Science lesson plan · 10th grade (Year 11 in England) · 45 minutes
Carbon footprints and ways to cut emissions
Weather and climate
CCSS NGSS.HS-ESS3-4CCSS NGSS.HS-ETS1-3CCSS NGSS.SEP 5England: GCSE Combined Science: Chemistry of the atmosphere (carbon footprint)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Carbon footprints and ways to cut emissions.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: The greenhouse effect and climate change
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
Materials: Weather maps, Thermometers, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (The greenhouse effect and climate change). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- What is the main cause of the recent rise in global temperatures? (human activities adding greenhouse gases, especially by burning fossil fuels / volcanoes only / the Moon moving closer / the Sun getting much hotter) → human activities adding greenhouse gases, especially by burning fossil fuelsPrompt: What has changed most since the 1800s?
- Before 1800, carbon dioxide in the air was about 280 ppm. Recently it was about 420 ppm. By how many ppm has it risen? → 140 ppmPrompt: Subtract the old value from the new value.
- Climate change: which statement is NOT true? (Burning fossil fuels increases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. / Global average temperatures have risen since the 1800s. / Without any greenhouse effect, Earth would be too cold for most life. / Oxygen is the main greenhouse gas.) → Oxygen is the main greenhouse gas.Prompt: Is the ozone hole the same as the greenhouse effect?
Hook · 5 min
- Show today's forecast and ask what it means for the class and how forecasters know.
- Share the objective: Carbon footprints and ways to cut emissions. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: A car emits 120 g of COâ‚‚ per km and is driven 15000 km in a year. How much COâ‚‚ does it emit in the year, in kg?
- Step 1: 120 × 15000 = 1800000 g
- Step 2: 1800000 ÷ 1000 = 1800
- Step 3: So the answer is: 1800 kg
- Answer: 1800 kg
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- A car emits 120 g of CO₂ per km and is driven 10000 km in a year. How much CO₂ does it emit in the year, in kg? → 1200 kgPrompt: Multiply grams per km by the number of km.
- A household emits 2400 kg of CO₂ a year from energy use. Switching from a gas boiler to a heat pump cuts this by 40 %. How many kg of CO₂ are saved each year? → 960 kgPrompt: Find the percentage of the original amount.
You do: independent practice · 10 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Why is reducing methane emissions an important climate action? (Methane stays in the air forever / Methane cools the planet / Methane is not a greenhouse gas / Methane traps much more heat per molecule than CO₂, so cuts have a fast effect) → Methane traps much more heat per molecule than CO₂, so cuts have a fast effectPrompt: Compare how strong and how long-lasting each gas is.
- A household emits 4000 kg of CO₂ a year from energy use. Insulating the loft and walls cuts this by 40 %. How many kg of CO₂ are saved each year? → 1600 kgPrompt: Find the percentage of the original amount.
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: The greenhouse effect and climate change.
- Use concrete materials: weather maps.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-10.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder