CFR Education: The Greenhouse Effect
Lesson Plans
Grades9, 10, 11, 12, APChemistry, Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics
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Provided by Council on Foreign Relations
What it is
- This section explores what the greenhouse effect is, how human activities are enhancing the greenhouse effect, and how this enhanced greenhouse effect is changing the Earth's climate and negatively impacting life on Earth.
- There is also a linked lesson plan for grades 9-12, a linked discussion guide for higher education classes, and an animation that shows global temperature anomalies from 1880 to 2022.
- This is the second section of the World 101 Climate Change module.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The video was created by NASA.
- The text contains thoughtfully crafted infographics to illustrate the concept.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should have a basic understanding of solar radiation.
- Students should know how humans emit greenhouse gases.
Differentiation
- Students could use the text for a persuasive essay on what greenhouse gas emissions are, how countries should decrease their emissions, and why emissions reductions are not happening at a faster rate.
- Students could read the text at home to prepare for an in-class discussion on how the enhanced greenhouse effect could impact their own community.
- Teachers could use the article as a conceptual introduction to ocean temperature increases, including coral reefs and the risks they face from global warming.
- This provides a basic understanding of why some emissions increase global temperatures, which could be used in a number of non-science classes or as a refresher for chemistry, biology, or environmental science classes.
From the scientist review
This resource is a quick overview of how the greenhouse effect works, why it is vital to survival on the planet, and how human activity is making it stronger. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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