As a high school or undergraduate Geography or Earth Sciences teacher, you can use this set of computer-based tools to help you in teaching topics such as Hazards, and Disasters: Natural and Man-made.
This lesson plan allows students to understand how the melting of polar ice due to climate change can result in an increase in sea levels globally. The activity will also allow students to examine real data on sea-level rise, determine the reasons for climate change-related flooding, and visualize the effects of such flooding on vulnerable coastal regions
Thus, the use of this lesson plan allows you to integrate the teaching of a climate science topic with a core topic in Geography or Earth Science
The tools in this lesson plan will enable students to:
| Grade Level | High School, Undergraduate |
| Discipline | Geography, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Earth’s Layers, Cryosphere, Hydrosphere, Disasters and Hazards, Sea Level Rise, Glaciers, Environmental Migration, Natural and Man-Made Floods, Melting of Polar Ice due to Climate Change |
| Climate Topic | Disasters and Hazards, Climate and the Cryosphere, Climate and the Hydrosphere |
| Location | North America, United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Access | Online |
| Approximate Time Required | 140 – 200 min |
| Share | |
| Resource Download |
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
Classroom/Laboratry Activity (60 – 90 min)
Introduce the relationship between climate and the cryosphere, and the effect of increasing average global temperature on sea levels by conducting the classroom/laboratory activity, “Future of the Cryosphere: Sea Level Rise”, from EarthLabs at SERC, Carleton
Video (~7 min)
Now, play the video “Rising Sea Levels”, from NBC Learn’s Changing Planet, to discuss how coastal communities are likely to be impacted by an increase in sea levels worldwide
Classroom/Laboratory Activity (undergraduate level) (~90 min)
For undergraduate level:
Next, explore the topic through a hands-on classroom/laboratory activity, “Mapping Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise at Point Reyes National Seashore”, developed by Len Vacher, University of South Florida
In this activity, students will examine actual data for sea-level change, and will perform data analysis and calculations in MS Excel to determine coastal vulnerability and shoreline response to sea-level rise
For high-school level:
Next, explore the topic in an interactive and engaging manner by using the visualization (maps and tools), “OCOF Our Coast Our Future Flood Map”, developed by the CoSMoS project team.
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
| 1 | Mobile App | A mobile app, “Polar Explorer: Sea Level”, from Columbia University:
This can be accessed here. |
| 1 | Classroom/Laboratory activity, “Future of the Cryosphere: Sea Level Rise” | EarthLabs at Science Education Resource Center (SERC), Carleton College |
| 2 | Video, “Rising Sea Levels” | NBC Learn’s Changing Planet |
| 3 | Classroom/Laboratory activity, “Mapping Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise at Point Reyes National Seashore” | Len Vacher, University of South Florida; available at SERC Carleton |
| 4 | Visualization, “OCOF Our Coast Our Future Flood Map | Our Coast Our Future (OCOF) |
| 5 | Additional Resources | Columbia University |
| Grade Level | High school, Undergraduate |
| Discipline | Geography, Earth Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Hazards, Disasters: Natural and Man-made, Sea-level Rise, Floods, Melting of Polar Ice due to Climate Change |
| Climate Topic | Disasters and Hazards |
| Location | United States, California |
| Language(s) | English |
| Access | Online |
| Approximate Time Required | 140 – 200 min |
| Share | |
| Resource Download |
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
Classroom/Laboratry Activity (60 – 90 min)
Introduce the relationship between climate and the cryosphere, and the effect of increasing average global temperature on sea levels by conducting the classroom/laboratory activity, “Future of the Cryosphere: Sea Level Rise”, from EarthLabs at SERC, Carleton
Video (~7 min)
Now, play the video “Rising Sea Levels”, from NBC Learn’s Changing Planet, to discuss how coastal communities are likely to be impacted by an increase in sea levels worldwide
Classroom/Laboratory Activity (undergraduate level) (~90 min)
For undergraduate level:
Next, explore the topic through a hands-on classroom/laboratory activity, “Mapping Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise at Point Reyes National Seashore”, developed by Len Vacher, University of South Florida
In this activity, students will examine actual data for sea-level change, and will perform data analysis and calculations in MS Excel to determine coastal vulnerability and shoreline response to sea-level rise
Visualization (highschool level) (60 – 90min)
For high-school level:
Next, explore the topic in an interactive and engaging manner by using the visualization (maps and tools),“OCOF Our Coast Our Future Flood Map”, developed by the CoSMoS project team.
Use the tools and the concepts learned so far to discuss and determine answers to the following questions:
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
| 1 | Mobile App | A mobile app, “Polar Explorer: Sea Level”, from Columbia University:
This can be accessed here. |
| 1 | Classroom/Laboratory activity, “Future of the Cryosphere: Sea Level Rise” | EarthLabs at Science Education Resource Center (SERC), Carleton College |
| 2 | Video, “Rising Sea Levels” | NBC Learn’s Changing Planet |
| 3 | Classroom/Laboratory activity, “Mapping Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise at Point Reyes National Seashore” | Len Vacher, University of South Florida; available at SERC Carleton |
| 4 | Visualization, “OCOF Our Coast Our Future Flood Map | Our Coast Our Future (OCOF) |
| 5 | Additional Resources | Columbia University |
