Activity 9: Feedback Loops Introduction
Cameron Weiner, Middlebury College; Lisa Gilbert, Williams-Mystic
Students are introduced to feedback loop vocabulary and experiment with different relationships between reservoirs in simple feedback loops using LOOPY, a free, online modeling program.

Plate Tectonics: GPS Data, Boundary Zones, and Earthquake Hazards
Christopher Berg, Orange Coast College; Julie Elliott, Michigan State University; Beth Pratt-Sitaula, EarthScope
Students work with high precision GPS data to explore how motion near a plate boundary is distributed over a larger region than the boundary line on the map. This allows them to investigate how earthquake hazard ...

Measuring Plate Motion with GPS: Iceland | Lessons on Plate Tectonics
Roger Groom, Mt. Tabor Middle School; Cate Fox-Lent, UNAVCO; Shelley E Olds, EarthScope Consortium; Nancy West, Quarter Dome Consulting; David Thesenga, Front Range Community College
This lesson teaches middle and high school students to understand the architecture of GPS—from satellites to research quality stations on the ground. This is done with physical models and a presentation. Then students learn to interpret data for the station's position through time ("time series plots"). Students represent time series data as velocity vectors and add the vectors to create a total horizontal velocity vector. They apply their skills to discover that the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is rifting Iceland. They cement and expand their understanding of GPS data with an abstraction using cars and maps. Finally, they explore GPS vectors in the context of global plate tectonics.

Erosion in a River
Nicole LaDue, Northern Illinois University
Formative assessment questions using a classroom response system ("clickers") can be used to reveal students' spatial understanding. Students are shown these diagrams and instructed to "Click ...

Lesson 3: The Value of a Water Footprint (High School)
Kai Olson-Sawyer, GRACE Communications Foundation
Session 1 of this lesson begins with a quick activity to get students thinking about their direct and virtual water use. It introduces a few new ideas for virtual water use that may surprise students, including the ...

Taphonomy: Dead and Fossilized Board Game - High School Edition
Rowan Martindale, The University of Texas at Austin; Enrique Reyes, Northside ISD - San Antonio; Estefania Salgado Jauregui, The University of Texas at Austin; Kathy Ellins, The University of Texas at Austin; Anna Weiss, The University of Texas at Austin
"Taphonomy: Dead and Fossilized" can be used as an active learning tool in a class or lab to promote understanding of Earth processes (Geology), deep time, fossils, and the history of life on Earth ...

Climate Change: Past & Present, Local & Global
Cheryl LB Manning, OrbWeaver Consulting, LLC; Rondi Davies, CUNY City College; Paul Ashwell, University of Toronto Mississauga; Erica Bigio, University of Nevada; Jesse Kelsch, Sul Ross State University; Mark Peebles, St. Petersburg College; Xin Sun, Princeton University
Average inquiry level: Guided inquiry In this laboratory exercise for introductory geology or environmental science courses, students use data to examine climate change in their local environment. They compare ...

Activity 6: Creating a Systems Diagram
Cameron Weiner, Middlebury College; Lisa Gilbert, Williams-Mystic
In this activity students learn the steps to create a systems diagram and then apply those steps to create a systems diagram of the wastewater system. Students are provided with additional written information that ...

Lesson 2: My Water Footprint (Middle School)
Kai Olson-Sawyer, GRACE Communications Foundation
This lesson centers on a deeper exploration of the water footprint associated with food. Students learned in Lesson 1 that virtual water, especially as it relates to food, typically makes up the majority of their ...

Activity 8: Equilibrium Experiment
Cameron Weiner, Middlebury College; Lisa Gilbert, Williams-Mystic
Students explore the systems thinking concepts of equilibrium and nonequilibrium with a water pouring experiment. Students complete the activity at home or virtually with videos. Water is poured from a top ...