This textbook chapter describes the role photosynthesis, food webs, and fossil fuels in the movement of energy through the biosphere. The resource includes a student investigation, links to current news articles, and an essay-based unit assessment.... (View More) A teacher's guide supports classroom use. This is chapter 9, the last chapter, in the unit, Energy Flow, exploring the transfer of energy between 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)

This textbook chapter describes how the Earth is unevenly heated by the Sun, and the role this plays in determining the Earth’s seasons, global winds, and weather events such as storms and tornados. The resource includes a demonstration model of... (View More) the uneven heating of the Earth's surface and links to current news articles, and a suite of pre- and post-unit assessments. A teacher's guide supports classroom use. This is the seventh 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)

This textbook chapter introduces Earth’s external energy source, and the nuclear fusion reactions that power the Sun, space weather and space storms. There is an interview with solar scientist, Dr. Janet Luhmann, UC-Berkeley. The resource includes... (View More) links to current news articles, and a suite of pre- and post-unit assessments. A teacher's guide supports classroom use. This is the fourth 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 (View Less)

This textbook chapter traces the historical development of the modern scientific understanding of light, and reviews the electromagnetic spectrum and the Earth's atmospheric shield. The resource includes links to current news articles, and a suite... (View More) of pre- and post-unit assessments. A teacher's guide supports classroom use. This is the fifth chapter in the unit, Energy Flow, exploring the flow 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 introductory textbook chapter, energy is defined and its sources, forms, and flow are introduced. Students are introduced to the first law of thermodynamics, conservation of energy. The resource includes links to current news articles, and a... (View More) suite of pre and post unit assessments. A teacher's guide supports classroom use. This is the first chapter in the unit, Energy Flow, exploring the flow 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)

This textbook chapter describes the processes through which El Niño and La Niña conditions emerge. The resource includes an animation of ocean currents, and links to current news articles, and a suite of pre- and post-unit assessments. A teacher's... (View More) guide supports classroom use. This is the eighth chapter in the unit, Energy Flow, exploring the transfer of energy between 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 textbook chapter, students review concepts of matter and energy as a precursor to understand how carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere. This is the second chapter in the unit, Climate Change, which addresses the question of how human... (View More) activities are changing Earth's climate. The resource includes three demonstration activities, 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 are introduced to the study of tectonics through an exploration of the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, including an interview with geomorphologist Dr. Danny Vaughn, Indiana State University. The flow of energy,... (View More) convection, in the Earth's mantle is discussed and connected to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and the movement of the Earth’s plates. The resource includes links to current news articles, and a suite of pre and post unit assessments. A teacher's guide supports classroom use. This is the second chapter in the unit, Energy Flow, exploring the energy transfer 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)