Background Information for Teachers

In this section, we link you to the official site of the International Polar Year (IPY), magazine articles, and a peer-reviewed blog about the polar regions directed at elementary school teachers. From these resources, we believe you can get a better sense of not only the scientific aspects but also the social, economic, political, and cultural angles of the polar regions. You might want to check out the Lonely Planet Travel Guide: Antarctica as an additional resource. Armed with this information, you will be well positioned to make decisions regarding how you want to lead your students through a study of polar science and which particular aspects of polar science are most relevant to your context.

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International Polar Year 2007-2008 : explore and learn http://www.ipy.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=56

This page provides links to new polar research as it is reported. You may want to check it once a week, or allow students to, and have them give an update; What's happening now? Why is it important, or is it? Who's involved? MSP full record

Another one bytes the slush http://www.grist.org/advice/books/2004/06/02/grossman-whale/

Elizabeth Grossman reviews Charles Wohlforth's The Whale and the Supercomputer which compares views of climate change: those of the outsider-scientist and those of the insider, the Inuit. This book raises awareness of the intersection of culture and science. MSP full record

Heat from Earth's magma contributing to melting of Greenland ice http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212103004.htm

An article from ScienceDaily reminds us that nature also plays a role in the melting of ice sheets, in addition to anthropogenic forces. MSP full record

Beyond polar bears and penguins : polar news and notes Antarctic tourism http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/polar/2007/12/10/food-for-thought-antarctic-tourism/

This peer-reviewed blog entry provides statistics and information regarding ecotourism in the Antarctic. Ecotourism is a double-edged sword: It provides a forum to educate humans regarding their impact on the planet, while simultaneously and necessarily increasing human environmental impact. MSP full record

Mapping the polar regions http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/polar/2007/12/17/mapping-the-polar-regions/

This peer-reviewed blog entry distinguishes between the two poles and provides resources for teachers to facilitate student conceptual understanding of the differences. Though the blog is targeted to elementary teachers, middle school teachers will find readily useful resources that can be easily adapted to the middle school level. MSP full record

Where does the Arctic begin? end? http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/polar/2008/01/08/where-does-the-arctic-begin-end/

This peer-reviewed blog entry describes six accepted ways of defining the Arctic. Each is accompanied by a hotlinked, thumbnail map image. Additional related teaching resources are provided. MSP full record

The ozone hole tour http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour/

An important line of ongoing research in polar science deals with ozone. This comprehensive, well-organized tutorial allows you to brush up on your content knowledge regarding ozone, its importance to the planet, and its relationship to the poles. You may find parts of this tutorial suitable to present to your students. MSP full record

Antarctica as an Educational Resource http://www.antarctica.org.nz/

This page provides good information across many taxa of the Antarctic. It will remind you to steer your students’ attention not only toward the keystone species, such as penguins, but to other levels of the food web as well. MSP full record

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Copyright March 2008 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.