Morning Starters: Spring 2 - Antarctica
Did You Know?
Due to climate change, the Southern Ocean (which circles Antarctica) is warming up at faster rate than anywhere else on planet Earth. This is causing ice shelves (enormous floating platforms of ice that hold back glaciers) to melt. This in turn is causing a global rise in the sea level. Rising sea levels pose significant environmental, economic and social challenges to many coastal regions around the world.
Credit: BBC One - Frozen Planet II
Word Challenge
Hard C (k) is the sound of C that we hear in the word ‘Antarctica.’
Soft C (s) is the sound of C that we hear in the word ‘ice.’
List 3 hard C and 3 soft C words that can be found in the ‘Did you know?’ paragraph.
Grammar Challenge
“_____________ ,” said the alarmed scientist as he removed the thermometer from the seawater.
Copy and complete the sentence above with the scientists spoken words.
Number Challenge
A scientist needed to drill through an ice shelf to measure the temperature of the sea beneath it. The shelf had a thickness of 600 metres.
How many more metres did the scientist need to drill through if he had already drilled through five-twelfths of the ice’s thickness?
Critical Thinking
How do you feel when you hear about things like melting ice caps and rising sea levels caused by climate change?