What is Causing Global Warming?

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Title: What is Causing Global Warming?

Grade/Subject Level: 7 – 10

Overview: Help students identify and understand the influencing factors of global
warming, sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and the different fossil fuels that
contribute to the global climate.

Purpose: Engage students using a variety of media outlets to analyze and evaluate the
relationship between CO2 and global warming. Help students understand the effect of
greenhouse gas on the environment and how natural and industrial carbon dioxide
circulate through atmospheric systems.

Lesson Objectives:

Students will identify the factors that have influenced global climate in the past.
Students will review the greenhouse effect and its influence on climate, identify major
greenhouse gases and their atmospheric percentages, and understand why carbon
dioxide is considered the greenhouse gas most responsible for contemporary global
warming.
Students will identify natural and industrial sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide
and understand the ways in which it cycles through systems.
Students will define and identify different types of fossil fuels, industrial sources of
carbon dioxide and changes in carbon dioxide concentrations since the industry era.
Students will understand the correlation between atmospheric carbon dioxide
concentrations and average global temperature.
Students will analyze and evaluate conflicting information about CO 2 and global
warming.
Students will learn strategies for evaluating scientific claims made in the media.

Vocabulary:

Atmosphere, sun cycles, volcanism, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide,
methane, CFCs, nitrous oxides and sulfur oxides, carbon cycle, carbon sink, carbon
sequestration, fossil fuels, industrialization, forcing agent

Materials Needed:

Nine-page Teacher Guide: What is Causing Global Warming?:

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 http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/Books_Global Warming/Lesson 4/Lesson 4 Teacher
Guide.pdf
Four-page Student Worksheet: Global Warming Swindle and An Inconvenient Truth:
http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/Books_Global Warming/Lesson 4/Lesson 4 Student
Worksheets.pdf
One-page Student Worksheet: Lesson Review
PowerPoint slide show: The Temperature History of the Earth , 43 slides:
http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/Books_Global Warming/Lesson 4/Lesson 4
Slideshow.ppt
Video clips on DVD or YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/projectlooksharp

CO 2: They Call it Pollution, We Call It Life, 1min:

http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/Books_Global Warming/Lesson 4/L4 They Call it
Pollution.mov

The Great Global Warming Swindle, 30 sec: http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/Books_Global

Warming/Lesson 4/L4 Great Global Swindle Cartoon.mov

An Inconvenient Truth, 5 min: http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/Books_Global

Warming/Lesson 4/L4 Inconvenient Truth.mov

Time

90 min

Lesson Procedures:

1. Introduce the activities by using prompts from the Teacher Guide.

2. Activity 1: Show the 1 min video commercial, CO 2: They Call it Pollution, We Call it Life.
Lead the decoding of the video using the prompts in the Teacher Guide.
3. Activity 2: Present the PowerPoint slide show, What is Causing Global Warming? Use
the Teacher Guide to facilitate discussion.
4. Activity 3: Distribute the Student Worksheets and show the 30 sec video excerpt from
The Great Global Warming Swindle.
5. Lead the decoding of the video using the prompts in the Teacher Guide.
6. Show the 5 min video excerpt from An Inconvenient Truth.
7. Lead the decoding of the video using the prompts in the Teacher Guide.
8. Students complete the Student Worksheet: Lesson Review. Review the worksheet using
the suggested answers in the Teacher Guide.

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