Ice cores provide scientists with knowledge of historic melt layers, air temperatures, greenhouse gases, and climate stability. Scholars work in groups to build layers representing snow and ice over thousands of years. Then, groups exchange their ice layers and pull out ice cores. Finally, they compare the actual time of specific events with the estimated time from the ice cores.

Concepts

stratification, climate change, volcanic eruptions

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Relate the ice cores to slices of sedimentary rocks

Classroom Considerations

• Requires a large amount of Play-Dough and colored sand
• Lesson suggests using straws to take core samples, but something stronger, such as glass tubing, works much better

Pros

• Activity keeps everyone engaged throughout
• Uses common, cheap materials

Cons

• None

Common Core

RST.6-8.3 RST.6-8.4 RST.9-10.3 RST.9-10.4 RST.11-12.3 RST.11-12.4