Katherine Lemley
Catherine Exton
Melissa Mang
Are Greenhouse gases and Global Warming caused by Cow Flatulence
Grade level:
4
Rationale: Life on Earth is linked to the presence of atmospheric trace gases and effect their
concentrations have on the climate. Cattle expel methane gas as they naturally digest their food. There are many reasons that
scientists believe methane is a significant contributor to global warming. Global warming will affect all people.
Objectives:
1. Students will learn about
the effects of methane gas as it is expelled by cattle into the environment.
2. Students will be able to define the terms global warming, green house gases, and explain the effects of
global warming on the Earth’s mean surface temperature.
Standards:
New York
State Standards:
Standard 2: Students will
access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.
Standard 4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical
setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
Content Standards:
Content Standard A: As a
result of the activities in grades K-4, all students should develop:
Ø Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry.
Ø Understanding about Scientific inquiry.
Content Standard B: As a
result of the activities in grades K-4, all students should develop an understanding of:
Ø Properties and objects of materials.
Content Standard C: As a
result of the activities in grades K-4, all students should develop an understanding of:
Ø The characteristics of organisms.
Ø Organisms and environments.
Content Standard F: As a
result of the activities in grades K-4, all students should develop an understanding of:
Ø Types of resources
Ø Changes in environments
Ø Science and technology in local challenges.
Preparation:
Concerns about energy conservation, environmental pollution, and the fact that agricultural organic wastes account for a major
portion of our waste materials, has caused the creation of much research about the processing of these wastes for energy recovery.
A chart is prepared to illustrate the percent of gaseous energy expelled by a cow as a percentage of her total energy usage.
The chart will show the 5% of energy expanded by a cow is in the form of CH4, which is methane gas.
Introduction:
This could b a lesson in preparation of a field trip to Springdale farm. Discussion
can begin with questions about what value cows are to us, what cows eat in order to produce milk, and how cows use the food
that they eat.
Activity:
1. After we have a class
discussion about the value of cows, I will ask, “Okay class, now you know that there are numerous cows all over the
world producing milk and providing us meat to eat. We have also discussed how humans depend and affect their environment.
So today, we are going to discover what kind of effect cows have on their environment.
2. I will then write the
definitions for global warming, greenhouse gases, methane, and ozone on the board and discuss the terms with the class.
3. I will then present the
cow poster to the class and explain what happens when a cow digests its food.
4. I will then divide the class into two teams. I will explain to the class that one team will be in charge
of researching the positive effects of cow created methane. The other team will research the negative effect of cow created
methane on the environment. I will then explain to the class that each is in charge of their own research and writing their
own paper.
5. Once all the students
have finished their papers, each team will pick a representative for the debate. Prior to the debate, I will make sure to
instruct the class on proper debate etiquette (don’t get mad, speak clearly, take turns, look at the audience, etc.).
6. After the representatives
have had their debate, the class will then vote on the winner. The winning team papers will then get a winner side on the
bulletin board. The losing team poster will also be placed on the bulletin board.
Individual
Exploration: Students will research the effect of greenhouses on our environment.
Each will prepare a research paper that analyzes the prospect that cattle are a major contributor to global warming.
Group Exploration:
Students will form two teams to prepare for a debate of this issue.
Modification:
A note taker, responsible for recording important points to be debated and distributing then to team members, can be appointed
if necessary to keep all students informed.
Discussion:
Ongoing discussions among students to prepare strategies for their debate.
Assessment/
Further Discussion: After the debate, the students will then have a teacher guided class discussion about the methods
and options available that could improve the Earth’s atmosphere.
