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The Arctic has become the canary in the coal mine as an indicator of the impact of climate change. Some reports suggest that the North Pole is melting faster than ever; that the Northwest Passage will soon be an international shipping lane; and that change in the Arctic is happening at warp speed. In The Big Thaw, the Water Brothers visit the Arctic to get the facts and find answers.
The video provides an opportunity for students to enhance those skills related to critical viewing of media - identification of main idea(s), of supporting evidence, effectiveness of visual images and production values.
The Arctic is seen as the front line of climate change and thus serves as both a lab and classroom for investigating the rate of climate change and the potential impacts. The video uses an effective combination of visual and narrative to introduce students to this unique bio-region and what the changes there tell us about climate change.
A number of related videos in the Water Brothers series allow for further student investigation of related issues.
The Big Thaw is a useful addition to those resources that help students investigate climate change. It should be used after the students have studied the causes of climate change and may serve to introduce students to the potential effects of climate change or as a case study of the impact of climate change in a specific bio-region. It may also be used in combination with other videos in the Water Brothers series to support units of study dealing with water in general, marine systems or oceanography.
The Big Thaw also may be used in certain units dealing with Aboriginal Studies with a focus on challenges faced by First Nations or Traditional Indigenous Knowledge.
A Teacher's Guide is available to support the teaching of The Big Thaw. Other relevant teaching activities in the series include, Glacial Retreat, Sea Ice and Ocean Currents.
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.