Ice Cover

• These interactive graphs display ice cover data for Lakes Mendota and Monona from 1855 to 2018, while the article examines the ecological importance of ice cover and how these lake ecosystems could be impacted by warmer water temperatures.
• Students will learn that ice cover season is becoming much shorter for both lakes, ice cover is important for the growth and reproduction of aquatic species, and warmer water temperatures could enable invasive species to disturb these lake ecosystems.

Positives

• The interactive graphs are easy to use and reasonably scaled.
• The article is well-organized and concise.
  

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should know what invasive species are and how they disturb ecosystems.
• In order to select years with precision, zoom in on your web browser when viewing the graphs.
  

Differentiation

• Students can use the article for a persuasive essay on how climate change impacts aquatic ecosystems, why this impact matters, and what should be done to fight climate change.
• To assess prior knowledge, the teacher can ask the class questions about winter weather conditions needed for ice to form on large lakes before reading the article.
• This resource pairs well with another one titled Ice Fishing.
• The article can support a lesson on how climate change impacts various ecosystems around the world.
  

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.