses surrounding the way that
climate affects a plant specie's distribution

Materials

Micro Lesson 1 pdf

Challenge cards (examples on pdf)

10 min

Do-Now:

Watch AJ+ video https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=S7jpMG5DS4Q
Questions to guide viewing

What do you see as the difference between weather and

climate?

What do you see as indicators of climate change?

Share out with the class, get feedback

15 min

Getting on the
same page:

Discussion: developing definitions of climate, climate change

re: NGSS assessment boundary: Students will understand a
definition of climate change as changes in surface temperature,
changes in precipitation patterns, changes in glacial ice volumes,
changes in sea levels, and changes in biosphere distribution.

20 min

Challenge:

5 min

Sort tree types into climates, explain your thinking.

Sabotage a partner pair, successful sabotage win a prize

Exit Ticket:

Looking forward: This unit we will be investigating the effects

of climate change on season's change.
What do you think climate change's impacts will be on

seasonality?

Homework:

Read either Climate Change Disrupts Bee's Pollination, or

Climate Change Threatens Pollination Timing
Bring in a 1-2 sentences that state the author's thesis.

Lesson 2: What is 2C?

Goals

Objectives:

Materials:

Students will understand the difference betwesen

independent and dependent variables
Students will understand experiment design
Students will outline the independent variables they will
need to control for
Students will design and execute the first step of an
experiment
Students will design an experiment investigating the
effects of climate change (earlier lessons are surrounding
this lesson are focusing on causes, but seeds need time to
grow...)
Micro 2 pdf
Designing an experiment handout
Seeds, seed trays, greenhouses
Final report rubric
We will produce a protocol

5 min.

Do-Now:

Write a 3-5 sentence caption for the above graph as if you were
explaining this to a 5th grader.

2 min

Hook/Intro:

0:19s to 1:31
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/why-2-degrees-celsius-isclimate-changes-magic-number/

20 min.

Challenge 1:
Design the
experiment

We are testing for the impact of 2C on the germination

of selected native annuals.
For a seed to germinate and grow, it needs soil, water,
and light.
Seeds should be planted as deep as they are long.
In groups of 2-3, determine what variables we will need
to control for in the two test groups.

i.e. depth seeds are planted, amount seedlings are

watered, soil type, light received.
Should we have a control group? What would that look
like?
What is the best way for our class to keep data?
i.e. shared lab notebook next to the plants, and daily
monitor
How will we monitor growth rates?
On the board, we will generate a list of variables we will
need to control for.

15 min.

Challenge 2:
With your partner, plant your selected seeds paying careful
Planting the seeds attention to the variables we've discussed.

3 min.

Exit Ticket:

What variables were the hardest to control for?

Write a 1-3 sentence hypothesis, use ideas from last night's
reading to help guide your thinking.

Notes:

Be sure to make explicit that this lab will carry out through the
entire semester and that it is happening now so the plants can
have time to grow.

Name: ___________________________________ Designing an Experiment

Your Challenge: Prove beyond a reasonable doubt whether a 2C difference in temperature affects
seed germination and growth rates.
1. What is the variable we're testing for? E.g. What is the one thing that will be different between our
two set-ups?

2. What are other factors we will need to account for?

3. How will we measure germination rate?

4. How will we measure growth rate?

3

5. How/when should we record data?

*When we come to a conclusion I will type up our protocol to share so everyone has the same
protocol.
Name: _______________________________

Exit Ticket Handout

1. While planting, what variables were the hardest to control for?

2. What variables do you think will be the most important to control for?

3. Considering the above, write a 1-3 sentence hypothesis for this experiment.

Name:________________________________

Designing an Experiment Hints Handout

Dependent Variable: the variable we are testing for is germination and growth rates
Independent Variables: things we can control for that would affect the plant's germination
and growth rates.

Lesson 3: What can we learn about climate from plants of the past?
Goals:

Students will understand that plant species are adapted to

certain climate conditions
Students will learn that pollen fossilizes and can serve as
a climate record due to the above
Students will learn what a soil core is and develop a
basic understanding of where this data would come from
Students will learn what proxy data is, students will
understand that historic pollen data can serve as a proxy

Objectives:

Students will generate a representative table of climate

proxy data by dissecting a soil core, where plastic
beads will serve as a model for different pollen types

Materials:

Micro 3 pdf
Lecture guide
Tree pollen i.d. key
Representative core samples- to be made, soil and beads
representing pollen grains

We cant go back in time to see what the climate was like 12,500
years ago, yet scientists still have a pretty good idea of what
climate was like and how it has changed.
Select from the list three things that you think might tell

a scientist a lot about ancient climates:

Gas trapped in ice, nutrients in tree rings, fossilized

pollen, lake sediments, cave stalactites/stalagmites

Hey! Guess what?! They're all correct!!

5 min

Do-Now:

10 min

Lecture/Challenge What is proxy data?

introduction

30 min

Challenge

5 min

Exit ticket:

Sort out pollen

Each group makes a data table to share with the class.
Everyone will need all the data for Lesson 4.
Hypothesize what your climate was like at the time of
the core using the pollen i.d. key

Write your own definition for proxy data. You may use an
example if you'd like.

Name: ____________________________
Lecture guide
1. Lake sediment core:
Write three things you think can be discovered about ancient climates from the cores.
2. Ice core:
6

What do you think each layer represents?

What do you think scientists can use from the ice to tell them about ancient climates?
3. Tree rings:
How do you think tree rings can provide information to scientists about ancient climates?
Tree Pollen I.D. Key:
Species
Temperature

Moisture

Description

Spruce

Cold

Moist

Found today on the tundra, a cold

boreal habitat with cool summers and
long winters

Pine

Cold or hot

Moist or dry, acidic

Can live in cool and moist or warm and

dry zones. Often occur after significant
ecosystem disruption, i.e. fire or
clearcut

Oak

Warm, cold tolerant Not too wet, not too Do best in temperate climates although
dry
they can survive in cooler plaes. Often
thrive after fire.

Herbs

Temperate

Wide range

Understory, grow in shade or sun,

temperate climate

Teacher Resources (building the sediment cores) from Bernabo and Webb, 1976

*I imagine building this by considering each percentage point to = ~5 beads, or possibly build these
by weight instead of counting them all out.

Lesson 4: What was this climate like over the past 12,500 years?
Goals:

Objectives:

Materials:

Do-Now:

Students will learn to represent data graphically using

graphing software
Students will practice communicating results via writing
Students will learn that certain plants are dependent and
indicative of certain climates
Students will represent proxy data they gathered
graphically using excel or other graphing software
Students will write a short report answering the question
What was this climate like over the past 12,500 years
through showing their understanding of what plants
thrive in what climates.
Micro Lesson 4 pdf- Please take this slide show as hint
cards/a guide for helping students independently
navigate a graphing software. These were also made in
open office; they would need to be re-made in whatever
graphing software the school had access to, which
wouldn't be open office calc- which is also harder to use
than excel in plotting x v. y kind of stuff.
Mini-report guideline

Draw a graph by hand that represents (select one option)

a) How often you wake up before 8 a.m. during the average
week
b) How often you go to bed before midnight during an average
week
c) How often you exercise during the week
d) Other- you get the spirit
Think carefully about all the elements a good graph should
include by asking yourself If a stranger picked this up, would
they know the story I'm trying to tell?
Challenge: I can think of four elements a good graph has. If the
whole class has three of these elements, you all get +5 points on
this report.

Do-Now Follow
up

Poll on the board: How many students made a bar graph? A line
graph? A pie chart? Other?
Does your graph have the following:

A title
Axes labeled

Units
Caption

Challenge:

Create a graph in excel: Play with your options to see

which graph type gives you the clearest story

Rule: try something three different ways, then ask a

classmate, then ask me for help.

See Micro Lesson 4 Power Point for hint cards on how to

make a graph.
*I made these hint cards in open office, so it looks different from
excel, I'd have to remake these on whatever computer the school
had. I also think excel is a lot easier to use, especially regarding
defining series.

Homework:

Finish report
Due in 2 days:
Read Ecological Impacts of Climate Change p. 8-11

Read Parmesan p. 642-644 Phenological Changes

section to help prepare for class 5

Come in with 3 questions from the reading

Proxy Challenge mini-report Rubric:

An Exemplary report includes the following:
Introduction: 5 points
A demonstration of understanding of proxy data, represented by a
definition that is your own and/or use of examples.
5 points

A demonstration of understanding of what a sediment core is and how

it can tell us of climates past.

5 points

Your graph includes a title, axes labeled, and a succinct caption to

guide the reader.

5 points

Your graph is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and easy to read.

Conclusion

5 points

You've succinctly summarized what proxy data is in your own words,

how sediment cores serve as proxy data, and what your sediment cores
have told you about the climate in this area of the past 12,500 years.

Other

+3 points

It is clear to me, as the initial reader of this report, who your intended
audience is. Feel free to be creative! Is it a family member? The local
paper? Are you teaching these ideas to a younger class? Is it for a
peer's eyes?

Results

Lesson 5: Future Forecast

ESS3-5

Goals:

Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate

models to make an evidence-based forecast of the
current rate of global or regional climate change and associated
future impacts to Earth systems.

Objectives:

In groups, students will analyze data about the earlier emergence

of spring and creatively represent a future forecast:

i.e. write a newscast as a weather forecaster, take on the

spirit of eye on the sky, or draw a newspaper style
weekly forecast but covering decades instead.

Analyze
geoscience data
and the results
from global
climate models to
make an evidencebased forecast of
the
current rate of
global or regional
climate change and
associated future
impacts to Earth
systems.

Materials:

10 min.

40 min.

Micro 5 pdf
Information and hint cards/handout- provided on last
pages of Micro 5 pdf
Ecological Impacts of Climate Change provides
additional/supporting information if needed
Presentation rubric

Do-Now:

http://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/
*scroll down to Time Series animation

Where do you see the greatest temperature differences

occurring?

When do you see significant warming happening?

What do you think might be causing these temperature

anomalies?

Do-Now
Takeaway:

Major warming happens with industrialization, starts at the

poles...etc.

Challenge:

In groups use the following materials to create a creative,

qualitative future forecast i.e. newscast, radio spot, etc. for the
oncoming of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Your forecast must address the following:
Why is it happening? (re: Do-Now)
Where is it happening?
What measurements are used to record it?
Unlike a local weather spot, your forecast is going to focus more

10

on history and mechanism than an actual look forward, but try

your hand at making a forecast!
Your forecast must include a visual as well as script notes- you
will present your forecast tomorrow in class to begin answering
our guiding question of who cares about an earlier spring?
Presentation Rubric
In the blank box, indicate how well you think the group addressed the following on a scale of
1-5

Include your name on the first line, I will cut along the dotted line, keep the top for myself and
pass along the bottom to the presenters after points have been added up.
Future Forecast Presentation Rubric
Your Name: ______________________ Presenter's Name: ___________________________
*For teacher
only

Student's evaluation: this is

where I evaluate your
evaluation

The student's evaluation of their peers shows

thoughtfulness, care, and creative constructive criticism

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Presenter's Name: __________________________________________

Points

Criteria

Exemplary, i.e.

Why is it happening?

The group describes causes of climate change we're

experiencing today

Where is it happening?

The group explains where a specific phenomenon is

being lived.

What measurements are

being used to record it?

Through the use of a specific example, the group explains

how we know these changes are occurring.

Future Forecast:

The group qualitatively describes what we can expect

over the next [designated time-period, i.e. decade,
century, millennium, etc.]

Creativity

The group's approach is unique, demonstrating ownership

of the content
The group has a hook, for example humor or colorful
visuals

Additional
Comments:

11

Journey North Challenge

Goals:

Students will evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in

environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in
the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new
species over time, and (3) the extinction of
other species.
Understand ideas of TEK

Objectives:

Through use of Journey North and stories involving Traditional Ecological

Knowledge, students will investigate one of the above three goals and create a
narrative to explain the phenomenon and the mechanisms causing it.

Challenge:

How does climate change affect species interactions and/or distributions?

This is an open challenge where you will investigate one of the following
options, or other option of your own choosing, to demonstrate how
climate change affects species interaction and/or distributions.

By the end of three days you will have a non-prose representation of your
findings (i.e. a map, a poem, a drawing/diagram, a cartoon...)

Challenge
Options, i.e.

Changes and Extinctions:

Changing caribou migration patterns- source reading Ch. 6 The Earth is

Faster Now ed. Krupnik and Jolly

Monarch butterfly migrations, patterns leading to potential extinction- use

journeynorth.org as well as additional readings

Milkweed bloom, changes in phenology and threats to its habitat use

journeynorth.org as well as additional readings
Emergence of new species/Increases in the number of individuals:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-species-are
evolving-due-changing-climate-180953133/

Szyniszewska, Invasive Species and Climate Change- should

journeynorth.org start investigating the emergence of invasives? Why or
why not? What would this look like?
Changing fisheries with a warmer ocean

12