I have often heard from my students "Global Warming doesn't exist," or "Global Warming is happening but humans have nothing to do with it" or "There is no way humans can have such a big effect on the PLANET!" Please help them form their ideas themselves-- based in fact, from their own experiments!
I teach 140 7th graders who attend public school in an urban neighborhood.
The majority are on free/reduced price lunch and haven't had formalized science yet. Many of them have great ideas, but lack the resources or technology to test them. My students need to see that there is climate change occurring although they are in the city and don't notice it. The goal of this program is to raise awareness about the realities of global warming, and the effect of greenhouse gases on heat retention and temperature change in a system, using guided and open inquiry activities. The students will be able to design a model/experiment of their choosing around heat/climate and really develop their problem solving and analytical skills. They can then work to improve how they and their family live to lessen carbon emissions in their lives. If we can get them interested and committed to being environmentally conscious at this young age, they will be able to maintain these good habits all their lives.
My Project
My students need a datalogger set that allows many variations in experimental design (long-term, overnight, etc.) for all of their self-designed projects. Having the technology available to the students for short-term as well as long-term data collection, will allow them to see the impact of their experimental groups, which they may not have been able to do using thermometers and manual data collection.
These experiments will offer most students their first formal scientific experiments using technology, help them develop and modify models, afford them the opportunity to collect and analyze data, as well as conduct independent projects about different variables in the environment (i.e. the effect of deforestation on temperature or carbon dioxide levels). As we move from unit to unit we will be learning about different factors that make up the Earth system and we will explore different questions using models to help answer our questions about how the variables are interconnected.
Using this equipment, the students will be able to target some of the causes of temperature change, and try to find ways of mitigating them.
Through the different variations on the experiments they design, they will learn just how interconnected climate, life, local weather, and human impacts are. It will boost their enthusiasm for making an Earth-friendly change, and allow them to realize that even their own small changes in lifestyle will make a difference.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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