Student Worksheet

Thought-Starter: What do we know about climate in the past and climate in the future?

Watch this clip about the history of climate change - what is the future for our climate?

A Brief History of Climate Changes https://vimeo.com/39772292

Group 1. Instructions for investigating changes to climate throughout the Earth's history

You will be looking at how the climate has changed throughout the course of the Earth's history until present day. This will include changes caused by natural events such as volcanic eruptions and naturally occurring increase in greenhouse gas emissions. It will also include more recent changes such as those that have occurred since the Industrial Revolution.

Record any information you find regarding significant changes in climate using the questions below to guide your research. The information you collect will be inserted into a timeline (constructed by Group 3) that will be displayed on the walls of the classroom.

You will also be providing Group 3 with terminology relating to your research for the class glossary.

Guiding questions:

When were the major climate events in the history of Earth? What were conditions like during these events?
What impact did these events have on other life on Earth?
How did these impacts affect Australia? How did they affect the globe?
How do we know these events occurred? What scientific tools and research are used to investigate these events?
Pick two major historical climatic events (such as an ice age) and explain these events pictorially.

Group 2. Instructions for investigating predicted changes to climate in the future

You will be looking at how climate scientists believe the climate will change over the next 100-200 years. As it is impossible to predict naturally occurring changes to climate such as volcanic eruptions you will be focusing on changes caused by rising greenhouse gases attributed to human activity.

Record any information you find regarding predicted changes in climate using the questions below to guide your research. The information you collect will be inserted into a timeline (constructed by Group 3) that will be displayed on the walls of the classroom.

You will also be providing Group 3 with terminology relating to your research for the class glossary.

Guiding questions:

How is the climate changing? What is the future climate predicted to be like in Australia and b). one other country of your choosing?
How are future climate changes predicted to affect life on Earth?
How do we know these changes might occur? What scientific tools and research are being used to investigate these changes?
Create two pictures showing what the climate will be like in Australia by 2100 under two different climate scenarios.

Group 3. Instructions for the group creating the timeline and the glossary:

You will be in charge of designing and creating the timeline of climate change. The timeline should be big enough to accommodate changes in the Earth's climate throughout the history of the Earth as well as predicted future changes for the next 100 to 200 years. The timeline should be marked with significant biological and geological events in the Earth's history (such as Triassic Period or the glaciation of Gondwanaland). You should also include dates on your timeline.

Once your timeline is complete you will help the other groups insert their information into the timeline.

You will also be collecting terminology relating to the research of Groups 1 and 2. You should collect important terms and words and create a glossary for the class to use, creating definitions for the terms and words that you collect. Think about how you present your glossary (i.e. as a poster or as part of your existing classroom glossary). In addition to the terms and words that Groups 1 and 2 provide you, your glossary should include the following concepts: