Week Four: Deforestation
Global Climate Change
Weeks 4, 5, and 6 make up a three-week cycle on deforestation. Currently, you are in the Sphere Study week of the cycle.

This week you will become “experts” in the relationship of individual spheres to deforestation. You will need to study the resources listed under Readings discuss your key ideas in the Classroom Sphere Study Space, then submit your team’s work for a grade.

Go to Group and Team Formation to find out which sphere you are studying during this module.

Read scenario about deforestation in Brazil.

Assignments:

First, submit your individual questions, theories, and prior knowledge about this event and Earth Systems Science to your Portfolio in the Classroom.

Submit to the Portfolio in the Classroom your team's most accurate analysis of the Sphere - Event interactions with reasoning and support.

Suggested Activities for Your Students
Readings
Web Sites
Featured Data Connection
Opportunity for teachers to Publish

Suggested Activities for Your Students

Time and Cycles "Logs of Straws: Dendrochronology"
(http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/teachers/globalchange_time.htm) Use tree rings to study recent climate changes.

Change and Cycles Lesson "Where Land, Air, and Water Meet" USGS. (http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/teachers/globalchange_change_lesson.htm) Develop an understanding of the contents of the atmosphere.

Exploring The Environment Loss of Habitat and Biodiversity.   (http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/troppois/troppois.html )

You will want to locate other resources locally and on the Internet to supplement these. Post the resources you find in Resource Space in the Classroom.

Readings

NASA Fact Sheet.   Tropical Deforestation.   http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/ftp_docs/Deforestation.pdf

Earth Observatory:Tropical Deforestation http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Deforestation/

Landcover Changes May Rival Green house Gases as Cause of Climate Change .   http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/20020926landcover.html

The Choice: Dooms Day or Arbor Day?   http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/deforestation.htm

Web Sites

Mayer and Fortner: Earth Systems Education Framework: Understanding #7 about careers that involve the study of Earth.

Landcover changes may rival greenhouse gases as cause of climate change. http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/20020926landcover.html

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 2001. IPCC Third Assessment Report - Climate Change 2001 .    http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/

NASA data shows deforestation affects climate in the Amazon..   http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2004/0603amazondry.html

Featured Data Connection

MY NASA DATA is an effort to develop microsets of Earth science data that are interesting and useful for, K-12 education. The datasets can be used with existing curriculum and enable students to practice math skills using real measurements of Earth system variables and processes.

MY NASA DATA microsets are created using data from NASA Earth science satellite missions and provide information on the atmosphere, ocean and land surface. Data is easily-accessible online along with lesson plans, computer tools and an Earth science glossary. You can link to the MY NASA DATA Live Access Server (LAS) where you can select items (microsets of data) from the menu (list of datasets) using descriptions (parameters and time frames) of the items.

The LAS software allows access to scientific data referenced by latitude, longitude, and time. This is referred to as geo-referenced data. LAS can:

• show visualizations (color plots and graphs) of the data as requested
• provide subsets of the specific parameters in a choice of file formats   (e.g., as an excel file)
• present the numerical data collected

Opportunity for teachers to publish - Have you developed an original lesson plan using MY NASA DATA that worked well in your classroom? Please submit these lessons for review and possible publication on the MY NASA DATA website. Submit your original lessons to: essea@strategies.org .   Be sure to include your name, email and phone number.

Following is a suggested template for lesson plans using MY NASA DATA:

Week by Week ...Week One ...Week Two ...Week Three ...
Week Four ...Week Five ...Week Six ...Week Seven ...Week Eight ...
Week Nine ...Week Ten ...Week Eleven ...Week Twelve ...
Week Thirteen ...Week Fourteen ...Week Fifteen ...Week Sixteen ...

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