Lesson Plan

Grade/Subject: Grade 5 Science Unit: Weather Lesson Duration: 50 minutes OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES General Learning Outcomes: Students will: 58 Observe, describe and interpret weather phenomena; and relate weather to the heating and cooling of Earths surface. 59 Investigate relationships between weather phenomena and human activity. Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will: 12. Recognize that human actions can affect climate, and identify human actions that have been linked to the greenhouse effect. 13. Appreciate how important it is to be able to forecast weather and to have suitable clothing or shelter to endure various types of weather. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will: 1. Describe how the greenhouse effect regulates earths temperatures. 2. Identify 4 ways we enhance the greenhouse effect. 3. Discuss ways we can prevent an increase in the greenhouse effect, and slow global warming. 4. Predict why we forecast weather. 5. Describe some ways we can prepare for various types of weather. ASSESSMENTS Observations: Key Questions: 1. Why is the greenhouse effect important? I will observe during class discussion the (LO #1) ways in which children are going to reduce 2. How is the enhanced greenhouse effect their impact on global warming. (LO #3) causing global warming? (LO #1) I will observe during question period and 3. What 4 things are increasing the ask for whole class understanding of the greenhouse effect? (LO #2) greenhouse effect. (LO #1,2) 4. What are some ways we can reduce our impact on global warming? (LO#3) Written Performance Assessments: LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED Resource #1 : MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT PROCEDURE

INTRODUCTION: 5 minutes
Since we have already touched on greenhouse effect, we will start by reviewing anything that the children remember. We will try and recall the process by which greenhouse effect happens and how it retains Earths heat. I have devised a demonstration that will help further relate how greenhouse effect works, and as well the significance of the greenhouse gasses. I will be comparing a greenhouse gas and the layer of it to a blanket that covers the earth, and helps insulate it. If we were to remove this blanket the earth would cool off rapidly and be much colder than it is now, roughly 30 degrees Celsius. We will also realize that if there are whole in this blanket that we lose heat slowly as

well, or that the suns rays can be harmful because there is no barrier. These holes are what we hear about when people on the news talk about ozone holes. The next step is modelling the Earth as a volley ball. When the Earth was initially made there was just the right amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere regulating earth temperatures. AS the human population grew, and over time we added to these greenhouse gasses we increased the amount of gasses in the atmosphere. By adding to these gases it allows for the Earth to retain more heat. The shower cap has a lot more stickies on it than the original earth, and therefore the shower cap contains more CO2 and greenhouse gases that can capture earths heat and keep it in the atmosphere. When we roll this ball in paper holes the side with more stickies picks up more paper holes, or heat, therefore increasing the temperature on earth, and causing global warming.

Transition to Body: If students dont already have their notes out they will get out their notebooks.

BODY: 40 minutes
We will continue writing notes about how the greenhouse effect is enhanced. These include: o Deforestation: increases amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, burning of wood also increases CO2 amounts o Burning Fossil Fuels (oil, coal, gas): increase global warming, because most of these gases are not naturally available in the atmosphere o CFCs and Aerosols: increase greenhouse effect because they bind to the other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere o Population Growth: this increases all the above! As a class we will then discuss how we as the human race can decrease our impact on greenhouse effect and global warming. We will write these solutions on the board; o Recycle o Use less heat, and electricity o Drive less, and carpool o Plant more trees o Buy locally

The following is an alternative if the Grade Sixes have to leave class for song practice. A worksheet will be handed to the grade six as they leave for practice, and they will be in charge of doing it for homework. The Grade Fives will get to work on the sheet in partners to finish it.

CLOSURE:
We will ask for questions if there is something we skipped over something that a student does not understand. As an exit slip the students will be asked to think about how enhancing the greenhouse effect can influence climate change. They will need to give me two specific examples about how our climate will be changing if the greenhouse effect becomes more and more enhanced.

Sponge Activity: If we finish with the original plan, we will distribute the weather worksheet. Consolidation: Next class we will talk about weather worksheet, and how to prepare for different types of weather.

RATIONALE Day One: I found that teaching this class in the previous period, they were quite wound up, and therefore I knew that giving the grade 5s worksheets would not work, and they did not feel motivated because the grade sixes were not present for this lesson. I chose to just review with them orally, so that they were not responsible for writing notes down because they would just be re-writing them when the grade sixes are present. We reviewed the greenhouse effect by letting them all draw components of the greenhouse effect on the board and they took turns explaining to the class different components. The kids then made their own relation to the greenhouse gasses as being under armour and we went with it. We elaborated and this got the whole class thinking, and for most of them it made sense. We then used the example I had for them and it was pretty great, and I quizzed the non-participating students afterwards, and they made the connection as well. Some students were worried about the causes of global warming and what we could do about it, so we moved into brainstorming ways we could prevent or slow down global warming for the rest of class. I plan on doing this lesson again with notes tomorrow so that the whole class is involved and they will then have notes to take. We will also use to our advantage that the grade 5s understand this info, I might try and get them to teach the grade 6s so incorporate some reciprocal learning. Day Two: The summary of the greenhouse effect went well. We had the grade fives, teach the grade sixes what we covered in class the other day. The concepts that we covered and the relations that we made really clicked with the kids. They understood both our under armour analogy and our volleyball analogy. There was some great classroom discussion about how we are increasing greenhouse effect. We wrote all of our ideas in our notebooks, and kept discussing more and more ideas about causes and what we can do to help slow global warming. At the end of class I had exit cards so that I could see how the class does with forward thinking. The responses that I got were pretty great, the children understood how the greenhouse effect was connected to global warming and how this can affect our population and land.