Paleoclimate Reconstruction Lab

Paleoclimate Reconstruction Lab
http://www.ei.lehigh.edu/eli/cc/sequence/day13.html

Environmental Literacy and Inquiry Working Group at Lehigh University

In this activity, students reconstruct past climates using lake varves as a proxy to interpret long-term climate patterns. Students use data from sediment cores to understand annual sediment deposition and how it relates to weather and climate patterns.

Activity takes one to two lesson periods.

Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»

See how this Activity supports the Next Generation Science Standards»

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Middle School

Performance Expectations: 1

MS-ESS2-2: Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 1

MS-ESS1.C1: The geologic time scale interpreted from rock strata provides a way to organize Earth’s history. Analyses of rock strata and the fossil record provide only relative dates, not an absolute scale.

Cross Cutting Concepts: 5

Stability and Change, Patterns, Cause and effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity

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Stability and Change, Patterns, Cause and effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity

MS-C1.2: Patterns in rates of change and other numerical relationships can provide information about natural and human designed systems

MS-C1.4: Graphs, charts, and images can be used to identify patterns in data.

MS-C2.2: Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems.

MS-C3.2: The observed function of natural and designed systems may change with scale.

MS-C7.1: Explanations of stability and change in natural or designed systems can be constructed by examining the changes over time and forces at different scales, including the atomic scale.

Science and Engineering Practices: 6

Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions, Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information, Asking Questions and Defining Problems

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MS-P1.1: Ask questions that arise from careful observation of phenomena, models, or unexpected results, to clarify and/or seek additional information.

MS-P4.1: Construct, analyze, and/or interpret graphical displays of data and/or large data sets to identify linear and nonlinear relationships.

MS-P4.2: Use graphical displays (e.g., maps, charts, graphs, and/or tables) of large data sets to identify temporal and spatial relationships.

MS-P5.1: Use digital tools (e.g., computers) to analyze very large data sets for patterns and trends.

MS-P6.3: Construct a scientific explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from sources (including the students’ own experiments) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

MS-P8.4: Evaluate data, hypotheses, and/or conclusions in scientific and technical texts in light of competing information or accounts.

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High School

Performance Expectations: 1

HS-ESS2-2: Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth's surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 1

HS-ESS2.A3: The geological record shows that changes to global and regional climate can be caused by interactions among changes in the sun’s energy output or Earth’s orbit, tectonic events, ocean circulation, volcanic activity, glaciers, vegetation, and human activities. These changes can occur on a variety of time scales from sudden (e.g., volcanic ash clouds) to intermediate (ice ages) to very long-term tectonic cycles.

Cross Cutting Concepts: 4

Patterns, Cause and effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity, Stability and Change

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Patterns, Cause and effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity, Stability and Change

HS-C1.1: Different patterns may be observed at each of the scales at which a system is studied and can provide evidence for causality in explanations of phenomena

HS-C2.2: Cause and effect relationships can be suggested and predicted for complex natural and human designed systems by examining what is known about smaller scale mechanisms within the system.

HS-C3.3: Patterns observable at one scale may not be observable or exist at other scales.

HS-C7.2: Change and rates of change can be quantified and modeled over very short or very long periods of time. Some system changes are irreversible.

Science and Engineering Practices: 5

Asking Questions and Defining Problems, Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions, Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

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Asking Questions and Defining Problems, Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions, Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

HS-P1.1: Ask questions that arise from careful observation of phenomena, or unexpected results, to clarify and/or seek additional information.

HS-P4.1: Analyze data using tools, technologies, and/or models (e.g., computational, mathematical) in order to make valid and reliable scientific claims or determine an optimal design solution.

HS-P4.4: Compare and contrast various types of data sets (e.g., self-generated, archival) to examine consistency of measurements and observations.

HS-P6.2: Construct and revise an explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources (including students’ own investigations, models, theories, simulations, peer review) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

HS-P8.2: Compare, integrate and evaluate sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a scientific question or solve a problem.

Climate Literacy

This Activity builds on the following concepts of Climate Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines

1. Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills:C) Collecting information
Other materials addressing:
C) Collecting information.

2. Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems:2.1 The Earth as a Physical System:A) Processes that shape the Earth
Other materials addressing:
A) Processes that shape the Earth.

Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials
Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy | Technical Details

Teaching Tips

Instructors may want to do the lab exercise before showing the PowerPoint.
Access to the assessment can easily requested via an email from the developers.

About the Content

Students are introduced to examples of paleoclimate proxies.
Students use data from lake sediment cores to understand seasonal climate changes and environmental conditions.
Students learn about varves, which are seasonal layers in lake sediments.
Students use scientific data, and teacher notes contain the relevant diagrams of ice extent; however, the actual data source is not cited.
Comments from expert scientist: Activity is based on real data and involves measuring and graphing, which are important skills students need.

About the Pedagogy

The activity uses PowerPoint slides, handouts, and supplemental reading documents.
Educators can use this lesson to help students learn how scientists use proxies to interpret past climate.
PowerPoint file gives a great overview with lots of images on varve chronology.
Good background materials for teachers.
Student handouts are complete and available in pdf and Word format, which allows a teacher to tweak them to the needs of each class.

This resource engages students in using scientific data.
See other data-rich activities

Technical Details/Ease of Use

The supporting materials for educators provided within this lesson facilitate use in any middle school classroom.

Related URLs These related sites were noted by our reviewers but have not been reviewed by CLEAN

The varve data is the work of Jack Ridge, out of Tufts University, Massachusetts. The original publication can be found by searching for Ridge et al., 2012, "The New North American Varve Chronology", The American Journal of Science. Additional information about this varve series (and general information about glacial varves) can be found on the following website: https://eos.tufts.edu/varves/default.asp

Entered the Collection: October 2012 Last Reviewed: April 2016

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Middle School (see details)

Middle School

Performance Expectations: 1

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 1

Cross Cutting Concepts: 5

Science and Engineering Practices: 6

High School (see details)

High School

Performance Expectations: 1

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 1

Cross Cutting Concepts: 4

Science and Engineering Practices: 5

Grade Level

Regional Focus

Topics

Climate Literacy

Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines

Teaching Tips

About the Content

About the Pedagogy

Technical Details/Ease of Use

Related URLs These related sites were noted by our reviewers but have not been reviewed by CLEAN

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