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Year 7

The greenhouse effect

I can explain what causes Earth's greenhouse effect and why it affects global temperature.

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New
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Year 7

The greenhouse effect

I can explain what causes Earth's greenhouse effect and why it affects global temperature.

Download all resources
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Share activities with pupils
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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. A gardener can use a greenhouse to keep plants warm.
  2. A greenhouse maintains the optimal temperature range for the growth and survival of the plants.
  3. A natural greenhouse effect maintains optimal temperature range for life on Earth.
  4. Greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere cause the natural greenhouse effect.
  5. Human activities are increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect.

Keywords

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

  • Atmosphere - the layer of gases that surrounds a planet

  • Greenhouse gases - gases in the atmosphere that keep it warmer than it would be without them

  • Emissions - releases of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere

Common misconception

Thinking that the atmosphere acts like a greenhouse by presenting a wall (like glass) that traps heat.

Heat is not a substance that can be trapped. This lesson explores the role of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which keep the atmosphere warmer than it would be when it is heated by the Sun. This increases the surface temperature of Earth.


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

A gardener's greenhouse is presented as a model of the greenhouse effect. Be careful to avoid the misconception that the Earth's atmosphere is like a glass wall. As a teacher, you can use the FAR approach presented in the 'additional materials' to plan and reflect on your use of this model.
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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

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following items are usually powered by gas in a home?
Correct answer: boiler for hot water and heating
lights
microwave
Q2.
What is a fuel?
It is a type of coal, oil or gas.
A non-renewable source of energy.
Correct answer: It releases heat and transfers energy when burnt.
Q3.
Starting with the most environmentally friendly method, sort these ways of travelling to school into rank.
1 - walking
2 - cycling
3 - public transport
4 - car
Q4.
Where does most energy on Earth come from originally?
the soil and underground
Correct answer: the sun
outer space
the sea and wind
Q5.
If a room gets too hot, which of these ways of cooling it down would be cheapest and most environmentally friendly?
using an electric fan
turning on the air conditioning
Correct answer: opening a window
Q6.
If the Earth were much colder than it is, which of these are most likely?
Correct answer: There would be less life on Earth.
There would be the same amount of life on Earth.
There would be more life on Earth.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
The pie chart shows the proportions of gases in the atmosphere. Match the colour of the section of the pie chart with the atmospheric gas it represents.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer:light blue,nitrogen
tick

nitrogen

Correct Answer:pink,oxygen
tick

oxygen

Correct Answer:yellow,other gases, including methane and water vapour
tick

other gases, including methane and water vapour

Correct Answer:dark blue,carbon dioxide
tick

carbon dioxide

Q2.
Which of these are greenhouse gases?
oxygen
Correct answer: carbon dioxide
nitrogen
Correct answer: water vapour
Correct answer: methane
Q3.
Match the part of the greenhouse effect with its process.
Correct Answer:the sun,provides heat
tick

provides heat

Correct Answer:greenhouse gases,traps more heat in the atmosphere
tick

traps more heat in the atmosphere

Correct Answer:greenhouse effect,makes the Earth warmer than it would be otherwise
tick

makes the Earth warmer than it would be otherwise

Q4.
Which of these human activities release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere?
Correct answer: Burning natural gas to produce electricity
Correct answer: Using petrol in a car
Growing trees
Correct answer: Farming cattle (cows)
Q5.
Which of these options best describes the effects of releasing more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere?
Correct answer: Enhances the greenhouse effect.
Increases the strength of the sunlight.
Makes it hotter inside greenhouses.
Increases the thickness of the atmosphere.
Q6.
Use the graph which shows annual world greenhouse gas emissions by sector. In order of impact from highest to lowest, rank the changes we could make to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
An image in a quiz
1 - Use renewable energy to provide heat and electricity.
2 - Use an electric car, bike or walk.
3 - Eat less meat.

Additional material

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