Teaching Guide: Eunice Foote and the Greenhouse Gas Effect
In this lesson, students will learn about Eunice Newton Foote’s 1856 discovery of the Greenhouse Effect of carbon dioxide. Students will recreate her experiment in the lab to learn about the Greenhouse Effect.
Eunice Newton Foote collecting observations for her groundbreaking atmospheric research.
In this lesson, students will learn about Eunice Newton Foote’s 1856 discovery of the Greenhouse Effect of carbon dioxide. Students will recreate her experiment in the lab to learn about the Greenhouse Effect. (To cover the same material without conducting the lab, see the teaching guide “Eunice Foote: Climate Scientist.”) Students will then learn about the constraints experienced by an American, female scientist in the 1800s and how the Greenhouse Effect contributes to global warming and climate change.
Grade level(s): 9-12
Guide subjects: Earth Science, History, Physics
Minority Group(s): Women
In-class time: 75-90 minutes
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Technology Requirements: Student web access optional, Audio/Video optional
Common Core Standards: Speaking & Listening, History/Social Studies, Science & Technical Subjects
Next Generation Science Standards: Earth and Space Sciences, Earth and Human Activity, Earth’s Systems