LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Florida freezes

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/sci_update.cfm?DocID=201

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

About this resource

Appropriate grades
8
Subjects
science (environmental science), thinking skills (information literacy)
Provider
American Association for the Advancement of Science

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Creative Commons License

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In this Science Update, students explore how turning wetlands into cropland has negatively affected the ecosystems within Florida. One scientist at Colorado State University models a freeze event on a computer and demonstrates how these freezes have begun to last for a longer period of time over the last century, which is changing the nature of the environment. Science NetLinks provides a link to the audio file, a written transcript, and questions that engage students in a discussion about how human consumption and the demands of industry affect the environment. This lesson also contains a link to the Environmental Protection Agency page on wetlands.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Science (2005)

Grade 8

  • Goal 1: The learner will design and conduct investigations to demonstrate an understanding of scientific inquiry.
    • Objective 1.01: Identify and create questions and hypotheses that can be answered through scientific investigations.
    • Objective 1.05: Analyze evidence to:
      • explain observations.
      • make inferences and predictions.
      • develop the relationship between evidence and explanation.
    • Objective 1.08: Use oral and written language to:
      • Communicate findings.
      • Defend conclusions of scientific investigations.
      • Describe strengths and weaknesses of claims, arguments, and/or data.
    • Objective 1.09: Use technologies and information systems to:
      • Research.
      • Gather and analyze data.
      • Visualize data.
      • Disseminate findings to others.
    • Objective 1.10: Analyze and evaluate information from a scientifically literate viewpoint by reading, hearing, and/or viewing:
      • Scientific text.
      • Articles.
      • Events in the popular press.
  • Goal 3: The learner will conduct investigations and utilize appropriate technologies and information systems to build an understanding of the hydrosphere.
    • Objective 3.03: Evaluate evidence that Earth's oceans are a reservoir of nutrients, minerals, dissolved gases, and life forms:
      • Estuaries.
      • Marine ecosystems.
      • Upwelling.
      • Behavior of gases in the marine environment.
      • Value and sustainability of marine resources.
      • Deep ocean technology and understandings gained.
    • Objective 3.05: Analyze hydrospheric data over time to predict the health of a water system including:
      • Temperature.
      • Dissolved oxygen.
      • pH.
      • Nitrates.
      • Turbidity.
      • Bio-indicators.
    • Objective 3.06: Evaluate technologies and information systems used to monitor the hydrosphere.
    • Objective 3.07: Describe how humans affect the quality of water:
      • Point and non-point sources of water pollution in North Carolina.
      • Possible effects of excess nutrients in North Carolina waters.
      • Economic trade-offs.
      • Local water issues.
    • Objective 3.08: Recognize that the good health of environments and organisms requires:
      • Monitoring of the hydrosphere.
      • Water quality standards.
      • Methods of water treatment.
      • Maintaining safe water quality.
      • Stewardship.