Climate Detectives Projects 2018-2019

Project topic: Climate change

Project title: 25 LITTLE CLIMATE DETECTIVES FROM TUSCANY

Team: SMB oak trees / SMBolive trees

2018-2019   IC Sacchetti Scuola Secondaria di I grado san Miniato Basso   San Miniato (Pisa)   Italy   25 Student’s age: 12-13


Summary of the project

We investigated two local problems: 1) Our local environment is being affected by rising temperatures. It seems that seasons have changed. 2) Our local natural and built environment is more and more often affected by anomalous concentration of precipitation (cloudbursts, drought, thunderstorms). In order to investigate the two local problems we studied scientific phenomena and topics to understand climate and climate change. We worked in teams in our school Science Lab, we cooperated and then shared the results of our researches. Here is a list of what we did: • Studying topics and concepts related to temperature (how a thermometer is made, the difference between heat and temperature, causes and effects of seasons, the three states of the matter, changing of states); • Measuring temperatures by a digital thermometer and a small weather station; • Measuring rainfall and rain levels by a pluviometer made by the students; • Collecting and analysing data; • Investigating about the students’ grandparents used to wear when they were young; • Learning about climate change in the Arctic and Antarctic; • Taking photos of plants at different stages of their growth; • Taking photos of local fauna (birds, insects such as flies and hornets) to observe their behaviour; • Studying water and soil, effects and causes of rainfall, the water cycle, experimenting the permeability of the soil; • Studying and measuring albedo, the causes and effects of ocean level rising; • Studying ocean acidification (PH, salt water, fresh water); • Studying Carbon Footprint (what it is, how it is calculated, experiments); • Studying greenhouse effect (what it is, comparison among other planets, the process of photosynthesis, anthropic factors, simulating the greenhouse effect); • Studying biodiversity (biodiversity, ecosystems, evolution, spicies); • Making experiments about the phenomena studied; • Experimenting and simulating CO2 effects on water; • Creating a scientific base on Antarctic by Minecraft game. link https://spark.adobe.com/page/CVSXEKoBonl4J/

Main results

Doing this project we have learnt a lot about climate and climate change. We have become aware that climate change is an urgent problem and that we all of us must do something now. We have also learnt and developed study skills such as writing a learning diary or a report, surfing the web safely and consciously, making experiments and simulating natural phenomena in lab, gaming and learning about climate topics. We have also improved our soft skills such as communication skills, teamwork, adaptability, problem solving, creativity, attention to details, time menagement, planning, sharing ideas and competences, focusing about a question and looking for solution. We have observed and understood what follows: • The difference between weather and climate; • Single weather episodes are not significant, what is relevant to detect climate change is the trend; • CO2 influences natural processes and causes global warming; • The causes and effects of climate change; • Human activities can influence the climate; • Human behavior can make the difference; • It’s great time to help reduce CO2 emissions.

Actions to help lessen the problem

We are now aware that we must do something to help stop climate change. For this reason: • We have written a list of DOs and DON’Ts for TEENS to help reduce CO2 emissions; • We will present the findings and results of our project to our schoolmates; • We will hang the DOs and DON’Ts sheet in every classroom of our school and ask everybody to respect them; • We have written a report of our project to the Major of our town to share it with the local community; • We have created a document to insert in our school blog; • We have created a presentation of the project to show school visitors (relatives, parents, students and teachers of other schools).

Project link:

https://spark.adobe.com/page/CVSXEKoBonl4J/


Projects are created by the teams and they take the full responsibility of the shared data.
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