Project Outline:

Background
This project is designed to be an inquiry-based project spanning
approximately 14 classes. Students will complete a variety of formative
assessment pieces, as well as three-part summative piece. The project will begin
with an in-class lesson where we will complete a KWL and discussion. It is
noteworthy, that because this project is one of the last projects of Unit C: The
Changing Earth it is being assumed that students do have a basic-level of
understanding of topics like global warming, greenhouse gases, and
anthropogenic agents. However, with that there will be lessons designed to
deepen the understanding of such key topics, as well as serve as review for
some students.
The nature of project-based/inquiry-based learning allowed for me to
incorporate and take into account numerous learning styles and needs in my
classroom. To accommodate and support these students all lessons involve
readings, videos, and discussion forums.
Project Summary
Students will dive into the world of climate through an interactive online
project. The project will span approximately 14 days and has been designed to
be somewhat self-directed. Each topic has been posed as a question or
statement, such as What does climate change mean for? By doing so, I believe I
am engaging students more authentically as they are able to recognize the value
behind what they are learning. Students will begin on the first topic, which will
occur in class as a group. During this class through whole-class discussion a
KWL will be completed and a group and small-group discussion will follow.
Following this, students will begin to explore the causes, agents, scientific
evidence, and effects of climate change through interactive lessons involving
readings, videos, and discussions. After each lesson students will complete a
journal entry on Penzu. The project will end with a three-part summative piece. It
is here will students will use the past 12-month weather reports and trends and
compare them to those of a large data set of the last 40 years on average for
each month. Students will then report their findings in a laboratory report
consisting of a formal introduction, methods/materials, results, and discussion.
For the second part students will form small-groups where they will take part in a
discussion forum sharing and comparing their findings, which will ultimately result
in the formation of a presentation using a web tool like Animoto to display their
results and their concluding thoughts on whether it is enough to conclude that
climate change is visibly altering ground temperature.