A Warming World: Understanding Climate Change

Learning Objectives

• Explain the difference between weather and climate.
• Describe how the greenhouse effect works and how human activities strengthen it.
• Use data to describe how carbon dioxide levels have changed, and identify effects of and solutions to climate change.

How to Use This Resource

• Start with slide 1: "It snowed last week, so how can the planet be getting warmer?" Use it to separate weather from climate.
• Teach the greenhouse effect, causes, effects and solutions with the slides, then do activities 1 and 2 together.
• Students complete activities 3 to 6, then use the quiz to check and the homework action plan. Answers are in the answer key.

Classroom Activity Ideas

• Greenhouse in a jar: put a thermometer in a covered glass jar and another in the open, place both in sunlight and compare the temperatures after 15 minutes.
• Melting ice test: put ice on a lump of clay (land ice) and ice floating in water (sea ice) in two containers, mark the water levels and see which one rises as the ice melts.
• School energy audit: groups walk around the school and list ways to save electricity, water or paper.

Differentiation

Support: give a labeled greenhouse effect diagram, a word bank and sentence starters for the explanations. Challenge: compare the rate of increase in carbon dioxide between 1960–1980 and 2000–2020 and suggest reasons for the difference.

Assessment

Worksheet activities 1 to 5 and the quiz check weather and climate, the greenhouse effect, data reading, and causes, effects and solutions (answer key included). Activity 6 and the homework action plan are assessed with the rubric.

Teacher Tips

Some students find climate change worrying. Keep the focus on understanding and action: scientists know the causes, and many solutions already exist, from solar and wind power to better public transport.

What's Included

• 11-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
• Key vocabulary list (8 words with meanings and examples)
• Student worksheet (6 activities)
• Quiz / assessment (3 parts)
• Homework practice page
• Printable flashcards: 8 A5 picture cards (separate PDF)
• Assessment rubric (4 levels)
• Lesson slides (editable PowerPoint)
• Editable Word version of all student pages
• Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

Additional Files

• Lesson Slides (PPTX)
• Editable Student Pages and Lesson Plan (DOCX)
• A5 Flashcards (PDF)
• Answer Key (PDF)

Teacher Reviews