Download Earth's Spheres Classification System Lesson

Name: _________________-
Date: ____________________
Students will: A.) analyze and make scientific claims to study the patterns,
relationships, and changes in the structure and distribution of ecological
populations and communities. B.) Students will understand the
relationships between living and non-living aspects of the biosphere. C.)
Students will explore case studies to explore how communities change
over time--both naturally and through human impact.
1. Earth is a closed/open system.
2. Which level is the image on the top right?
3. Earth had 4 subsystems:
4. PREDICT: Do these systems interact? YES / NO
5. Brainstorm a few ways one sphere may affect another sphere--be specific:
6. Divide the last four spheres into 2 subsystems:
7. PREDICT: Do these systems interact? Yes / No
8. Brainstorm a few ways one subsystem affects the other:
9. Which of the four spheres do you predict we will study MOST in Biology?
10. Predict: How do the hydro, geo, and atmos spheres affect the biospheres?
Hydro:
Geo:
Atmos:
11. With your partner (or by yourself), brainstorm to redraw or revise our models of the 4
spheres to appropriately represent the interconnectedness of the 4 spheres:
12. Extension to Carbon- Hydro and Nitrogen cycles:
a. The water cycle involved which of the four spheres?
b. Which did the water cycle contain abiotic or biotic, or both?
c. What parts of earth are involved in the cycle?
d. The carbon cycle involved which of the four spheres?
e. Which did the carbon cycle contain abiotic or biotic, or both?
f.
What parts of earth are involved in the cycle?
g. The nitrogen cycle involved which of the four spheres?
h. Which did the nitrogen cycle contain abiotic or biotic, or both?
i.
What parts of earth are involved in the cycle?