The Impact of Climate on Living Organisms
Climate and Weather Review
Warm-up: Show students a quick video to review the topic of climate and weather.
Note: This video becomes pixilated when enlarged. It would be best to assign to students through Google classroom instead of projecting.
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/climate-weather-sci
National Geographic
This video discusses the differences between climate and weather by defining and presenting examples of each. When presenting examples of weather, the video focuses on severe events and how meteorologists predict and study the weather using measurement, satellites, and radar. The climate focus is primarily on an overview of climate zones.
Video length: 3:22 min.
Assessment: Give students examples of climate and weather, and formatively assess their ability to differentiate with a pop quiz, class discussion, or clicker question. Some question examples are below.
- Deserts receive less than 10 cm of rain per year. Climate or weather?
- A hurricane devastated the Bahamas this fall. Climate or weather?
- A lightning bolt from a thunderstorm ignites a forest fire. Climate or weather?
- The polar ice caps were smaller than average this year because of increasing temperatures. Climate or weather?
Background Information and Discussions
- Climate is the average weather conditions over a long period of time. There are six major climate zones across the globe. Climate is a factor in natural selection. Only organisms with the adaptations necessary to survive the local climate will live in that environment. Discuss the climate in several major biomes and brainstorm with a partner the adaptations that would be necessary for organisms living in that region. Make sure to include at least three different biomes and three different types of living things (not just animals!) Be sure that students write down their thoughts for this section as they will refer back to it. A think-pair-share document or something similar is an easy way to facilitate discussions between students and help them organize their thoughts.
- Weather is the day-to-day conditions of the Earth's atmosphere. Severe weather events can disrupt and even kill the local flora and fauna. Weather forecasts allow humans to prepare for and survive severe weather events. Discuss the impact of weather on evolution via natural selection. Which has more impact - weather or climate? While weather can kill organisms or change the topography of the land, climate typically has a bigger impact on selection because of its longer and more consistent effect. If time, discuss how organisms such as animals respond to extreme weather events.
- Meteorologists and scientists use advanced tools to research the atmosphere and monitor changes in climate. These tools include computer models, radar, and satellites. Discuss how a change in climate might impact the living organisms in a biome.
Climate Change Introduction
Show students a quick video to learn about climate change, what causes it, and how it can be studied.
National Geographic
This video discusses climate change and the causes. It presents data about climate change and discusses how scientist monitor climate change.
Video length: 2:49 min.
Follow Up Activity
Students can complete the following individually or in pairs. Each student or group will select a biome of their choice and research the impact of climate change on that biome. They will present their findings in a written paper, a presentation, a short video, a website, or in any other way that the teacher prefers. The following questions must be answered in their report.
- What is the typical climate for your biome?
- What adaptations do living things possess to survive in your biome? (Include at least three living examples: one animal, one plant, and one non-plant/non-animal)
- How has the climate of your biome changed in recent years?
- Are these changes causing any problems in your biome? If so, what?
- What can humans do to help protect your biome?
References
Remixed from the following activity
Harris, Emily. "Climate and Weather". OER Commons. Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education, 25 Nov. 2019. Web. 29 Nov. 2019. <https://goopenva.org/authoring/290-climate-and-weather>.