Evidence of Climate Change
As part of The Climate in Our Hands – Ocean and Cryosphere, the “Evidence of Climate Change” activity engages students in investigating concrete signs of a changing global climate. Through documentary analysis and group work, learners explore diverse forms of data—from personal stories to scientific sources—to understand the nature, causes, and global impact of climate change.
What is this activity about?
In this lesson, students collect and analyze various forms of evidence—personal, local, and scientific—that reflect climate change. From community interviews to satellite images and graphs, they explore how our planet is warming and how different phenomena (melting glaciers, rising seas, shifting species) serve as indicators of long-term changes. The activity also sharpens students’ ability to distinguish between weather and climate, and to critically evaluate sources of information.
Key Information
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Subjects: Natural sciences
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Duration: 1 hour (plus 15 minutes of preparation)
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Teaching method: Documentary analysis and group discussion
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Key learning outcomes:
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Collect and interpret real-world evidence of climate change
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Distinguish between weather events and climate patterns
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Understand that climate change manifests at different scales and over long timescales
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Evaluate the credibility of information sources
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Develop familiarity with scientific tools and data sets
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How does it work?
Preparation (15 min)
Ask students to gather evidence of climate change (interviews with elders, newspaper articles, social media posts, etc.). Print and prepare the worksheets A2.1 to A2.8, matching them to the themes of the students’ findings.
Introduction (5 min)
Students briefly present their collected “evidence.” Group them by topic (e.g. warming, glacier retreat, extreme events).
Activity (40 min)
Step 1: Distribute relevant scientific worksheets based on the groups’ topics. Step 2: Each group analyzes both their personal evidence and the worksheet(s), deciding if it reflects climate or weather. Step 3: Each group shares their conclusions with the class. Build a comparison table: → One column for the “proof”, one for whether it refers to weather or climate.
Step 4: Introduce and analyze the scientific documents provided (temperature graphs, sea level rise, etc.):
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What kind of changes are shown?
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What is the timescale of the data?
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Who are the sources (e.g. NASA, IPCC)? Are they reliable?
Step 5: Groups present their findings to the class, comparing types of sources and their implications.
Wrap-up (15 min)
Conclude that scientific consensus confirms global climate change. Highlight the diversity of impacts (e.g. sea level, species migration, earlier blooming). Emphasize the importance of source reliability, with the IPCC as a key reference.
Why use this activity in your classroom?
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Student-driven: Starts from learners’ own observations and community insights
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Concrete examples: Pairs local evidence with global scientific data
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Critical thinking: Develops awareness of source reliability and misinformation
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Scientific literacy: Builds familiarity with data analysis and climate indicators
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Global understanding: Connects everyday experiences to long-term global changes
