The Greenhouse Effect Experiment
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Provided by: NJ Agriculture in the Classroom|Published on: June 16, 2024
Activity - ClassroomScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This experiment uses sunlight, jars, and thermometers to demonstrate the greenhouse effect.
- Using the jar to represent the atmosphere, students will learn how our atmosphere traps heat and discuss how more greenhouse gases will trap more heat.
Subjects: Science
Authors: NJ Agriculture in the Classroom
Region: Global, New Jersey
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This experiment is very simple and most teachers should have the materials already.
- The hands-on activity will help students understand the somewhat abstract concept of the greenhouse effect.
Prerequisites
- The suggested book, Understanding Climate Change, Facing a Warming World, by Melissa McDaniel, is not required for the experiment, but you could have students watch this basic video before or after the experiment.
- Teachers will need jars with lids and thermometers for the experiment.
- Students should know how to read a thermometer.
Differentiation & Implementation
- To make language arts connections, students can write poetry using either the blanket or greenhouse analogy.
- After this experiment, students can learn about the ways humans contribute to the greenhouse effect.
- Students can also learn about the negative implications of climate change, such as extreme weather.
- Students can collect the temperature data at every 20-minute interval and create a graph to display the temperature over time.
- Students can also connect this to discussions about solar energy or the electromagnetic spectrum.
This resource presents a simple but enlightening greenhouse effect demonstration. The background section is concise and informative, with up-to-date warming data, though a source is not cited. All instructions are clear, and the experiment allows students to see the greenhouse effect in real-time. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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