Şenay Alnıkızıl

Climate Change Causes

I selected 12 voluntary 6th grade students to participate in this project.
I made a presentation to our students about climate change. We took students’ ideas by asking “how is the weather today, how is the climate?” After asking questions about what iclimate is and what weather events are, we made the definition of climate and weather event. After discussing climate change and weather change, I asked the students to make a definition for climate change. I asked the difference between climate change and weather change to the studentsi and after listening to their answers, I eplainde the difference between them. We made a brain storming session about the reasons for climate change. We descussed the reasons behind this change and the role of human activities for climate change.
Students discussed the reasons for climate change and prepared a list of it. They indicated thich reasons were dut-e to human beings. They shared the climate change reasons list with their class mates.
We showed some videos to the students to increase their awareness about climate change.
1. TEMA climate change video-2
I designed an experiment to help students understand the greenhouse effect. Before starting the experiment, I explained the working principle of the greenhouse where plants are grown. I mentioned that greenhouses for the Earth serve as atmospheres. I explained that the carbon dioxide and similar gases that make up the atmosphere are just like the glass ceiling of the greenhouse. I stated that while the sun rays reflected from the atmosphere during the day heat the earth, the earth cools down at night and releases the heat gained during the day back into the air, but some of this heat is retained by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which keeps the earth at an average temperature of 15 degrees.

In the experiment, we put the same amount of tap water in glasses and measured their initial temperature. After the measurement, we observed that the temperature of the water in the glasses increased, but the temperature of the water in the closed glass with the petri dish increased more than the temperature of the water in the other glass, when we covered the petri dish on one of the glasses and kept it under the sun for 1 hour and then measured it again.

When the experiment was completed, I explained why the plants should be kept in the greenhouse, the differences between the plants inside and outside the greenhouse. I asked the students to relate the temperature they will feel inside and outside the greenhouse and the experiment. We discussed with the students what different human activities could be that cause climate change.

We completede the first week studies.

Climate Change Effects

Students involved in the project researched the causes and effects of climate change on a global scale They made a presentation about the effects of climate change to their classmates.
After brainstorming about the effects of climate change on the environment, the students shared the effects of climate change on water resources, snow and glaciers with their classmates.
The students involved in the project prepared their own lists by researching the effects of climate change and made a presentation to their classmates about the effects of climate change. Before starting the presentation, we did a brainstorming about the effects of climate change. In the presentation, they explained the effects of climate change one by one.
Our school gardener introduced the trees in the school to our students. He said that there are around 1000 trees of 150 species in our school garden. He stated that thanks to the gratings around the school, rain water is stored and this water is used to irrigate trees and grass.
We emphasized the need to protect our forests as a solution to prevent deforestation, one of the most important causes of climate change, and the importance of planting trees. Together with our school gardener, our students planted peanut pine seedlings

Carbondioxide Experiment

We designed an experiment to understand the effect of carbondioxide gase to the atmosphere. I explainde the green house effect nd green house gases to the students before making the experiment. We spoke about the rise of carbondioxide gase amount in the air, which is also a green house gase. We discussed about the possible effects of rise of carbondioxide gase in the air. We concluded that rise of carbondioxide gase amount, which is especially produced by using fosil fuels, absorbs more sun light and thus makes the air much warmer than needed and eventually causes global warming.

Solutions

We designed an experiment to help us understand that when the earth's atmosphere stores too much heat, glaciers will melt and therefore sea level will rise. After filling one of the 100 ml beakers with water to the brim, the students put it on the electric stove and observed that the water overflowed after about 10 minutes. We put 2 ice cubes in another beaker and filled the beaker to the brim with water. We observed that the heated water expands and slowly begins to overflow from the sides of the beaker, and in the other beaker, no water overflows even though the ice melts. Our teacher stated that the melting ice does not raise the water level in the bottle, because the ice is already floating in the water and occupies a space equal to its own volume. With this experiment, we made a connection between melting glaciers and rising sea levels. It has been announced that due to global warming, the ocean waters will warm up and rise and cover the coasts and small islets. She stated that the melting of the ice floating on the water does not change the water level, and that for the sea level to rise, the ice on land must melt and become water and mix with the ocean.

Our Actions

We conducted an experiment to observe carbon dioxide emissions and to understand the importance of balanced amounts of carbon dioxide for the natural cycle. In the experiment, we put a green leafy plant and lime water in the same jar and kept it in a dark environment for 1 day. When we checked the next day, we observed turbidity in the chalky water. I stated that plants breathe like other living things, take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. I stated that the carbon dioxide produced as a result of the respiration of the plant makes the calcareous water cloudy.

Climate Actions

Based on the changes in their consciousness and behavior as a result of their work, our students who carried out the project organized activities to spread this effect to wider masses, to increase the social impact, and to make them aware of the problem and take action.