InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Changing Biosphere
 Earth-focused Modules and Courses for the Undergraduate Classroom
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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The materials are free and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
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Initial Publication Date: April 20, 2017

Summary

This module will give students a series of experiences exploring relationships among changes in the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. By studying a series of historical and current examples of the interconnections between organisms and their environments, students will be able to discuss the dynamic and evolving nature of ecosystems, explain the relationship between diversity and stability, and analyze the concept of ecosystem health in a changing world. The overarching goal is to have students synthesize this information to develop a working knowledge of how scientists view humans as actors in natural systems. Our understanding of the long-term consequences of the ways in which we engineer and manipulate our environment is informed by our scientific study of Earth systems.

Strengths of the Module

This module address macroevolution and extinction from an interdisciplinary perspective. This module is based on an Earth systems approach in which students become familiar with fundamental geological and biological concepts while exploring critical linkages and feedbacks among Earth's major spheres (geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere).

This knowledge of the geologic record of biodiversity and how Earth's interrelated systems have responded to past changes in the natural environment will provide an important context for addressing threats to biodiversity facing modern societies.

Module activities will be designed to actively engage students in using scientific data and disciplinary practices while addressing issues of current and historical Earth systems. These activities will require students to go beyond simply comprehending the material by asking them to apply these concepts in novel ways to solve problems.

A great fit for courses in:

  • biology
  • environmental studies
  • environmental science
  • Earth science
  • historical geology
  • global change
  • introductory paleontology

Next Generation Science Standards Logo. A purple, orange, and green triangle to the left of the words, Next Generation Science Standards.

These materials have been reviewed for their alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards. At the top of each page, you can click on the NGSS logo to see the specific connections. Visit InTeGrate and the NGSS to learn more about the process of alignment and how to use InTeGrate materials to implement the NGSS.

NGSS in this Module

The Changing Biosphere Module aligns well with the NGSS Cross cutting concepts: Patterns, Cause and Effect, and Stability and Change, as well as the NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas: The History of Planet Earth, Earth's Materials and and Human Impacts on Earth Systems, Middle level and High school teachers could adapt the module to focus more on process and less on content. In this module the students have the opportunity to work through patterns in historical data, learn how the Earth system operates, use fossils to analyze possible cause and effect changes in a system as well as how change impacts stability in systems, and the human impact on the Earth system as cause and effect of environmental changes. Students analyze changes found over time in horse fossils and use systems thinking to infer the relationship between climate change and evolution. Students draw conclusions about the impact of human activity on the stability of the Earth system and associated future impacts to the Earth's system.


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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »