Mississippi Science ENV.3

ENV.3 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• ENV.3.1

  Use a model to describe cycling of carbon through the ocean, atmosphere, soil, and biosphere and how increases in carbon dioxide concentrations have resulted in...

• ENV.3.2

  Interpret data and climate models to predict how global and regional climate change can affect Earth’s systems (e.g., precipitation, temperature, impacts on sea...

• ENV.3.3

  Use satellite imagery and other resources to analyze changes in biomes over time (e.g., glacial retreat, deforestation, desertification) and propose strategies ...

• ENV.3.4

  Enrichment: Determine mathematically an individual’s impact on the environment (carbon footprint, water usage, landfill contribution) and develop a plan to redu...

01

What Students Need to Do

Students model how carbon moves among the air, ocean, soil, and living things. They use climate graphs, model projections, and dated satellite images to track changes in temperature, rainfall, ice, sea level, and habitats. They explain how human activities cause those changes and suggest ways to reduce their impact.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student can draw carbon transfers among the four stores and explain why burning fuel adds carbon dioxide to the air. Given climate projections and dated images, they can identify a trend, predict an effect on a named region, and support a practical response with evidence.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think carbon dioxide warms Earth by destroying the ozone layer. They may draw carbon entering the ocean but never returning to the air, or use one cold year to dismiss a long warming trend. Some treat a climate model projection as a measurement.

04

How to Assess It

On an exit ticket, provide a four-box carbon diagram, a graph with observed and projected temperatures, and two dated glacier images. Ask students to draw two carbon transfers, connect fuel burning to glacier loss, and identify which part of the graph is a projection.

1. 01

   Give pairs beans, cups labeled air, ocean, soil, and plants, and a fuel card; model photosynthesis, decay, ocean exchange, and fuel burning.

2. 02

   Ask: How could clearing and burning trees affect atmospheric carbon and local rainfall? Write a cause-and-effect chain for both changes.

3. 03

   Have pairs compare two dated satellite images of a glacier, trace its edge, then use a temperature graph to predict sea level change.

4. 04

   Use a school electricity bill to estimate CO2 from monthly kilowatt-hours with a provided emissions factor, then propose one cut and calculate its effect.

• E.5.10

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of the effects of human interaction with Earth and how Earth’s natural resources can be protected and conserved.

• E.7.9B

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between natural phenomena, human activity, and global climate change.

• ESS.4

  Students will develop an understanding of Earth’s resources and the impact of human activities.

• ENV.2

  Students will relate the impact of human activities on the environment, conservation activities, and efforts to maintain and restore ecosystems.