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What is Earth System Science? Lesson Plan

The sum of Earth's plants, on land and in the ocean, changes slightly from year to year as weather patterns shift.
The sum of Earth’s plants, on land and in the ocean, changes slightly from year to year as weather patterns shift.
NASA Earth Observatory/Rob Simmon and Jesse Allen
Levels
  • Introductory (K-5)
Material Type
  • Lesson Plan
Heliophysics Big Ideas
  • Big Idea 3.2 – Energy from the Sun is created in the core…
NGSS
  • ESS2 - Earth's Systems
Heliophysics Topics
  • Atmosphere
  • Magnetosphere
  • Radiation
  • Light
Material Cost per Learner 1 cent – $1
Language English

This lesson introduces the Earth system science spheres through model making and discussion. Students will work within an Earth system science notebook to chronicle their work and learning. In small groups, students will examine photographs and conduct a photo sort of examples from the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. Student groups will classify these examples into categories and provide category titles as they are introduced to the scientific vocabulary. Students will then construct two types of conceptual ESS models. Classroom discussions will deepen this conceptual understanding by comparing and contrasting the models and discussing the advantages of each as tools for understanding the complexities of our Earth system.

Access the full lesson plan at My NASA Data.