Week 2: An Introduction to Earth Science

Earth Systems Interdisciplinary Sciences

01_05.JPG Four Spheres Working Together Earth System Science in a Nutshell

01_00CO.JPG Define the term Biosphere

01_00CO.JPG Our island, Earth Key Terms: 1.Biosphere is the sum of all Environments 2. An environment is the total sum of our local surroundings that include both biotic and abiotic factors 3.Biotic factors are living organisms (i.e., plants, animals, bacteria, viruses). Biotic factors require food/energy to exist and reproduce. 4.Abotic factors are defined as non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment such as temperature, light intensity, moisture content and PH levels, which by the way, often have a significant influence on the survivability of biotic factors.

Lithosphere

Hydrosphere

Atmosphere

Time to Collaborate

Communication Skills

Scientific Communication Effective communication is essential for everyday life as well as in science. Have you ever explained something to someone only to later find out that what you thought was a “crystal-clear” explanation was confusing, misleading, or even incorrect? In this activity you will describe the object in the provide envelope to your partner. 1.Obtain an object from your teacher. Don’t show your partner. 2.Only write one sentence that accurately describes the object in detail without actual saying what it is. 3. All odd numbered students, give your partner the description and allow him or her a few minutes to try to determine what your object is. 4.Now, change-up, and all even numbered students give your partner the description of your object and see if he/she can figure it out. Afterwards both of you have finished, work together to rewrite each description in your science notebooks to make them as concise (i.e., briefly and clearly expressed) as possible.

Easter Island

Where in the World is Easter Island?

The Nature of Science Modern scientists describe science as a systematic process for learning about the world and testing our understanding of it. Scientist test ideas by weighing evidence. In other words, they assess the importance of something by considering all available data.

The Scientific Method is the Key Element of Science It is a technique for testing ideas with observations and involves several assumptions and a series of interrelated steps. The assumptions are: a. The universe functions in accordance with fixed natural laws. b. All events arise from some cause and cause other events. c. We can use our senses and reasoning abilities to detect and describe natural laws. Mnemonic (nə ˈ mänik) noun A device such as a pattern of letter, ideas, or associations that assists in remembering something

Some Other Mnemonic Examples Taxonomy Mnemonic Device

01_09.JPG 1.Identify the problem or ask a question This is the “thing” that you want to know

01_09.JPG 2.Gather “unbiased” information from multiple sources about the thing that you want to know more about. This is the information that is already known.

01_09.JPG 3.Make an “educated” guess, or prediction of the outcome of the experiment. This guess/prediction will be tested during the experiment.

01_09.JPG 3.An experiment is an activity designed to test the validity (i.e., logically or factually sound) of a prediction and thus prove the hypothesis. It involves manipulating variables, or conditions that can change.

01_10.JPG

01_10a.jpg What type of experiment is this again? Answer: Manipulative

01_10b.jpg And what type of experiment is this? Answer: Natural Experiment, or Correlational Study

01_09.JPG 4.Analyze and interpret the data obtained from your experiment and determine the conclusion.

01_09.JPG 5.Was your hypothesis correct or not?

01_09.JPG 6.Communicate your results via talk or a paper.

01_09.JPG Let’s see what you remember. Raise your hand if you know the answer. Ask Question Think? Try Again Research Develop a Hypothesis Test with an Experiment Analyze Results & Formulate Conclusion Hypotheses TRUE?Hypotheses FALSE? Report Results Scientific Paper Peer Review Peer Rejected Peer Accepted Publication & Further Research by Scientific Community

What are your Questions?