MCAN! Climate Science 101
Articles/Websites
Grades6-APChemistry, Earth and Space Sciences
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Provided by Maine Climate Action Now
What it is
- This short article explains the difference between climate and weather, defines climate change and global warming, and provides the evidence of recent warming and more information about the impacts of climate change in Maine.
- Through the article and 2020 report, students will learn that fossil fuel emissions are driving global climate change, precipitation is becoming more frequent and severe in Maine, and the Gulf of Maine's chemistry and temperature is changing.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The article's graph on increasing global temperatures is from NASA and there are interactive vocabulary words highlighted in the text with definitions.
- The report is well-cited and provides future scenarios to consider.
Prerequisites
- Students should understand the connection between combustion engines and fossil fuel emissions.
- Students should know how to read charts and graphs.
Differentiation & Implementation
- This article or report can enhance a lesson about economic incentives, externalities, and the costs of not addressing climate change.
- This could augment a classroom discussion on walkable cities, how they can lower fossil fuel emissions and pollution, what these lower emissions would mean for the environment, and how citizens could pressure their governments to make cities more walkable.
- This is a great refresher or introduction to climate change and can accompany a lesson about the origins of greenhouse gas emissions or the activities most responsible for emitting them.
- The report can support a lesson about the risks of climate change to human and natural systems.
From the scientist review
This site provides a simple overview of the difference between weather and climate, what climate change is, and why it happens. The page is concise and easy to understand. It also includes a graph of global temperatures and a link to a report from the University of Maine about Maine’s Climate Future. The page directs students to a list of vocabulary words in the report. The report states that these words are uncommon but not new. In other words, these words may be uncommon to the public, or people not in the Maine area, but meteorologists have used these words for many years. In short, the phenomena are not new events. The events are now more noticeable (i.e., stronger, more frequent, in different locations, etc.). This resource and the associated report have been assessed, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
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