In this simulation activity, students experiment with a population of M&M candies or paper dot "beetles" to test how well each color is adapted to survive on a field of colorful wrapping paper or fabric. Students act as predators and see that... (View More) camouflaged beetles survive predation preferentially. Students reflect on how the activity could be modified to better simulate the process of predation-based natural selection. This activity is supported by a textbook chapter, "Origin of Species," part of the unit, "Losing Biodiversity," in Global Systems Science (GSS), an interdisciplinary course for high school students that emphasizes how scientists from a wide variety of fields work together to understand significant problems of global impact. (View Less)

In this case study, students read about the Canopy Crane at Wind River, a project that enables the study of Earth system interactions that take place high in the tree canopy. The chapter profiles scientists, studying birds, fungi, chemical transfer... (View More) and the water cycle, as well as technical experts and the project manager. The chapter details how a research program is supported by a team of professionals with varied interests and specializations, and concludes with a discussion of the properties of a system. This is chapter 4 in the unit, A New World View, which introduces global systems science, emphasizing the concepts of environmental diversity, Earth as a system, and sustainability. The resource includes a textbook chapter, integrated hands-on and inquiry activities, links to current news articles, and a suite of pre- and post-unit assessments. A teacher's guide supports classroom use. The resource is part of Global Systems Science (GSS), an interdisciplinary course for high school students that emphasizes how scientists from a wide variety of fields work together to understand significant problems of global impact. (View Less)

In this textbook chapter, students learn about the source of the Earth's internal heat engine, convection in the Earth's core, the role of superplumes in Earth's history, and the influence of tectonic activity on the Earth's climate. The resource... (View More) includes a hand-on lab that demonstrates the process of convection, as well as links to current news articles, and a suite of pre- and post-unit assessments. A teacher's guide supports classroom use. This is the third chapter in the unit, Energy Flow, exploring the transfer of energy through the atmosphere, oceans, land, and living things over short and long timescales. The resource is part of Global System Science (GSS), an interdisciplinary course for high school students that emphasizes how scientists from a wide variety of fields work together to understand significant problems of global impact. (View Less)

In this kinesthetic activity, students take on roles of either photons or gas molecules. Photons signal a change from visible light to infrared with a piece of folded construction paper, simulating absorption by the Earth's surface and reradiation... (View More) to space. The play is guided by flipping a coin, and students see how stochastic processes result in 70% of visible protons being absorbed and reradiated as infrared. This activity is supported by a textbook chapter, What is the Greenhouse Effect?, part of the unit, Climate Change, in Global Systems Science (GSS), an interdisciplinary course for high school students that emphasizes how scientists from a wide variety of fields work together to understand significant problems of global impact. (View Less)

In this learning assessment, students demonstrate understanding of the following concepts: solids, liquids and gases, changes of state, convection, and density. Students create a skit where the actors and actresses are molecules, and dramatize,... (View More) through body motions, how the behavior of molecules results in the observable changes we see. A detailed scoring rubric is included with the resource. The investigation supports material presented in chapter 3 "What Heats the Earth's Interior?" in the textbook, Energy flow, part of Global System Science, an interdisciplinary course for high school students that emphasizes how scientists from a wide variety of fields work together to understand significant problems of global impact. (View Less)

In this kinesthetic activity, the concept of energy budget is strengthened as students conduct three simulations using play money as units of energy, and students serve as parts of a planetary radiation balance model. Students will determine the... (View More) energy budget of a planet by manipulating gas concentrations, energy inputs and outputs in the system in this lesson that supports the study of climate on Mars, Mercury, Venus and Earth. The lesson supports understanding of the real-world problem of contemporary climate change. The resource includes a teacher's guide and several student worksheets. This is the second of four activities in the lesson, How do Atmospheres affect planetary temperatures?, within Earth Climate Course: What Determines a Planet's Climate? The resource aims to help students to develop an understanding of our environment as a system of human and natural processes that result in changes that occur over various space and time scales. (View Less)

This kinesthetic activity simulates the process of evolution by natural selection. Students take on the roles of crab-like predators that exhibit one of four variants of feeding appendage: a spoon, fork, knife, and chopsticks. The simulation runs... (View More) for three trials, as the predators use their appendages to harvest pinto beans, with varying success. Students track the frequency of each appendage type through three generations. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications. (View Less)

Students use a variety of utensil "beaks" to represent the feeding adaptations of different kinds of finches. Foraging on a lawn environment, students search for different kinds of food (yarn, beans and pasta) each having three color variants. Over... (View More) the course of three trials, every student has a chance to forage and record data. In the last trial, some students can be given "mutations" which limit or enhance their feeding behavior. The data from the trials is combined and displayed in bar graphs that show survival by beak type in the finches and by color in the prey. The activity employs common kitchen utensils, as well as different shapes and colors of dried pasta and beans. A student data sheet is provided. This activity is supported by a textbook chapter, Origin of Species, part of the unit, Losing Biodiversity, in Global Systems Science (GSS), an interdisciplinary course for high school students that emphasizes how scientists from a wide variety of fields work together to understand significant problems of global impact. (View Less)

Students learn about the connections between organisms in the ocean in this kinesthetic activity. Each student is given a card, identifying an organism, its food source, and its predators. Holding the end of a ball of yarn firmly, the ball is passed... (View More) from organism to organism as they are linked in the predator-prey food web. Once all students are connected in the food web, an extinction event is simulated by removing an organism. Those students remaining pull lightly on the web, to demonstrate how other organisms are affected by the loss. Students identify the impact of biodiversity loss throughout the food web. This activity is supported by a textbook chapter, One Global Ocean, part of the unit, Losing Biodiversity, in Global Systems Science (GSS), an interdisciplinary course for high school students that emphasizes how scientists from a wide variety of fields work together to understand significant problems of global impact. (View Less)