NPS Photo:Greg Litten The following climate change activities and lesson plans are designed for 5th and 6th graders. They relate the the Everglades and greater south Florida ecosystems. They are suitable for use in Everglades National Park or a classroom. Activity #1 Greenhouse Gasses - "Is it Getting Hot in Here?" Students compete at games and learn how heat is captured by greenhouse gasses. They discover how some gasses are more effective than others at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Activity #2 Carbon Budget Students use math, visual and auditory techniques to understand the 2008 carbon budget. They will discover that the amount of carbon being added to the atmosphere is more than the amount the planet is removing. Activities demonstrate that the imbalance of a yearly extra four billion tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the fundamental cause of climate change. Activity #3 Sea Level Change - "What happens in Greenland doesn't stay in Greenland". This hands-on activity demonstrates the process of sea level change. Students will discover how the sub-tropical coastlines of the Everglades and Miami are influenced by melting icesheets in Antarctica and Greenland, across the globe. For more information, visit the Everglades climate change webpage, or the National Park Service climate change response program website. |
Last updated: May 8, 2020