The 4th grade class at Chesterbrook Academy worked together to define global warming, research the topic, and propose solutions to slow it down. They struggled to agree on a single definition but were able to compile information from multiple sources. The students learned that global warming is caused by burning fossil fuels and can lead to rising sea levels and more extreme weather. They wrote to their mayor advocating for stronger environmental policies around renewable energy and conservation.

1. We define Global Warming as
when the Earth’s temperature rises and heats up,
which in turn causes changes in climate,
and it makes the Earth warmer
and affects the level of our water .
4th Grade at Chesterbrook Academy
West Chester, PA School 15

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3. It was difficult coming up with the definition as a group.
Discussions were difficult because we didn’t always agree with each
other since we had different definitions. It was hard to blend them all
into one draft.
Looking up information on line was tough because there was so
much information online, and some websites didn’t work.
4th Grade at Chesterbrook Academy
West Chester, PA School 15
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4. www.globalwarming.com
www.edf.org/climate
www.globalwarmingsolutions.org
www.hippoworks.com
www.dep.state.pa.us
4th Grade at Chesterbrook Academy
West Chester, PA School 15
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5. The change of climate in PA can lead to hotter days in the
summer or even at other times.
Global Warming heats up the Earth and causes natural
disasters, like melting ice caps, avalanches, floods, and
tsunamis.
Global warming actually makes water levels rise. It melts the
polar ice caps, turning them into water. This affects animals,
such as polar bears.
Ice caps are breaking apart in Antarctica and animals have to
adapt to the changes in the environment. It takes some animals
a while to learn how to adapt to new climate changes. Other
animals never adapt and die off.
4th Grade at Chesterbrook Academy
West Chester, PA School 15
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8. Coal is our number 1 way of making electricity in PA.
Number 2 is Nuclear Power, and number 3 is natural gas and
oil. These are all non renewable resources. Global warming is
caused by burning coal, driving cars, or using other fossil fuels.
The Earth has poles, the poles have ice, the ice melts into the
sea, and the sea level rises. We also need to conserve water.
When towns use lots of water, there won’t be a lot left.
When coal runs into streams, there is a chemical reaction. This
turns the water orange and it becomes polluted. Rivers can
collapse if miners dig beneath them looking for coal or shale.
Someday coal will become completely used up if we keep using
it at this rate. Also, global warming is progressively getting
worse.
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9. In our state, Pennsylvania, we have the DEP.
DEP stands for Department of Environmental Protection. The
DEP works to protect our environment: the land, air, and water.
The DEP encourages people to save electricity and use more
renewable resources, like wind and solar power , and they also
help people learn how to help our environment.
Global warming is a natural process. We may not be able to
completely stop it, but we can slow it down. The DEP’s goal, is to
make everyone aware of the goal for slowing down Global
Warming. The goal is to reduce the planet’s temperature by 2
degrees by 2020.
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10. Pennsylvania is very well known for coal and steel production.
We are using more coal than ever. The DEP wants to make sure
we are conserving energy and using alternative resources.
Some laws have been passed in PA to help with Global
Warming. One of these laws states that alternative energy
sources must make 80% of our electricity, like solar energy,
wind energy, and hydroelectricity (water).
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12. We, the fourth grade students of Chesterbrook Academy #15, worked as a
group to come up with ideas to slow down global warming. Our Ideal
Environmental Policy includes alternative energy sources, energy efficiency,
and conservation ideas. We want to keep our environment clean and conserve
energy.
Alternative Energy-
Our state requires that 18% of our energy comes from alternative energy
sources, such as wind, water, and thermal. Solar panels should be placed on
top of tall buildings and street lamps and traffic lights. Factories should try to
filter their polluted air before it comes out of the smoke stacks. We would like
to design a car that uses wind power as it moves to create energy to power
itself, and solar power to create energy to use it at night. We think everyone in
our state should pay 1 penny per check every year to support the production of
our wind and solar powered car.
4th Grade at Chesterbrook Academy
West Chester, PA School 15
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13. Energy Efficiency-
We want to improve the laws about energy usage. We can use energy efficient
lights in our homes to save energy. We can also buy electric powered cars too. We
can give free stuff with each purchase of an electric car, such as a free solar panel
installation on your property, free coupons for restaurants and shops, or pay less
money in taxes.
Conservation-
We can use reusable plastic shopping bags or by cloth ones because this would
help our environment by making less waste. You can also turn off unused
electronics, or unplug them too! Also, take shorter showers to conserve water. We
can use the following ideas to conserve old items: turn an old milk jug into a bird
feeder/terrarium; turn old egg cartons into planting pots or to hold paints; use
aluminum cans as pencil holders; save water by using it wisely (ice cubes to feed
plants); Reuse plastic water bottles.
We believe we should do these things to save energy and to slow down global
warming.
4th Grade at Chesterbrook Academy
West Chester, PA School 15
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14. We wrote a letter to our West Chester Mayor asking if she was a
part of the Mayoral Climate Protection Agreement. Here is Mayor
Comitta’s response:
Thank you for your interest in climate change and what the Borough of
West Chester is doing to reduce our carbon footprint. Signing up for the
US Mayor Climate Protection Agreement is on my list of things to do,
and your class’s request has moved it to the top of the list – thank you for
reminding me! I have attached the Borough of West Chester’s
agreement of purchasing wind-generated Renewable Energy Certificates
to offset a portion of our electricity usage. Also, the Borough of West
Chester has a BLUER (Borough Leaders United for Emission Reduction)
committee which I have attached their Climate Action Plan for you to
look over.
4th Grade at Chesterbrook Academy
West Chester, PA School 15
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15. Yes, according to the Mayor’s letter, West Chester is trying to use
Wind Power to generate power for the city. There are even 16
special windmills at our nearby Aquarium. These windmills are
special because they help to generate wind power even if the wind
speed is as little as 5 miles per hour.
However, in Downingtown, the mayor has not signed the US
Mayor Climate Protection Agreement. He says:
“I would be happy to though. You can look for my name
the next time they update there list.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
4th Grade at Chesterbrook Academy
West Chester, PA School 15
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16. Yes? Why? No? Why not?
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Zoe: Yes, I am happy that our mayor is getting interested in signing the
petition.
Paige: I am happy because our local policy will help slow down global
warming by using wind power.
Taylor: Yes, I am happy because our West Chester mayor is getting
interested in signing the Mayor’s Petition and is putting it at the top of
her to-do list.
4th Grade at Chesterbrook Academy
West Chester, PA School 15
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18. Hi I'm Liam, and I'm here to talk about global warming. But
first, let's start with everyone else. JD and Chris are making a
video. Click here to watch the video. Taylor and Zoe are
making flyers, Catherine is making a poster, Paige is making a
banner, Aiyana is doing a checklist, and Ashley is doing a poster.
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