Energy Flow and Climate Change

This lesson, part of a unit on Earth's changing climate for sixth-grade students, explores energy in Earth's system. It reviews key concepts from the previous lesson, introduces new vocabulary, and uses a digital model to simulate changes in Earth's climate. Students are guided to explore the model, make observations, and discuss their findings, focusing on the relationship between energy absorption, temperature, and ice melting.

What does the term 'energy' refer to in the context of this lesson?

• The process of energy being released into space

• The layer of gases surrounding the planet

• The ability to make things move or change

• The measure of how hot or cold something is

Which of the following is a new vocabulary word introduced in this lesson?

• Temperature

• Atmosphere

• Kinetic

• Absorbed

What trend has been observed on Earth since 1880?

• Fluctuating temperatures with no clear trend

• Stable temperatures and ice levels

• Increasing temperatures and decreasing ice

• Decreasing temperatures and increasing ice

What is the purpose of the digital model (sim) in this lesson?

• To simulate weather patterns

• To replace real-world climate data

• To safely experiment with Earth's climate

• To predict future climate changes

What do the yellow arrows in the sim represent?

• Temperature changes

• Wind currents

• Energy flow from the Sun

• Water currents

How can you track the movement of energy arrows in the sim?

• By clicking on them while the sim is paused

• By observing them in real-time without pausing

• By adjusting the temperature settings

• By changing the color of the arrows

What happens to the Earth's surface in the sim when more energy is absorbed?

• It glows more yellow

• It becomes darker

• It reflects more light

• It cools down

What is one way to make ice melt in the sim?

• Increase the reflectivity

• Increase the amount of gases in the atmosphere

• Decrease the amount of sunlight

• Decrease the global average temperature

What effect does increasing the Sun's intensity have in the sim?

• It has no effect on the ice

• It causes the ice to melt

• It decreases the Earth's temperature

• It causes more ice to form

What is the relationship between energy absorption and global temperature in the sim?

• As energy absorption increases, global temperature decreases

• As energy absorption decreases, global temperature increases

• There is no relationship between energy absorption and global temperature

• As energy absorption increases, global temperature increases