Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource in the following sequence:

5 minutes

Tune In: What is a greenhouse?

25 minutes

Find Out: Exploring the greenhouse effect

30 minutes

Take Action: Modelling the greenhouse effect

5 minutes

Reflection

Tune In: What is a greenhouse?

Preparation

Create a mini greenhouse in a plastic bottle, e.g. cut off the top of the bottle, add in soil and a small plant (making sure it doesn’t reach over the top of the bottle opening), water the plant and cover the bottle opening with some plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band.

Alternatively, you could share this short video with your class if you aren't able to get your hands on a model!

DIY Mini Greenhouse - TeachStarter (https://youtube.com/shorts/_l2luPnMLZc?feature=shared)

Step 1

Share your greenhouse model or the video with students. Invite students to suggest what they know about how a greenhouse works. For example:

A greenhouse is a building or structure with glass or plastic walls and a glass or plastic roof. They are used to grow plants, especially in cold places. Greenhouses create a sheltered environment for plants by using solar radiation to trap heat. Sunlight enters the greenhouse through the plastic or glass coverings and starts to warm the soil and plants inside. The warmed air near the soil rises up as the cooler air drops down towards the soil. This cycle raises the temperature inside the greenhouse more rapidly than the air outside, creating a sheltered, warmer microclimate.

Step 2

Pose the following questions:

Do you think a greenhouse would be effective all year round?
Would some seasons or climates be better suited to a greenhouse than others? Which ones and why?

Find Out: Exploring the greenhouse effect

Step 1

Pose the question to your students:

What do you already know about the greenhouse effect that occurs in our atmosphere?

Explain to your students that the greenhouse effect has been around since the formation of the planet. Naturally occurring gases – such as methane and carbon dioxide – collect in the Earth's atmosphere. These allow the light from the sun to reach the Earth's surface but trap the sun's heat that reflects back up into the atmosphere. In this way, it acts like a greenhouse in which you can grow your veggies.

Share the following video explaining the natural greenhouse effect in more detail:

What Is The Natural Greenhouse Effect? | Environmental Chemistry | Chemistry | FuseSchool (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpa0aFY--pE)

Once complete, take a moment to discuss key concepts in the video and to clarify any questions.

Step 2

Direct students to the following image (also available on the Student Worksheet) and explain that this is a typical example of a model used to portray the natural greenhouse effect. Take a moment to work through the image together, ensuring that it matches the information presented in the video and consider what you would change or improve about this image.

Step 3

Invite students to read the following information, which is also available on the Student Worksheet), and facilitate a discussion around the main points when they have finished.

Since the Industrial Revolution (late 1700s and early 1800s), human activities have seen more and more greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere, and in the last century, we have seen an increase of 70% of these gases. The most important greenhouse gas - carbon dioxide (CO₂) - increased by about 80% from 1970 to 2004, far exceeding Earth's natural range in the last 650,000 years.
The main sources of carbon dioxide come from burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil. Other sources include deforestation: decaying plant materials (or those that are burnt) release CO₂ while living plants absorb CO₂. Removing vegetation means more gases stay in the atmosphere.
There are other important greenhouse gases, such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Methane comes from livestock farming, landfills and burning fossil fuels. Nitrous oxide from agricultural technology and fossil fuels.
The enhanced greenhouse effect refers to the increased warming of the Earth's surface due to higher concentrations of these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, causing more heat than normal within the Earth's atmosphere. This is leading to global warming.

Step 4

Invite students to add to the following image (also available on the Student Worksheet) to show how the enhanced greenhouse effect works. They can refer to the image of the natural greenhouse effect for guidance on what features and annotations can be added to explain the enhanced greenhouse effect. Students can work in pairs or independently to discuss the features and annotations that would be suitable; however, each student should produce their own annotated image.

Once complete, invite students to share their models for feedback and improvement.
A worked example can be found here: Enhanced Greenhouse Effect - Worked Example.

Take Action: Modelling the greenhouse effect

Step 1

Students now need to develop a model that shows both the natural greenhouse effect and the enhanced greenhouse effect. This could be an animation or a 3D model, but can’t be a drawing (as these have already been completed).

Some parameters for this task could include:

Working in groups or even as a class on this task (depending on ability and time available)
Encourage students to think creatively, for example, could your 3D model have moving parts or lighting to show different scenarios? Could the animation have a voiceover or music?
Students should consider their audience and tailor their work to suit their audience. For example, will they share their designs within your class, or will you share with a younger audience? What must be included to ensure your audience understands and appreciates your model?

Students could use the following design guidelines to help them with the planning of their models (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Start at the end - what do you want to achieve with your model? You need to demonstrate the difference between the natural and enhanced greenhouse effects - will they be shown as a transition from one to the other, or will they be side by side for comparison? Work backwards from there, thinking about what actions could unfold to achieve your desired outcome.
Make a plan - work together to brainstorm a series of actions that you could incorporate to complete your task. Write down these actions, and depending on your material, choose at least 3 to focus on (tip: you could break your group up and assign different actions to each student).
Look at your materials - which materials would be best suited to your actions? You might need to adjust actions to suit the materials you have.

Build and test - ideally, you want to be able to test all the working parts in your model, including in your animation if that's what you are creating.

Step 2

Allow students time to complete their models. You could share the models with your audience using a gallery walk. Use a gallery walk format to provide peer feedback on student work. Display the students' work around the classroom and place a piece of blank paper next to each work for writing feedback. Invite groups to rotate around the room and provide feedback to the creators of the work. As groups view the works, they are required to record one thing they like about the work displayed. One thing they wonder about it, and one thing to improve the work or where to go next. Consider doing this before work is submitted to the teacher so that students can incorporate any feedback to improve their work.

Reflection

Students respond to the following (also available on the Student Worksheet):

I used to think…
But now I think…

Climate Literacy: What Is The Greenhouse Effect?

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Summary

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