In this introductory lesson, students read an article about Arctic Ocean ecosystems and then play a board game in which they take on the role of researchers.
Objectives
The purpose of this introductory activity is to:
* Identify the main components of complex arctic ecosystem and describe predator/prey relationships between phytoplankton, ice algae, zooplankton, bowhead whales, polar
The attached Polar Oceans flyer, produced by the International Polar Year (IPY) Programme Office, provides summary information about the Polar Oceans and describes how the circulation in polar waters exerts a powerful control on the Earth's climate and carbon cycle. Activities attached to the flyer demonstrate the interconnectedness of marine life in the oceans and how the Polar Regions affect
The attached Lands and Life flyer, produced by the International Polar Year (IPY) Programme Office, includes a summary of terrestrial polar ecosystems, from southern cold maritime islands to dry continental deserts in Antarctica and from tree line across the continental tundra to remote northern islands in the Arctic. An attached activity allows students to build a small scale model of
This web site offers in-depth information on all manner of penguin life - photos, animations, and live penguin cams will delight viewers of all ages. Follow the link to 'Penguins Marching into the Classroom' for penguin-related educational activities, picture galleries, journals, and skill testing questions. Students can send questions to researchers studying penguins, check the nests of penguins as they
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
Students experiment with a “blubber glove” to experience how insulation affects heat transfer, and how the adaptation of blubber helps penguins as well as seals, whales and walruses survive in bitterly cold waters.
Share in the excitement of unearthing a biface and other archaeological treasures, as Alaskan researchers explain how they discover and document early human settlement sites across arctic Alaska. This video is part of a larger story on the Frontier Scientists website (http://frontierscientists.com/), the University of Alaska Fairbanks' portal for sharing the Arctic's newest discoveries.
Travel back in time as scientists and PolarTREC teacher Karl Horeis take you out to their dig sites to uncover hidden clues about early human settlement in arctic Alaska. This video is part of a larger story on the Frontier Scientists website (http://frontierscientists.com/), the University of Alaska Fairbanks' portal for sharing the Arctic's newest discoveries.
As the homepage of the website describes, "The beauty of the Arctic, its precious and fragile nature, its critical role in maintaining a stable climate for the planet, and the rapid rate of change that is occurring there must all be conveyed to the general public. Here, through digital story telling, we put a human face on science, life, societies