Assignments

Assignment 1 – Poster

Create a poster on one of the following topics:

• The greenhouse effect
• Mountain pine beetle outbreak
• Non-renewable energy sources
• Innovations for energy efficiency
• Albedo feedback effects
• Greenhouse gas emissions in Canada
• Adaptation and mitigation strategies
• Weather and climate change in Canada

You should include information on your topic, how it affects Canada and the world and what citizens, governments, and industries can do to help. Also include charts/graphs from the article "Climate change in Canada" as well as other data and resources concerning the topic.

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Assignment 2 – Debate

Students either pick a side of the debate or are assigned to a side by the teacher. They conduct further research relating to their topic to prepare for the debate which must include: opening statements, arguments, counter-arguments, and concluding statements.

Debate topics:

• Canadian citizens should be doing more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Canadian industry should be doing more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• The Canadian government should be doing more to help in the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions.
• Should greenhouse gases related to the production of goods be attributed to the country that is producing the goods or to the country that is importing them?
• Canada needs to produce more sources of renewable energy.
• Climate change is good for Canada in terms of a reduction in snowfall (from the point of view of citizens and governments).

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Assignment 3 – Research paper

Students will research a topic related to climate change using the "Climate change in Canada" article in combination with Internet and library research. Students will prepare a 3-4 page (1000 words) report based on their research as well as a brief oral presentation to the class. Students should focus their research on how their topic contributes to understanding the issue of climate change and economic and social costs (if applicable).

Possible research topic suggestions include:

• What the world is doing to slow climate change
• The Kyoto protocol
• The effects of transportation on climate change
• Renewable energy, or an in-depth examination of one kind of renewable energy
• Any other subject proposed by students

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Assignment 4 – Renewable energy sources

In small groups of 3-4, students will research one kind of renewable energy source (if class is large in size, consider renewable energy sources outside of Canada as well). Student research should be based on the "Climate change in Canada" article in combination with Internet and library research. Students will prepare a ten minute presentation on their findings. Presenters must introduce the type of renewable energy, explain where it is used, how much energy it produces, how beneficial it is, etc. The class will be asked to fill in the Renewable energy presentation chart based on the presentations. Students will be evaluated by their peers as well as the teacher.

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Assignment 5 – My province is better than yours!

Each student or group of students picks a province or territory or is assigned by the teacher to one and researches what that province/territory is doing to battle climate change. The idea is to prove that your chosen province/territory is taking steps to curb the effects of climate change, through things such as government initiatives, active citizens, the natural capabilities of the land, energy sources, etc. This could be done as a debate or game, or through a paper or presentations.