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NOVA scienceNOW: Fastest Glacier

Ideas from Teachers

(Gr. 8-High School/Early College)
Objective
To discover how rapidly the Greenland glaciers are melting.

Materials (required)

• computers and software; a free trial version of the software can be found at http://www.worldwatcher.northwestern.edu/myworld/index.html
• activity sheets and student answer sheets
• background readings for students
  
  • Day 1 Group A: "Greenland Ice melt 'speeding up'" found at
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3922579.stm
  • Day 1 Group B: article describing how the ocean is monitored found at
    http://www.whoi.edu/institutes/occi/currenttopics/ct_oms_outposts.htm
• pencils (colored and regular)

Materials (optional)

• Scientific American Frontiers' "Hot Planet—Cold Comfort"
• NOVA scienceNOW's "Fastest Glacier" video segment
• index cards or sticky notes to make bulletin board-size concept maps
• additional reading materials from the teacher background page
• projector and computer to share presentations or mapview
• world atlases and maps
• CD-ROM of photos and animations
• lab materials

Procedure
Students will use GIS and authentic data sets from scientists studying Greenlands glaciers to discover how rapidly the glacier is melting.

This 3-5 day activity uses GIS and other media to explore a critical area of climate change research--glacial melting and its potential impact on the ocean currents.

For day-by-day instructions, see "Greenland Ice Sheet and Oceanic Currents Activity Summary" on the Web page found at http://www.pcds.org/share/arctic/greenland/GreenlandMeltGIS_TBM.htm

Assessment
Formal and informal assessment ideas provided on the Web site.

Classroom Tips
I have used The NOVA films as hooks for many activities. I show a segment and then I do an activity when the activity is completed we return to the film.

Sent in by
Elizabeth "Betsy" Youngman
Phoenix Country Day School
Paradise Valley, AZ