Lesson: Trapped in Ice

Brainstorm and discuss the challenges of studying the Arctic in winter.

• Introduce this issue’s poll question (available online at the end of the scrollable article). Tell students to record their initial response. Then ask: What would you need to survive the Arctic in winter? What additional things would make it comfortable? What questions would you have about the ship before you joined the expedition? 
• Explain that students are going to learn about scientists who spent a whole year, including winter, in the Arctic researching climate change. (More resources about the expedition are available at https://mosaic-expedition.org)

Watch a video about climate change and read an article about scientists who study its effects on the Arctic.

• Show the video “Let’s Talk About Climate Change.” Discuss the effects of climate change described in the video, and have students predict how climate change might affect Arctic ice.
• Preview the article’s “Words to Know” (p. 13), then read the article as a class. Ask: What kinds of data did the scientists collect? (temperature, speed, and direction of water flowing beneath the ice; wind speed and temperature of air currents above the ice) Why was it important to get those measurements in winter? (Most measurements in the Arctic are taken in summer, but the measurements could differ from summer to winter.)
• Ask students to reconsider the poll question. Did anyone change their mind? Submit your class results online and compare them with those of other classes.

Communicate information through a low-stakes, multiple-choice quiz or an imaginative writing exercise.

• Have students complete the No-Sweat Bubble Test. Discuss answers as a class.
• Invite students to complete a Learning Journey (available below and at the end of the online scrollable article).

Compare and contrast two maps to analyze changes to Arctic ice over time.

• Distribute the Major Meltdown map skills sheet. Read the intro and preview the maps together, as the orientation is not a typical north-south layout. Have students locate the North Pole and guess the direction of their own location.
• Pair students to complete the skills sheet, then discuss answers as a class.

Use “thick” open-ended questions and “thin” fact-based questions to explain key concepts.

• Review the directions to the Thick and Thin Questions skills sheet. Ask students to propose questions about a popular topic (like pets or music) and discuss whether each is “thick” or “thin.”
• Answer questions 1 and 5 together as a class. Have groups work to complete the skills sheet, then discuss the questions each group came up with.

⇨ Learning Journey: Imagine you were on the Polarstern in the middle of the dark Arctic winter. What was it like? What did you like about being on the ship? What bothered you? Record a video or podcast describing your experience.