Global Warming: What Will Happen if the Polar Ice Caps Melt?

Global warming has been an issue of great discussion over the past several years. In recent years, it seems that more and more people are becoming concerned with the effects global warming may have on our world. Not only could global warming cause the polar ice caps to melt, it could also be responsible for future droughts which would have a negative impact on agriculture and food production around the world.

Since icebergs are floating, they have already displaced all the water they are going to which means they will not raise sea levels. Ice on land is a different story and may pose serious problems in the future for places like Greenland. In 1996, 22 cu. mi. of Greenland’s ice melted away and this number rose to 53 cu. mi. in 2006 (Kluger, 2006). Since Greenland is an island, if this ice was to completely melt, sea levels would dramatically rise. Rises in sea levels like this could easily cause many coastal regions to be swallowed up. Even though this would only be a small percentage of the world’s land, it could still be millions of square miles.

I am not completely sure whether global warming is a natural or man-made occurrence but either way it is still an issue of great importance. Many people feel that we need to reduce emissions from burning fossil fuels, such as coal and oil. Personally, I think that is a step in the right direction. With our world’s population constantly growing, more and more fossil fuels are being burned. Hopefully, modern advances in technology will continue to develop ways that will decrease our need for fossil fuels.

Please share other thoughts or comments you have relating to global warming and what will happen if the polar ice caps melt.

References:

Kluger, J. (2006, March 26). Global warming heats up. Time. Retrieved July 18, 2010 from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1176980-6,00.html.

STEM Strategies Lesson Plan

The STEM strategies lesson that I planned involved students having to collect, categorize, weigh and analyze solid waste. My students will collect waste for a week around the school, and then will work in groups sorting and analyzing the garbage with respect to recyclable and non-recyclable items. After students have collected trash for a week, they will be placed into groups of four or five and each group will have one specific type of trash to analyze. Students will first predict the total weight of the trash they are analyzing and will then use a scale to accurately determine the mass. Each group will record their data on a chart posted on the wall and each student will use this data to create a circle graph to accurately represent the collected data. I will also have my students write a paragraph suggesting ways to reduce the amount of waste that goes to a landfill.

I found the 5 E’s strategy very helpful when planning this lesson. One of my main goals was to plan a lesson that would ensure my students remained actively engaged. I feel my students would really enjoy being able to explore their surroundings as they collect and analyze their trash. For part of this learning process, I will have my students explain why certain items are recyclable and why others are not. To elaborate and extend on this lesson, I feel it would be beneficial to have my students brainstorm ways to reduce the amount of solid waste in our country. If I were to implement this lesson, I would stress the importance of safety. All students will be required to wear protective gloves when collecting and sorting their trash. I will use informal questioning and observation to evaluate my students throughout this lesson and their circle graphs and paragraphs will be collected and recorded for a grade.

The Importance of Science and Technology

The effective use of science and technology are a necessary components in today's classrooms. Through this blog, I am hoping to collaborate with other teachers providing a wealth of resources that can be used to promote academic success in all science classrooms. Being a 4th and 5th grade science teacher, I have found that my students respond really well when I incorporate educational music in my lessons. In December 2008, and friend and I starting creating our educational music videos to share with other teachers. Our first video, on the scientific method, proved to be a great success for us and can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZaCy5Z87FA. We are currently in the process of expanded our online connections through other web sites that are readily available for educators to utilize.