Mississippi Science E.7.9B

E.7.9B is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• E.7.9B.1

  Read and evaluate scientific or technical information assessing the evidence and bias of each source to explain the causes and effects of climate change.

• E.7.9B.2

  Interpret data about the relationship between the release of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels into the atmosphere and the presence of greenhouse gases.

• E.7.9B.3

  Engage in scientific argument based on current evidence to determine whether climate change happens naturally or is being accelerated through the influence of m...

01

What Students Need to Do

Students compare fossil fuel emissions with atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. They explain how added greenhouse gases warm Earth. They check sources for evidence and bias, then use data to weigh natural causes against human activity.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student can cite trends in emissions and carbon dioxide data and explain how carbon dioxide traps heat. They can use evidence to explain why natural causes alone do not account for recent warming. They can spot a claim that cherry-picks one year.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may treat one hot day as proof of climate change. They may think that because climate has changed naturally, people cannot affect it. Some treat two rising lines on a graph as proof that one caused the other.

04

How to Assess It

Exit ticket: “Atmospheric carbon dioxide rose from 317 ppm in 1960 to 414 ppm in 2020, while fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions also rose. What do these trends suggest, and why do they not prove cause by themselves?”

1. 01

   Give pairs printed emissions and atmospheric carbon dioxide graphs; have them align the year axes and connect matching years with string.

2. 02

   Ask: “If climate changed before people burned fossil fuels, how could people still speed up warming?” Require two pieces of evidence.

3. 03

   Have teams match claim cards about recent warming to evidence cards showing emissions, carbon dioxide, solar output, and temperatures.

4. 04

   Print a local heat-wave headline and a 30-year temperature graph; have students explain why one event cannot establish a climate trend.

• E.7.9A

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of how complex changes in the movement and patterns of air and water molecules caused by the sun, winds, landforms, o...

• E.4.9B

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of weather and climate patterns.

• ENV.4

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of the interdependence of human sustainability and the environment.

• E.K.8A

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of the pattern of seasonal changes on the Earth.