In this lesson, students will brainstorm and test solutions to keep a garden from flooding.
Students will learn about the difference between weather and climate, discuss the impacts of climate change on a garden, and evaluate their solutions to garden flooding with hands-on testing.
Students will love getting their hands dirty and working outside.
The inquiry-based nature of this lesson is a great way for students to stay engaged and will make them more likely to retain the information they learn.
Prerequisites
Teachers may want to send a note to parents in advance, asking them to dress their students in clothes that are okay to get dirty.
It may benefit students to have a basic understanding of weather and climate.
Differentiation & Implementation
If students are still confused about the difference between weather and climate, teachers may want to use the lesson Climate vs. Weather for additional instruction.
After this lesson, teachers can cover some of the other topics discussed in the introduction, like droughts, invasive species, and the impact of higher temperatures on growing seasons.
If teachers do not have the ability to take the students outside and work in a garden or piece of land, students may be able to make small models to test their solutions inside the classroom.
Scientist Notes
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Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
Paleontological Research Institution
Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) is a national leader in Earth systems science education. They strive to help make sense of the present and potential future climate change, while also increasing understanding of global change in Earth’s past. Their programs focus on systems thinking, understanding scale and learning in your own backyard.
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