Mississippi Science E.7.9B.3
The Standard
- E.7.9B
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between natural phenomena, human activity, and global climate change.
Engage in scientific argument based on current evidence to determine whether climate change happens naturally or is being accelerated through the influence of man.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Earth’s Systems and Cycles
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students compare evidence for natural climate changes with evidence for recent human-caused warming. They make a claim about what is driving warming now and support it with data.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain that climate changed naturally in the past, but recent warming is happening faster because of human activity. They can use temperature, carbon dioxide, and solar data to support that claim.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think past natural climate changes rule out a human cause today. They may treat one cold day as evidence against a long-term warming trend or blame the ozone hole for most warming.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Since 1970, global temperature and carbon dioxide from fossil fuels rose, but solar output did not. What best explains the warming? Use two clues from the data.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs printed temperature, carbon dioxide, and solar graphs; have them mark where each line rises, falls, or stays steady.
Ask, 'If climate changed naturally before, how could we tell whether people are speeding up warming now?' Have students cite two observations.
Run a card sort: students group volcanic eruptions, orbital shifts, and fossil fuel burning by cause, then put them on a timeline.
Show NOAA's local 30-year temperature averages beside this week's forecast; ask students which can help identify a climate trend.
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