Students will find an expedition within the PolarTREC archives and use the research to make a video explaining why studying polar science is important.
Overview
PolarTREC supports teachers on expeditions with real scientists to study in the field. Studying in the Arctic and Antarctic environments can be a harsh and rewarding experience. I participated in Operation IceBridge, an aerial study
Ice that forms in the polar oceans is an important driver behind the global climate. This ice is physically different from frozen precipitation in a number of different ways. In this brief inquiry activity, students make qualitative observations about two types of ice cubes and deduce ice composition based on their observations. This activity may serve as an introduction to
Operation IceBridge is an aerial survey that measures both land and sea ice in the Arctic and the Antarctic. There are many reasons to monitor the polar regions. The cryosphere is essential in helping to maintain global climate. One important reason is to investigate sea level rise. Land ice can cause sea levels to rise, when it melts, by adding
In this article, PolarTREC teacher Elizabeth Eubanks recounts her experience bringing her students - three eighth-graders and two seventh-graders to a week-long research conference in Alaska. "Having my students present at an international professional science conference is above and beyond any experience that I can offer them as a science teacher".
Elizabeth Eubanks M.Ed (working with Angela Gilmour, Anne Jensen, Danielle Dickson, Leslie Pierce, and Rachel Potter) connected with PolarTREC and NOAA TAS. This lesson is inspired by the need to share the importance of the Bowhead Whale in relation to the culture of arctic people. It is a portion of an entire collaborative unit to be utilized between
This detailed animation shows how the Earth is lit by the Sun throughout the year. The lighting of the Arctic and the Antarctic is detailed for every month of the year to help explain, among other things, the resulting polar night.
The animation is available in the following languages:
The Polar Resource Book - Polar Science and Global Climate: An International Resource for Education & Outreach - was written to ensure that the efforts catalyzed by the International Polar Year (IPY) will continue to inspire educators, students, and emerging polar researchers with a shared commitment to outreach and education.
This 250 page book edited by Bettina Kaiser and others
Icy IPY activities can be downloaded in word documents and tried in your classroom. From 'Blubber Gloves' to 'Experiments with Ice and Snow', there are a wealth of different activities to introduce students to the Polar Regions or complement their existing knowledge of the Poles.
The International Polar Year is a large international effort that has involved over 200 projects