Jeff Thomas, Scott Linneman, Jim Ebert, Central Connecticut State University; INTEGRATE project
This 3-activity sequence addresses the question: 'To what extent should coastal communities build or rebuild?' The activity uses social science and geoscience data to prepare an evidence-based response to the question, in targeted US coastal communities.
The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials.
Although these three activities would occupy a large amount of class time if used in their entirety, specific parts can be excerpted as needed for a given class. For example, Part 1 leads students through an excellent introduction to climate change and sea level rise. Similarly, parts 2 and 3 assume that students have learned the basics of climate change and takes them into finer detail about the factors that contribute to vulnerability of coastlines. The process of creating a position paper could be applied to many types of issues and assignments.
Teaching tips for each activity are provided. They suggest where group vs. individual work is most appropriate, where instructors may need to provide additional guidance, etc.
Drawing from datasets of atmospheric CO2, atmospheric temperature, sea level, the Greenland ice sheet, and tropical cyclone intensity, this series of activities is designed for students to apply what they have learned about the methods of geoscience to complete an authentic and data-rich, lab-based activity to address the problem: "To what extent should we build or rebuild coastal communities?"
This sequence of activities is designed to model scientific thinking, and it does so very effectively.
Comments from expert scientist:
Scientific strengths:
- Definition of temporal and spatial data!
- Students collect, organize, and analyze data (e.g., changes in sea level, ice sheet coverage, and intensity of tropical cyclone data) and visualizations (temperature forecast models under various CO2 emissions scenarios)
- Students create concept model based on their observations, wonders, and what they learned
Suggestions:
link: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicators/weather-climate/temperature.html is being updated
This sequence of activities is part of a [link http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/geosci_methods/index.html 'larger curriculum module'] that explores geoscience methods .
While the activity sequence is designed for introductory college courses, it does not require prerequisite knowledge. However, this series of assignments will push students to dig into data and think about how to apply it to a real case.
Assessment methods for each step are described.
The pedagogy of this activity is thoughtfully designed and will engage students with several types of scientific and social-scientific thinking.
Activities are carefully structured and presented, and utilize a rich assortment of datasets, IPCC summaries, and media resources to guide and substantiate student responses to the question posed.
Instructor and student materials are provided in online and pdf form.
Activities include a variety of approaches including background reading, data analysis, concept mapping, literature review, and preparation of position paper. Formative assessments and rubrics provided.
Link to overview provided for context; separate links for student and teacher resources.
This resource, like others in the [link http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/geosci_methods/index.html 'Exploring Geoscience Methods curriculum'] of which this is a part, has materials for instructors and students, including mirrored webpages for student use.
Student materials can be accessed via links on the instructor (default) page, or via the left-hand menu.
Several datasets require the installation of Google Earth.
