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LESSON Overview
GRADE LEVEL 4-12 Through interactive play on a life-sized game board, students
are introduced to three of the most common greenhouse gases
CATEGORY Energy, Atmosphere &
and the role these have in the natural and enhanced greenhouse
Climate effect. Teams add or remove greenhouse gases from their shared
Objectives
TOPIC Climate Change, Greenhouse atmosphere to experience the affects of human actions.
Gas reduction, greenhouse effect
Background
colour or shape), approximately 50 per type in the atmosphere.
(150 total) to represent greenhouse gases
Bags to hold tokens, one per team*
Blackboard, flip chart, or other large surface
to record greenhouse gases and create key for Understanding how the rise in the average global temperature
token type; alternatively, card size key for each leading to climate change is connected to our individual activities
team* can be difficult. Through interactive play, students will be
Clipboards, weights and/or tape to hold down introduced to three of the most common greenhouse gases and
game board playing spaces the role these have in the natural and enhanced greenhouse effect.
4-8 large dice: one per team* OR one shared Students then apply their knowledge of the greenhouse effect
between two teams to understand how greenhouse gas emissions change our global
Optional: square cardboard boxes to make dice climate and weather patterns. Note: The Greenhouse effect is
explored in the activity the Role of CO2
SETTING Large open space indoors or outdoors
SUBJECTS Greenhouse gases exist naturally in our atmosphere in very small
amounts. Unique from other gases, they have the ability to absorb
Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, Physical
heat energy (infrared radiation). By absorbing and re-emitting
Education
SKILLS heat energy from the earths surface back into the atmosphere,
greenhouse gases keep the global temperature at the life-sustaining
Inferring, interpreting, reading, writing,
level of +15C. This is called the natural greenhouse effect. Without
assessing, evaluating, synthesis
KEYWORDS these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the earth would have an
Natural and enhanced greenhouse effect, average temperature of -18C. There is a finely tuned, balanced cycle
emissions, fossil fuel in which processes such as forest fires, volcanic eruptions, digestion,
respiration, and decomposition release greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere while other processes such as photosynthesis by plants
and algae, remove greenhouse gases.
Human Activity: burning and production Human Activity: less CO2 is removed by
of fossil fuels, clearing of land using fire natural activity because of deforestation,
(combustion) degrading of soils, and wetland
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) destruction
Natural Activity: Volcanic activity,
forest fires, respiration by organisms, Natural Activity: Plants and algae
decomposition (photosynthesis); oceans (go into solution)
Activity
greenhouse gas emissions. gases to their atmosphere, one team member runs to
the centre and picks up the required number and type
of tokens. If the space indicates that the team should
remove greenhouse gases then one team member runs
1. Tell the students they are going to play the life-sized to the centre to drop off the required number of tokens.
board game called the Greenhouse Gas Game. Inform For most spaces, only one team member should pick
the students the purpose of the game is to become up or drop off the tokens. However, for some spaces
familiar with the human activities that either increase the whole team is instructed to pick up or drop off
or decrease the amount of greenhouse gases released tokens, representing a signifi cant input or removal of
into the atmosphere, in other words increase or decrease greenhouse gases from their atmosphere.
greenhouse gas emissions.
5. If necessary, walk through a demonstration of the
Divide the class into teams of four students. Give each movements and process for the game. Remind students
team a bag to keep their greenhouse gas tokens in and that they may have to wait until a team in front of them
explain the bags represent their total greenhouse gas moves from a space before they can take their turn. Also
emissions. Each team will start with nine tokens in their remind them to avoid stepping directly on the spaces, as
bag that represent their current level of greenhouse gas they may slip.
emissions. The goal of the game is to fi gure out what will 6. Play the game until each team member has had two
reduce their level of emissions. turns at rolling the die. Stop the game momentarily; have
Pass out one die per team or pair of teams if sharing. the teams check their atmosphere and tally the number
Inform the students that each team is acting as the of each type of greenhouse gas present. Have each team
marker that moves around the game board based on the report the state of their atmosphere (tally) and record
roll of the die. each teams tally on a piece of fl ip-chart paper. Ask if they
think it would make a diff erence to continue. What do
Note: Ideally, for every move along the game board, each they predict will happen if they continue? Play another
team member has a role. One student rolls the die, the round and make a fi nal tally.
second reads the information and instructions, the third
drops off or collects greenhouse gas tokens and the forth Wrap-up
holds the atmosphere bag. The students should take 1. Compare the two tallies for each team and discuss the
turns doing each role. results. For example, ask: How did each team do? Why?
2. Pass out nine greenhouse gas tokens, three of each Did repeating the second round make a diff erence
type, to each team and then place the rest of diff erent to their tally? Guide the students to understand that
types of greenhouse gas tokens in the centre of the this game is a game of chance and so the fi nal tally of
game board area. Show the students the key and go greenhouse gas emissions is mostly dependent upon the
through how each type of token represents a particular squares landed on.
greenhouse gas. Stress that the bag is their current level 2. Discuss and summarize the human activities that have
of greenhouse gas emissions and they will be adding an impact on the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG)
and removing various greenhouse gases based on the released to the atmosphere, in other words, the level
instructions in the space they land on. of greenhouse gas emissions. First, discuss those that
3. Four teams start, one team at each of the corners of the increase the level of greenhouse gas emissions to the
game board labelled Green Space; the next teams can start atmosphere. Refer back to the information covered in the
once the fi rst four teams have moved off the corner spaces. warm-up, and encourage discussion of how some carbon
dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide is necessary for the
Students take turns rolling the die for their team. The natural greenhouse eff ect to exist and function, but if
whole team then moves clockwise the number of spaces more of these are added to the atmosphere, there is an
indicated on the die. Remind the students to walk next to enhanced greenhouse eff ect.
the spaces, not directly on them. Instruct the students to
Extensions
it is extremely diffi cult to actually remove greenhouse and why this is important.
gases from the atmosphere; we can, with a little eff ort,
reduce the amount that is released.
4. Discuss how the increasing average global temperatures
that we are experiencing on Earth are a result of 1. Have students research the source and potency of each
increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Connect greenhouse gas, along with other greenhouse gases, and
the discussion to the gardeners greenhouse metaphor, create a chart comparing each one. Use this information
noting how unlike a greenhouse, we cannot open to create a new version of the game, using a regular sized
windows or create shade to reduce the temperature: our game board with blank spaces. Students decide what
only option is to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. to include in each space and number of tokens added/
removed from a player or teams atmosphere. Once a
5. Ask students to predict the possible impact of everyone player goes around the board once, tally the greenhouse
making simple changes to their lifestyle that decreases gases in their atmosphere.
their greenhouse gas emissions. Invite students to share
some of the actions they are already doing regularly 2. Have students research current governmental initiatives
that decrease their greenhouse gases emissions. Discuss and actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
possible action projects the class could do to decrease 3. As a class watch Turning Down the Heat: The New
the amount of greenhouse gases, especially carbon Energy Revolution available through the National Film
dioxide, released to the atmosphere, for example: regular Board of Canada.
walk/ cycle/bus to school days, recycle and buy recycled www.nfb.ca/collection/fi lms/fi che/?id=33718
products, regular garbage free lunches, idle free zones 4. Have students and family members calculate their carbon
Assessment
around school etc. footprint as a stepping stone for families to discuss how
they might take action. There are several on the internet,
including:
Source
visible light from the sun reaching the earth and its calculator.html
atmosphere,
what happens to it (refl ected or absorbed and
transformed at the surface of the earth, then enters the
atmosphere as heat energy), and This modified lesson has been used by permission from Green
the role of the greenhouse gases (absorb and re-emit Teacher #70, Spring 2003.
the heat energy into the atmosphere and space).
One year (four issue) subscriptions cost $32 and $26 for the
2. In a story that compares two possible futures, students print and digital versions respectively from: Green Teacher, 95
identify the main natural and human related activities Robert Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 2K5, (888) 804-1486,
that release each of the three discussed greenhouse www. greenteacher.com
gases to the atmosphere. In one future, humans have
altered their lifestyles and actions so that there are no
further increases in greenhouse gas emission while in the