Teaching Guide: Eunice Foote: Climate Scientist
In this lesson, students will learn about Eunice Newton Foote’s 1856 discovery of the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide, the historical context she performed her research in, and the implications of her discovery on climate and global warming. Students will watch a video replicating her experiment and learn the science behind the greenhouse effect. At the end of the lesson, students will explore the implications of the greenhouse effect for climate change and other related fields.
Eunice Newton Foote collecting observations for her groundbreaking atmospheric research.
Until 2011, Eunice Newton Foote did not receive credit for her 1856 discovery of the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide. In this lesson, students will learn about her research, the historical context she performed her research in, and the implications of her discovery on climate and global warming. Students will watch a video replicating her experiment and learn the science behind the greenhouse effect. (For recreating Foote’s experiment in the lab, see the teaching guide “Eunice Foote and the Greenhouse Gas Effect.”) They will also read and discuss why John Tyndall, who came to the same conclusion as Foote three years later, received credit for her discovery. At the end of the lesson, students will explore the implications of the greenhouse effect for climate change and other related fields.
Grade level(s): 6-8, 9-12
Guide subjects: Earth Science, History, Physics
Minority Group(s): Women
In-class time: 95-135 minutes
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Technology Requirements: Student web access required, Audio/Video required
Common Core Standards: Speaking & Listening, History/Social Studies, Science & Technical Subjects, Subject Writing
Next Generation Science Standards: Earth and Human Activity, Earth’s Systems