Summer Workshop on Great Lakes Climate Science in Bay Village and Toledo

Beyond Polar Bears: Teaching Great Lakes Climate Science
June 11, 2012
Lake Erie Nature & Science Center (Bay Village)

August 7, 2012
University of Toledo

http://changingclimate.osu.edu/topics/education/

Learn about activities for teaching regionally relevant climate science in your classroom, work through hands-on lessons with fellow educators, and get suggestions on how to adapt classroom activities to informal and outdoor education settings.

These free workshops are taught by educators who have used the resources in their own classrooms. We’ll cover Ohio Sea Grant’s updated Great Lakes climate curriculum, along with climate and Great Lakes literacy principles, and informal resources like OSU’s Global Change, Local Impact webinar series.

If you can’t attend in person, Ohio Sea Grant will also offer a shorter introductory webinar in the fall.

Please email Christina Dierkes to request a registration form for the one-day workshops, or with any questions you have about the events.

EPA Showcases Educational Website on Climate Change for Middle School Students

From the EPA:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched an all new website titled “A Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change” devoted to educating 6-8^th graders about Earth’s climate and how it is changing as a result of burning fossil fuels and other human activities.

The site, launched in April of this year, provides students and educators with content on the science of climate change, how it affects society and ecosystems, and information about solutions to the climate change problem.  The information is presented in a variety of compelling formats including video, animations, interactive graphics, and “expeditions” where students can explore and learn how climate change will affect places around the world. This new web resource can be used by teachers, and informal educators to develop class activities and homework.

The site covers the Climate Literacy Principles developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the science content on references key peer reviewed climate assessment reports and was reviewed for scientific accuracy by climate experts at EPA.

To view the site: http://epa.gov/climatechange/students/.

Registration for Online Summer Graduate Course on Understanding Climate Change due June 1

Understanding Climate Change is a 6-week web-only course to help learners understand the evidence for climate change on Earth. The 3-credit graduate-level course can serve as an Earth Science credit for teachers and/or as an update on the scientific research about climate change. The course may also appeal to the informal education community, home-schoolers, members of the clergy, youth groups, after-school clubs, and interested citizens.

The content basis for this timely and relevant course is a free DVD that was developed by teachers for teachers. The disc was created with the support of the National Science Foundation’s Science & Technology Center for the Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS). It will be mailed to enrolled participants. The DVD has been used successfully with students in grades 7 through 12 and with adult learners.

The course offers a basic introduction to:  the Earth as a system, energy and matter in the Earth system, a historical perspective of climate change studies, and information about specific research areas that provide data and evidence of climate change. Those research areas include: remote sensing, glacial evidence, meteorological evidence, ice core evidence, oceanographic evidence, and biological evidence.

Additional readings will be assigned using online resources. Students will be required to develop a portfolio that demonstrates their progression of learning on these topics and to actively participate in online discussions. We will establish a Learning Community and discuss the concepts from the disc, recent news items related to climate change research, and strategies and resources that might be employed to help others understand the science of climate change.

Note:  This graduate level course is only available online. It is not available to students currently enrolled at The Ohio State University. The course does not require a face-to-face meeting, but students must demonstrate proficiency with English and specific technology-based requirements. Enrollment is managed through the Office of Continuing Education at The Ohio State University. Fees must be paid with a credit card and instructions will be sent to each applicant that is accepted into the course. Please contact Carol Landis (landis.83@osu.edu) for more information or if you have questions about the course delivery or timing.

Documents:

• Course description
• Course rubric
• Course rubric explanation