There is so much media hype and public misunderstanding regarding the issue of climate change that advanced students need to be equipped to sort through the information available, find data from appropriately moderated scientific data bases, and learn to support their views with good scientific evidence rather than emotion. This lesson provides the outline for giving students some preliminary
How can the ocean be colder than 0 degrees C, the temperature at which water freezes? As it turns out, the concentration of the particles (in this case, the ions from the salt) in ocean water lowers the temperature at which the saltwater will freeze. Students will learn how ocean water freezes at a lower temperature than freshwater by
This lesson is intended to have the students think about the animals of the Arctic and which ones they think are the largest. This will help with misconceptions of some animals being smaller than they think and you sneak in the scientific method and measuring skills while doing this lesson. Students will love actively participating and comparing themselves
During the 2007 Bering Ecosystem study, population sampling was done for seals by boat and helicopter. By using raisin bread and your students’ imagination you can create your own sampling of the Arctic populations of seals in the comfort of your classroom. Not to mention, clean-up is a favorite among students with this activity that mixes math with
The website, Ice Stories, features short interviews and other interesting content live from the polar regions. This weblink has a short video interview of PolarTREC teacher, Craig Beals, while taking part in a PolarTREC expedition with Barry Lefer at Summit, Greenland.
PolarTREC Teacher, Craig Beals, talks about his experiences at Summit, Greenland in this online version of an article published by the Billings Gazette on July 21, 2008.