Antarctic Ice Sheet: past and present (posted July 2021)
An educational module for high-school and introductory-college students focused on changes in the Antarctic Ice Sheet from 20,000 years ago to present.
The educational module uses Google Earth and Google Sheets and spans the subjects of glaciology, geomorphology, and climatology. Students will gain experience identifying surface features in Antarctica, mapping glacial landforms preserved on the seafloor, calculating retreat rates of parts of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, and critically thinking about why changes in ice-sheet extent happen. Prior knowledge on climate change, geology, and the cryosphere would be useful, but not required. The educational module includes a(n): educators’ guide; pre-lesson assignment; 1.5-hour lesson; lesson images in Google Slides; online Google Earth project titled “Antarctic Ice Sheet: past and present”; and online Google Sheet titled “Lesson Part 2 Template”. The answer key is protected, so please complete this Google form to be granted access once your informal or formal educator (e.g., home/private/public school or university/college educators and science communicators) status has been verified.
Developed by Leigh Stearns (University of Kansas) and Lauren Simkins (University of Virginia) as part of NSF Office of Polar Programs Grant 1745055. Feel free to reach out to lesson developers with questions, concerns, or suggestions on reducing or lengthening the lesson time at lsimkins [at] virginia [dot] edu.
An educational module for high-school and introductory-college students focused on changes in the Antarctic Ice Sheet from 20,000 years ago to present.
The educational module uses Google Earth and Google Sheets and spans the subjects of glaciology, geomorphology, and climatology. Students will gain experience identifying surface features in Antarctica, mapping glacial landforms preserved on the seafloor, calculating retreat rates of parts of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, and critically thinking about why changes in ice-sheet extent happen. Prior knowledge on climate change, geology, and the cryosphere would be useful, but not required. The educational module includes a(n): educators’ guide; pre-lesson assignment; 1.5-hour lesson; lesson images in Google Slides; online Google Earth project titled “Antarctic Ice Sheet: past and present”; and online Google Sheet titled “Lesson Part 2 Template”. The answer key is protected, so please complete this Google form to be granted access once your informal or formal educator (e.g., home/private/public school or university/college educators and science communicators) status has been verified.
Developed by Leigh Stearns (University of Kansas) and Lauren Simkins (University of Virginia) as part of NSF Office of Polar Programs Grant 1745055. Feel free to reach out to lesson developers with questions, concerns, or suggestions on reducing or lengthening the lesson time at lsimkins [at] virginia [dot] edu.
Glaciers: an introduction to Earth's icy regions (posted April 2020)
A 2-hour workshop lesson plan for upper elementary students with activities that combine science and art for a hands-on learning experience (by L. Simkins and K. Kogge).
A 2-hour workshop lesson plan for upper elementary students with activities that combine science and art for a hands-on learning experience (by L. Simkins and K. Kogge).