Climate and Civilization: The Maya Example
http://txessrevolution.org/MayaExample
http://txessrevolution.org/MayaExample
Katherine Ellins, Jeri Rodgers, James Cano, Texas Earth and Space Science Revolution
Activity takes several class periods. Computer access is required.
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Topics
Grade Level
Best suited for introductory undergraduate class or advanced high school students.
Regional Focus
Climate Literacy
About Teaching Climate Literacy
3a 
3aIndividual organisms survive within specific ranges of temperature, precipitation, humidity, and sunlight. Organisms exposed to climate conditions outside their normal range must adapt or migrate, or they will perish.
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Scientific observations indicate that global climate has changed in the past, is changing now, and will change in the future. The magnitude and direction of this change is not the same at all locations on Earth.
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Environmental observations are the foundation for understanding the climate system. From the bottom of the ocean to the surface of the Sun, instruments on weather stations, buoys, satellites, and other platforms collect climate data. To learn about past climates, scientists use natural records, such as tree rings, ice cores, and sedimentary layers. Historical observations, such as native knowledge and personal journals, also document past climate change.
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Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines
1. Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills:G) Drawing conclusions and developing explanations
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G) Drawing conclusions and developing explanations.
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G) Drawing conclusions and developing explanations.
1. Questioning, Analysis and Interpretation Skills:C) Collecting information
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C) Collecting information.
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C) Collecting information.
2. Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems:2.1 The Earth as a Physical System:A) Processes that shape the Earth
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A) Processes that shape the Earth.
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A) Processes that shape the Earth.
2. Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems:2.2 The Living Environment:A) Organisms, populations, and communities
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A) Organisms, populations, and communities.
Other materials addressing:
A) Organisms, populations, and communities.
2. Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems:2.2 The Living Environment:C) Systems and connections
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C) Systems and connections.
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C) Systems and connections.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy
Learn more about the Benchmarks
Scientific investigations usually involve the collection of relevant data, the use of logical reasoning, and the application of imagination in devising hypotheses and explanations to make sense of the collected data.
The earth's climates have changed in the past, are currently changing, and are expected to change in the future, primarily due to changes in the amount of light reaching places on the earth and the composition of the atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels in the last century has increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which has contributed to Earth's warming.
The world contains a wide diversity of physical conditions, which creates a wide variety of environments: freshwater, marine, forest, desert, grassland, mountain, and others. In any particular environment, the growth and survival of organisms depend on the physical conditions
Notes From Our Reviewers
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Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy |
Technical Details
Teaching Tips
- Students will possibly need help with Excel.
- Ideally educator would include information on dating techniques to increase the students' understanding of the scientific process.
About the Science
- Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
- Students use real ocean sediment data for their work.
- There is some scientific concern that the location of the ocean sediment cores is too far away from and not climatically connected to the Mayan sites. However the overall premise of the activity is still valid.
- The original data set can be obtained from the NOAA Paleoclimate website: ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/contributions_by_author/haug2001/cariaco_ti.txt and ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/paleolimnology/yucatan/chichancanab.txt.
- Formula for titanium oxide is wrong - it should be TiO2.
About the Pedagogy
- Provides a way for students to make connections between ocean data and an ancient civilization - a nice glimpse of the scientific process.
- This resource engages students in using scientific data.
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