In this activity, students will learn about the conditions in the Arctic and the scientists who study them through slides, audio podcast, and a worksheet. Learning will be guided with the driving questions: What is the Arctic? Who studies the Arctic? and Why should we care about the Arctic?
Context for Use
MOSAiC was an unprecedented international research expedition to study the physical, chemical, and biological processes that couple the Arctic atmosphere, sea ice, ocean, and ecosystem. This is a one hour lesson about the conditions in the Arctic and the scientists who study them.
Introduction to the MOSAiC Expedition is one of four activities in the The Drifting North Polar Planetarium Experience Unit that invites students to explore what it was like to participate in the MOSAiC expedition to the North Pole.
Seen from the air the Polarstern floats alongside the MOSAiC ice floe. Image credit: © Lianna Nixon
Goals Header
What Students Will Do
In this lesson, students will gain a high level understanding of the Arctic and the people who study it.
Part 1 - (20 minutes) Introduction to the Arctic
- Access students’ prior Arctic knowledge through a warm up and Google Slides presentation.
Part 2 - (15 minutes) What is the motivation for studying the Arctic?
- Listen to MOSAiC scientists describe the motivation for the MOSAiC expedition and why it is important to collect more observational data from the Arctic.
Part 3 - (10 minutes) Impacts of the Arctic’s changing climate.
- Describe three ways the Arctic is changing and the potential impacts.
