Glaciers

Engage:  Video Segment & Partner Discussion
Watch the video segment “Glaciers” (03 mins 02 seconds) from the United Streaming Video titled “Alaska: Most Extreme.” In partners, have students discuss if  they would like to try the sport of glacier surfing. What dangers are there?

Explore:  Glacial Landforms Lab

Explain:  Glacier Simulation - This is AWESOME!!!!
*  Click "Run Now!"  It will open in Java. 
*  Manipulate variables such as air temperature and amount of snowfall to see their effect on glacier size and flow.  In the "Advanced" tab it will allow you to show graphs of variables and students can observe things like:  as temperature increases, the glacier recedes;  as temperature decreases, the glacier grows.
*  Make sure you decrease the temperature and then increase it.  Notice where the sediments are deposited.
*  Have students draw conclusions about relationships between variables and record them in their science notebooks.

Explain: "Life Cycle" of a Glacier
* Read the story out loud.  Students fold a sheet of paper in fourths.  Stop at the end of each paragraph and let them draw and label with a caption what they have heard/learned about that stage of a glaciers growth.

Elaborate: Glacier Research
Students can research a glacier of their choice.  Is it receding? growing? What do scientists know about their glacier in terms of snowfall? average temperature? What lives on/near their glacier?  What questions do they have about their glacier?
Websites to help:  Glaciers Online, Glacier Runoff Research (includes map links using google earth!)

Math Connection:  Comparing Areas  and/or  Looking at Fractions
Even if you haven't officially taught area yet in math, why not introduce it so students get an idea about it?  Use information from this chart.  Depending on grade level, you may want to pre-round the decimal numbers to the nearest whole number. Use graph paper to cut out scaled areas (for example, each graph square = 10 or 100 square kilometers).  Cut, glue and label them on a sheet of paper so students can compare the area of glaciers. You can also choose one state and shade an area of total glaciers versus a total area of the state.  Then place the glacier area on top of the total state's area.  (If you round to whole squares, you may even turn this into a fraction lesson!  What fraction of of Washington is covered in glaciers?  450 / 184,800 sq. km. 

Please post a comment with ideas, suggestions, questions, or share what you like to do to teach about glaciers!