Lesson plan 1: Glacier Gallery

Author:

Josie Iino

Grades:

High school students

Brief Description:

Utilizing the interactive app Glacier Gallery provided by OGGM-Edu, students will be introduced to glaciers and their forms.

Objectives:

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify the standard definition of a glacier

• Compare and contrast the four glacier types presented in the app

Materials Needed:

• Computer with access to OGGM-Edu (possibly one computer per group of 2 or 3)

• A writing utensil and paper

Lesson Plan:

• Brainstorm with students to discern what they know about glaciers. This could entail asking students to individually write down their initial definition of a glacier, or collaboratively create a mind-map that lists the characteristics of a glacier.

• Open the Glacier Gallery app and highlight the definition of a glacier defined by OGGM-Edu. Emphasize that a glacier is a perennial land-mass of ice, and highlight the differences between the student-provided definition against the OGGM-Edu provided definition of a glacier.

• Provide short instruction on how to use the Glacier Gallery. Ask students to independently (either alone or in small groups) to create a visual representation of the similarities and differences between the four glacier types on a piece of paper. Provide a short period of allotted time to work and occasionally offer your assistance when asked or needed.

• If not rushed for time, ask students to individually present their findings. Otherwise, create your own compare-and-contrast visualization method and use student-input to fill it in.

• Summarize the key differences between the four glacier types in a method that would allow students to take notes.

• For the remainder of the lesson, ask students to ask questions.