Unit 3: The Interconnected Nature of the Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, and Biosphere part of Changing Biosphere
Sam Donovan, BioQUEST; LeeAnna Chapman, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Cailin Huyck Orr, Carleton College; Camille Holmgren, SUNY Buffalo State University; Rebecca Teed, Wright State University-Main Campus
Using a systems dynamics approach, students will work in groups to conceptualize and construct a model of the global carbon cycle considering five major Earth systems: atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, ...

Plastic Amniote Phylogeny part of Teaching Activities
Rowan Martindale, The University of Texas at Austin
Students use plastic animals to discuss and synthesize their knowledge about the evolutionary relationships between different vertebrates (amniotes). In small groups, students get a bag of animals (e.g., mammals, ...

Seasonal variation in light, mixing depth and primary productivity in temperate northern hemisphere waters part of Oceanography:Activities
Lauren Sahl, Maine Maritime Academy
In this exercise students work with light, temperature, and phytoplankton biomass proxy (chlorophyll a concentration) data to; Become more skilled in reading and interpreting semi log graphs, temperature profiles, ...

Inland water chemistry: the Nordic Lake Survey 1995 part of Project EDDIE:News & Events:EDDIE Workshops:Workshop: Teaching Quantitative Reasoning with Data:Teaching Activities
Tom Andersen, University of Oslo, Norway
While the ionic composition of surface seawater is basically the same anywhere in the world's oceans, the chemistry of inland waters can vary by orders of magnitude over short distances. In this activity we ...

Candy Phylogeny part of Sedimentary Geology:Sedimentology, Geomorphology, and Paleontology 2014:Activities
Lisa Whitenack, Allegheny College
Students learn how make phylogenetic trees from morphological data using a variety of candy. Techniques and concepts learned include outgroup analysis, making a character matrix, coding characters, parsimony, ...

Tracking your Plastic Footprint part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2020:Program:Share-a-Thon
Ben Maas, Metropolitan State University; Katie Farnsworth, Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus
In this homework assignment, students are asked to track their plastic usage over one week by using an Excel spreadsheet (provided) and by making a 'plastic diary. A Google Sheets version of the spreadsheet ...

Tree Ring Data and Environmental Variables part of Sedimentary Geology:Sedimentology, Geomorphology, and Paleontology 2014:Activities
Erica Bigio, The University of Arizona
This activity uses Bristlecone pine tree-ring data to understand how tree growth is related to environmental variables. It can be used to test hypotheses about how tree growth has been increasing with increasing ...

Wheel of... Geology! part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Games:Examples
Rebecca Teed, Wright State University-Main Campus
This quiz game is intended to help students review for an upcoming exam. Topics of questions are randomly determined by spinning a wheel. Teams answer questions using electronic CPS handhelds. -

Biosphere Socratic Questions part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Socratic Questioning:Examples
Dorothy Merritts, Franklin and Marshall College
Sample Socratic questions and answers regarding the biosphere. -

Deriving Common Model Characteristics part of Complex Systems:Teaching Activities
Jennifer Momsen, North Dakota State University-Main Campus; Tammy Long, Michigan State University; Elena Bray Speth, Saint Louis University-Main Campus
In this activity, students brainstorm ideas about what models are (and are not) and what elements are common to most models of biological systems. Further, students derive the criteria that the learning community ...