Climate Change

Climate change and the polar regions

Hi ghlights From Issue 20 (June 2010) Polar Bear. Photo courtesy of Alan Wilson, Wikimedia Commons.

Table of Contents Climate Change and the Polar Regions Issue 20 (June 2010) Science Content Knowledge

Climate Literacy in the Elementary Classroom

By Susan M. Buhr and Mark S. McCaffrey

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Literacy Content Knowledge

Summarizing and Synthesizing: What’s the Difference?

By Jessica Fries-Gaither

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Feature Story

People of the Whale

By Stephen Whitt

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Misconceptions

Climate Misconceptions: A Top 10 List

By Mark S. McCaffrey

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Across the Curriculum: Lessons and Activities

Beyond Data Collection: Analysis and Identification of Patterns

By Jessica Fries-Gaither

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Science & Literacy: Lessons and Activities

Lessons and Activities to Build the Foundations for Climate Literacy

By Jessica Fries-Gaither

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Off the Bookshelf

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Climate Change: Virtual Bookshelf

By Kate Hastings and Jessica Fries-Gaither

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Science Content Knowledge Climate Literacy in the Elementary Classroom

By Susan M. Buhr and Mark S. McCaffrey Climate change information is everywhere. Students hear the term "global warming" in the media; they see images of polar bears and glaciers and may hear opinions on the matter from family and friends. Because of this, many students ask about this topic, and want to know what it means for them. What is an appropriate way to include climate change instruction in the elementary grades?

Some cautions are in order.

While students are interested in the topic, many climate change concepts are beyond the developmental readiness of young students (complex interactions, geological time, a global view of processes). And, there is an emotional cost to learning about threats to species or to familiar landscapes, and in the notion of change itself.

Despite these pitfalls, the elementary grades are the time when the foundation is built for climate literacy and informed decision-making.

What does it mean to be climate literate? A climate-literate person

• understands the essential principles of Earth's climate system, • knows how to assess scientifically credible information about climate, • communicates about climate and climate change in a meaningful way, and • is able to make informed and responsible decisions with regard to actions that may affect climate.

Elementary teachers can build the foundation for climate-literate students by becoming climate literate themselves, understanding how the elementary science standards connect to climate concepts, helping students understand the nature of science, fostering a connection between young learners and nature, and providing opportunities for students to make a change in the world around them.

STRATEGY 1: EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT THE ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES OF CLIMATE SCIENCE The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences, http:// www.climatescience.gov/ Library/Literacy/, is a framework of principles and concepts that together constitute "climate literacy.” The framework was first released in the Spring of 2008

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[…] the elementary grades are the time when the foundation is built for climate literacy and informed decisionmaking.

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for the K-12 education community and then revised as a "guide for individuals and communities" in the Spring of 2009.

We've highlighted here a brief description and some of the discussions of the Essential Principles and the fundamental concepts presented in the Climate Literacy Handbook, available on the Encyclopedia of Earth web site, http:// www.eoearth.org/article/ Climate_Literacy_Handbook.

Learning resources and more indepth discussion of each of the principles and the underlying fundamental concepts may be found in the handbook.

The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences begin with a Guiding Principle -- Humans can take actions to reduce climate change and its impacts.

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Science Content Knowledge The seven Essential Principles are: 1. The Sun is the primary source of energy for Earth's climate system.

Essential Principle 1 relates to the Earth's energy balance and the physics and dynamics of the sun-Earth connection. The role of solar energy, first filtering incoming solar energy, then being absorbed by the land and water surfaces, then turning into infrared heat that radiates from the surface into space, is important for understanding the "greenhouse effect" whereby some of the outgoing infrared heat is captured by certain atmospheric gases, thereby warming the atmosphere.

While some young learners think the greenhouse effect is "bad" because of what they've heard about climate change, the greenhouse effect is what keeps Earth at a warm enough temperature to be livable.

However, increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse gases" are amplifying this natural effect, capturing more of the

outgoing infrared heat and raising atmospheric temperatures.

2. Climate is regulated by complex interactions among components of the Earth system.

Essential Principle 2 relates to the complex interactions that drive climate processes.

Interactions between land, snow and ice, living things, oceans, and the atmosphere generate the greenhouse effect and other climate processes. These interactions are inherently complex and interdisciplinary. Therefore, many key aspects of climate science may "fall between the cracks" of traditional science courses.

Since elementary-level science instruction can be integrated and interdisciplinary, teachers have an opportunity to help students understand that life sciences, physical science and earth science are related. Earth System Science is the study of the ways in which different processes and pieces of the system interrelate on varying scales of time and space.

Geoscientists think in terms of a big picture view, and on scales of time and space that may be larger or smaller than common human experience. While true "systems thinking" may be beyond the grasp of young learners who are still developing, planting the seed that processes are connected across spheres and influence each other can provide the foundation for more complex ideas later.

3. Life on Earth depends on, is shaped by, and affects climate.

Organisms are both influenced by climate and have been influencing it for billions of years, ever since microbes began altering the composition of the atmosphere. The effects of climate on organisms can be direct or indirect.

Black River. Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey, Flickr.

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Science Content Knowledge Essential Principle 3 is related to the dynamic dance between the biosphere and the climate system, including the annual flux of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that occurs when vegetation in the Northern Hemisphere draws CO2 from the air through photosynthesis in the spring and summer months, releasing some of it through decay in the winter...

While changes on the global scale are observable, organisms, including humans, survive within specific ranges of temperature, precipitation, humidity and sunlight. Organisms exposed to climate conditions outside their normal range must adapt or migrate or perish.

The range of many species in the United States is shifting northward, while some other species either are not as adaptable or do not have more northward or higher altitude habitat available in which to shift. And, even if species are able to move, key prey or other habitat essentials may not move, leading to population decreases.

Human civilization as we understand it today has developed entirely within the Holocene epoch over the last 12,000 years, a relatively warm interglacial period. While the climate has varied in the past and influenced human societies, significant climate change would stress our agricultural, transportation and economic systems. A northward shift in climate sensitive crops range is also being observed, which changes where commercially important crops can be cultivated.

4. Climate varies over space and time through both natural and man-made processes.

Essential Principle 4 relates to some of the differences between weather and climate, climatic processes such as the El Nino/Southern Oscillation that influence natural climate variability, and abrupt climate change, which can be triggered by naturally occurring dynamics. Understanding climate variability is

Reflection. Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey, Flickr.

critically important in helping scientists tease apart natural variation from human-induced climate change.

Natural processes driving Earth's long-term climate variability do not explain the rapid climate change observed in recent decades.

The only explanation that is consistent with all available evidence is that human impacts are playing an increasing role in climate change.

Future changes in climate may be rapid compared to historical changes.

While the warming due to recent climate change is seen in the longer-term trend data, natural variability exists and contributes to greater or lesser warming in the shorter-term. Even though some places have been cooler over the last few years due to natural variability and oscillations in the ocean, this cooling takes place within the long-term warming trend, which continues to rise. Over the longer term, uncertainty in projections depends more upon the uncertainty of how humans will respond and change 5

Science Content Knowledge greenhouse gas emission behaviors, and in the potential of feedback loops to decrease or increase warming.

"Scientific uncertainty" is different from everyday uncertainty. Scientific uncertainty is bounded by a range of uncertainty that depends upon how well the issue is understood and how well we can measure or model the phenomena. The more we know, the smaller the range of uncertainty, and the more confidence we can ascribe to our claims. In its Fourth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic (humancaused) greenhouse gas concentrations. For the IPCC, the term "very likely" means that the statement is based on 90 percent or greater confidence in the statement.

5. Our understanding of the climate system is improved through observations, theoretical studies, and modeling.

When it comes to climate, how do scientists know what they know? While studies indicate that almost all actively publishing climate researchers agree that human activities are altering the climate system, the general public is under the impression that scientists are still debating whether or not humans are through their activities changing climate. Essential Principle 5 concerns key elements of climate studies and the "self-correcting" peer review process.

Our understanding of the Earth System has leapt forward due to the availability of global data gathering via satellites, improvements in models and a general influx of new data. For example, the extent of sea ice used to be measured by researchers looking down from a small plane and making notations on a map.

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Now we have "constellations" of satellites that work together to provide the greatest global coverage. (See this NASA web site, http:// climate.nasa.gov/Eyes/, for a 3-D animation of the satellites that monitor the Earth.)

When scientists go to publish new findings, their manuscripts are reviewed by other researchers in the field. The role of reviewers is to be skeptical and to point out improvements which should be made, or to reject the paper if the work does not meet the professional standards of the journal. Peer review is not perfect, but it is a key piece of the scientific process. Over time, scientific claims are verified or challenged by new and improved studies. Scientific agreement about a claim is built as the body of evidence increases. Our scientific understanding of the role of greenhouse gases in climate change has been building since 1896 when Svante Arrhenius calculated the effect that a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide gas would have on global temperature.

There will always be scientific uncertainty in climate science, as we move into new areas of research (such as areas where models must be improved, or what is expected to happen on a regional scale), but there is always bounded uncertainty in science. That’s one of the things that makes science different from other ways of knowing.

6. Human activities are impacting the climate system.

Essential Principle 6 relates to the causes and effects of human-induced climate change. For over 150 years the greenhouse effect has been described, and for over a century the potential for human activities to increase the temperature of the Earth through greenhouse gas emissions has been calculated. Despite this long history, some sectors of the public continue to debate whether these ideas can be true.

Science Content Knowledge The overwhelming consensus of scientific studies on climate indicates that most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the latter part of the 20th century is very likely due to human activities, primarily from increases in greenhouse gas concentrations resulting from the burning of fossil fuels.

Scientists and economists predict that there will be both positive and negative impacts from global climate change. If warming exceeds 2 to 3 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) over the next century, the consequences of the negative impacts are likely to be much greater than the consequences of the positive impacts.

7. Climate change will have consequences for the Earth system and human lives.

Essential Principle 7 relates to the current and predicted consequences of climate change.

Once primarily the domain of climate scientists, the impacts of climate change on humans and environmental systems has become a focus for resource managers, medical professionals, emergency managers, insurance companies, and military planners...many feel that the challenge of the 21st century will be in preparing communities to adapt to climate change while reducing human impacts on the climate system (known as mitigation). Many jobs if not entire industries will emerge to address these complex issues.

Sea water is beginning to move onto low-lying land and contaminate coastal freshwater sources. It is also beginning to submerge coastal facilities and barrier islands. (For animations of how projected sea-level rise would affect coastal states, see USGS animations at http://cegis.usgs.gov/ sea_level_rise.html.)

Sea-level rise increases the risk of damage to homes and buildings from storm surges.

Changing precipitation patterns and temperature conditions will alter the distribution and availability of freshwater resources.

Animals, plants, bacteria and viruses will migrate to new areas with favorable climate conditions.

Infectious diseases and certain species will be able to invade areas that they did not previously inhabit. For example, the familiar hardiness zones, which gardeners use to choose plants suitable to their areas, have changed. See http://www.arborday.org/media/ mapchanges.cfm for an animation of the extent of changes from 1990 to 2006.

Although cold-related deaths are predicted to decrease, other risks are predicted to rise. The incidence and geographical range of climatesensitive infectious diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, and tick-borne diseases will increase.

Polar Bears Fight Climate Poverty. Photo courtesy of Oxfam International, Wikimedia Commons.

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Science Content Knowledge STRATEGY 2: KNOW HOW YOUR CURRICULUM RELATES TO CLIMATE LITERACY The science standards and science literacy concepts in the elementary grades set the stage for understanding the complexities of climate change.

Science literacy concepts, such as the K-2 concept that "The sun warms the land, air and water," are a foundation for understanding Essential Principle 1 "The Sun is the Primary Source of Energy for Earth's Climate System." Concepts about energy transfer and weather in the primary grades are building blocks to more abstract concepts later on. An educator who understands how the foundational science in her classroom feeds into climate change can make those connections for students when appropriate.

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These science content standards from the National Science Education Standards provide an important foundation for climate literacy: K-4 Physical Science Light, Heat, Electricity, and Magnetism • Light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object. Light can be reflected by a mirror, refracted by a lens, or absorbed by the object.

K-4 Earth and Space Science Objects in the Sky • The sun provides the light and heat necessary to maintain the temperature of the earth.

Changes in the Earth and Sky • Weather changes from day to day and over the seasons.

Weather can be described by measurable quantities, such as temperature, wind direction and speed, and precipitation.

K-4 Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Changes in Environments • Changes in environments can be natural or influenced by humans. Some changes are good, some are bad, and some are neither good nor bad. Pollution is a change in the environment that can influence the health, survival, or activities or organisms, including humans.

5-8 Physical Science • Energy is transferred in many ways.

• Light interacts with matter by transmission, absorption, or scattering.

• The sun is a major source of energy for changes on the earth's surface. The sun loses energy by emitting light. A tiny fraction of that light reaches the earth, transferring energy

Science Content Knowledge from the sun to the earth. The sun's energy arrives as light with a range of wavelengths, consisting of visible light, infrared, and ultraviolet radiation.

5-8 Earth and Space Science Earth in the Solar System • The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the earth's surface, such as growth of plants, winds, ocean currents, and the water cycle.

Seasons result from variations in the amount of the sun's energy hitting the surface, due to the tilt of the earth's rotation on its axis and the length of the day.

STRATEGY 3: TEACH THE NATURE OF SCIENCE EARLY AND OFTEN The public dialogue on climate change often betrays a lack of understanding about the scientific process. How do

scientists know what they know? How does the claim being made (from whatever source) relate to the evidence?

Students in elementary school can learn to "be" scientists and to practice the habits of mind of scientific thinking.

STRATEGY 4: FOSTER A CONNECTION TO NATURE In Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv highlighted the ways that outdoor experiences help children develop and build a connection to nature, http:// richardlouv.com/. Experiences such as nature journals and walks, camping and fishing, cultivating a school garden, or building a wildlife habitat help students care enough about the natural world to learn about it and care for it.

STRATEGY 5: CHILDREN CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE Teaching children that they can make a change in the world will

help them no matter what else they do. Recycling, changing light bulbs at home, or asking the school to make conservation changes help children think of themselves as people who take action and lead. This is also an important way for children to process disturbing messages they hear about the environment and to learn about solutions and opportunities, not just problems.

It's likely that many of these things are things you are already doing in your classroom. Many elementary students learn about local environments and ecosystems or have school habitat areas or make "being a scientist" a regular part of the school day. Knowing how the things you are already doing fit into the climate picture will help to prepare learners for the next step along the way.

Sea Ice. Photo courtesy of Patrick Kelley, U.S. Geological Survey, Flickr.

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Science Content Knowledge RESOURCES Atlas of Science Literacy http://www.project2061.org/ publications/atlas/default.htm Published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the two volumes of the Atlas are a collection of strand maps showing how students' understanding of the ideas and skills that lead to literacy in science, mathematics, and technology might develop from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Climate Change Kids Site http://www.epa.gov/ climatechange/kids/ A feature of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Change web site, http://www.epa.gov/ climatechange/about.html, the Kids Site offers facts about climate, weather, and greenhouse gases as well as games, animations, and resources for teachers.

Climate Change Schools Project https:// www.sciencelearningcentres.or g.uk/centres/north-east/ climate-change-schoolsproject/introduction Developed in England, the Climate Change Schools Project aims to put climate change at the heart of the national

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curriculum via a network of Climate Change Lead Schools.

Trained teachers in the lead schools will share best practices, balancing climate change information and science with solutions and the empowerment of young people. Case studies are available on the site.

Climate Kids - NASA's Eyes on the Earth http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/ Produced by the Earth Science Communications Team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, this page for kids is packed with features—a climate time machine, satellite views of Earth, big and smaller questions about a range of climate topics, games, educator resources, and more.

Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences - A Guide for Individuals and Communities http://www.globalchange.gov/ resources/educators/climateliteracy Available online and downloadable, this guide is designed to provide information for individuals and communities to understand Earth's climate, impacts of climate change, and approaches for adapting and mitigating change. It is also intended for educators who

teach climate science as part of their science curricula.

Climate Literacy Handbook http://www.eoearth.org/article/ Climate_Literacy_Handbook The handbook aims to promote greater climate science literacy by providing an educational framework around the Essential Principles of Climate Sciences.

Climate Literacy Network http://climateliteracynow.org/ tiki-index.php?page_ref_id=1 This online resource was developed to define key concepts related to climate and provide materials for teachers, students, the general public, and others. Documents, links, current events and news feeds are available on the site.

Education Section of NOAA's Climate Services http://www.climate.gov/ #education From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's web site for all users of its climate services, the Education Section provides teaching resources, professional development materials, and multimedia.

Literacy Content Knowledge Summarizing and Synthesizing: What’s the Difference?

By Jessica Fries-Gaither Summarizing and synthesizing are two important reading comprehension strategies.

They're also skills that students struggle with and often confuse despite the differences. In this article, we review the two skills, discuss the differences between them, and highlight activities that can be used to support students as they develop proficiency with them.

SUMMARIZING What does summarizing mean?

Into the Book, a reading strategies web site for teachers and students, explains that when readers summarize, they "identify key elements and condense important information into their own words during and after reading to solidify meaning." The site offers a simpler definition for students: "Tell what’s important."

Why is summarizing difficult for students? For starters, it requires students to apply the skill of determining importance in text and then express the important ideas in their own words. Many times, as students learn to summarize, their first attempts

Elementary school classroom. Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.

are a collection of details, rather than the main ideas of the passage. Other studentproduced summaries are too vague and do not include enough detail. Teachers need to devote time to explicit instruction and modeling on both determining importance and summarizing to help students become proficient with both strategies.

The following resources can be helpful for teaching students to summarize: • Summarizing http://www.ohiorc.org/ Literacy_K5/strategy/ strategy_each.aspx? id=000002 This article provides an overview of summarizing as a reading comprehension strategy, and how it can be

taught and assessed in an elementary classroom.

• Into the Book: Summarizing http://reading.ecb.org/teacher/ summarizing/index.html This section of the Into the Book web site provides definitions of summarizing for teachers and students, learning objectives with videos, lessons, and a wealth of additional resources. The student area (which requires a key to access) has interactive activities for each of the featured comprehension strategies.

• Guided Comprehension: Summarizing Using the QuIP Strategy http:// www.readwritethink.org/ classroom-resources/lessonplans/guided11

Literacy Content Knowledge comprehension-summarizingusing-231.html This lesson plan, for grades 3-6 from ReadWriteThink, teaches students to summarize information by graphically organizing information in response to questions, then reorganizing their answers into paragraph form.

• Lesson 8: Summarizing Information http:// www.ellsworthamerican.com/ nie/ teachers_guide_lesson8_mh. pdf In this lesson, students practice summarizing by extracting the Five Ws (who, what, when, where, why) and the H (how) from feature stories in local newspapers.

The lesson could be adapted for use with other texts as well.

SYNTHESIZING Synthesizing takes the process of summarizing one step further.

Instead of just restating the important points from text, synthesizing involves combining ideas and allowing an evolving understanding of text. Into the Book defines synthesizing as "[creating] original insights, perspectives, and understandings by reflecting on text(s) and merging elements from text and existing schema."

For students, the site provides 12

the simpler "Put pieces together to see them in a new way."

As with summarizing, this higherorder thinking skill needs explicit instruction and modeling. In her book Comprehension Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading, Tanny McGregor provides examples of instructional sequences for synthesizing using common objects (nesting dolls), prompts or sentence starters, and a spiral-shaped graphic organizer inspired by the notes written and passed by her students. These activities provide the scaffolding needed to support students as they become familiar and then proficient with the skill and can be used with all types of text.

The following resources can be helpful for teaching students to synthesize: • Synthesizing http://www.ohiorc.org/adlit/ strategy/strategy_each.aspx? id=000002 This article provides an overview of synthesizing as a reading comprehension strategy and describes approaches for teaching and supporting students as they develop proficiency.

• Into the Book: Synthesizing http://reading.ecb.org/ teacher/synthesizing/ index.html

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Synthesizing takes the process of summarizing one step further.

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This section of the Into the Book web site provides definitions of synthesizing for teachers and students, learning objectives with videos, lessons, and a wealth of additional resources. The student area (which requires a key to access) has interactive activities for each of the featured comprehension strategies.

• Classroom Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading http://www.heinemann.com/ products/E00887.aspx Tanny McGregor's book includes chapters devoted to six reading comprehension strategies: schema, inferring, questioning, determining importance, visualizing, and synthesizing. Heinemann's page also includes links to web seminars about various strategies (click on Companion Resources).

Feature Story People of the Whale Stories for Students (and Teachers)!

This nonfiction article is written for use with upper-elementary students (grades 4-5). Modified versions are available for students in grades K-1 and grades 2-3, or any student needing a simplified version. As always, consider the reading level and needs of your students when selecting a version for classroom use.

At each grade level, the article is available in three forms.

Printable pdf files allow you to print this story in either textonly or a foldable book format.

A partnership with Content Clips has allowed us to create electronic versions of the articles. Your students can read along as they listen to the text a wonderful way to support struggling readers! Related resources provide suggestions for integrating this story with your science and literacy instruction.

By Stephen Whitt The Inupiat of Alaska's Northwest Coast sometimes call themselves the "people of the whale." The whale they mean is the bowhead whale of the Arctic Ocean. To the Inupiat, the bowheads are life itself.

For hundreds of years, the Inupiat lived along the coast of the Arctic Ocean. They built their houses from the jawbones of the whales. They lived by the rhythms of the sea. Each year, they awaited the migration of the whales.

When the whales arrived, the Inupiat paddled small boats out into the sea. They carried harpoons of stone and bone.

They used these tools to kill the animal they cherish above all others. When the hunters returned to shore, the entire community helped to pull the whale up onto land and butcher it. Everyone shared in the meat.

And the jawbones became the walls of their houses.

Then changes came. First, large whaling ships from the south came for the whales. Whalers from Europe and the United States killed bowheads, one after another after another. Soon the whales became scarce. By the time commercial whaling ended, the whales were almost gone. For a short time, even the Inupiat hunt stopped. But small groups, hunting as they had for hundreds of years, finally resumed the hunt.

18th Century Arctic Whaling. Photo courtesy of Ellis R,, Wikimedia Commons.

Interested in other nonfiction articles for your students?

Browse all twenty sets from the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears collection at http:// beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/ information.php?topic=stories.

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Feature Story

Fluke of a bowhead whale. Photo courtesy of Ansgar Walk, Wikimedia Commons.

But the changes kept coming. In the 1970s, rising seawater chased the Inupiat from their homes at the edge of the sea.

They built new homes, farther inland. The Inupiat used wood and stone instead of whale bones.

Today, the Inupiat way of life is changing again. Temperatures in the Arctic are rising. We call this global warming or climate change, and it means that the bowhead whales are harder to find than ever before. Bowhead whales feed on tiny animals called zooplankton.

Zooplankton live near the edge of the sea ice that covers the Arctic Ocean. But as temperatures in the Arctic go up, the ice melts. The zooplankton follow the shrinking ice, and the bowheads follow the zooplankton.

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The Inupiat hunters find themselves traveling farther and farther to find whales. The trips become more dangerous. The weather is harder to predict.

When the hunters return to land, the shore ice is not as strong as it once was. This makes pulling the whales from the water more difficult and dangerous than before.

There are other threats, as well.

The North Shore of Alaska is rich not just in whales and their food but also in oil. The oil is buried beneath the ocean floor. It is often right below the bowhead's migration path. As the ice melts in the Arctic, drilling for oil becomes easier. Oil exploration threatens to drive the whales even farther from shore.

Still, the Inupiat are adapting.

They are finding new ways to

hunt the whales. They are adopting new techniques. They are learning to live with new realities. They are doing what the Inupiat have always done. As the ice melts, they remain dedicated to their way of life, and to the whales they cherish.

In some places in the world, people still argue about whether climate change is real. The People of the Whale live with climate change every day.

Glossary harpoons -- spears used in hunting whales and large fish zooplankton -- floating organisms, such as krill, found in the oceans

Feature Story RELATED RESOURCES Lessons and Activities about Arctic Peoples http:// beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/ issue/column.php? date=October2009&departmen tid=literacy&columnid=literacy! lessons This article from the "Peoples of the Arctic" issue of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears highlights lessons and activities that can teach students about the Inupiat and other Arctic cultures.

Peoples of the Arctic: Virtual Bookshelf http:// beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/ issue/column.php? date=October2009&departmen tid=literacy&columnid=literacy! bookshelf This article from "Peoples of the Arctic" issue of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears highlights children's literature about the indigenous peoples of the Arctic.

For Alaska's Inupiat, Climate Change and Culture Shock http://dsc.discovery.com/news/ 2009/04/13/inupiat-alaskaclimate.html This article from Discovery News is a source of background knowledge for teachers whose students are reading "People of the Whale."

People of the Whale Literacy Set http://rs1.contentclips.com/ipy/ fwd/ipy_1006_set_lit_6042.html The print and electronic versions of "People of the Whale."

Point Barrow Alaska, bowhead whale jawbone. Photo courtesy of uscgpress, Flickr.

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Misconceptions Climate Misconceptions: A Top 10 List

By Mark S. McCaffrey

Climate science (and seemingly everything related to it) can be confusing, confounding, complex. In a word, climate is a conundrum. But, given what is at stake, we need to loosen the knot, a strand at a time, so we can individually and collectively be as adaptive and prepared as possible for the knowns and unknowns of climate change.

Let's put aside for now the deliberately sown doubt and

This column typically focuses on misconceptions that elementary students might have about scientific principles and concepts. This month, we've chosen to take a slightly different approach and examine some misconceptions that are widespread - even among adults

- regarding climate and climate change. This column is adapted from Mark's April 8, 2010, post "Top 10 List - Missed Climate Concepts" on the Climate Literacy blog, http:// cires.colorado.edu/blogs/ mccaffrey/.

drama that have contributed to the derailment of our having an adult conversation about climate in our society. Let's focus for a moment on where climate science and, especially, related climate education have frankly failed.

master. In some cases, they have not been well taught in traditional science courses, falling through disciplinary cracks or missing in action from science standards and graduation competencies.

We know from research that there are certain concepts that are particularly difficult to grasp.

In some cases they are nonintuitive and difficult to

Some of these concepts may not be crucial for making informed decisions relating to climate adaptation and preparedness. But some are absolutely crucial.

10. SEASONS Mi s c o n ce pt io n Earth gets closer to the sun in summer and is further away in winter.

Co rrect Co n cept The tilt of Earth's axis is the "reason for the seasons."

9. GASES Mi s c o n ce pt io n Gas makes things lighter. Air has no weight, color or odor and is in effect invisible and inconsequential.

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Co rrect Co n cept Gas (air) has mass, takes up space, and is affected by energy.

Misconceptions 8. PLANTS Mi s c o n ce pt io n Plants gain their mass (i.e., grow) from water and nutrients taken in through their roots.

Co rrect Co n cept

Plants acquire mass from carbon dioxide through the process of photosynthesis.

7. FOSSIL FUELS Mi s c o n ce pt io n Fossil fuels have been around since the origins of Earth and are not connected to organic life or photosynthesis.

Co rrect Co n cept

Fossil fuels are "buried solar energy" originally captured by living organisms.

6. SOLAR RADIATION Mi s c o n ce pt io n The sun's energy is reflected or bounced off the surface of Earth.

Co rrect Co n cept Incoming UV radiation is absorbed by the surface of Earth and transformed into outgoing infrared energy.

5. THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT Mi s c o n ce pt io n

Human activities alone are what cause the greenhouse effect.

Co rrect Co n cept The greenhouse effect is caused by certain molecules that trap and amplify the outgoing infrared energy. It allows liquid water and life to exist on Earth. Human activities, especially releasing carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels, are further increasing or amplifying the natural greenhouse effect.

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Misconceptions 4. THE OZONE LAYER Mi s c o n ce pt io n

Global warming is caused by the ozone hole, which was created by chemicals like hair spray.

Co rrect Co n cept The ozone layer in the stratosphere protects the planet from the sun's harmful radiation. Holes in the ozone, caused by chemicals released by humans, let more harmful radiation from the sun reach the surface of Earth.

This is not the same phenomenon as global warming.

3. CLIMATE Mi s c o n ce pt io n Climate is simply long-term weather and therefore can't really be predicted.

Co rrect Co n cept There are significant differences between weather and climate and how they are studied and forecast.

2. CHANGES IN THE ATMOSPHERE Mi s c o n ce pt io n The atmosphere is large and small amounts of carbon dioxide or a few degrees of temperature change can't make much difference.

Co rrect Co n cept

Small changes in atmospheric composition or temperature increases can have a large effect.

1. CARBON AND THE CLIMATE SYSTEM Mi s c o n ce pt io n Carbon is destroyed when fossil fuels are burned. Carbon released from combustion and other human activities doesn't really have any adverse impact on the climate system (in fact, it's good for plants!).

If warming is occurring, it is the result of a natural cycle we can't do anything about.

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Co rrect Co n cept

Because of the role of organic carbon in the climate system, decarbonization of economies and energy systems is necessary and imperative to minimize the impact of human activities on the environment in general and the climate in particular.

Across the Curriculum: Lessons Beyond Date Collection: Analysis and Identification of Patterns

By Jessica Fries-Gaither A study of weather in the elementary grades often includes real data. Whether from a homemade weather station, a newspaper, or a web site, collecting and graphing data is an important component of scientific inquiry. However, we teachers often stop there, failing to devote sufficient instructional (and practice) time to careful and thoughtful analysis of the data our students have collected.

The ability to analyze a data set or graphical representation of data is an essential component of quantitative literacy -- the capacity "to be comfortable with numerical data and to use them in meaningful ways, in particular to make well-reasoned decisions" (Manaster 2009, 68).

This set of skills is not just limited to math class, nor is it solely the responsibility of a math teacher.

Rather, quantitative literacy is an important component of all content areas, and is particularly important in developing a sound understanding of climate science.

All students should have opportunities to analyze their own data as well as data collected and represented by others. In the elementary grades, this might entail looking for patterns or analyzing a graph in terms of the scale or type of graph selected.

Students should also be prompted to always consider the meaning of the data and why it is important. These types of reflective activities will build the foundation for more sophisticated concepts in the years to come.

RESOURCES Analyzing Data http:// www.teachervision.fen.com/ skill-builder/graphs-and-charts/ 48946.html? page=1&detoured=1 This article from the TeacherVision web site provides background information about analyzing graphs and data as well as guiding questions and practical suggestions for teachers. Use this article to supplement and enhance any lesson involving data collection and analysis.

Quantitative Literacy http://wiki.nsdl.org/index.php/ MiddleSchoolPortal/ Quantitative_Literacy This guide from the Middle School Portal 2: Math and

Teacher in classroom.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Science Pathways provides an overview of quantitative literacy, background information for teachers, a multitude of resources for classroom use, and the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). While middle school teachers are the primary audience of this guide, elementary teachers will find many of the resources of value as well.

REFERENCES Manaster, Alfred B. 2009.

Mathematics and numeracy: Mutual reinforcement.

In Mathematics and democracy: The case for quantitative literacy, ed. Lynn Steen. Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. http:// www.maa.org/ql/067-72.pdf 19

Science & Literacy: Lessons Lessons and Activities to Build the Foundation for Climate Literacy

By Jessica Fries-Gaither While climate change is not explicitly addressed in the elementary science standards and curricula, many of its foundational concepts are.

Elementary teachers looking to ensure that their students have the proper foundation to learn about climate science in middle school and beyond can turn to the document Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences for guidance, http://www.climate.noaa.gov/ index.jsp?pg=/education/ edu_index.jsp&edu=literacy. It defines seven broad concepts, many of which can be linked back to the elementary curriculum in some manner: Seven Essential Principles of Climate Literacy 1. The Sun is the primary source of energy for Earth's climate system.

2. Climate is regulated by complex interactions among components of the Earth system.

3. Life on Earth depends on, is shaped by, and affects climate.

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4. Climate varies over space and time through both natural and man-made processes.

5. Our understanding of the climate system is improved through observations, theoretical studies, and modeling.

6. Human activities are impacting the climate system.

7. Climate change will have consequences for the Earth system and human lives.

As the seven principles indicate, climate science encompasses concepts from physical, life, and earth and space sciences as well as science and technology and the history and nature of science. In the elementary grades, students can begin constructing a basic understanding of seasonal changes, biomes and ecosystems, the water cycle, and the role of solar energy in heating Earth's atmosphere, land, and water. These concepts, along with knowledge about weather and climate, will prepare students for the more complex principles that will be introduced in later years.

Teachers of upper-elementary students may want to introduce climate change at a very basic level, and focus mainly on simple actions that students (and their families) can take to reduce their carbon footprint.

In this article, we've highlighted lessons and activities that help elementary students develop an understanding of weather phenomena, identify weather patterns, and compare and contrast weather around the world. Older students begin to differentiate between weather and climate. We've also included age-appropriate resources for introducing climate change and activities that promote environmental responsibility.

Finally, we've aligned each lesson to the appropriate national standards – National Science Education Standards and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)/International Reading Association (IRA) Standards for the English Language Arts. The entire National Science Education Standards document can be read online or downloaded for free from the National Academies Press web site. The content standards are found in Chapter 6, http:// books.nap.edu/openbook.php? record_id=4962&page=103. The NCTE/IRA Standards may be viewed online as well, http:// www.ncte.org/standards.

Science & Literacy: Lessons WEATHER AND WEATHER PATTERNS Weather 1: Weather Patterns (Grades K-2) http://sciencenetlinks.org/lessons.php?

BenchmarkID=4&DocID=493 This lesson is the first in a two-part series on the weather. In this lesson, students keep daily records of temperature, precipitation, and wind. They plot their data and look for patterns of ups and downs without getting deeply into the nature of climate.

This lesson meets the Science as Inquiry and Earth and Space Science content standards for grades K-4 of the National Science Education Standards.

Weather 2: What's the Season? (Grades K-2) http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.php?

DocID=494 This lesson is the second in a two-part series on the weather. Students identify the seasonal patterns in temperature and precipitation.

This lesson meets the Science as Inquiry and Earth and Space Science content standards for grades K-4 of the National Science Education Standards.

To integrate literacy into these two lessons, try using science notebooks: Science Notebooks: Integrating Investigations (Grades K-5) http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/issue/ column.php? date=August2008&departmentid=professional& columnid=professional!literacy This article provides an overview of science notebooks and the book Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms by Michael Klentschy.

Using science notebooks can meet NCTE/ IRA Standards 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12.

Weather Stations: Teaching the Science and Technology Standard (Grades K-5) http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/issue/ column.php? date=June2008&departmentid=professional&colu mnid=professional!assessment This article from the Weather and Climate issue of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears provides resources that help teachers create classroom or school weather stations.

Creating a weather station can meet the Science as Inquiry, Earth and Space Science, and Science and Technology content standards of the National Science Education Standards.

To integrate literacy into activities with weather stations, try incorporating field journals or science notebooks: How Does My Garden Grow? Writing in Science Field Journals (Grades K-2) http://www.readwritethink.org/classroomresources/lesson-plans/does-garden-growwriting-846.html This lesson involves students in recording observations in a field journal. While the lesson intends for students to keep a journal about a class garden, similar journals could be used for other activities.

This lesson meets NCTE/IRA Standards 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12.

Science Notebooks: Integrating Investigations (Grades K-5) http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/issue/ column.php? date=August2008&departmentid=professional& columnid=professional!literacy This article provides an overview of science notebooks and the book Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms by Michael Klentschy.

Using science notebooks can meet NCTE/ IRA Standards 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12.

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Science & Literacy: Lessons Weather Scope (Grades 3-5) http://www.ciese.org/curriculum/weatherproj2/ en/guidelessons.shtml In this project, students observe and track weather in their hometown and two additional locations to learn about weather, factors influencing weather and climate, and weather forecasting.

This lesson meets the following content standards of the National Science Education Standards: Science as Inquiry, Earth and Space Science, and Science and Technology.

To further integrate literacy skills into this lesson, try: All About Our Town: Using Brochures to Teach Informational Writing (Grades 3-5) http://readwritethink.org/lessons/ lesson_view.asp?id=856 This lesson teaches students about informational writing through brochures. The lesson could be modified so that students create their own brochures about the weather and climate of an area they've been tracking.

This lesson meets NCTE/IRA Standards 4, 5, 7, 8, 12.

Creative Climates (Grades K-5) http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/ activities/08/climates.html This activity involves creating a climate map to illustrate the world's different climate zones.

Modifications and literacy integrations are provided for younger and older students.

This lesson meets the Earth and Space Science and the Science in Personal and Social Perspectives content standards of the National Science Education Standards.

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CLIMATE CHANGE Project Budburst (Grades K-5) http://www.neoninc.org/budburst/index.php In this citizen science project, students record and share observations of first leaves, flowers, or fruit of plants in their area. The web site includes a set of educator resources as well as the ability to browse results via a Google map. Analyzing data will help students understand how a changing climate affects plant life.

The activities involved in this project meet the Science as Inquiry and Life Science content standards of the National Science Education Standards.

Climate Connections: Making Sense of Seasonal Observations (Grades 4-5) http://www.learner.org/jnorth/pde/ This feature from Journey North asks students to think like scientists as they study Earth's changing climate and its impact on living things. Students might observe seasonal changes, analyze historic data from the Journey North program, explore weather and climate maps, and read about Earth's changing climate.

The activities in this feature may target a wide range of standards, including the Science as Inquiry content standard of the National Science Education Standards.

To integrate literacy into these activities, try field journals or science notebooks: How Does My Garden Grow? Writing in Science Field Journals (Grades K-2) http://www.readwritethink.org/classroomresources/lesson-plans/does-garden-growwriting-846.html This lesson involves students in recording observations in a field journal. While the lesson intends for students to keep a journal about a class garden, similar journals could be used for other project activities.

Science & Literacy: Lessons This lesson meets NCTE/IRA Standards 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12.

Science Notebooks: Integrating Investigations (Grades K-5) http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/issue/ column.php? date=August2008&departmentid=professional& columnid=professional!literacy This article provides an overview of science notebooks and the book Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms by Michael Klentschy.

Using science notebooks can meet NCTE/ IRA Standards 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12.

Modeling the Greenhouse Effect (Grades 3-5) http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu/k12/greenhouse %20-upele.htm In this lesson students will model the greenhouse effect and draw conclusions about global warming.

This lesson meets the Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Content Standard of the National Science Education Standards.

To integrate literacy skills into these lessons, try the following: Creating Question and Answer Books through Guided Research (Grades K-2, modify for Grades 3-5) http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/ lesson_view.asp?id=353 As students investigate a topic (the sun and its energy), they use nonfiction texts and the Internet to generate questions and gather information.

Students use KWL charts and interactive writing to organize their information. Periodic reviews of gathered information become the backdrop to ongoing inquiry, discussion, reporting, and confirming information. The lesson culminates with the publishing of a collaborative questionand-answer book, which reports on information about the chosen topic, with each student contributing one page to the book. While this

lesson appears in ReadWriteThink's K-2 grade band, it can be easily modified for use with upper-elementary students.

This lesson meets NCTE/IRA Standards 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12.

People Changing the Atmosphere (Grades 4-5) http://sln.fi.edu/tfi/activity/space/sp-1.html By keeping a "CO2 Journal," students establish the connection between human activity and global warming, while simultaneously discovering what they can do to reduce global warming.

This lesson meets the Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Content Standard of the National Science Education Standards.

To further integrate literacy skills into this lesson, try: Sing! Sing a Song! (Grades 3-5) http://climatechangenorth.ca/section-LP/ LP_02_I_BMS_singing.html After learning about climate change, students work in small groups to write, sing, and make a recording of a song.

This lesson meets NCTE/IRA Standards 4, 5, 6, 11, 12.

The View. Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey, Flickr.

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Science & Literacy: Lessons This lesson meets NCTE/IRA Standards 4, 5, 6, 11, 12.

Taking Action: Energy Efficiency at Home and at School (Grades K-5) http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/issue/ column.php? date=October2008&departmentid=curriculum&co lumnid=curriculum!activities This article from the Energy and the Polar Environment issue of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears discusses ways that students can participate in making their schools and homes more energy efficient.

These activities meet the Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Content Standard of the National Science Education Standards.

Teacher in classroom. Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.

GREEN ACTIVITIES (ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY) Be Energy Wise! (Grades K-2) http://www.climatechangenorth.ca/section-LP/ LP_34_P_S_energywise.html In this lesson students learn how electricity comes into their homes and what household appliances and devices use electricity. They create reminders and posters to help their families remember to turn off lights and reduce hot water use.

This lesson meets the Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Content Standard of the National Science Education Standards.

To further integrate literacy skills into this lesson, try: Teaching Audience Through Interactive Writing (Grades K-2) http://readwritethink.org/lessons/ lesson_view.asp?id=242 This lesson supports students in learning about audience through interactive writing.

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True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet (Grades 3-5) http://sciencenetlinks.org/lessons.php?

BenchmarkID=8&DocID=531 This is a three-day lesson linked to ideas in the award-winning, children's environmental science book True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet by Kim McCay and Jenny Bonnin (National Geographic, 2008). Students work in teams - Green Corps - to give recyclable items new uses. At the end, they create posters of their creations and display the posters on all sides of a large box - such as the kind that institutional lots of toilet paper rolls come in - to create the Green Corps Kiosk for prominent display in the class or school.

This lesson meets the Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Content Standard of the National Science Education Standards.

Off The Bookshelf Weather and Climate: From Home to the Poles: Virtual Bookshelf

By Kate Hastings and Jessica Fries-Gaither

What's the difference between weather and climate? How do scientists observe, measure, and predict weather phenomena?

How is Earth's climate changing, and why? This month's bookshelf will help students develop a solid grasp of weather-related concepts. It will also introduce students to global warming and climate change and inspire them to do what they can to combat the problem.

Many of the books listed below can be used in conjunction with the lessons in our article, HandsOn Science and Literacy Lessons about Weather and Climate. Find this at http:// beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/issue/ column.php? date=June2010&departmentid= curriculum&columnid=curriculum !bookshelf.

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

What Will the Weather Be? Lynda DeWitt. 1991.

Nonfiction book.

Recommended ages: Grades K-3.

With informative text and colorful pictures, this book explains the science of meteorology, warm and cold fronts, weather instruments, and the difficulties of predicting the weather.

What's the Weather? Melissa Stewart. 2005. Nonfiction book. Recommended ages: Grades 2-5.

Bright photographs and simple concepts urge children to explore weather through observation.

Climates. Theresa Jarosz Alberti. 2005. Nonfiction book. Recommended ages: Grades 2-5.

This book showcases Earth's diverse climates and will help children compare and contrast polar and boreal climates with those in tropical, subtropical, temperate, mountain and desert climates.

Hands-On Projects About Weather and Climate. Krista West. 2002. Nonfiction book.

Recommended ages: Grades 2-5.

Students can learn about weather by creating simple barometers, anemometers, and rain gauges. Directions for activities are supported with photographs budding scientists will learn much from this handson approach.

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Off The Bookshelf WEATHER AND CLIMATE (CONTINUED) Climate Maps. Ian F. Mahaney. 2007. Nonfiction book. Recommended ages: Grades 3-5.

Maps aren't just for representing cities, countries and landforms!

Maps can also show us where average temperature and rainfall create distinct climates.

Students will learn map terminology and how climate maps can be useful for both farmers and scientists. This book is a perfect complement to the lesson Creative Climates from the National Geographic Xpeditions web site: http:// www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activities/ 08/climates.html.

Earth’s Weather and Climate.

Jim Pipe. 2008. Nonfiction.

Grades 4-5.

Full-color pictures, maps, diagrams, and simple experiments help upperelementary students develop an understanding of the world’s weather, everyday weather, extreme weather, and weather watchers. Small font size and multiple features per page make this book best suited for use with individuals or small groups.

CLIMATE CHANGE Why Are the Ice Caps Melting? The Dangers of Global Warming. Anne Rockwell. 2006. Nonfiction.

Grades 2-5.

This book explains the science behind global warming and provides local examples to help students understand this complex subject. While the book emphasizes the serious nature of global warming, it also focuses on simple actions students can do to promote change.

Global Warming. Angela Royston. 2008. Nonfiction.

Grades 3-4.

Short text passages, a large font size, and simple explanations make this book ideal for use with elementary students. In addition to a basic summary of global warming, the book includes

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information on renewable energy sources (solar, wind, and water power) as well as low-carbon transportation, homes, and living.

Climate Change. Helen Orme.

2008. Nonfiction. Grades 3-5.

What is climate change? How is the climate changing? And why?

This book provides an introduction to the basics of climate change.

Most notable are sections called "Just the Facts" and "How to Help," which provide concise suggestions for student involvement, such as recycling, reducing the amount of electricity used, and conducting "energy audits" at school and home.

Off The Bookshelf CLIMATE CHANGE (CONTINUED) A Kid's Guide to Global Warming. Glenn Murphy.

2008. Nonfiction. Grades 3-5.

Students will be engaged by this book's full-color photographs, short, informational text, and compelling subject matter. This book is organized like an encyclopedia, answering the questions: What is global warming? What does it mean for us? What are we doing? and What can you do?

This book is suitable for inclusion at a learning center or for studying the headings and structure of informational text.

Climate Change. Corona Brezina. 2008. Nonfiction.

Grades 4-5.

This compact resource explains the difference between weather and climate and how climates change over time. Topics include ice cores, greenhouse gases, and the effects of warming on

the planet. Dense, expository text makes this most suitable for advanced students needing greater challenge and individual reading.

Climate Change. Cheryl Jakab. 2007. Nonfiction.

Grades 5 and up.

This book presents five of the most urgent climate changerelated issues around the world (melting ice, rising sea levels, record temperatures, increased and stronger hurricanes, and increased greenhouse gases) in a case study format. Each issue includes information about understanding, minimizing, and adapting to the problems caused by these issues. This book could serve as the basis for a jigsaw-style lesson, in which small groups become "experts" on one of the issues and teach the rest of the class.

PENGUINS AND POLAR BEARS

Penguins. Valerie Bodden.

2010. Nonfiction. Grades K-2.

In 24 pages, the author covers the appearance, behaviors, and habitats of penguins. Full-page (12 x 10) photographs face a page of two to five sentences in a large font, plus a photo caption. Boldface words are defined on the page. The book ends with a story from South America about the origin of emperor penguins.

Index, further reading, and suggested web sites included.

Polar Bears. Valerie Bodden.

2010. Nonfiction. Grades K-2.

From the Amazing Animals Series, this book offers the beginning reader full-page, upclose photographs with brief captions, a half-dozen or less sentences per page in large font, and boldfaced words defined where they appear. The simple text gives facts about the bear's appearance, traits, and habitat. A Native American story tells why the bear's tail is short.

Index, suggested web sites and further reading included.

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Abo u t U s Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears is an online professional development magazine for elementary teachers. It prepares teachers to integrate high-quality science instruction with literacy teaching. The magazine is available for free at http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org.

Twenty thematic issues link polar science concepts to the scope and sequence of elementary science curricula. The result is a resource that includes issues devoted to day and night, seasons, plants and mammals, erosion, and other physical, earth and space, and life science concepts. Some issues are also interdisciplinary, focusing on polar explorers, the indigenous people of the Arctic, and the challenges of doing science in the polar regions. To browse the complete archive of issues, visit http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/archive.php.

Other project features include a companion blog (http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/polar) about polar news and research, a polar photo gallery (http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/photogallery/index.php) and a podcast series (http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/podcast/index.php).

Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears is funded by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0733024 and is produced by an interdisciplinary team from Ohio State University (OSU), College of Education and Human Ecology; the Ohio Resource Center (ORC) for Mathematics, Science, and Reading; the Byrd Polar Research Center; COSI (Center for Science and Industry) Columbus; the Upper Arlington Public Library (UAPL); and the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) Core Integration team at Cornell University and University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR).

Copyright November 2010. Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears is produced by an interdisciplinary team from Ohio State University (OSU), College of Education and Human Ecology; the Ohio Resource Center (ORC) for Mathematics, Science, and Reading; the Byrd Polar Research Center; COSI (Center for Science and Industry) Columbus; the Upper Arlington Public Library (UAPL); and the National Science Digital Library (NSDL). This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0733024. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Content in this document is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Printed version layout and design by Margaux Baldridge, Office of Technology and Enhanced Learning, College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University. For more information email: beyondpenguins@msteacher.org.