Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

Context

SCIENCE/ Heat energy, negative effects of heat energy

SCIENCE/ Materials production, paper recycling

SCIENCE/ Green plants, photosynthesis

SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE/ weather and atmosphere

Jokers of interest

• Model of the earth in a glass jar
• Polar bears and penguins (my learners had never known these animals before - show pictures!)

Materials

• A glass jar, an earth painted on carton
• Activity sheet
• Pictures of polar bears and penguins

Activities

• Activity sheet: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnx2b2x1bnRlZXJ0cnlpbmd0b3RlYWNofGd4OmUxNWUwYTU5ZWIyNzkwMA

My research resources
eschooltoday.com/climate-change/causes-of-climate-change.html

LESSONS

1)      The Greenhouse effect

·        A greenhouse is a small glass house to plant crops in it. It is build to keep the sun´s heat from escaping. In a way, the earth is like a greenhouse.

·        The earth has some gase in the atmosphere (like water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane) that keep the sun´s heat on earth´s surface:

1.       sunlight enters the earth´s atmosphere, passing trough the wall of greenhouse gases

2.      the energy is reflected by earth and send back into the atmosphere in form of infra-red rays

3.      some of the energy is released back in space, but much of it remains trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases

4.      the earth warms up à “Global Warming”

·        Without the greenhouse effect, earth would be to cold for humans to live. But if the Global Warming becomes stronger this may cause problems for humans, plants and animals.

Resumee questions

• What is a greenhouse?
  A greenhouse is a small glass house to plant crops in it.
• What are greenhouse gases?
  Greenhouse gases are some gases in earth´s atmosphere that keep the sunlight energy trapped.
• Why is the greenhouse effect important?
  The greenhouse effect is important because without it, earth would be to cold for humans to survive.

Activity sheet

• Write the headline: "Global Warming and the Greenhouse effect" inside the box
• Look at the first picture. What can you see? Write "a greenhouse" next to the first picture.
• Label the second picture:
• the sun
• greenhouse gases like water vapour, carbon dioxide CO2, methane
• the earth warming up

2)      What brings about more Greenhouse gases?

·        Nowadays, the earth is full of industries. Millions of vehicles, aeroplanes and engines are produced every year. Humans produce much more waste (plastic!) than ever before.

·        Less forest covers the world. Plants absorb carbondioxide (a greenhouse gas) from the atmosphere during photosynthesis.

Activity sheet

• ·        Look at the sketch (activity sheet). What do you notice? What do all this activities have in common?Vehicles, aeroplanes, engines and factories produce a lot of greenhouse gases (smoke and fumes).

3)      Effects

·        Ice melts in the icy regions of the world and mountain tops

·        Large volumes of melted ice (=water) flows down into the streams, rivers, lakes and seas. Water levels rise, causing floods and massive destruction. (à the global sea level rose about 17cm in the last hundred years)

·        The weather becomes more extreme: droughts, violent storms, heavy rain

·        Climate change disturbs the natural habitat of many animals and plants. For example, the survival of polar bears and penguins in the icy regions are in danger, as they cannot survive anywhere else.

·        Some areas of the world will experience a reduction of clean drinking water.

4)      What can I do?

·        Go by bus, not in a private car

·        Walk or ride a bycicle

·        Protect and plant trees. Trees absorb CO2 from the air.

·        Recycle, reduce and re-use items.

Ø      Recycle cans, bottles, plastic and paper

Ø      Avoid (=reduce) plastic papers! (in Malawi there was introduced a certain plastic paper ban on 30^th June 2015)