Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
New
New
Year 8

Evidence for global warming

I can describe some evidence that global warming is caused by human activity

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Link copied to clipboard

New
New
Year 8

Evidence for global warming

I can describe some evidence that global warming is caused by human activity

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Link copied to clipboard

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

View new resources

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Global surface temperatures are calculated from tens of thousands of measurements worldwide
  2. Temperatures are compared with the long-term average for each region
  3. Since the industrial revolution, in the 1850s, overall global surface temperatures have been increasing
  4. Evidence from trees rings and ice cores provides data of longer-term changes in temperature
  5. Scientists can explain how increased levels of greenhouse gases contribute to global warming

Keywords

  • Global warming - an increase in Earth’s average surface temperature

  • Global surface temperature - the average temperature of all the places on Earth’s surface

  • Tree rings - a pattern of rings on the cross-section of tree trunk showing the yearly growth of the tree

  • Ice core - a long cylinder of ice drilled out of an ice sheet or glacier

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

Common misconception

Reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases will lower the global surface temperature.

Discuss the effect of adding greenhouse gases more slowly to what is already in the atmosphere. Task B is helpful for consolidating a better understanding of this.


To help you plan your year 8 science lesson on: Evidence for global warming, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

'Rate of change' is a challenging concept for many pupils and is not necessary here. Instead, be clear that Earth's global surface temperature is dependent on the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and then consider how alterning greenhouse gas emissions effects this.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

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

Skip lesson video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
What is global warming?
a changing average temperature for Earth
a future average temperature for Earth
a higher average temperature for Earth
Correct answer: an increasing average temperature for Earth
Q2.
What human activities produce lots of carbon dioxide emissions?
Correct answer: burning petrol in cars
Correct answer: coal-fired power stations
generating electricity from wind
Correct answer: heating homes with natural gas
Q3.
What has happened to the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution in the 1850s?
it has remained about the same
it has steadily increased
it has decreased more and more quickly
Correct answer: it has increased more and more quickly
Q4.
Match each word or phrase with its definition.
Correct Answer:climate ,average weather conditions in a particular place over time

average weather conditions in a particular place over time

Correct Answer:climate change,a long-term shift in weather conditions

a long-term shift in weather conditions

Correct Answer:global warming,an increase in Earth’s average surface temperature

an increase in Earth’s average surface temperature

Correct Answer:weather,the wind, rain, sunshine and temperature in a place at one time

the wind, rain, sunshine and temperature in a place at one time

Q5.
Which of these is not caused by climate change?
more droughts
more flooding
Correct answer: more greenhouse gases
more heatwaves
Q6.
Which of these an example of climate change?
a very hot day in summer
leaves falling off trees in autumn
Correct answer: more frequent flooding
snow at Christmas

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
How often to automatic weather stations record the temperature?
at least once a day
Correct answer: at least once an hour
at least once a minute
at least once a second
Q2.
What is global surface temperature?
average temperature of the surface of all land on Earth
Correct answer: average temperature of the surface of all land and water on Earth
average temperature of all places on Earth with weather stations
average temperature of all places on Earth where people live
Q3.
Which of these can be used to work out temperatures in the years before measurements were taken?
fossils
Correct answer: ice cores
rock strata
Correct answer: tree rings
Q4.
What can be used to measure the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere thousands of years ago?
fossils
Correct answer: ice cores
rock strata
tree rings
Q5.
What would reducing carbon dioxide emissions do to the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
Correct answer: it would definitely slow down how quickly the carbon dioxide level goes up
it would definitely stop the carbon dioxide level going up
it would definitely reduce the carbon dioxide level
Q6.
A model of a bath filling with water can represent the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Match each part of the model with what it represents.
Correct Answer:water from the tap,greenhouse gas emissions

greenhouse gas emissions

Correct Answer:water in the bath,greenhouse gases in the air

greenhouse gases in the air

Correct Answer:water out of the plug hole,greenhouse gases moving out of the air

greenhouse gases moving out of the air

Correct Answer:the bath,the atmosphere

the atmosphere