Investigating Earth Systems approaches
Earth System Science through problem-solving, with community-based
models that are hands-on and inquiry-driven. Click the thumbnails to enlarge. Or download the complete activity. (PDF)
Key
Question
Before you begin, you will be asked to think about the key question you
will investigate. You do not need to come up with a correct answer. Instead
you will be expected to take some time to think about what you already
know. You can then share your ideas with your small group and with the
class.
Investigate
Geoscientists learn about the Earth system by doing investigations. That
is exactly what you will be doing. Sometimes you will be given the procedures
to follow. Other times you will need to decide what question you want to
investigate and what procedure
to follow.
Inquiry
You will use inquiry processes to investigate and solve problems in an
orderly way. Look for these reminders about the processes you are using.
Throughout your investigations you will keep your own journal. Your journal
is like one that scientists keep when they investigate a scientific question.
You can enter anything you think is important during the investigation.
There will also be questions after many of the Investigate steps for
you to answer and enter in your journal. You will also need to think
about how the Earth works as a set of systems. You can write the connections
you make after each investigation on your Earth System Connection sheet
in your journal.
Digging
Deeper
Scientists build on knowledge that others have discovered through investigation.
In this section you can read about the insights scientists have about
the question you are investigating. The questions in As You Read will
help you focus on the information you are looking for.
Review and Reflect
After you have completed each investigation, you will be asked to reflect
on what you have learned and how it relates to the "Big Picture" of
the Earth system. You will also be asked to think about what scientific
inquiry processes you used.
Investigation:
Putting It All Together
In the last investigation of the module you will have a chance
to "put
it all together." You will be asked to apply all that you have learned
in the previous investigations to solve a practical problem. This module
is just the beginning! You continue to learn about the Earth system every
time you ask questions and make observations about the world around you.