A SYSTEMS THINKING MODULE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL EARTH SCIENCE COURSES

The world is composed of many complex and interconnected systems, and disruptions in those systems give rise to complex problems such as water scarcity and soil degradation. Teaching systems thinking in Earth Science courses allows students to develop the big picture and connection-based thinking patterns needed to assess and address these problems. Recently, middle school Earth Science classes in the United States have changed from being taught in isolated units to having a greater focus on interconnectedness of natural and human systems through the Next Generation Science Standards. By integrating systems thinking into middle school science classes, students can begin to develop the pathways needed to think about the interconnected systems that make up environmental issues.

We introduce a series of new systems thinking activities, adapted from the InTeGrate undergraduate Systems Thinking module. These activities are designed to provide middle school students with the tools to assess complex issues of sustainability holistically. The systems thinking module will be available for free on the National Association of Geoscience Teachers’ Teach the Earth portal and are designed for teachers to be able to pick and choose the activities that best fit into their online or in-person course. The module begins with activities that introduce systems thinking vocabulary and systems diagrams, then moves to activities addressing how rates, equilibrium, and feedback loops contribute to changes in systems over time. The module concludes with several activities that require students to assess an issue of sustainability through a variety of interconnected human and natural systems. The activities begin using simple water system examples such as the classroom sink and the school water supply system. The activities progress to more complex system examples with a greater focus on the interconnectedness between systems, ultimately assessing the issue of water scarcity in the United States through many connected human and natural systems like agriculture, energy, and the water cycle.