The Arctic Ocean Curriculum Unit was created by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States with funding from the North Pacific Research Board. This project aimed to update and revise existing Arctic Ocean-related lesson plans originally created by PolarTREC program teacher alumni. The format used lends itself to the changes in education - providing student-facing slide decks that allow
“A sense of place is the sixth sense, an internal compass and map made by memory and special perception together.” – Rebecca Solnit
This lesson allows students to record observations from a specific “sit spot” that they will visit on weekly nature hikes. Students will note seasonal changes of the area including its wildlife, flora and fauna, using
Students create a life size model of a bowhead whale based on information they have collected.
Objective
Students will be able to organize specific technical information from a variety of resources to develop a "blue print" or pattern to create a life size model of a bowhead whale.
Procedure
Introduction to project, student research on whale
Students will use guidance from the Project Budburst website (http://neoninc.org/budburst/index.php) to make observations and keep records on trees found on the school grounds. While this lesson applies to more temperate locations, similar work is undertaken in the Arctic to monitor changes in the timing of plant phenology. Major phenological events (first leaf, first flower, leaf fall, etc) will
This data plotting lesson compares different stratospheric ozone data collected at the South Pole in September 1969, September 1998, September 2008, January 1999, and January 2008. This ozone comparison activity allows students to make conclusions about the annual and seasonal ozone hole as well as overall ozone concentration changes over Antarctica. Students use authentic data collected at the
Welcome to Classroom Antarctica - a comprehensive online teaching resource produced by the Australian Antarctic Division. It is particularly aimed at grades 5 to 8. This is a great resource that includes many lesson plans and activities focusing on Antarctica.
Students will independently explore the PolarTREC expeditions, and reflect on the scientific questions, discoveries, and outcomes of the work that is or has been done.
Description
Students will visit the PolarTREC website at www.polartrec.com, where they will find a teacher who is in the field presently, or was already in the field. You may select one expedition