Outline
Unit #A: Outline
A vocabulary list for this unit can be found at the bottom of the page.
9/6
Systems Probe
What do you know about systems?
--- In class survey!
a. What is a system? Where have you heard this term before?
b. Discussion... Come up with a working, classroom definition of a system.
Bicycle Activity
Provided in class
9/7
Manufactured Objects
Systems Manufactured Object --- Provided in class
Open Systems Manufactured Object
Why Systems Thinking?
a. Why is systems thinking important?
b. Where do you think you will use systems thinking in science this year?
9/8
Earth is a System
Pre-video Vocabulary:
- Earth systems
- Satellite images
- Remote sensing
- Global monitoring
Watch this 5 minute video. Be prepared to answer the questions below.
- What are the many interacting Earth systems you can describe from this video? Describe the ways in which they interact.
- What are your thoughts on the impact of humans on our planet after seeing the satellite images of Earth?
- How has remote sensing changed our ability to study the Earth and how has it contributed to global monitoring of the planet?
- Think of one environmental issue and explain how global monitoring would be beneficial to gaining knowledge of its impact on the Earth.
9/9
The Spheres...
Interconnected Spheres
1. Discussion about above movie
2. NOTES: What are the different spheres? Why are the spheres separated the way that they are?
Lithosphere
Biosphere
Hydrosphere
Atmosphere
Cryosphere
Anthrosphere
Cosmosphere
9/12
Create a concept map in groups of 4. Share ideas. POSSIBLY: Create a class concept map using GoogleDocs, one recorder for each group.
9/13
Complete the practice quiz!
Work on the concept map.
9/14
Assessment
Part 1:
Take the online portion of the quiz
Part 2:
Create a concept map with the 6 "spheres" and connections between them. Connections between topics should have linking words explaining the connections if it is not an obvious connection.
VOCABULARY
- System --- a group of parts that interact to perform a function
- Interaction --- to work together
- Input --- something that enters a system from outside
- Output --- something that exits a system, an output of one system is often an input to another!
- Subsystem --- a smaller system within a system
- Function --- the end result, what is completed
- Boundary --- the edge of the system, this is set by the observer
- Earth systems --- components of Earth that work together to perform a function
- Satellite images --- pictures of Earth taken from outside the Earth's atmosphere
- Remote sensing --- using the electromagnetic spectrum to "view" the Earth (infrared = heat images, visible light = light)
- Global monitoring --- watching the Earth
- Biosphere --- living organisms (ex. bacteria, spiders, trees)
- Lithosphere --- Earth's surface and interior (ex. mountains, volcanos, minerals)
- Hydrosphere --- water on Earth (ex. rivers, waterfalls, oceans)
- Atmosphere --- gases that surround Earth (ex. oxygen, nitrogen, water vapor)
- Cryosphere --- frozen water (ex. glaciers, snow, permafrost) this sphere is part of the hydrosphere
- Anthrosphere --- humans and their constructions (ex. humans, dams, farms, airplanes)
- Cosmosphere --- everything including the Earth and space (ex. humans, Earth, Moon, Milky Way Galaxy)