Lesson 1: Introduction to the Arctic

In this lesson, students will define and describe the geography of the Arctic and identify the major players in Arctic politics.

• Driving Question(s): 
  • Why should we care about the Arctic?
• Learning Goal(s):
  • Define and describe the geography of the Arctic                     
  • Identify Arctic stakeholders
• NGSS Nature of Science Understanding:
  • Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World: Science knowledge can describe consequences of actions but is not responsible for society’s decisions

Lesson 2: Fram Motivation

In this lesson, students experience the Fram expedition through a virtual reality tour and learn why science truly is a “human endeavor”.

• Driving Question(s): 
  • What was the motivation for the Fram expedition?
  • What human qualities did crew members display during the Fram expedition                
• Learning Goal(s):
  • Identify and describe human qualities that helped the Fram expedition successfully navigate the Arctic
• NGSS Nature of Science Understanding:
  • Science is a Human Endeavor: Scientists and engineers rely on human qualities such as persistence, precision, reasoning, logic, imagination, and creativity

Lesson 3: MOSAiC Motivation

In this lesson students discover what is motivating hundreds of scientists from around the world to spend a year, frozen in ice as a part of the MOSAiC expedition.

• Driving Question(s): 
  • What is the motivation for the MOSAiC expedition? 
• Learning Goal(s):
  • Identify factors contributing to changes in sea ice extent (growth and melt)
  • Describe and compare sea ice extent observations to model projections
• NGSS Nature of Science Understanding:
  • Scientific Knowledge is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence: Scientific explanations are subject to revision and improvement in light of new evidence

Lesson 4: Ice Floe Identification

In this 2-day  lesson, students will analyze and interpret data about Arctic sea ice to find a location with ice floes suitable for attaching an icebreaker to.

• Driving Question(s): 
  • What do various data tell you about Arctic sea ice conditions, and how can you use this data to identify an ice floe with desired characteristics?
• Learning Goal(s): 
  • Scientific investigations use a variety of methods, and scientists use existing data and evidence to inform and achieve scientific research goals
  • Sea ice in the Arctic is dynamic and not uniform everywhere. It changes seasonally and over longer periods of time due to natural and human-induced forcings.
  • We can get information about sea ice using a variety of instruments and methods (optical satellite, radar satellite, ice cores, drifting buoys, etc.)
• NGSS Nature of Science Understanding: 
  • Scientific Investigations Use a Variety of Methods: Science investigations use a variety of methods and tools to make measurements and observations.

Lesson 5: Measuring Albedo

In this lesson, students measure the reflectance (albedo) of different surfaces and create a rule to describe the relationship between the color of a surface and its albedo.

• Driving Question(s):
  • What is the relationship between the color of a surface and its albedo?
  • What happens to energy that is not reflected by a surface?
  • How could a decline in sea ice affect the Arctic’s albedo and temperature?
• Learning Goal(s):
  • Describe the relationship between the color and albedo
  • Describe the relationship between albedo and temperature
• NGSS Nature of Science Understanding:
  • Scientific Knowledge is based on Empirical Evidence: Science knowledge is based upon logical and conceptual connections between evidence and explanations.

Lesson 6: Final Assessment

In this lesson, students work in pairs to construct a visual to answer the unit driving question, “How have scientific questions, methods, technologies, and our knowledge of the Arctic changed over time?”

• Driving Question(s):
  • How have scientific questions, methods, technologies, and our knowledge of the Arctic changed over time?
• Learning Goal(s):
  • Compare and contrast scientific questions, methods, technologies, and Arctic knowledge from the Fram and MOSAiC expeditions.
• NGSS Nature of Science Understandings:
  • Science is a Human Endeavor: Scientists and engineers rely on human qualities such as persistence, precision, reasoning, logic, imagination and creativity
  • Scientific Knowledge is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence: Scientific explanations are subject to revision and improvement in light of new evidence
  • Scientific Investigations Use a Variety of Methods: Science investigations use a variety of methods and tools to make measurements and observations.
  • Scientific Knowledge is based on Empirical Evidence: Science knowledge is based upon logical and conceptual connections between evidence and explanations.

Optional Lesson: Arctic Preparation

In this lesson, students compare and contrast Arctic vessels of the past (Fram) and present (Polarstern). 

• Driving Question(s):
  • How are past and present Arctic ship designs similar? Different?
• Learning Goal(s):
  • Identify and describe structures and functions characteristic of Arctic vessels, Fram and Polarstern
• NGSS Nature of Science Understanding:
  • Science is a Human Endeavor: Advances in technology influence the progress of science and science has influenced advances in technology

Optional Lesson: Ice-Albedo Feedback

In this lesson, students analyze maps to calculate and compare changes in albedo.

• Driving Question(s):
  • What is a feedback loop?
  • Why does a decline in Arctic sea ice lead to further melting of sea ice?
• Learning Goal(s):
  • Describe the ice-albedo feedback loop.
• NGSS Nature of Science Understanding:
  • Scientific Knowledge is based on Empirical Evidence: Science knowledge is based upon logical and conceptual connections between evidence and explanations.