THE QUESTION, 'THE EARTH SYSTEM--DOES IT INCLUDE US?' ENGAGES BOTH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN A COMBINED EFFORT TO EXPLORE WHERE HUMANKIND FITS IN THE EARTH SYSTEM

First, we can introduce the Earth System as an array of processes, or subsystems that help us understand the Earth, and our interaction with it. For example, observation of the Hydrosphere subsystem guides our preservation of the quantity and quality of the water we need for survival. Class discussion can lead to other ways we interact with the Earth.

To gain a combined local and global perspective of the Earth System, teachers and students will use blowup globes of the Earth to share with the class the location of their home area and place it in a global context (what continent is it on; nearby bodies of water; climate wet, dry etc). In a second discussion round each student will describe a familiar process generated by a subsystem in their area. Such processes might include river flooding, landslides, changes in air quality, volcanic eruptions, or storms like tornados or hurricanes.

Students with varying learning styles benefit from hands-on activities that lead to discovery and 'Oh Wow!' moments begging to be shared. One popular Earth Science program includes a generous time for class sharing after a period of individual discovery. Teachers along with their students examine samples of rocks, fossils and minerals along with questions that lead to discovery of significant Earth System interactions. They discover for example, that volcanism is part of the subsystem of plate tectonics, and that volcanic eruptive material is part of the Rock Cycle; they examine rocks that sequester and release carbon and therefore affect the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere; and, they learn that slight differences in rock density explain how continents "float" upon a body of basaltic ocean basin crust.

Field trips that further explore Earth Subsystems and their interactions can be a backdrop to discussions about humankind and our role in the Earth System. Such trips could, for example, investigate where our drinking water comes from? Or, How our community reacts to extreme weather events?

Testing can be designed by the students! One suggestion is to have all students write, draw, voice record, or respond in their own way to: The Earth System -- Does it include us?