This video, along with a background essay, focuses on impacts of climate change on the lives of Native Alaskans around Barrow, Alaska. Specific changes include the timing of the changes in the formation and breakout of sea ice and the impacts on subsistence living.
Video length: 4:33 min.
Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»
Middle School
Disciplinary Core Ideas: 2
MS-ESS2.D1: Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things. These interactions vary with latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography, all of which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns.
MS-ESS3.D1: Human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global warming). Reducing the level of climate change and reducing human vulnerability to whatever climate changes do occur depend on the understanding of climate science, engineering capabilities, and other kinds of knowledge, such as understanding of human behavior and on applying that knowledge wisely in decisions and activities.
High School
Disciplinary Core Ideas: 4
HS-ESS2.D1: The foundation for Earth’s global climate systems is the electromagnetic radiation from the sun, as well as its reflection, absorption, storage, and redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and land systems, and this energy’s re-radiation into space.
HS-ESS2.D3: Changes in the atmosphere due to human activity have increased carbon dioxide concentrations and thus affect climate.
HS-ESS2.E1: The many dynamic and delicate feedbacks between the biosphere and other Earth systems cause a continual co-evolution of Earth’s surface and the life that exists on it.
HS-ESS3.D1: Though the magnitudes of human impacts are greater than they have ever been, so too are human abilities to model, predict, and manage current and future impacts.
Grade Level
Regional Focus
Climate Literacy
This Video builds on the following concepts of Climate Literacy.
Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.
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
- The video can be embedded in a variety of curriculum units.
About the Content
- This includes an interesting synthesis of scientific and native understanding of the changes in the Arctic.
- The timing of the changes mentioned in the video is stated as of 2007. The timing of the seasonal patterns, such as the seasonal melting and refreezing of sea ice in the Arctic, continue to change in the Arctic.
- See updated sea ice data and information here: http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/
- Comments from expert scientist: This is a very short video clip about the effects of Arctic Climate Change as observed by the Iñupiaq people living in Barrow, Alaska. It is a good introduction into the topic of how climate change may and already does affect humans. The resource would benefit from quantitative data of sea temperatures or sea-ice changes.
About the Pedagogy
- The background essay and discussion questions allow for the enrichment and assessment of student understanding.
Technical Details/Ease of Use
- The video is easy to watch online or downloaded.
See how this Video supports the Next Generation Science Standards»
