Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Part A: Global systems and the carbon cycle

20 minutes

Part B: The effects of human activity on global systems

25 minutes

Part C: Finding connections

5 minutes

Reflection

Part A: Global systems and the carbon cycle

Step 1

As a class, engage students in a brief discussion around the following terms:

Hydrosphere
Biosphere
Lithosphere
Atmosphere

In addition, consider the following questions in your discussion:

What does “sphere” mean?
- E.g. A body or space contained under a single surface, which in every part is equally distant from a point within called its centre. This definition can then extended and applied to any globe or globular body, such as the sun, a planet, or the Earth.
What does the prefixes “hydro”, “bio” and “lith” indicate?
- E.g. Hydro = water; Bio = earth; Lith = stone or rock.

The objective of this discussion is to activate students' prior knowledge of these terms and get them ready to use this information in the next activity.

Step 2

The carbon cycle is useful in illustrating some interactions between the hydrosphere, biosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere. This should be a familiar cycle to students that will help them remember and make connections of what they already know about this topic.

Distribute a copy of the Carbon Cycle Worksheet to pairs of students and ask them to label the hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere and complete the carbon cycle diagram showing how the biosphere interacts with at least two other global systems.

Once complete, invite pairs to team up with another pair and share their thoughts.

You can then engage students in a class discussion around the following points:

How does the carbon cycle help you to understand the connections between the hydrosphere, biosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere?
How are these four global systems (hydrosphere, biosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere) connected?
- Suggested Answer: All four spheres intersect and can often be present in a single location. For example, soil will have minerals from the lithosphere, as well as moisture from the hydrosphere, insects and plants from the biosphere, and if there are pockets of air in the soil, then the atmosphere is present.
How does the biosphere interact with all other global systems? Explain your answer.
- Suggested answer: plants living in the biosphere help to produce oxygen for the atmosphere, plants and animals live in the lithosphere, and all life on earth depends on the hydrosphere and many plants and animals live in the hydrosphere.

Part B: The Effects of Human Activity on Global Systems

Step 1

Explain to students that they will now be looking at the effects of human activity on global systems. As a class, watch the following clip. As they watch, invite students to record any information that they think is important or interesting.

State of the reef (https://vimeo.com/1056608936/048457e885)

Once complete, invite students to share their thoughts about the clip. Consider the following points in your discussion:

What did you see in this clip? What was this clip about?
What does this clip make you think about?
What did you find important or interesting about this clip?
What questions does this clip leave you with?

Step 2

Invite students to access the table on the Student Worksheet. Working in pairs or small groups, invite students to fill in the table by writing down in the corresponding boxes examples mentioned in the clip of how human activity impacts each of the four global systems.

As they work, create your own version of the table on the board (see below but leave blank for now).

Once students have finished, invite them to share their ideas, adding them to the table you created on the board. Take the time to discuss all the ideas and clarify any points that may not be clear.

Suggested answers are included below:

Activity	Hydrosphere	Lithosphere	Atmosphere	Biosphere
e.g. Dredging	affects water quality	affects the seafloor	carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere	destroys seafloor habitats
				water clarity affected
				affects corals and other marine life

Increased traffic/ collision and spill risks	affects water quality			affects habitats and kills marine life

Extracting coal from earth	carbon dioxide is absorbed	affects the seafloor
Burning coal	by the sea– affects pH

Changes in coastline		affects the coast		destroys habitats

Part C: Finding connections

Step 1

Explain to students that they will now be creating a diagram that shows the interactions between human activity and global systems, with particular reference to one aspect of the environment.

Divide the class into groups of four. Assign each group one of three topics:

Turtles
Seabirds
Corals

Each group needs to research the interactions between the topic they have been assigned, and the interaction this topic has with global systems and how human activity is affecting these interactions, and create a diagram to share what they found.

The following resources can be used by students to assist them in their research (also available on the Student Worksheet). However, students may also want to undertake further research online, remembering the Search Strategies for Googling.

Topics
TURTLES Blue clip: Importance of marine turtles - https://vimeo.com/1056609220/37e6d8c08f Turtles Factsheet
SEABIRDS Blue clip: Ode to seabirds - https://vimeo.com/1056609559/4415169959 Seabirds Factsheet
CORALS Blue clip: Coral bleaching - https://vimeo.com/1056609106/dbf7b8aba7 Coral Reefs Factsheet

You could provide students with a copy of the Diagram Assessment Rubric to guide their work.

Step 2

Invite groups to share their work with the rest of the class. Students can assess the work of their peers using the Diagram Assessment Rubric.

Step 3

Finally, consider engaging students in a discussion around the following points:

What are some of the most significant impacts of human activity on global systems?
What actions can we take as individuals to minimise the impacts of human activity on global systems?

Reflection

Invite students to think about what they looked at in this lesson and work independently to complete the following sentences:

I used to think...
But now I think...

Take it further

Invite students to apply their learning in a real world context by participating in this Social Action lesson: Ocean Guardian Campaigns - Social Action - Year 9 & 10.

Blue - The Connection Between Oceans and Life on Earth

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

Lesson guides and printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

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