Melting Polar Ice Caps

Global warming and the melting of the polar ice caps has been a hot topic for everyone including environmentalists and politicians. With the global annual rising temperatures it seems the possibility of most of the polar ice caps melting is possible in the future.  Furthermore, this situation will have dramatic effects on the Earth as a whole.

The most significant changes would take place low-lying areas where flooding would occur.  While flooding is often debated it will in fact take place if the polar ice caps melted.  It is true that the North Pole would not cause flooding because this ice is floating in water.  Therefore, this ice melting would not increase ocean levels.   Where there is room for concern is in Antarctica and other land masses with significant ice coverage where the ice is not already contributing to ocean level.  If this were all to melt it would run off into the oceans and dramatically change the sea level.

Rising sea levels would have a huge impact on ecosystems.  First of all the salinity levels in the oceans could change and lead to loss of marine life.  Depending on the high amount of change this could wipe out many species including those that are key stone species in food chains thus affecting fishing industries and human life.  Also there would be a substantial amount of habitat loss in the Arctic and areas at low elevations. Many low lying countries, like island chains, could be completely under water.

Human life would be affected by the ice caps melting.  Depending on the severity of flooding and other changes there may not be a viable food source for the planet. This can be taken into account by the loss of marine life and farmland.

As far as our science experiment is concerned I wonder if there would be some way to implement the factor of ice melting that is on land and not floating in the sea.  Some additional questions I might consider are as follows:

• Is there a way to incorporate salinity testing / salinity changes into this experiment?
• What reading material could I use to engage students prior to beginning the experiment?
• What could be added to this experiment to induce further learning, analyzing or creating like the top tier of Blooms Taxonomy?

STEM Lesson for Diverse Learners - "Run and Write"

My STEM lesson that I created focuses around the functions of the body systems.  Body systems are a major part of my Georgia’s 7^th grade curriculum.  The lesson begins with activating prior knowledge by a short group activity.  In the activity, students will work in small groups to match each of the body systems with the riddle that tells its function.  Next, students will be asked, “What body systems are used while a person is running?”  To begin the lesson, students will run in place for 1 minute in the classroom.  Then, with their group, students will brainstorm a list of each of the body systems used while running and how each body system played a part.  After brainstorming, students will write a 1 paragraph response to differentiated prompt. To explore the topic, I will then show students a video about an Olympic Track Star that goes through how his body systems work together to allow him to perform.  At the conclusion of the lesson, we will have a brief class discussion, going back to our original question.  Student paragraphs will be graded so that I can evaluate learning.

This lesson was created with The Five E’s Planning Strategy, which is not something that is new to me.  I have always tried to use these strategies in my lesson creation.  I have found that breaking down instruction into parts similar to the Five E’s or Blooms Taxonomy has benefited my students in ensuring that they not only learn but can also use the knowledge gained in the lesson.   This is usually easy for me because I have class structure that starts with a warm up (my activating or engaging strategy) and follows with instruction, application, and finally a wrap up discussion where students can express their thoughts on what they learned.  This helps not only the students but also me as a teacher because I can gauge their progress quickly and adjust future lessons when necessary.

I plan to implement this lesson this week in my classroom.  We have just finished learning each of the functions of the body systems, so this will fit into expanding on that knowledge by examining how the systems work together to allow movement.  I have a very active and kinesthetic group of students this year, and I think that they will be very excited about this lesson in that they will get to run!  Space may be an obstacle that I encounter, but I plan to move desks to make room for students to move around.  I understand that other teachers may encounter practical issues with having their students run in the classroom.  For example, the lesson may need to be altered or differentiated for students with disabilities.  However, I know that my students this year are always eager to participate in hands on kinesthetic activities and are very engaged during such lessons.  Just getting out of their seats seems to be a treat for them!

Welcome to my blog!/ About Me

I LOVE teaching science.  As a student myself, science was always my favorite
subject.  It relates so much to everyday life.

I am originally from Baton Rouge, LA (GEAUX Tigers!).  My family moved to
Georgia when I was in elementary school and we've been here ever since. I
went to college at Kennesaw State University where I got a B.S. in Biology. 
I then went to North Georgia College and State Univ. where I received my
teaching certification in High School and Middle School Science and Math. I
am currently working on my Master's Degree at Walden University.  I
am married and have two cats. I love to read, travel, go hiking, and play
games. This year is my 3rd year at Trickum Middle School and 3rd year teaching.