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UNDERSTANDING
CLIMATE CHANGE
GRADES 7–12
LAUR A TUCKER
LOIS SHERWOOD
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UNDERSTANDING
CLIMATE CHANGE
GRADES 7–12
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UNDERSTANDING
CLIMATE CHANGE
GRADES 7–12
LAUR A TUCKER
LOIS SHERWOOD
Arlington, VA
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Claire Reinburg, Director Art and Design
Rachel Ledbetter, Managing Editor
Will Thomas Jr., Director
Andrea Silen, Associate Editor
Himabindu Bichali, Graphic Designer, cover
Jennifer Thompson, Associate Editor
design
Donna Yudkin, Book Acquisitions Manager
Capital Communications LLC, interior design
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arising out of or relating to the use of this book, including any of the recommendations, instructions, or materials
contained therein.
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Contents
Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
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Contents
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
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Foreword
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Foreword
science to inform our arguments and decisions. The boundary between science
as a means of understanding the natural world and the consequences of that
understanding is often poorly defined. The NSTA position statement empha-
sizes the “science side” but recognizes the implications for society, as well. The
authors have made a real contribution in this area by providing structured sug-
gestions that encourage students to use the science they have learned in consid-
ering the effects of human activity. By making this connection, students have the
best chance to use science to positively “affect the lives of future generations.”
References
Leonhardt, D. New York Times. 2018. The Most Important Story of 2018. Decem-
ber 31.
National Research Council (NRC). 2012. A framework for K–12 science education:
Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. Washington, DC: National Academies
Press.
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). 2018. NSTA Position Statement:
The Teaching of Climate Science.
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About the Authors
Laura Tucker has been a science educator for more than 40 years. Initially
educated as a wildlife biologist, she found her passion teaching students in the
outdoors. In 1979, she founded a nonprofit educational organization called
Exploring New Horizons. It was designed to provide a comprehensive outdoor
environmental science program for K–8 grade students and a summer camp
program for children ranging from age 9 to 18. During her tenure at the orga-
nization, she helped develop a variety of programs that combined environmen-
tal science curricula (redwood, coastal, and Sierra Nevada natural history and
ecology, marine biology, botany, zoology, geology, and astronomy) with music,
dance, drama, art, and team building. The programs blended the teaching skills
and talents of staff naturalists with those of classroom teachers to facilitate the
incorporation of the outdoor school experience into the classroom. Approxi-
mately 60,000 students attended the programs while Laura was the executive
director. Exploring New Horizons continues to this day, serving about 6,000
students per year on three campuses in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains.
In 1992, Laura became the professional development coordinator for Great
Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS), a nationally acclaimed resource for
activity-based science and mathematics at the Lawrence Hall of Science at the
University of California, Berkeley. While at GEMS, she worked with a variety of
educators, including preservice teachers; classroom teachers; district, regional,
and state curriculum coordinators; university faculty; and nonformal educators
from museums, zoos, and nature centers. She was a leader in establishing the
GEMS Network, which included approximately 72 sites and centers around
the United States and 11 international locations. Laura served as a curriculum
developer and reviewer for many GEMS publications, including Aquatic Habitats
(Barrett and Willard 1998), Dry Ice Investigations (Barber, Beals, and Bergman
1999), River Cutters (Sneider and Barrett 1999), and Schoolyard Ecology (Barrett
and Willard 2001) teacher guides. She also worked on handbooks that support
the implementation of GEMS units and other programs.
Laura has focused a great deal of her energy on climate education. In 2012,
she was selected as a Climate Reality Project presenter and joined former vice
president Al Gore and 1,000 other educators from 59 countries for three days of
intensive training. She is an NOAA Climate Steward as well as a team member
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About the Authors
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About the Authors
With the cohort of TOSAs, she designed and led monthly regional workshops
in addition to working with partner teachers in their classrooms.
Lois received National Board Certification in Teaching in 2007 and was
recertified in 2017. For her work in the classroom, she received the Amgen
Excellence in Science Teaching award in 2011 and was a finalist for the Presi-
dential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in both 2013
and 2015.
Beyond the classroom, Lois served as a regional representative with the
Washington Science Teachers Association (WSTA) from 2007 to 2016. In 2011,
she cochaired a joint statewide teachers conference with WSTA and the Envi-
ronmental Education Association of Washington. In 2016, she was appointed
as professional development coordinator for WSTA. In this role, she has facili-
tated the design and presentation of professional development offerings for the
organization.
Connecting science to student involvement motivated Lois to facilitate
a variety of student-led environmental clubs over the course of her career.
Although the focus of the clubs has evolved based on student interest, the goal
has always been to promote environmental and social justice locally, regionally,
and nationally.
Lois’s passion for science education is driven by a personal passion to under-
stand and experience the natural world. This also fuels her hobbies, which
include bird watching, beach exploration, kayaking, hiking, biking, and running.
References
Barber, J., K. Beals, and L. Bergman. 1999. Dry ice investigations. Berkeley, CA:
Great Explorations in Math and Science.
Barrett, K., and C. Willard. 1998. Aquatic habitats: Exploring desktop ponds. Berkeley,
CA: Great Explorations in Math and Science.
Barrett, K., and C. Willard. 2001. Schoolyard ecology. Berkeley, CA: Great Explora-
tions in Math and Science.
Sneider, C., and K. Barrett. 1999. River cutters. Berkeley, CA: Great Explorations in
Math and Science.
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Acknowledgments
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Acknowledgments
empowerment, and hope. We went out into our corners of the world to share
the science of the climate crisis and provide a vision for how we can solve it.
I particularly want to thank all of the wonderful Climate Change Agents
who so kindly agreed to be interviewed for this book and give a face to those
working on the front lines for climate change solutions:
•• James Balog
•• Dr. Robert Bindschadler
•• Dr. Shallin Busch
•• Kate Chadwick
•• Eliza Dawson
•• Dr. Ziv Hameiri
•• Dahr Jamail
•• Rayan Krishnan
•• Dr. Heidi Roop
•• Ewan Shortess
My deepest gratitude goes to the exceptional staff at NSTA Press. To Claire
Reinburg, my sincere appreciation for accepting my manuscript and moving
it forward. To my phenomenal editors, Rachel Ledbetter and Andrea Silen, I
am in awe of your ability to make sense of every word, every page, and every
graphic. Thank you for weaving this all together so beautifully.
—Laura Tucker
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Information for
Teaching This Unit
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Information for Teaching This Unit
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Information for Teaching This Unit
3. What You Need: This includes detailed material lists divided by what
you need for the class, what’s needed for each group of students, and
what each individual student needs.
4. Preparation: This provides instructions for how to prepare prior to
and on the day of instruction, including what student handouts are
necessary.
5. Begin!: This is the signal for the teacher to begin instruction after
reading the preparatory information.
6. Reviewing Statements and Questions About Climate Change:
In the first session, students record what they have heard about climate
change in their notebooks. They also brainstorm and post questions
that they have about climate change. At the end of each subsequent
session, students review their notebooks and the questions as a way
to measure their learning. They decide if any of the ideas listed in
their notebooks can be put forth as a statement that is either accurate
or inaccurate, based on evidence. They may also determine that new
knowledge answers a question or leads to new questions. This is
intended to be a dynamic process where students continually reflect
and re-evaluate their learning. It serves as a critical step in cementing
the conceptual knowledge that students gain in each session.
7. Extending the Session: This provides opportunities for students to
delve deeper into the topic covered in the session or to challenge more
advanced students.
8. Extras Page: All materials used by students (data sets, rubrics,
worksheets, Climate Change Agent interviews, etc.) can be found on
the web page www.nsta.org/climatechange. This allows the data sets to be
updated frequently, keeping them current. Storing the materials online
also allows for the production of higher-quality student copies.
9. Climate Change Agent Interview: In each session, students read at
least one interview with someone who is working to address the issue
of climate change. The interviewees, who are referred to as Climate
Change Agents, range from students to scientists. Each is asked the
same three questions:
•• Describe your work as a Climate Change Agent.
•• Describe your pathway to becoming a Climate Change Agent.
•• What do you think students should know about climate change?
10. Background for Teachers: This includes the science and pedagogy
that support a deeper understanding of the content and process of each
session. The information is not to be read to the students; rather,
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Information for Teaching This Unit
Safety Considerations
for Hands-on Activities
Teachers must address potential safety issues with engineering controls (ven-
tilation, eyewash stations, etc.), administrative procedures/safety operating
procedures, and appropriate personal protective equipment (indirectly vented
chemical splash safety goggles or safety glasses meeting ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 D3
standard, chemical-resistant nitrile gloves, etc.). Teachers can make it safer for
students and themselves by adopting, implementing, and enforcing legal safety
standards and better professional safety practices in the science classroom and
laboratory. Before undertaking any science activity or investigation, teachers
should do a hazards analysis and risk assessment and then perform safety actions
to ensure a safer teaching/learning experience. Remember that personal protec-
tive equipment is to be worn during the setup, hands-on, and takedown seg-
ments of the activity.
Always provide safety training and demonstrate proper use of hand tools, lab
equipment, and personal protective equipment before having a student under-
take any hands-on activities. Also provide follow-up safety reminders during
each activity.
Throughout this book, safety notes are provided for classroom/laboratory
activities. Teachers should also review and follow local policies and protocols
used within their school district and/or school (e.g., chemical hygiene plan,
Board of Education safety policies).
Additional standard operating procedures are provided by the National Sci-
ence Teachers Association (NSTA). Visit NSTA’s Safety in the Science Class-
room web page (www.nsta.org/safety), which includes Safety Acknowledgment
Forms for elementary, middle, and high school grade levels. Students should be
required to review the document or one similar to it under the direction of the
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Information for Teaching This Unit
teacher. Both students and their parents/guardians should then sign the docu-
ment acknowledging the procedures that must be followed for a safer working/
learning experience in the laboratory.
The Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS) provides information
about classroom science safety, including a safety checklist for science class-
rooms. See the CSSS website at www.csss-science.org/safety.shtml to access this
information and get links to other safety-related resources.
Disclaimer: The safety precautions of each activity are based in part on use of
the recommended materials and instructions, legal safety standards, and better
professional practices. Selection of alternative materials or procedures for these
activities may jeopardize the level of safety and therefore is at the user’s own risk.
Background Information
Necessary Concepts
The following are concepts that are important for students and teachers to know
before starting the unit.
For Students
It is recommended that students have some background knowledge of the fol-
lowing topics before beginning this unit in order to understand the concepts
they will be required to learn as they move through the unit:
•• Photosynthesis
•• The structure and properties of matter (atoms, molecules, solids,
liquids, gases)
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Information for Teaching This Unit
•• The carbon cycle (the basics of how carbon moves through earth, air,
water, and living things by way of photosynthesis, respiration, and
decomposition)
For Teachers
Current Carbon Versus Sequestered Carbon
Part of the debate about the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
includes arguments from those who rationalize that CO2 is “natural,” because
living organisms breathe it out in respiration. Of course, all carbon dioxide is
natural, but the level of CO2 in our atmosphere has been a determining factor
in our climate for more than a billion years. Paleoclimatologists have concluded
that CO2 levels were five times higher when dinosaurs roamed the Earth than
they are now. The seas were approximately 100 feet higher than they are now,
and most of the Earth had a tropical climate. Yet, it is dangerous to imply that
the existence of a CO2 level this high in the past means it is a natural process
and, therefore, not harmful. During these times, Earth had no human inhabi-
tants, much less our current population of more than 7 billion people—many
of whom live along coastlines that are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise
caused by a warming planet.
For the past 800,000 years, the CO2 level in our atmosphere has not risen
above 300 parts per million (ppm) and has averaged 280 ppm. In 1850, the
amount of atmospheric CO2 was 285 ppm. In 1910, it crossed the 300 ppm
mark. As of this printing in 2019, it sits at 412 ppm.
During those 800,000 years, our planet has evolved the ecosystems we live
in today, with a livable temperature in most places and adequate rainfall for
plants to thrive. This level of CO2 has kept the heat energy on our planet from
driving the weather systems to extremes. The CO2 in this carbon cycle is con-
sidered current carbon, or the amount that has existed for this 800,000-year period
of balance in our ecosystems.
With the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s, oil deposits
that were sequestered (or buried) from 540–65 million years ago were brought up
to the surface of the Earth and burned, releasing their stored CO2 into the atmo-
sphere. This additional CO2 caused the greenhouse effect to increase by more
than 30%, resulting in numerous outcomes from a warming planet. Students
will research these lines of evidence of global warming in Session 5.
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Information for Teaching This Unit
from the Sun. He reasoned that something else must be affecting our planet’s
temperature. He theorized that the light coming from the Sun was able to pass
through our atmosphere, but radiant heat coming from Sun-warmed surfaces
must somehow be trapped.
In the 1860s, John Tyndall (1820–1893), an alpine naturalist and climber,
was fascinated by his observations of evidence that an ice sheet once covered
northern Europe. Tyndall considered a number of possible explanations but
settled on an idea that there could be variations in the composition of the atmo-
sphere. He experimented with heat-trapping gases like water vapor and carbon
dioxide. Even though there is such a small amount of CO2 in the atmosphere,
he thought it still could have an effect.
In 1896, Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius (1859–1927) concluded that if
atmospheric CO2 levels doubled to 560 ppm (from preindustrial levels of 280),
then surface temperature levels would rise several degrees. Arrhenius and his
colleague, Arvid Högbom (1857–1940), started to consider the amount of car-
bon dioxide emissions from factories and were surprised to find that man-made
emission rates were very similar to those occurring in nature. At the rate that
coal was being burned in the 1890s, they didn’t see this as a problem since it
would take thousands of years for the doubling to take place. They also thought
the oceans could absorb most of those emissions, so there was no cause for
concern. This was the first suggestion that the burning of fossil fuels for heat
could add enough CO2 to the atmosphere to make a difference. They didn’t
have a concept of how this increased heat could affect the overall climate of the
planet—only how it might melt glaciers.
Throughout the early to mid-1900s, there was considerable discussion, and
considerable doubt, that the increase in CO2 would have much of an effect on
the planet. Again, the ocean was considered to be an endless carbon dioxide sink.
With the advent of the atomic age in 1945, carbon isotopes were able to be
identified and compared in tree rings and other carbon-fixing forms. Scientists
were able to distinguish between “old” carbon from fossil fuels and “current”
carbon from their present atmosphere. They were also able to discern what per-
centage of CO2 in their present atmosphere came from burning fossil fuels and
what was part of the current carbon system.
In the mid-1950s, researcher Charles David Keeling (1928–2005) wanted
to accurately measure the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere but felt that using
monitors near population centers would give inaccurate results. He settled on
positioning sensors at the 13,600-foot-high Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii.
Sitting at this altitude in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in 1958, Keeling began
his measurements. They now serve as an important baseline, and scientists have
been constantly monitoring and updating atmospheric CO2 concentrations ever
since. At the onset of his research, Keeling noticed a steady increase in CO2, one
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Information for Teaching This Unit
much higher than what would be expected if the oceans were absorbing 80% of
the emissions as had been commonly accepted. Keeling’s son Ralph continues
his father’s research to this day with the data from the Keeling Curve (a daily
record of atmospheric carbon dioxide) that’s used extensively by scientists.
The first published use of the term global warming appears to have been by
the climatologist Wallace Broecker in a 1975 article in the journal Science that
was titled “Climatic Change: Are We on the Brink of a Pronounced Global
Warming?” It is quite remarkable that a prediction made in 1975 using a sim-
ple model of the climate system could so accurately match the observed global
temperature change we are seeing today. It is a testament to the dominant effect
of CO2 and the fact that we have had a solid understanding of the fundamental
workings of the Earth’s climate for many decades.
In June 1988, global warming became a more popular term after NASA scien-
tist Dr. James Hansen told the U.S. Congress that “global warming has reached
a level such that we can ascribe with a high degree of confidence a cause-and-
effect relationship between the greenhouse effect and the observed warming.”
After Dr. Hansen’s retirement from NASA in April 2013 (following 46 years
of government service), he took on a more active role in the political and legal
efforts to limit greenhouse gases.
The term climate change dates at least as far back as 1939. A closely related
term, climatic change, was once also common, as exemplified in the 1955 scien-
tific article “The Carbon Dioxide Theory of Climatic Change” by Gilbert Plass.
By 1970, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a
paper titled “Carbon Dioxide and Its Role in Climate Change.” In 1988, when
the world’s major governments set up an advisory body of top scientists and
other climate experts to review the scientific literature every few years, they
named it the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This group
is working on its sixth climate assessment, drawing on the work of hundreds of
scientists from all over the world to enable policymakers at all levels of govern-
ment to make sound, evidence-based decisions. The IPCC shared the Nobel
Peace Prize in 2007 with Al Gore for “their efforts to build up and disseminate
greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations
for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.”
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Information for Teaching This Unit
forest fires. As the planet warms, there is more heat energy to run the Earth’s
systems like the water cycle and air currents, which affect the jet stream.
It is important to distinguish between the normal warming patterns that
have occurred over time and the current patterns we are observing due to the
burning of fossil fuels. In Earth’s history before the Industrial Revolution,
the planet was warmer due to natural causes not related to human activity. These
trends are part of the natural cycles described by the Serbian astrophysicist Milu-
tin Milankovitch in the 1920s. He hypothesized that the small changes in the
Earth’s orbit, axial tilt, and “wobble” cause enough difference in the amount of
sunlight falling on the Earth to influence the climate. Ice cores taken in Green-
land and Antarctica prove his hypothesis by showing temperatures warmer than
they are now, hitting peaks about every 100,000 years.
Currently, the term climate change can mean human-caused changes to cli-
mate or natural ones, such as ice ages. On the other hand, global warming gen-
erally refers to human-caused warming—warming due to the rapid increase
in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from humans burning coal, oil,
and gas since the Industrial Revolution. Besides burning fossil fuels, humans
can cause climate changes by emitting aerosol pollution—the tiny particles that
reflect sunlight and cool the climate—into the atmosphere or by transforming
the Earth’s landscape (for instance, from carbon-storing forests to farmland).
Some scientists use the term climate disruption to delineate the difference
between a mere change (for instance, a slight uptick in average winter tempera-
tures) and the type of swings in the weather that we see as the Earth warms.
New York won’t just change to be more like Florida, for example; rather, its
climate will be different from what is normal for New York, which can include
severe rainstorms, snowstorms, droughts, and floods. True, the average tem-
perature in most locations will get warmer as we put more CO2 into the atmo-
sphere. More important, the additional heat and moisture in our atmosphere
from global warming will cause major disruptions to what we used to consider
normal for a particular location.
A simple distinction is that as the planet warms, it causes the climate to
change, resulting in a cause-and-effect relationship between global warming
and climate change.
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evidence collected that shows the same results. Only after repeatedly collecting
evidence can we say whether the results support or do not support our initial
predictions. If a study is published, we might say that we agree with the results
of that study or accept the results of that study. If there are lots of replications
and variations that all say the same thing, we might call the results a “fact,”
such as the fact that water freezes at 32°F or 0°C. We can agree with those facts.
When the research of multiple lines of evidence all lead to the same conclusion,
we might start talking about a theory, such as evolution. In the case of climate
change, there are countless reputable studies that show the Earth is warming,
causing changes in our climate. We don’t believe in climate change; we accept
the results of tens of thousands of studies and papers by reputable scientists that
show our Earth is warming, resulting in a changing climate.
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Information for Teaching This Unit
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12
Table 1: NGSS Correlations
MS-PS4-2 **
MS-ESS3-5 ** **
HS-ESS2-2 ** **
HS-ESS2-4 ** **
HS-ESS3-5 ** **
HS-ESS3-6 *
Information for Teaching This Unit
HS-ETS1-3 * *
HS-ETS1-4 *
PS4.B *
ESS2.A ** **
ESS2.D ** ** **
ESS3.D ** * **
ETS1.B * *
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Continued
Patterns * *
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Obtaining, Evaluating, and * ** * * *
Information for Teaching This Unit
Communicating Information
13
Information for Teaching This Unit
References
Atkin, J. M., and R. Karplus. 1962. Discovery or invention? The Science Teacher 29
(5): 45–51.
Broecker, W. 1975. Climatic change: Are we on the brink of a pronounced global
warming? Science 189 (4201): 460–463.
Do the Math. FAQs. http://math.350.org/questions (accessed November 3, 2018).
International Panel on Climate Change. History. IPCC. www.ipcc.ch/
organization/organization_history.shtml (accessed November 3, 2018).
Leaton, J. 2011. Unburnable carbon: Are the world’s financial markets carrying a carbon
bubble? Carbon Tracker Initiative. www.carbontracker.org/reports/carbon-bubble.
Mason, J. 2013. The history of climate science. Skeptical Science. https://
skepticalscience.com/history-climate-science.html (accessed November 3, 2018).
Muller, R. New York Times. 2012. The conversion of a climate-change skeptic. July
28. www.nytimes.com/2012/07/30/opinion/the-conversion-of-a-climate-change-skeptic.
html (accessed November 3, 2018).
NASA. Global mean CO2 mixing ratios (ppm): Observations. https://data.giss.nasa.
gov/modelforce/ghgases/Fig1A.ext.txt (accessed November 3, 2018).
NASA. 2008. What’s in a name? Global warming vs. climate change. www.nasa.gov/
topics/earth/features/climate_by_any_other_name.html (accessed February 4, 2019).
NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For states, by states.
Washington, DC: National Academies Press. www.nextgenscience.org/next-
generation-science-standards.
NOAA. CO2 at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory reaches new milestone: Tops
400 ppm. www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/news/7074.html (accessed November 3, 2018).
Norweigan Nobel Committee. 2007. Prize announcement. Nobel Media AB.
www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2007/summary.
Oxford Dictionaries. 2019. Oxford Dictionary of English. Oxford University Press.
Continually updated at https://en.oxforddictionaries.com.
Supran, G., and N. Oreskes. 2017. Assessing ExxonMobil’s climate change com-
munications (1977–2014). Environmental Research Letters 12 (8): 084019.
Sustainable Innovation Forum. Find out more about COP21. www.cop21paris.org
(accessed November 3, 2018).
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SESSION 1
Introduction
The goal of this session is to set the stage for student investigations into the
complex topics of global warming and climate change. Students first partici-
pate in a networking activity to introduce them to the Climate Change Agents
whose interviews are found throughout the guide. They then activate their prior
knowledge through a brainstorm of what they have heard about climate change.
In order to reveal student understanding and misconceptions about climate
change, the term heard is used rather than the term know. This allows students
to feel free to share anything they have heard without fear of being wrong while
the teacher is able to uncover their misconceptions prior to further instruction.
This process sets up thinking and communication practices that prepare the
students for Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) performance expectations
that are developed in the subsequent sessions. After listing ideas they’ve heard
about climate change, students review one another’s lists and formulate ques-
tions that they have about climate change.
A formative assessment probe from Uncovering Student Ideas in Earth and Envi-
ronmental Science by Page Keeley and Laura Tucker is included to assist teachers
in assessing whether their students have a firm understanding of the difference
between climate and weather.
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Session 1
Objectives
1. To encourage students to share their own information about what they
have heard regarding climate change, which serves as a preassessment
of their prior knowledge
2. To establish a base of common information that will be useful both for
teaching and for evaluating the information covered in the unit
3. To assess what knowledge and misconceptions students hold about
climate change
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What Have You Heard About Climate Change?
Preparation
3. Decide how you will attach the sentence strips to the wall. A
recommended method is to attach two long strips of masking tape to
the wall for each column of sentence strips, sticky side out. Place the
strips about two feet apart from each other. You may also use poster
putty instead of tape.
4. Decide how you will manage the sentence strips for each class. You can
roll them up after each period or compile them as a group, depending
on how many classes you have.
Note: It is important that the statements in each category can be moved back and
forth as new information is discovered. For example, a statement in the Accepted
as Inaccurate column might be moved to the Needs More Information/Evidence/
Research section when additional information is revealed. Questions can be
removed when they are answered.
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Session 1
Begin!
Networking
1. Distribute one networking card to each student. Tell students that
they will take on the identity of the person on their card and attend
a “networking event” with many other very important people. Let
students know that name-dropping is important at networking events.
2. Ask students to walk around the room and gather information from
as many different people as possible. As they meet each person, they
should exchange names and read the quotes on their cards to each
other. Students then record the names and key ideas from each person
they meet. If your school policy allows it, students may take pictures of
each other’s cards with their cell phones.
3. After about five minutes, have students return to their tables. Ask
them to work with their table partners to compare their impressions
of the people they met at the networking event. Once students have
finished discussing their impressions, tell them that they will have an
opportunity to read more about each of these people in the upcoming
unit.
4. Ask students to discuss the following questions in groups and record
their thinking in their notebooks:
•• What is the common thread between all of the people at the
networking event?
•• Which person are you most interested in learning more about? Why?
•• What do you think you will be learning in the upcoming unit?
5. Give students an opportunity to share their answers with the class.
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What Have You Heard About Climate Change?
Thought Swap
1. After a few minutes, or once most students are finished, have them
stop writing.
2. Explain that it is time for a Thought Swap. Students will work in
groups of three to four. The directions are as follows:
a. Each student will read their list to the group. No one is allowed to
interrupt the speaker or comment on the information that is shared
at this time.
b. After one person finishes sharing, the next person has a turn, stating
only those things not covered by the first speaker. This continues
until everyone has shared the content of their lists. Students may
add information shared by their classmates to their own lists.
c. After all group members have shared their information, they can
ask one another questions and discuss what each person had to say.
Any disagreements can be discussed at a later time.
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Session 1
3. While the group discussion is going on, post the following four
sentence-strip headings to your wall columns or use a computer to
project the categories:
•• Questions We Have About Climate Change
•• Accepted as Accurate—Supported by Evidence
•• Accepted as Inaccurate—Supported by Evidence
•• Needs More Information/Evidence/Research
If sentence strips are being used, leave room under each heading for
15–20 statements to be posted.
4. Ask if there are any questions before moving on.
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What Have You Heard About Climate Change?
Note: Students may bring up the ozone hole, acid rain, or other environmental
issues that they confuse with climate change. You may choose to ask them to
eliminate those statements from their list or leave them in as part of the discussion.
Examples of What Students May Have Heard About Climate
Change
“What I have heard about climate change …”
•• If the climate changes, it will cause glaciers to melt, which will
eventually raise the sea level.
•• It’s caused by ozone-layer thickening.
•• CO2 levels are increasing.
•• Ocean temperatures are increasing.
•• Climate change causes storms to grow larger.
•• Climate change makes the world warmer.
•• A portion of the United States does not recognize it as a problem.
•• The polar ice caps are melting, raising ocean levels.
•• Global warming is bad.
•• Climate change is caused by greenhouse gases.
•• Pollution is depleting the ozone layer.
•• It is making our atmosphere thinner.
•• It is making the world unstable.
•• Burning fossil fuels causes greenhouse gases.
•• Natural disasters are getting worse.
•• It is thought to be more extreme now than in the past.
•• Arctic species are going to be extinct in 20 years.
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Session 1
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What Have You Heard About Climate Change?
•• Why have we not fixed it when we have known about this for so long?
•• Are our advances in science and technology helping or hurting
climate change?
•• What are the contributors?
•• How do automobiles compare with factories in contributing to
climate change?
•• Is climate change speeding up or at a steady pace?
4. Ask students to raise their hands if they know the answers to any of
the questions currently posted. Have them silently write their answers
to these questions in their notebooks without discussion with other
students. Explain that they will have a chance to review these questions
and answers as the unit progresses.
Definitions
As you go through the session, you may find the following definitions from the
Environmental Protection Agency helpful.
Climate: The average weather conditions in a particular location or region at a
particular time of the year. Climate is usually measured over a period of 30 years
or more.
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Session 1
Pedagogy
What Students Have Heard Versus What They Know
Teachers have often observed that students will remember inaccurate state-
ments as true when they see them posted for the whole class to see. This is why
students are instructed to put what they have heard in their notebooks and not
where the whole class can read the statements. This helps individual students
reflect on their own ideas and misconceptions and correct them as the unit goes
on. Once a statement has been determined as accurate or inaccurate by the class
based on evidence they have discovered, then the statement can be placed where
it can be seen by the class. Teachers can monitor a specific student’s conceptual
path by reading their science notebook.
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What Have You Heard About Climate Change?
Select the resources that you want to use for reteaching. You may select
readings from the students’ textbook or appropriate video shorts to share with
your class. (Two short videos are included in the Resources section.) Alterna-
tively you may give students an opportunity to research weather and climate
online.
After showing a video or giving students time for personal research, ask
them to record their own definitions of weather and climate in their notebooks.
Once they have recorded their own thinking, ask students to share their
definitions with others in their group. When everyone has shared, each group
will create one definition for the term weather and one definition for the term
climate.
Have students share their group definitions with the class. Ask students to
make any additions or corrections to their group definition, then create a class
definition for the terms climate and weather. You may use the definitions provided
in the Background for Teachers section (pp. 23–24) to guide student thinking.
Hand back students’ formative assessment and allow them to make correc-
tions to their original responses. Review responses with the class quickly. If you
come to a response where there is disagreement, allow students to make the
case for their selections. Using the class definitions, come to consensus for each
item. This is a great place to give students an opportunity to engage in argu-
mentation, which is both a science and engineering practice in the NGSS and a
Common Core State Standard for both English language arts and math.
Resources
1. These videos help students understand the difference between weather
and climate.
•• This video may be more appropriate for middle school students:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbAWny7FV3w.
•• This video may be more appropriate for high school students:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHgyOa70Q7Y.
2. The following skit by Deep Rogue Ram shows a weather reporter gone
rogue when she is confronted by her coanchor, who is rather clueless
on the issue of climate change: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmfcJP_
0eMc&t=6s.
3. Skeptical Science (www.skepticalscience.com) is an excellent resource
with commonly accepted misconceptions about global warming and
climate change along with corresponding scientific explanations. You
can choose different levels of scientific explanations, from basic to
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Session 1
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What Have You Heard About Climate Change?
•• I put weather for the ones that state rain, drought. Climate is what
makes the weather happen.
•• It’s climate if it’s a change, and it’s a W if it’s something to do with
how the outdoors affects your day.
•• Rain is something that happens outside. That is climate. Weather is
something you might have to change your clothes for.
•• I think climate when I hear rain, because global warming melts
icebergs, which means more water, and water evaporates quicker
with more rain.
•• My reasoning is that weather is what happens every day and is
mostly unpredictable, and climate is more predictable and is what
happens over a number of years.
•• Weather is rain, snow, hail, sunshine, and wind, and climate is
density. Density is like humidity or moisture in the air.
•• Weather is random. Climate change is big news and at a certain
place.
•• Weather is the conditions such as raining, snowing, sunny, etc.
Climate is conditions of the air, such as humid, muggy, dry, and
others.
•• If the sentence referred to a specific weather condition such as
snow, rain, or temperature, I counted it as weather. If the sentence
referred to natural disasters or did not mention a specific weather
condition, I counted it as climate.
References
Bybee, R. et al. 2006. The BSCS 5E Instructional Model: Origins and effective-
ness. Paper prepared for the Office of Science Education at NIH.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2017. A student’s guide to global climate
change: Glossary. https://archive.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/glossary.html#w.
Keeley, P., and L. Tucker. 2016. Are they talking about climate or weather? In
Uncovering student ideas in Earth and environmental science, 74–76. Arlington, VA:
NSTA Press.
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SESSION 2
Sources of CO2
in the Atmosphere
Introduction
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary gas that creates our “Goldilocks” planet—
not too hot, not too cold, just right. It serves as a heat-trapping blanket in our
atmosphere, providing a natural greenhouse effect that allows Earth to maintain
an average temperature of 15°C (59°F). Without CO2 in the atmosphere, heat
would radiate back into space causing Earth to be a mostly frozen ball with an
average temperature of –18°C (0°F).
Students may have heard that climate change is primarily a problem of too
much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It has caused most of the warming we
have measured since the mid-1700s and is caused primarily by the burning of
fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas, or the cutting down and burning of forests.
Currently, there is 30% more CO2 in our atmosphere than at any time in the
past 800,000 years.
Before students dive into the causes and effects of the increase in this critical
greenhouse gas, they are provided with an opportunity to discover some of the
sources of CO2 in our atmosphere. Students conduct an investigation where
they collect gas samples from the air, from their breath, from a gasoline-powered
automobile, and from a pure source of CO2. They compare the relative concen-
trations of CO2 by bubbling their gas samples through bromothymol blue, an
easy-to-obtain acid/base indicator. Their results show that humans produce a
small amount of CO2 through respiration as compared to the significant amount
of CO2 produced by a gasoline-powered automobile. This experiment provides
some foundation for understanding the role that the burning of fossil fuels plays
in our warming planet.
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Session 2
Objectives
1. To give students a concrete understanding of some sources of CO2 and
their relative concentrations in our atmosphere
2. To practice sampling and testing techniques like those used in scientific
studies of the atmosphere
3. To draw out the distinction between “natural” and “industrial” sources
of CO2
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Another random document with
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„Ik heb met je smoessies niks niet te make,” zegt Kees woedend.
„Jullie zalle d’r wel meer van hoore.”
„Een sigaar, Kees, vóór je weggaat,” zegt Ambro en hij steekt een
takje van een boom in de hoogte.
„Dekselsche aap,” vaart Kees uit. „Wat let me, of ik geef je daar ’n
pak op je broek.”
„Stom,” zegt Puckie. „Eeuwig stom om dien vent nou nog te gaan
sarren. Hij had toch al zoo de mier aan ons gezien.”
„Reken maar op een brief van den Directeur,” zegt Paul. „En we
zullen er nu heusch niet zoo genadig afkomen.”
„Ze gaan nou vast verband zoeken en zoo stom zijn ze niet, of ze
begrijpen, dat wij ook die jongens van het rhododendron-boschje
waren,” zegt Karel.
„Ja jongens, we zijn er gloeiend bij,” zegt Ambro. „En ik ben ’t met
Paul eens, we zullen er dezen keer niet malsch afkomen.”
„Nou, als jij d’r geen gat inziet,” zegt Puckie. „Dan zijn we reddeloos
verloren.”
„Och, weet je wat ’t is,” zegt Ambro. „Ik trek ’t me niet zoo bar aan.
We zouden toch niet meer zooveel aan ’t Hol hebben.” [219]
„Waarom niet?”
„Nou, ’t was maar niet emmes in ’t Hol! Ik zou d’r nog niks te groote-
meneerig voor zijn,” zegt Puckie.
„’t Zal wel zoo zijn, als Ambro denkt,” zegt Paul in ’t volste
vertrouwen. Het is niet weer te geven, wat er in Ambro’s oogen
lichtte bij die woorden van Paul.
Die kleine, zachte jongen, zoo geheel den tegenhanger van den
robusten wilden Ambro, had een heel warm plekje in zijn hart en
toen hij hem daar zag staan, zoo’n tenger ventje nog, dat nu ook
H.B.S.er zou worden en mee moest blokken [220]met ze, kreeg hij ’n
raar gevoel in z’n hart, hetgeen hij niet anders wist te uiten, dan met
de woorden: „En tòch zullen we nog fijn spelen, hoor Paul! En onze
bende blijft bestaan, mèt of zonder het Hol.” Daarmede is voor hen
allen het beklemmende gevoel weg en ze voelen zich weer de oude
roovers.
„Hiep hôj, knullen,” schreeuwt Puckie. „De bende van Kaan gaat
nooit verloren!”
Als echte Rotterdammers helpen echter alle omstanders meê den wagen
de helling op te krijgen.
De vier jongens duwen uit alle macht mee. Zelfs een oud heertje met wit
vest en een lorgnet op, komt naderbij en meent, dat het voldoende is met
een keurig geganteerde hand den wagen lichtelijk aan te raken.
Er zijn nu zooveel helpers, dat er geen plekje aan den wagen meer vrij is
om aan te pakken.
Ambro kan niet nalaten tegen Chris te zeggen, wijzende op het oude
heertje:
Waarop het oude heertje vriendelijk lacht en het compliment als zeer
verdiend beschouwt.
De vier schelmen lachen in hun vuistje.
„’t Is een draaimolen in stukkie’s,” zegt Ambro. „Die moet vast opgezet
worden op de Veemarkt. Daar gaan we heen, knullen!”
Boven op den wagen zit een kerel in een zwart en rood gestreepten trui,
die als een Romeinsch wagenmenner op al het kleurrijke houtwerk troont.
„Hort, hort,” vuurt hij de paarden aan, terwijl hij de zweep laat knallen.
De kluit helpers laat los en de jongens hollen den wagen achterna, want
ze voorvoelen, dat het opzetten van den draaimolen een bron van groot
genot voor hen zal opleveren.
„Durven wel,” zegt Ambro. „Maar hoe moet ik er op komen, ik kan toch
niet langs z’n pooten omhoog klimmen.”
„Vraag es aan dien vent, die daar met het opzetten van de tent bezig is, of
je er even op mag,” raadt Puckie aan.
„Toe, baas, laat me d’r nou effie’s op, ik kom vóór donker thuis met ’m.”
De man lacht eens even, maar gaat door met z’n werk.
Ambro gaat niet in op de plagerij, hij is stil, wat bij hem meestal wijst op
het uitdenken van een nieuwen schelmenstreek.
„Ga je mee verderop?” vraagt Puckie, die genoeg heeft van ’t bewonderen
en streelen der beesten.
„Neen,” zegt Ambro. „Ik moet eerst een rijtoertje maken, gaat ’t niet op
den kameel, dan op den ezel.”
Plotseling springt hij op den rug van het ongezadelde beest en houdt zich
stevig bij diens ooren vast.
De ezel slaat naar alle kanten en op een gegeven moment slaat hij z’n
achterpooten in de lucht en gooit Ambro met een vaartje over z’n kop
heen, op straat.
De jongens gieren van pret en Ambro, die alweer opgekrabbeld is, wil juist
zijn edel „ros” gaan bestijgen, als de mannen het gevalletje in de gaten
krijgen en op hem af hollen.
Een weet den ezel te pakken, dien hij mee [225]terugvoert naar z’n plaats
en de ander holt de jongens achterna.
Maar deze zijn hem te vlug af en zijn spoorloos verdwenen in een steegje.
Als ze een goed eind doorgerend zijn, durven ze eindelijk blijven stilstaan.
„Hè, hè,” hijgt Ambro. „Dat was tenminste een gratis ritje, jammer, dat ie
geen tuig aan had, dan was ik zoo met hem naar huis gereden.”
„Vooruit, knullen, we gaan aan den anderen kant kijken,” zegt Chris.
Nu staan ze voor een in aanbouw zijnde tent. Het is een armoedig zoodje,
alle schotten en lappen zien er haveloos en vervallen uit.
„Het kristal moet zeker nog met den trein meekomen,” spot Ambro.
„Zou die arme sjap nou nog wat verdienen op de kermis?” peinst Piet.
„Nou, als ik nog wat over heb, ga ik er vast heen,” zegt Puckie in een
edelmoedige opwelling. [226]
„Kijk es, jongens,” roept Ambro eensklaps. „Daar heb je waaratje de dikke
dame ook al!”
De jongens kijken allen om. Heel rustig komt een bizonder welgedane
juffrouw aangewandeld. Ze is ook eens een kijkje gaan nemen naar het
opbouwen van de kermistenten.
Een tevreden lach ligt op haar vollemaansgezicht en er rusten wel drie
onderkinnen op haar halsboordje.
De juffrouw begrijpt al niet, wat die jongetjes van haar willen, als plotseling
Ambro met een volkomen onschuldig baby-snuitje vraagt: [227]
„Ik vraag in welke tent u thuis hoort?” herhaalt Ambro beleefd z’n vraag.
„Ik?” zegt de juffrouw gekrenkt. „Ik, in een tent? Jonge, je bent van Lotje
getikt.”
Het wordt nu hoe langer hoe voller in den omtrek van de Veemarkt.
Joelende straatjongens trekken voorbij de houten geraamten, maken op
en aanmerkingen. Oude renteniertjes blijven vol belangstelling het werk
gadeslaan, voelen nog een glimpje van de vroeger genoten
kermisvreugde. Alles joelt en warrelt dooreen en de kermisstemming zit er
al in, vóór nog de kermis een aanvang heeft genomen.
De vier jongens hebben hun hart opgehaald; er is geen tent, die ze niet
hebben zien opslaan.
„Ik weet toch nog niet wat ik doe met me geld,” zegt Piet. „Als ik er aan
denk, dat ik nou heelemaal geen kermis kan houwen, heb ik maling aan
die heele fiets.” [228]
„Wel ja, jong,” zegt Chris. „Die fiets komt nog wel, ga maar liever met ons
mee.”
„Salut!”
En ieder gaat zijns weegs.
—————————————
De kermis is ingeluid.
Piet kwam den dag te voren, stralend van vreugde vertellen, dat een
goedhartige tante hem twee blanke „knaken” had gegeven, met het bevel,
die nu eens niet voor z’n fiets te bewaren, maar op de kermis te verteren.
Toen al het geld bij elkaar gelegd was, bleek het, dat ze een flink
gespekten kermispot hadden en met een beetje overleg konden ze van
alle kermisdagen profiteeren.
En zoo zien we het stel dan juist den winkel uitkomen van den beruchten
en beroemden „Hazelip”, waar de noodige voorraad zuurballen is
ingeslagen.
Gewapend met een reuzen-bal achter hun kiezen gaan ze de kermis op.
Chris doet het, terwijl ie spijtig zegt: „Hè, hij is zoo fijn!”
„Nou, vooruit, dan maar, allemaal eerst even opkluiven,” zegt Ambro, die
ook spijt krijgt en dat kleverige ding tusschen z’n vingers toch niet zoo
aangenaam vindt.
„We moesten maar ’t eerst een paar rondjes in den draaimolen,” stelt
Ambro voor.
Ze vinden het allen best. En al heel gauw heeft ieder z’n plaatsje in het
schitterende gevaarte bemachtigd.
Ambro, die ontdekt, dat de jongen die het orgel draait er slaperig en
verveeld bijstaat, gaat naar hem toe en zegt:
„Ga je gang,” zegt de vent, terwijl hij op z’n gemak gaat zitten.
Het werkje valt niets mee, en de jongens moeten twee aan twee draaien.
Ambro heeft zich handig naar voren weten te dringen en staat nu voor de
welgedane dame die achter de kassa zit.
„Och, jongetje, haal d’r es een dubbeltje peren, dan mag je straks gratis
naar binnen.”
Daar was Ambro wel voor te vinden en in een wip heeft hij zich uit het
menschenkluwen weten los te maken.
„Gaan jullie maar vast,” antwoordt Ambro hem. „Even peren halen voor de
juffrouw, dan mag ik voor noppes binnen.”
„Wat ’n boffert,” zegt Chris. „Misschien heeft ze voor mij ook wel een
boodschap.”
De jongens werken zich nu naar binnen, spoedig gevolgd door Ambro, die
met twee handen vol peren aankomt en als belooning een gratis kaartje
heeft gekregen. [231]
Binnen is het tjokvol en alle rijdieren zijn bezet. In een hoek, op een
podium zitten een vijftal muzikanten te blazen en op de maat van de
schorre muziek loopen de beesten in een gematigd gangetje het cirkeltje
rond.
„Kijk, Puck, de kameel, daar moet en zal ik straks op. We moesten er met
z’n vieren op gaan, dat kan best, d’r is plaats zat.”
Elke rit duurt een minuut of vijf, zoodat de jongens niet al te lang
behoeven te wachten.
Als de beesten stil staan hebben de jongens hun plaats bij den kameel al
veroverd en worden door twee gespierde armen er boven op gezet.
’t Is om een kiek van te nemen, zóó triomphantelijk als ’t stel daar zit.
„Nou een paar witte lakens, jongens en dan als Arabieren den Dierentuin
rond rijden!”
„Je bent gek,” zegt Ambro. „Hij telt heelemaal niet als ie gaat.”
Vóór hen, rijdt, haar leeftijd in aanmerking genomen, heel parmantig een
juffrouw van om en nabij de vijftig, getooid met een kapothoedje met malle
zwarte veertjes, op een paard. [232]
Een deugniet, die aan den kant staat, heeft blijkbaar met een scherp
voorwerp het beest een prik gegeven, want plotseling heft het de
voorbeenen op, onmiddellijk gevolgd door een vervaarlijk gegil van zijn
berijdster.
In radeloozen angst heeft de juffrouw haar beide armen om den hals van
het paard geslagen, dat nog niet tot bedaren gebracht, voortgaat met
steigeren.
Het is een potsierlijk gezicht, nu de juffrouw in een teedere omhelzing,
meer aan het paard hangt, dan er op zit.
Hierdoor komt een ongelukkig dun vlechtje vrij, dat in dartele sprongen op
haar rug danst.
De jongens op den kameel schateren het uit van lachen.
Het goede mensch is bleek van schrik en het is een wonder, dat ze bij
deze vreeselijke beproeving in haar regelmatig leventje haar
tegenwoordigheid van geest heeft weten te behouden.
„Waar nu naar toe,” zegt Piet als ze buiten staan. „Naar het vlooien-
theater?”
„Neen,” zegt Ambro. „Kom mee, eerst ballen gooien,” en hij wijst op een
kraampje, dat op het oogenblik weinig te doen schijnt te hebben; er staat
tenminste geen publiek voor.
„Wat is dàt nou voor een beweging?” vraagt Puckie als ze ervoor staan.
Hij ziet niet anders in het kraampje, dan een man en een vrouw, die voor
drie gesloten deuren staan.
Als zij de jongens in de gaten krijgen, staat de man onmiddellijk van zijn
stoel op en zegt in gebroken Duitsch:
„Sollen die joengeheere niet een maal mit die balle werpen? Dreimaal
werpen foor ein doebbieltje! Nur foor zehn cent! Pofen op die teurknop.
Kolosale overrassunk! Noch nie mal nooit da geweest! Paul Kruger!
Königin Wilhelmina! Papus der gewaltige hungerleider! Alles foor ein
doebbieltje!”
„Ja, ja,” roept Chris. „Dat moeten we hebben! Geef op drie ballen!”
Ambro heeft er al drie te pakken. Voor de jongens, die gewend zijn, met
alle soorten voorwerpen naar alle soorten doelwitten te gooien, is deze
sport een peulschilletje, want „de teurknoppen” [235]bestaan uit groote
koperen platen en de afstand bedraagt slechts drie meter.
Het vorstelijk hoofd, dat met een verguld bordpapieren kroon getooid is,
die door den schok scheef is komen te staan, lijkt meer op een
mannenhoofd, dan op een teêr vrouwengelaat. Om haar schouders is een
wit laken gedrapeerd, dat met hier en daar een bosje paardenhaar, het
effect moet geven van een hermelijnen mantel, terwijl om haar lendenen
een oranje sjerp hangt, die nog behangen is met een ontelbare menigte
kruisen en ordeteekenen van verguld bordpapier.
Het zijn wel de twee grootste contrasten die men zich denken kan. [236]
„De dood van Pierlala!” roept Puckie. „En Oome Paul lijkt wel een
voorwereldlijk monster.”
„Nou, alles zal recht koom, heeft ie immers gezegd,” lacht Ambro.
„Wie wil d’r nog gooien?” vraagt Ambro. „We hebben nog ballen.”
Een stevige gooi doet Paul Kruger’s hooge zijden naar den grond
tuimelen.
„Héé! hée,” zegt de man nijdig. „Nur auf die thürknop werpen!” [237]
„Ja, hij gooit zoo beroerd,” zegt Ambro. „Trouwens, ik ben ook niet altijd
zeker.”
En meteen raakt een worp van Ambro den man pardoes op z’n neus.
„Vier pof, vier van de pan!” gilt Piet hun bestelling naar den kellner. De
kraam is overvol en de jongens konden maar net per toeval nog een leeg
hokje vinden.
„We zullen nog wel even moeten wachten op ons voer,” zegt Chris.