Sequencing teaching and learning A suggested learning sequence for this mini unit is summarised below. For detailed information for each lesson in this sequence go to the section ‘Teaching Sequence’. Inquiry phase Lesson Purpose Engage Lesson 1: What do you know about the carbon cycle and four global systems? To capture interest and discover what students know about the carbon cycle and the four global systems: biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere. Explore Lesson 2: Do greenhouse gases affect air temperature? To investigate the relationship between greenhouse gases and temperature change and relate findings to climate change and the carbon cycle. Lesson 3: Can you make carbon dioxide? To produce carbon dioxide in a reaction and investigate the properties of carbon dioxide. Explain Lesson 4 - 5: What are the four global systems? To research and understand the four global systems: biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere. Lesson 6: What is the carbon cycle and how does it relate to climate change? To understand the carbon and how it links across the four global systems. To describe the relationship between the carbon cycle and climate change. Elaborate Lesson 7: What happens when water absorbs carbon dioxide? To investigate what happens when water absorbs carbon dioxide and to describe how increased acid levels in the ocean can affect marine animals. Lesson 8 - 9: How sea level rise affect coral growth on the reef? To discuss potential impacts of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef. To analyse data on coral growth at different sea depths and draw conclusions about how sea level rise might impact corals and biodiversity on the Reef. Lesson 10: How might climate change impact ecosystems including the Great Barrier Reef? To identify impacts of climate change on ecosystems including the Great Barrier Reef. To discuss everyday changes we can make to reduce these potential impacts. Evaluate Lesson 11 - 13: Reflections and assessment task To review and reflect on learning and introduce and complete the assessment task. 13 Lessons (50 minutes per lesson)
Lesson 3: Can you make carbon dioxide? Duration: 50 minutes Suggested learning sequence Introduction – Investigation set-up As a class, read Resource 6 – Making carbon dioxide. Discuss what the students know about the properties of carbon dioxide. Activity – Making carbon dioxide Complete the ‘Making carbon dioxide’ experiment and record results. Discuss the students’ results and answers to the questions and describe properties of carbon dioxide gas. Review results from the Building greenhouse investigation if you set it up. Discuss the correlation between CO2 and temperature. Review with students the scientific vocabulary pertinent to this lesson (See Resource 1– Word bank for suggested terms). Students add their learning and reflections to their science journal. (See Resource 2 – Student reflections for examples of sentence starters you can use to guide student reflections). Opportunities to monitor student learning Resources
Lesson 6: What is the carbon cycle and how does it relate to climate change? Duration: 50 minutes Suggested learning sequence Introduction – Watch the YouTube clip – The Carbon Cycle and Global Warming (8 minutes): http:// Discuss how the carbon relates to the four global systems. Refer back to Lesson 1 notes to discuss if students’ understanding of the carbon cycle and the four global systems has changed. Activity – Questions Have students watch the clip again and use Resource 7 – Carbon cycle questions to answer questions as they re-watch the clip. Discuss and clarify with students their understanding of the carbon cycle and how it relates to climate change. Create a definition of what climate change is using the students’ knowledge of the carbon cycle and the four global systems. Review results from the Building greenhouse investigation if you set it up. Discuss the results and how CO2 relates to the carbon cycle and climate change. Review with students the scientific vocabulary pertinent to this lesson (See Resource 1 – Word bank for suggested terms). Students add learning and reflection to their science journal. (See Resource 2 – Student reflections for examples of sentence starters you can use to guide student reflections). Opportunities to monitor student learning Resources Lesson 7: What happens when water absorbs carbon dioxide? Duration: 50 minutes Suggested learning sequence Introduction – Ocean acidification in a jar Read Resource 8 – Ocean acidification in a jar and complete the investigation. Discuss the results and the questions as a class.
Ask and discuss with students how increasing carbon dioxide levels, and therefore increasing acid levels, affect animals in the ocean, specifically animals with shells. What are their predictions? Have students note this. Activity – Rubber egg experiment Read Resource 9 – Rubber egg experiment. Discuss how the experiment relates to investigating the impacts of increasing carbon dioxide levels in the ocean. Set up the experiment. It will be reviewed at the beginning of the next lesson. If you wish to, you may use or alter and use Resource 3 - Investigation planner with students for this experiment. OPTIONAL HIGHER ORDER THINKING ACTIVITY Warmer absorbs less carbon dioxide thus disrupting the carbon cycle even further. Ask students to create their own experiment to demonstrate the fact that warm water absorbs less carbon dioxide than cool normal ocean temperatures. Review with students the scientific vocabulary pertinent to this lesson (See Resource 1 – Word bank for suggested terms). Students add their learning and reflection to their science journal. (See Resource 2 – Student reflections for examples of sentence starters you can use to guide student reflections). Opportunities to monitor student learning Resources Lesson 8 and 9: How might sea level rise affect coral growth on the reef? Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes Suggested learning sequence Introduction – Climate change and the Reef Examine results from the rubber egg experiment (set up in lesson 7). Were students’ predictions correct? Work through the questions and discuss what acidification means for animals with shells on the Great Barrier Reef. You may choose to watch the GBRMPA video ‘Ocean acidification – Hermie the hermit crab’ (See ‘useful websites’ for the link). Read Reef Beat 2009 - Climate Change and the Reef (Poster 3) which is about climate change impacts on the Great Barrier Reef. Discuss with the all the different impacts climate change will have on the Reef. Explain to students they are going to investigate how increasing sea levels might impact the reef. Ask students for their ideas and discuss them. Activity – Coral growth
Resource 3 – Investigation planner Name: Date: Investigation question Prediction (I think … because …) To make it a fair test, what are you going to do? Independent variable Change? Dependent variable Measure? Controlled variables Keep the same? Labelled Diagram Equipment list Procedure What are the to follow to do this investigation?
Integrates all descriptions with scientific knowledge Uses concise and coherent arguments and science terminology and representations throughout to suit the purpose A Links all descriptions with scientific knowledge Uses coherent arguments and science terminology and representations throughout to suit the purpose B Describes what climate change is and how it has affected biodiversity on the Great Barrier Reef with reference to the carbon cycle and its interaction within and between the four global systems. Describes how climate change may impact biodiversity of ecosystems in the future and what local to global actions can be taken to reduce climate change impacts Constructs evidence-based arguments and selects appropriate representations and text types to communicate science ideas for specific purposes C Partially identifies what climate change is and recalls some affects to biodiversity on the Great Barrier Reef. Some recall of the carbon cycle and its interaction within and between the four global systems. Partial ideas of future impacts of climate change and actions that can be taken to reduce climate change impacts Constructs arguments and communicates using everyday language and representations D Recalls some about climate change and the carbon cycle and its interaction within and between the four global systems Fragmented communication of science ideas E Teacher feedback: