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 about glaciers, the cryosphere, and related topics such as the impact of temperature and precipitation on glacial mass, glacial budgets, and glacial advance and retreat
This lesson plan helps students learn about glaciers, and the factors that affect the movement and size of glaciers. The activity will also enable students to understand the possible impacts of climate change on glaciers and the climate-cryosphere link.
Thus, the use of this lesson plan allows you to integrate the teaching of a climate science topic with a core topic in Earth Science or Geography
The tools in this lesson plan will enable students to:
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.
Reading(20-30 min)
This content is provided by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
Visualization and associated activity (~30 min)
Now, conduct an activity using an interactive visualization tool to help your students learn about the effects of changes in snowfall and temperature on glaciers
Classroom/Laboraty Activity (minimum 1 hr, can vary)
Next, help your students investigate the melting of glaciers through a classroom/laboratory activity, “When will there no longer be glaciers in Glacier National Park” from SERC Carleton, developed by Carol Ormand, Wittenberg University.
In this activity, students will analyze and interpret historical data for the Grinnell Glacier to predict when the glacier might completely melt.
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
| 1 | Video, Visualization | Video, Visualization Future of Glaciers – The Module. This can be accessed here. |
| 2 | Reading | Global Glacier Changes: facts and figures This can be accessed here. |
| 3 | Mobile App | wgms Glacier App This can be accessed here. |
| 1 | Reading, “All About Glaciers” | National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) |
| 2 | Visualization Tool, “Glaciers” and Associated Activity, “Investigating Glaciers” | PhET Interactive Simulations at the University of Colorado Boulder and John Judkins (Rio Rancho High School) |
| 3 | Classroom/Laboratory Activity, “When will there no longer be glaciers in Glacier National Park?” | From SERC Carleton, developed by Carol Ormand, Wittenberg University |
| 4 | Additional Resources | Guillaume Jouvet, Chantal Landry, Antonia Mey, available on IMAGINARY’s website; United Nations Environment Programme; World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) and the University of Zurich |
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.
Reading(20-30 min)
This content is provided by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
Visualization and associated activity (~30 min)
Now, conduct an activity using an interactive visualization tool to help your students learn about the effects of changes in snowfall and temperature on glaciers
Classroom/Laboraty Activity (minimum 1 hr, can vary)
Next, help your students investigate the melting of glaciers through a classroom/laboratory activity, “When will there no longer be glaciers in Glacier National Park” from SERC Carleton, developed by Carol Ormand, Wittenberg University.
In this activity, students will analyze and interpret historical data for the Grinnell Glacier to predict when the glacier might completely melt.
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 | Video, Visualization | Video, Visualization Future of Glaciers – The Module. This can be accessed here. |
| 2 | Reading | Global Glacier Changes: facts and figures This can be accessed here. |
| 3 | Mobile App | wgms Glacier App This can be accessed here. |
| 1 | Reading, “All About Glaciers” | National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) |
| 2 | Visualization Tool, “Glaciers” and Associated Activity, “Investigating Glaciers” | PhET Interactive Simulations at the University of Colorado Boulder and John Judkins (Rio Rancho High School) |
| 3 | Classroom/Laboratory Activity, “When will there no longer be glaciers in Glacier National Park?” | From SERC Carleton, developed by Carol Ormand, Wittenberg University |
| 4 | Additional Resources |
Guillaume Jouvet, Chantal Landry, Antonia Mey, available on IMAGINARY’s website; United Nations Environment Programme; World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) and the University of Zurich |
