OpenSciEd 7.6, Lesson 10: What is happening in the world to cause the sharp rise in CO2?
Task
Use this Data Task during OpenSciEd Unit 7.6, Lesson 10: What Is Happening in the World to Cause the Sharp Rise in CO₂? Tuva has digitized the paper graphs and tables utilized in Parts 3 and 4 to provide opportunities for students to deepen their ability to process and analyze data. This Data Task is not a standalone lesson. Use it in tandem with the OpenSciEd Teacher Edition to guide overall instruction and collaborative sensemaking. How This Data Task Fits into the Storyline? In the previous lesson, students analyzed ice core data. They discovered that while atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have naturally fluctuated over Earth's history, the recent increase has been more steep and extreme than past fluctuations. In this lesson, students analyze data about and identify relationships among historical patterns in energy consumption, human population growth, and atmospheric CO₂ levels. When to Use This Data Task Complete Parts 1–2 before logging into Tuva. (Use pages 8–9 of the OpenSciEd Teacher Edition.) Have students open this Tuva Data Task during Part 3, Examining Data and Information About New Energy Sources. They will get acquainted with the dataset about energy sources, pause to read Powering Our World, then annotate the graph with connections between the reading and the graph. (Part 3 occurs during Steps 1–2 in Tuva.) Continue to use Tuva during the first half of Part 4, Connecting Energy Use, Population, and Per-Capita Consumption. The Teacher Edition directs you to have students pull up the Tuva dataset separately and then jot down noticings in their notebooks. Instead, students will explore the dataset here and answer a few associated questions in preparation for a class discussion. What Comes Next The latter half of Part 4 will be completed outside of Tuva. Have students use their visualizations during the class discussions about whether the rise in fossil fuel use and human population is related to the sharp increase in atmospheric CO₂. (Use page 13 of the Teacher Guide for facilitation tips.) Following the class discussion, wrap up Part 4 with an introduction of per-capita consumption as directed on pages 13-14 of the Teacher Guide. All of Day 2 will occur outside of Tuva.
In the previous part of this lesson, you examined data from ice cores. You discovered that atmospheric CO₂ levels have changed over time. You also noticed that today's CO₂ levels are much higher than they have been for hundreds of thousands of years. You wondered what caused this sharp increase. Today, you will look at data about how people have powered their homes, transportation, and communities over the last 200 years. You will explore how energy use, population growth, and atmospheric $$CO_2$$ levels have changed over time. You will look for patterns that might help explain the rise in $$CO_2$$. Click Next to get started!
Topics and standards: Earth Science, MS-ESS3-3, MS-ESS3-5, MS-ESS3-4, Grade 7, MS-ESS3-1, OpenSciEd, 3.3.6-8.O, 3.3.6-8.K, 3.3.6-8.M, 3.3.6-8.N