Polar Ice Caps Melting - Week #3

A. What happens if the polar ice caps melt?

At this time, I don't feel there will be significant wide spread globle flooding. I do think there will be some coastal areas of our world that will be impacted, but I feel the impact will be from coastal storms, not the immediate flooding concerns (example, hurricanes or tsunami). Those experiences seem to create the most damaging concerns due to storm surges that bring ocean water levels above coast lines, and create signifcant damage to coastal areas and cities.

I feel that the southern part of the world will be more impacted than the northern part, due to the size, amount, and thickness of the ice at the South Pole Ice Cap in comparison to the North Pole Ice Cap.

I am interested to address this question with my class, as we are embarked in a weather and water unit at this time, and this would be a great tie-in conversation about water, density, temperature, evaporation, and condensation.


B. What other questions do you have about this Science Inquiry Experience?

1. How soon, or when would a place like Greenland be concerned about melting ice caps and what kind of impact would it have?
2. Just how far would the water level rise in the oceans?
3. Just how long will it take for these ice caps to melt?
4. What effect does evaporation and condensation have on these ice caps? (being that we are learning about these concepts in class)

Week #2 - Reflection

Part of the application process this week was to create a lesson plan that used the 5 E's Strategy. I used a lesson for an eight grade classroom that is a part of our "Weather and Water" Unit, and it was entitled "Density of Fluids".

 

Using the 5 E's strategy was some what familar, as in past lessons I have created for my working portfolio I have used these strategies to help me come up with types of questions that would engage students in the learning process.

 

There are some differences I encountered this week, as the amount of time to develop this lesson took a great deal longer for me to work through in comparison to other lessons I have created. Normally, I don't have the time nor spend the time concentrating on the five different parts of the strategies. My planning time for each class is nill, and to look through all the 5 E's, is a very difficult challenge to encounter for each lesson. I hope to hit parts of each of those throughout each lesson, but to find time to commit planning for each is a definite struggle right now.

 

I don't feel there were any changes that need to be made at this time to the lesson.