SKU: GWLEN

The Leader's Guide includes background information for each activity, suggested teaching strategies, a list of materials needed for each activity, and suggested questions to deepen youths' investigations. No prior science knowledge is necessary to successfully use the AXIS curriculum.

In this unit, youth learn about what global warming is, what are the effects of climate change around the world, and what are some actions they can take to reduce their carbon footprint.

In the first part of the unit, youth explore the thickness of the atmosphere, what air is made of and how clouds are formed. They investigate how the greenhouse effect works, and discover that the process is essential to our life on Earth.

In the second part of the unit, youth learn about the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, and investigate where one of these gases, carbon dioxide, comes from. They use the Greenhouse Gas Cards to identify the main sources of greenhouse gases, learn about natural carbon sinks, and calculate how much greenhouse gas is added to the atmosphere each year. They make a visual display of the amount of carbon dioxide produced by burning one gallon of gasoline.

The third part of the unit focuses on the effects of global warming and actions that youth can take to limit their family´s carbon emissions. Youth explore the effects of climate change on people, animals and the environment around the globe, compute their carbon footprint, and decide what they can do to reduce it. The unit ends with explorations of two alternatives to burning fossil fuels – wind turbines and solar energy. Youth prepare a cup of hot chocolate using only solar power.