NOVA scienceNOW: Fastest Glacier
Ideas from Teachers
(Gr. 8-High School/Early College)
To discover how rapidly the Greenland glaciers are melting.
- Scientific American Frontiers' "Hot Planet—Cold Comfort"
- NOVA scienceNOW's "Fastest Glacier" video segment
- index cards or sticky notes to make bulletin board-size concept maps
- additional reading materials from the teacher background page
- projector and computer to share presentations or mapview
- world atlases and maps
- CD-ROM of photos and animations
- lab materials
Students will use GIS and authentic data sets from scientists studying Greenlands glaciers to discover how rapidly the glacier is melting.
This 3-5 day activity uses GIS and other media to explore a critical area of climate change research--glacial melting and its potential impact on the ocean currents.
For day-by-day instructions, see "Greenland Ice Sheet and Oceanic Currents Activity Summary" on the Web page found at
Formal and informal assessment ideas provided on the Web site.
I have used The NOVA films as hooks for many activities. I show a segment and then I do an activity when the activity is completed we return to the film.
Sent in by
Elizabeth "Betsy" Youngman
Phoenix Country Day School
Paradise Valley, AZ