A Day In Jordan's Life
Jordan is a middle school student who lives about two miles from school. Each morning, Jordan’s parent drives them to school in a car, even though there is a safe bike path nearby. After school, Jordan usually plays video games for a few hours and leaves the TV on in the background, even when not watching it.
Jordan loves snacks and often chooses individually packaged chips and drinks. At lunch, Jordan throws away most of the packaging instead of recycling it, even though there are recycling bins in the cafeteria.
On weekends, Jordan’s family sometimes goes hiking in a nearby park and brings reusable water bottles. They also recently started using energy-efficient light bulbs at home. However, Jordan often forgets to turn off bedroom lights and leaves their phone charging overnight, even when the battery is already full.
Jordan has heard about climate change in science class and wants to help the environment but isn’t always sure what habits make the biggest difference.
Categorize Jordan's action as having a positive or negative human impact on the environment:
Using a reusable water bottle while on a hike.
Throwing away recyclables into the trash
Leaving the TV on when not watching it
Playing video games
Using energy efficient light bulbs
Wanting to help the environments
Positive Human Impact
Negative Human Impacts
Which action increase Jordan's carbon footprint the most?
Match each behavior to its impact:
| Draggable item | arrow_right_alt | Corresponding Item |
|---|---|---|
Recycling | arrow_right_alt | Increases carbon emissions |
Leaving electronics on when not in use | arrow_right_alt | Reduces energy use |
Using LED (energy efficient) lightbulbs | arrow_right_alt | Reduces waste in landfills |
Driving short distances | arrow_right_alt | Wasted electricity |
Match the vocabulary word to the correct definition:
| Draggable item | arrow_right_alt | Corresponding Item |
|---|---|---|
Pollution | arrow_right_alt | The cutting down of forests for lumber. |
Deforestation | arrow_right_alt | A 24 hour cycle of biological processes |
Invasive species | arrow_right_alt | The introduction of harmful materials into the natural environment |
Conservation | arrow_right_alt | Animals or plants from another region of the world that do not belong in their new environment |
Circadian Rhythm | arrow_right_alt | Protecting and managing ecosystems |
Ecosystems are always changing. Some changes happen quickly, while others take many years. These changes can affect how organisms live, find food, and survive.
Daily changes happen every 24 hours. For example, day and night cycles affect when animals are active. Some animals, like owls, are active at night, while others, like squirrels, are active during the day. Plants also respond to daily changes by opening and closing their leaves or flowers. These patterns are controlled by internal clocks called circadian rhythms.
Seasonal changes happen over the course of a year. As the seasons change, temperature and daylight hours also change. Many animals respond by migrating, hibernating, or growing thicker fur. Plants may lose their leaves in the fall or grow new ones in the spring. These changes help organisms survive different conditions throughout the year.
Long-term changes take place over many years. These can include gradual climate changes, habitat loss, or pollution. For example, if a forest is slowly cleared for building, animals may lose their homes and need to move to new areas. Over time, this can change the types and numbers of species living in that ecosystem.
Catastrophic changes happen suddenly and can have major impacts. Events like wildfires, floods, hurricanes, or volcanic eruptions can quickly destroy habitats. After a catastrophic event, some organisms may not survive, but others may adapt or move in over time. Eventually, the ecosystem may recover, but it can look very different than before.
All of these types of changes—daily, seasonal, long-term, and catastrophic—affect ecosystems in different ways. Organisms must respond to these changes in order to survive.
Which type of change happens every 24 hours?
What is one example of a seasonal change?
Which is the following is a long-term change?
Based on the passage, what does the word "catastrophic" mean in the excerpt below:
Catastrophic changes happen suddenly and can have major impacts. Events like wildfires, floods, hurricanes, or volcanic eruptions can quickly destroy habitats. After a catastrophic event, some organisms may not survive, but others may adapt or move in over time. Eventually, the ecosystem may recover, but it can look very different than before.
Catastrophic means