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New
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Year 7

Global warming

I can describe evidence for global warming and how it is related to human activities.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 7

Global warming

I can describe evidence for global warming and how it is related to human activities.

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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Temperature data show an unusual, rapid increase in the Earth's average surface temperature over the last century or so.
  2. This recent increase in average surface temperature is called global warming.
  3. There is a correlation between data showing increasing temperature and data showing increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
  4. Most scientists agree that emissions from human activities are increasing the greenhouse effect, causing global warming.

Keywords

  • Greenhouse effect - the effect of some gases in the atmosphere that keep Earth’s surface warmer than it would be without them

  • Data - observations and measurements

  • Global warming - an increase in Earth’s average surface temperature

  • Correlation - a pattern in data that shows one factor changes as another factor changes

Common misconception

Mixing up correlation and cause.

This lesson explores the correlation between data showing global warming and data showing increases in greenhouse gas emission, and that 99% of scientists believe the increased greenhouse effect is the causal link.


To help you plan your year 7 science lesson on: Global warming, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The animation at the end of Part 1 loops indefinitely, so it can be watched several times so that the change in colours - and therefore the change in Earth's surface temperature over time - can be seen.
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Equipment

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

6 Questions

Q1.
Which gas is released when fuels like coal and wood are burnt?
oxygen
Correct answer: carbon dioxide
hydrogen
Q2.
Which of these are a greenhouse gas?
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Correct answer: Carbon dioxide
Correct answer: Methane
Q3.
What does the term 'average' of a number mean?
The middle number in a set.
Correct answer: The central, typical, or usual, number in a set.
The total of all the numbers in a set.
Q4.
Which of these are fossil fuels?
Correct answer: coal
wood
Correct answer: oil
Correct answer: natural gas
Q5.
Starting with the first, order these processes to describe the greenhouse effect.
1 - The Sun warms the Earth.
2 - Greenhouses gases keep the atmosphere warmer than it would be.
3 - Earth's surface becomes warmer than it would be.
Q6.
Which one of these activities releases the greatest number of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere?
burning natural gas to cook food
cycling a bike to school
planting trees in a woodland
Correct answer: driving a petrol car

6 Questions

Q1.
Starting with the first, order these statements to show how global warming is caused.
1 - Burning fossil fuels.
2 - Increased greenhouse gases in atmosphere.
3 - Enhanced greenhouse effect.
4 - Causes global warming.
Q2.
Using the graph, which time period has seen the warmest average temperatures?
An image in a quiz
0 - 500
1000 - 1500
1700 - 1800
Correct answer: 1900 - 2000
Q3.
What does the word 'correlation' mean?
Correct answer: a match
a link
an explanation
Q4.
Alex is explaining global warming to his parents. He says "Global warming is the sudden rise and fall in average global temperature." What should he have said instead?
An image in a quiz
sharp fall
Correct answer: rapid increase
sudden fluctuation
Q5.
Which of these human activities do not burn fossil fuels but do release greenhouse gases?
generating electricity
Correct answer: farming
heating buildings
Correct answer: decomposition of waste materials
Q6.
If we continue to increase the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, what will happen to global warming?
it will decrease
it will stay the same
Correct answer: it will increase
it will increase and decrease
Q2 Temperatures with respect to the 1850-1900 mean as per IPCC definition of pre-industrial temperatures over the last 2 millennia and observational values ranging from 1880 to 2020, Efbrazil, 2020, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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