This activity is designed to familiarize students with how a greenhouse retains heat by building simple models. As a result of this activity, students will come to understand that greenhouses are useful because they both allow sunlight to enter and prevent heat from escaping. The transparent covering of the greenhouse allows visible light to enter unhindered, where it warms the interior as it is absorbed ... Full description.

This organization was established to assess scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts, and options for adaptation and mitigation. Links at this site lead to pages entitled About IPCC, Activities, Calendar of Events, Publications, Presentations and Graphics, Press releases and Speeches, and Official documents. The main ... Full description.

This lab teaches students about the nature of carbon, the different types of compounds it exists in (e.g. charcoal, glucose, carbon dioxide), the biochemical reactions it takes part in (photosynthesis and respiration), the range of processes that carbon and carbon compounds are involved in on Earth, and how these link together form the carbon cycle. They will get a feel for how the whole carbon cycle ... Full description.

This site explains the global warming exhibit at the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences and provides information and activities for students in regard to global warming. It includes an introduction to global warming and sections about the greenhouse effect and carbon cycle, as well as causes, impacts, responses and predictions of climate change. Each section has from ... Full description.

As part of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Paleoclimatology Program, information is collected from scientists across the globe to study past climate in hopes of achieving a better understanding of the Earth's past, present and future climate. This site was developed to help educate, inform and highlight the importance of paleoclimate research, as well as to show how paleoclimate ... Full description.

This Earth Observatory site contains detailed information on the carbon cycle of the Earth. It provides an explanation of the role of carbon in the geologic carbon cycle followed by a discussion of carbon in the life process, including photosynthesis and respiration. Carbon sinks on land and in the ocean are covered next, followed by the human role in the cycle. Lastly, the activity of the National ... Full description.

Materials available at this site include a set of educational toolkits about ecosystems, a global warming map, a renewable energy teaching guide, and two reports. Each of the toolkits focuses on a specific ecosystem service, such as water purification or forest carbon storage. The map (and accompanying curriculum guide) shows where the fingerprints and harbingers of global warming have occurred in ... Full description.

This three part activity has students set up experiments to help them better understand the atmospheric portion of the carbon cycle. From this activity, they will be able to explain the concept of sources and sinks as they relate to carbon dioxide, the use of indicator solution bromothymol blue (BTB) to reveal the presence of carbon dioxide, and the qualitative differences between animal and fossil ... Full description.

This clearinghouse provides links to information about abrupt climate change, a phenomenon which recent evidence indicates is not unusual. Users can choose from a variety of links that lead to reports, presentations, media releases, and a frequently asked questions (FAQ) feature. Other sections contain links to newspaper articles on the subject, explanations of how climate works, orbital influences ... Full description.

This paper presents the results of a study that includes some basic concepts about the weather, how some children misunderstand these concepts, and possible reasons for the misunderstandings. Student misconceptions can provide an opening for instruction. When teachers know what their students are thinking about a topic they can tailor experiments and activities which challenge the students' thinking. ... Full description.