"

2 Module 2: The Earth, its climate and connections

Module 2 is content heavy, since it builds much of foundation about how the climate system works. We recommend that students spend 2 weeks working their way through module 2.

In this module, students build foundational knowledge and begin to think about interconnections related to climate. They also begin to consider their place in the Earth’s system.

Depending on the background of students in your class, this 2 week module may be heavy on new content. Use quizzes to check their understanding.

 

Learning Outcomes

  1. Practice connecting with earth and appreciate where humans fit in the Earth’s system.
  2. Illustrate the four Earth systems and their connections to the climate system and anthropogenic impacts.
  3. Explain key controls on Earth’s temperature.
  4. Explain how regional and global average temperatures and anomalies are determined.
  5. Articulate the importance of spatial and temporal scale for understanding climate change.
  6. Describe atmospheric and oceanic circulation and explain the main factors causing each.
Are you using Module 2 in isolation? If so, consider adding the introduction video from module 1.

Creation Stories

This module begins with creation stories local to the region where we live (Southwestern Ontario).  You may choose to include these or other local (to you) creation stories into the course at the outset of module 2.

Before we dive into Western perspectives of how earth’s systems are interconnected, we wanted to begin where many Indigenous people say everything begins – within Creation stories.

Interconnectedness within Indigenous paradigms is understood from our Creation Stories. These stories are the foundation for Indigenous knowledges and are passed down generation to generation. They can be told in abbreviated ways, as you see below, or can take many days to convey in ceremony. Cree and Anishinaabe concepts such as “all our relations” embody this concept of interconnectedness. There are many different versions, as there are many different lands, Nations and clans. We couldn’t pick one version, but offer a few to get you started that touch on concepts of interconnection from various Indigenous stories.

Recommendation: Include Creation Stories

In order to include any readings, we suggest connecting with a librarian or copyright specialist and link students directly to the chapters, articles, or web-pages directly on the site. The Creation Stories we have selected are listed below, but there are many others available in audio, video, and book form, or you may know someone who can share a Creation Story.

  • [Cine Tahila]. (2016, May 26). Mi’kmaq Creation Story – Woman of the Water [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCVIUYlD3qs.
  • Hill, S. M. (2017). Karihwa’onwe – The Original Matters, The Creation Story & Land in the Creation Story. In J. Brownlie & G. Friesen (Eds.), The Clay We Are Made Of: Haudenosaunee Land Tenure on the Grand River (pp. 15-24). University of Manitoba Press.
  • Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Skywoman Falling, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (pp. 3-10). Milkweed Editions.

Lesson 1: Earth’s connectedness and the climate system

In this lesson, students will:

  • Learn about the Earth’s four spheres by watching the video “Earth’s interconnectedness and the climate system”
  • Watch How do people fit into the Earth System
  • Complete the graded activity to share their thoughts on human interactions with the Earth
  • Read or listen to an example of a positive interconnection
  • Complete the Graded Activity Connect to your local green space.

Recommendation: Grading the sit-spot activity

We use a survey through tools available through arcgis.com to collect student responses to the sit-spot activity, and display them on an interactive map.  We are more than happy to have your students input their reflections to the map as well. However, note that you will not be able to see the back-end of our survey tool, so you will not have a simple way to mark student reflections. Therefore, if you plan to grade these reflections, we recommend you to use tools available at your own institution, like Forums, VoiceThread, or other tools that allow for text and images.

 

Lesson 2: The importance of scale in understanding climate change

In this lesson, students will:

  • Watch a video about the importance of considering spatial and temporal scale in climate change.
  • Watch an interview with Dr. Dee Lewis on Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Change
  • Complete a short module to help distinguish between weather, climate, and climate change.

Lesson 3: Controls on Earth’s Temperature

In this lesson, students will:

  • Learn about the distribution of energy and temperature variation on Earth by watching Controls on Earth’s temperature
  • Complete a module that leads you to investigate how latitude, elevation, surface type, proximity to water, and cloud cover influence temperature at different locations.

Recommendation: Controls on Earth’s Temperature

Within the StoryMap that introduces controls on Earth’s temperature, there are a number of check-in questions. Consider following this activity with a graded or formative assessment to determine whether students understand each of the controls on Earth’s temperature. You could use a short quiz or a brief assignment surrounding a climograph.

Lesson 4: Experiencing Climate Change

In this activity, students will

  • Watch and read “Tending the Wild: Keeping the River”.
  • Read a section and investigate data on “Connecting Local Climate Change with Regional and Global Trends”.

The purpose of this lesson is to get students think about climate change as it is experienced at a local scale, and then to introduce the idea of how you add regional and global perspectives to the local experience. We have chosen the example of the Yurok who live near the Oregon-California border in the USA, but you can choose a more local example if you wish.

Lesson 5: Determining Global Temperature

In this activity, students will:

  • Read and answer questions about global temperature anomalis
  • Complete an interactive Storymap activity called “Determining Global Temperature”.

Recommendation: Add graded activity

Determining global temperature change is an in-depth investigative activity. Consider adjusting the included handout to align with your class’ focus and ask students to hand it in, in order to check their understanding of how global temperature changes are determined.

 

Lesson 6: Ocean and Atmospheric Circulation

In this lesson, students watch a series of videos that introduce ocean and atmospheric circulation, while considering a series of guided questions.

The topics include:

  • The Three Cells
  • The Coriolis Effect and Winds
  • Global Circulation
  • Ocean Currents
  • The Thermohaline Circulation
  • El Ninos

Recommendation: Adjust learning outcomes to align with your course expectations

The lesson on Ocean and Atmospheric Circulation is a good example of a module that can be adjusted based on your expectations. In our climate change course, the learning outcomes around lesson 6 are focused on awareness and basic recollection of the factors that affect atmospheric and oceanic circulation. However, if this is a key outcome for your course, you may create more advanced or simplified outcomes and guiding questions while still maintaining the key multimedia components.

License

Module 2: The Earth, its climate and connections Copyright © by Beth Hundey; Katrina Moser; Sara Mai Chitty; and Serena Mendizábal is licensed under a Ontario Commons License – No Derivatives, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book