PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) is a program in which formal and informal educators spend 3-6 weeks participating in hands-on field research experiences in the polar regions. The goal of PolarTREC is to invigorate polar science education and understanding by bringing educators and polar researchers together.
This article describes the upcoming travels of PolarTREC science teacher Nell Kemp from Kenwood Academy High School’s Academic Center. Ms. Kemp will be traveling to Toolik Field Station in Alaska to examine how arctic wolf spiders influence arctic food webs.
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
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
This data plotting lesson is about temperature changes throughout the atmosphere. The data was collected together with the ozone data in January 2008.
The temperature vs. altitude profile allows students to make conclusions about annual and seasonal temperature changes in the atmosphere up to about 35 kilometers in the stratosphere. The best part of this lesson is using
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
Interview with Yuki Takahashi conducted by PolarTREC teacher Elke Bergholz. This interview was conducted during the 2007 South Pole Ozone Changes expedition.
Interview with Teresa Winter conducted by PolarTREC teacher Elke Bergholz. This interview was conducted during the 2007 South Pole Ozone Changes expedition.