Is the Climate Changing in My Community?

In this investigation, you will gather responses to your own class survey on climate observations in your community.

Begin by working in small groups to design a survey based on the Inuit Observations of Climate Change video and the Banks Island observations chart. Make a list of questions that might be useful to assess what your community has experienced with respect to changes in weather and, over the longer term, climate. (Note: You may refer to the Observations Chart in the next section to help you design your survey questions.)

When all of the small groups are finished, share your questions with the class. As a class, decide which ones to include in the final version and agree on a response format (e.g., a written or verbally administered questionnaire).

Finally, go out into your community and conduct the survey. Be sure to involve people of different ages to get a broader variety of observations. You should restrict your survey to people you know well, such as friends, family members, and neighbors.