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I want to provide students with a general overview of all four systems (spheres). To support the idea that all of the systems overlap and work together, I use the same diagram to describe each system. Prior to the lesson, I project and draw this diagram on bulletin board paper: Earth Systems Template.

While going over one sphere at a time, I slowly add notes to this poster in front of the students, using my notes: Earth Systems Teacher Notes. Here's what the poster will look like at the end of today's lesson: Completed Poster.

Creating posters with and in front of students is important because the more students are involved and are able to discuss and share ideas during the poster-creation process, the more likely they will be able to understand and remember these science concepts later on. In addition, the students become proud of these posters and will refer to it often throughout the rest of the unit.
Color-Coding
To aid comprehension, I categorize information today using a color-coding system. For example, when discussing the biosphere, all notes and labeling are in green and when discussing the hydrosphere, all notes and labeling are in blue.
Getting Ready
I pass out a copy of Earth Systems Template to each student, as well as an 11 x 17 piece of construction paper. I model how to glue the template down in the middle of the poster so that students have room for note taking on the sides. Here are a few examples of what student work will look like at the end of this time: Student Poster Example 1, Student Poster Example 2, and Student Poster Example 3.
The Earth System
I begin by writing "The Earth System" at the top of the poster. Students begin taking notes on their own posters at this this time as well.

Today, we are going to take a look at the Earth as a system. Can anyone tell me what a system is? Recalling from past units, students respond, "A group of parts working together to perform a function (job)." What's really neat about the Earth's system is that it has four major parts or subsystems. Can anyone recall one of these subsystems from the video? Students excitedly raise their hands, ready to contribute. I call on one student at a time while writing their responses under the Earth System heading on the poster: biosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere.

This is a perfect opportunity to introduce the word, interconnected, to students. I explain: What's important to know about the four spheres on Earth is that they are interconnected. Turn and talk: What do you think interconnected means? After some time, students suggest, "They are connected," "They work together," "One part affects other parts." You're right! Interconnected means that all the spheres are connected and that no parts acts alone without influencing another part."
Introducing the Biosphere
Having just taught a unit on Ecosystems, I feel that the biosphere is the perfect sphere to discuss first. Using my Earth Systems Teacher Notes as a guide, I start by writing the heading "Biosphere" on the poster in green and taking notes below: Biosphere Notes. The word part, bio means life, so when we talk about the biosphere, we are referring to all the life on Earth. One student brings up that bio is also used in the word biography (a true story about someone's life). I ask students to turn and talk: What on Earth is part of the biosphere? After some time, we discuss how the biosphere includes animals, plants, protists, bacteria, and fungi (the Kingdoms of Life).

While asking questions and encouraging a high-level of student partcipation, we continue to take notes on the biosphere: Where can life be found on Earth? (in the sky, on the ground, or in the water) What do you think a scientist that studies life is called? (biologist)
Identifying the Biosphere
Next, I ask students to apply what they have learned about the biosphere by identifying examples in the diagram in the middle of the poster. Using the green marker, I label several examples of life on Earth, per student suggestion: Biosphere Notes & Labels. Students love finding examples! It's like finding hidden objects in a picture! Examples include: fish, humans, crops, birds, trees, bacteria, livestock, grass, and plant pollen in the air.

After discussing the biosphere, I ask students to turn and teach: What is the biosphere? (I'll ask students to "turn and teach" after introducing each of the spheres today.)
Hydrosphere
Next, we examine the next sphere that students are most familiar with, the hydrosphere. Students instantly suggest, "We should use a blue marker!" One student says, "I know what hydro means! It means water." Another student says, "I think the hydrosphere represents all the water on Earth. As more and more of the poster is completed, student responses begin to naturally guide the lesson. As we add Hydrosphere Notes to the poster, I continue to ask students questions, such as Where can the hydrosphere be found? How is the biosphere found in liquid form? Solid form? Gas form? Why is the biosphere so important to Earth? (all life depends on water) One student points out, "That means the whole biosphere depends on the hydrosphere! I'm proud to hear students beginning to make connections.

Then, just as before, I ask students to identify examples of the hydrosphere in the diagram: Hydrosphere Notes & Labels. On student brings up that animals are partly composed of water. I add on to his thinking by noting that one resource that I found reported that animals are about 70% water, humans are about 60% water, and plants are about 90% water. Many of my students LOVE learning tidbits of knowledge along the way.
Geosphere
In a similar manner, we move on to discussing the geosphere: Geosphere Notes. As a side note, I explain: A rock is made up of 2 or more minerals. There are about 4,000 types of minerals on Earth. We use minerals in our daily lives. For example, aluminum is used to make buildings and cars and copper is used for electrical wiring and plumbing (pipes) in homes. Student excitedly point out examples of the geosphere in the diagram: Geosphere Notes & Labels.

I very briefly point out that the geosphere also includes each of the layers of the Earth: crust, upper mantle, mantle, outer core, and inner core. The goal is to provide an overview that can be built upon later.

One student asks if soil is a part of the geosphere. This is a great opportunity to discuss the components of soil (on average): 45% minerals(geosphere), 25% water (hydrosphere), 5 % organic matter (biosphere), and later on, when we discuss the atmosphere, we'll add 25% air (atmosphere). I love how one student remembers (from our Ecosystems unit) and points out that minerals (such as phosphorus) are present in animals and plants!
Atmosphere
Students are now ready to learn about the last sphere, the atmosphere. We continue taking notes on the poster: Atmosphere Notes. We discuss that the atmosphere protects the biosphere as it keeps harmful ultraviolet rays out, but lets the sun's warming rays in (solar heat). Then, the class works together to identify examples of the atmosphere in the diagram ( Completed Poster), such as gaseous factory emissions and wind (moving air). We also discuss the averaged components of air: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon, and 0.4% carbon dioxide. One student says, "There's oxygen and carbon dioxide gases inside plants and animals too."

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In this lesson, students are provided with an overview of the four major systems on Earth. Students will then analyze how the four spheres are pictured in a photograph. Plan your 60 minutes lesson in Science or hydrosphere with helpful tips from Kara Nelson

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Felix Baumgartner's supersonic freefall from 128k' - Mission Highlights

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Trying to understand how this planet we call home works can seem confusing - there are so many things going on at once! Scientists break down the way the Earth system works to a number of subsystems - the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere (or lithosphere) and hydrosphere

Before we look at what all these subsystems do, it is important to remember that the subsystems do not work in isolation - each one depends on and interacts with the other three.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere is the layer of gases that surround the Earth. In comparison to the size of the Earth, it is a thin layer, composed primarily of nitrogen and oxygen with small amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases. The atmosphere is important for a number of reasons - it protects the Earth from incoming solar rays, it circulates the gases that plants and animals need to survive and it is responsible for our weather.

Biosphere

The biosphere consists of all the living organisms on Earth. Their habitats extend from the upper areas of the atmosphere, to deep in the ground, to the bottom of the ocean - any place that life can exist.

Geosphere

The geosphere is the physical Earth - the rock, magma and soil. The geosphere extends from the centre of the Earth (the core, mantle and crust) to the dust in the atmosphere and even includes the sediments found in the oceans.

Hydrosphere

The hydrosphere is all the water held on the Earth - water molecules in the air, icebergs and glaciers, groundwater, lakes, rivers and oceans.

How do the subsystems interact?

This is a big question, and it would take many books to explain, but think about this example. We know weather happens in the atmosphere, but without the hydrosphere, there would be no water to evaporate and so no cloud or rain could form. Without oceans and land (hydrosphere and geosphere), there would be no wind (as winds are produced by differences of air temperature between the land and oceans).

Without the atmosphere (giving us air to breathe and protection from incoming solar rays), there would be no life on Earth. It would be as barren as the moon. Without water, life as we know it would cease to exist. Last of all, without the geosphere, there would be no world to live on!

Look at the changing landscape of Earth. Rivers erode the geosphere, changing the physical environment so that plants and animals have to adapt or die. Bad weather might increase the weathering of rocks (the way rocks are broken down) changing both the physical and chemical makeup of the rocks.

These are a few examples to show how the systems are interlinked. Upsetting one system can lead to serious consequences in the sustainability of another system.

Nature of science

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Trying to understand how this planet we call home works can seem confusing - there are so many things going on at once! Scientists break down the way the Earth system works to a number of subsystems - the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere (or lithosphere) and hydrosphere

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Page Contents

Welcome
About the Earth Systems Digital Lab
Lithosphere
Biosphere
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Cryosphere
Printable Version
Welcome

Welcome to the Earth Systems Digital Lab, first developed for the JASON Project and now made available for your family's use to your children by Bechtel. With continuing support from Bechtel, the JASON Project takes children in classrooms throughout the world on engaging virtual expeditions each school year. Expedition scientists delve into the awesome power and complexity of Earth's living and physical systems and demonstrate many of the technologies used to study and understand them.

The JASON Project provides teachers with a complete "teaching toolbox" that includes a classroom curriculum; videos; web-based materials, including online journals, bulletin boards, and digital laboratories; and a live video broadcast by satellite from the expedition itself. Teachers who use JASON are also offered professional development opportunities that enable them to use the Project's components in their classrooms and teach more powerfully. To find out more about the JASON project and how you can get your child's class involved in the JASON experience, visit http://www.jasonproject.org.
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About the Earth Systems Digital Lab

These online activities introduce kids to the dynamic physical and biological processes that make our home - Planet Earth - a unique, complex, and ever-changing place. Understanding how these systems function and interact is the first step in preparing youngsters for the challenging decisions they will make as future stewards of Earth's resources.

Each section of the lab includes an activity that allows your child to manipulate a system and see what happens. This type of inquiry-based learning is not only the most effective way to learn, it's what real scientists do to learn about how the world works. The descriptions below include links to the activities, questions you can use to discuss the activities with your kids, and links to outside resources about each earth system that you and your kids can explore for deeper information.

To use the activities, you will need a Java-enabled Web browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer, as well as version 4 or higher of the Macromedia Flash plug-in. Don't worry if you don't know whether you have Flash already; you'll be prompted if you don't, and you'll get step-by-step instructions on how to download it at no cost.

These activities respect your privacy and that of your children. They do not collect any information about users.

The lab is divided into the following sections:
Lithosphere
Biosphere
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Cryosphere

Go to the Earth Systems Digital Lab home page now.

Further Web Links
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The lithosphere is the solid part of the earth made up of rocks, minerals, and other elements, not including the oceans. In this section, students can learn about how the theory of plate tectonics, also known as continental drift, explains the shape and position of our planet's land masses, oceans, and mountain ranges. Although it may seem obvious now, the idea that the continents float around the planet was not accepted until the 1960s.

Geologists are scientists who study the earth's crust, or lithosphere. Some geologists use their knowledge of the processes that shape the earth's crust to find oil and minerals. Other geologists study volcanoes to find out how our planet's surface was shaped before life existed. Still other geologists apply their knowledge of how earth processes work to study other planets.

Expert Questions

1. What is the lithosphere?

2. What causes earthquakes?

3. What is one way that mountains form?

4. What was Pangea and how do we know it existed?

5. If you wanted to make a model of the earth's lithosphere that showed how continental drift works, using things found in your kitchen, what would you use? Try it!

Go to the Lithosphere section of the Lab now.

Further Web Links
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The biosphere is the part of the planet where living things can be found - from the upper reaches of the atmosphere to the bottoms of the oceans and thermal pools. Students exploring this section will gain familiarity with a central concept of ecology: the food web. We all know every organism has to eat something to survive, but it's more of a challenge to think about how what one animal eats affects the entire fabric of living things.

Ecologists want to learn about the processes and interactions between groups of organisms and their environments. They may study an entire ecosystem or a small piece of it like soil organisms. Or they may study a particular factor such as wildfire. Many ecologists today use high-tech computer models and complex mathematics to look for patterns that can be hard to understand without these tools. Ecologists work for land management agencies, private conservation groups, and academic institutions.

Expert Questions

1. What is a trophic level and how does it help us understand groups of organisms?

2. What is really moving through a food chain when organisms eat each other?

3. Where does all the energy in most food webs come from?

4. How come there are fewer numbers of animals at the top of a food pyramid?

5. Try drawing a food web for another ecosystem, such as a coral reef or the African savanna. Can you imagine how the numbers of animals in the web would change if you increased or decreased one group?

Go to the Biosphere section of the Lab now.

Further Web Links
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The atmosphere is the thin layer of gasses that surround our planet. It gives us the many varied climates, or long-term weather conditions, around the world. This section details the physical forces that contribute to climactic conditions. Along with larger-scale factors, local features of the landscape, such as the topography, strongly shape the wind and precipitation patterns of a particular place.

Climatologists study climate in the past and present, and try to apply that knowledge to predictions of future climate trends. Global climate change is an important and controversial topic that will literally affect everyone in the world. Climatologists combine computer models, weather data collected from satellites, and ground measurements to try to understand these complex patterns.

Expert Questions

1. What is the difference between climate and weather?

2. What powers our climate?

3. What are the physical forces that shape climate?

4. How do mountains affect the climate of an area?

5. Draw or build a model of the topography of your area. If you know where the winds come from, can you suggest where it should rain the most? If your home area is flat, where does your weather come from?

Go to the Atmosphere section of the Lab now.

Further Web Links
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The hydrosphere includes all of the water on earth, from the oceans to glaciers and underground water. Students interacting with this section will learn about the hydrological cycle, which is the circulation of water throughout the world, from the sea and land into the atmosphere and back to land again. The hydrological cycle is one of the major forces shaping climate and the weather.

Hydrologists study the flow of water on many scales. Some things hydrologists do are very practical. For example, before a building or road can be built, a hydrologist must describe how water flows under or around the site. Other hydrologists look at water availability and its impact on plant and animal life. Yet others focus on water in the atmosphere or in ice and glaciers. All hydrologists look for long-terms patterns in the past, present, and future.

Expert Questions

1. What is the hydrological cycle?

2. What are the three processes that drive the hydrological cycle?

3. What happens when one part of the hydrological cycle changes?

4. What does it mean that the water cycle is a "closed system?"

5. Draw a picture of the hydrological cycle starting at your house. Where does your water come from? Where does it go? If you live in a dry climate, what could change to make it wet? How about from wet to dry?

Go to the Hydrosphere section of the Lab now.

Further Web Links
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The cryosphere includes all of the earth's frozen water, including glaciers, permafrost, and sea ice. A significant portion of the fresh water on the planet is frozen. This section introduces students to types of glaciers, how they form, and what causes them to grow or shrink. Glaciers and the polar ice caps play a large role in climate and weather around the world.

People who study glaciers are glaciologists. They spend a lot of time in very cold places like Antarctica or the tops of mountains. Glaciers hold many clues about climate change in the past and present. Glaciologists also want to understand how glaciers shaped land forms such as mountain ranges, valleys, and lakes.

Expert Questions

1. Where are glaciers found around the world?
2. How does a glacier form?
3. What makes a glacier grow or shrink?
4. What could happen to the climate of a place where glaciers are now if they disappear?
5. Try building a model of the different layers of a glacier by pouring different materials into layers in a jar or clear glass. Pick materials like popcorn or marbles that illustrate the different kinds and densities of ice as you go down to the bottom of the glacier. What will you use for rocks?

Go to the Cryosphere section of the Lab now.

Further Web Links
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This page and the Earth Systems Digital Lab produced by Educational Web Adventures, LLP.

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Earth Systems Digital Lab Guide for Parents

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Welcome About the Earth Systems Digital Lab Lithosphere Biosphere Atmosphere Hydrosphere Cryosphere Printable Version Welcome to the Earth Systems Digital Lab, first developed for the JASON Project and now made available for your family's use to your children by Bechtel.

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Four Spheres Part 2 (Hydro and Atmo): Crash Course Kids #6.2

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Four Spheres Part 1 (Geo and Bio): Crash Course Kids #6.1