1. Interactions of Earth’s Spheres
Formative Assessment
Ask students the following questions:
In what sphere of the Earth are the ice caps located? (Cryosphere)
What sphere of the Earth do squirrels belong to? (Biosphere)
What sphere of the Earth can we find buried treasures? (Geosphere)
What sphere does the oceans, lakes, rivers and canals belong to? (Hydrosphere)
The air we breathe is made out of different gases that surrounds us. What sphere of the Earth do the gases belong to? (Atmosphere)
“Blue Marble,” NASA (public domain)
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2. Interactions of Earth Spheres: Class Discussion
Ask students the following questions:
What spheres of the earth are present in this picture? (Biosphere for the dolphins and tress, atmosphere for the gases in the air, hydrosphere for the ocean)
How does the biosphere interact with the hydrosphere? (The dolphins (biosphere) interact with the hydrosphere because they live in the ocean.)
How does the biosphere interact with the atmosphere? (The dolphins (biosphere) have to come to come up for air (atmosphere) to breathe.)
Zest-pk, Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
© Copyright 2015 – All rights reserved.

3. Interactions of Earth Spheres: Class Discussion
Ask students the following questions:
What spheres are present? (Cryosphere – snow; biosphere - people, dogs, and trees; geosphere - people are walking on the ground; atmosphere – gases)
How are the cryosphere and biosphere interacting? (The snow is making the people the cold and they’re wearing jackets, hats, and gloves to stay warm. The snow also makes tree limbs heavy and they may break. The snow may also damage crops.)
How does the cryosphere interact with the geosphere? (The snow makes the ground hard.)
Wonderlane, Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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4. Interactions of Earth Spheres: Class Discussion
Atmosphere
Biosphere
Biosphere
Ask students the following questions:
Why is the word “biosphere” located in many places on this picture? (Living things live in different places.)
Give me an example or what living thing can we find in the atmosphere. (In the biosphere located the top of the picture, we can find birds flying high in the sky. At the “biosphere” located the bottom of the picture, insects and other animals live within geosphere.)
How do people interact with the hydrosphere? (People swim in the ocean and use water for daily chores.)
How do people interact with the geosphere? (People dig up the ground to fix roads or build houses.)
Geosphere
Hydrosphere
Biosphere
Biosphere
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5. Guided Practice: Group Work
Each group will be given a picture to analyze.
Student Roles:
Recorder: Record responses from group.
Teacher: All students will be “teachers” within their groups to make sure all members understand the spheres and interactions present.
Spokesperson: The only person to speak with teacher if there’s an issue.
Manager: Keeps group on task.
Directions:
Members must come to a consensus about each of the following:
Identify and label the spheres present.
Explain the interactions between the spheres.
Members must be ready to present when called upon.
Teacher will group the students in fours by having them count off.
Teacher will have all of the number 1s sit together, and so on.
Each student will have a role in the group.
Student 1: recorder – record responses from group
Student 2: manager – keeps the group on task
Student 3: spokesperson – speaks to the teacher if an issue or question arises
Student 4: teacher – responsible for holding group members accountable and making sure they understand the content
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6. Guided Practice: Group 1
The teacher will print this picture and give to students who had the number one. If a printer is not available, it can projected or displayed on a computer.
Student should label spheres:
geosphere (surface on the ground)
hydrosphere (waves)
biosphere (grass and trees)
atmosphere (air)
Interactions:
hydrosphere and biosphere: Students may infer the loss of the life of people and animals even though they’re not present in the picture
hydrosphere and geosphere: the water will saturate the ground and make it weak
hydrosphere and the atmosphere: evaporation (small amount due to the lack of sun) and condensation (clouds)
David Baird, Geograph.uk (CC BY-SA 2.0)
© Copyright 2015 – All rights reserved.

7. Guided Practice: Group 2
The teacher will print this picture and give to students who had the number two. If a printer is not available, it can projected or displayed on a computer.
Student should label spheres:
biosphere (anhinga and sunfish)
hydrosphere (water)
atmosphere (gases, air)
Students may infer the river bottom (geosphere) even though it’s not visible in picture
Interactions:
hydrosphere and biosphere: both the anhinga and fish live in the river
biosphere: the anhinga is eating the sunfish
biosphere and atmosphere: the atmosphere is surrounding the fish because it’s out of water
hydrosphere and atmosphere: students may infer evaporation
Kenneth Cole Schneider, Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
© Copyright 2015 – All rights reserved.

8. Guided Practice: Group 3
The teacher will print this picture and give to students who had the number three. If a printer is not available, it can projected or displayed on a computer.
Student should label spheres:
Biosphere: prairie dogs
Geosphere: ground
Atmosphere: air
Interactions:
biosphere and geosphere: the prairie dogs burrow within the geosphere
atmosphere and biosphere: the prairie dogs breathe air
Gunnar Ries, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)
© Copyright 2015 – All rights reserved.

9. Guided Practice: Group 4
The teacher will print this picture and give to students who had the number four. If a printer is not available, it can projected or displayed on a computer.
Student should label spheres:
Hydrosphere: water
Geosphere: cliff
Biosphere: trees; students may infer the animals that live on land and in the water
Interactions:
Hydrosphere and geosphere: the water will cause physically weathering to side of the mountain it comes in contact with
Hydrosphere and biosphere: water allows the trees to grow
Hydrosphere and atmosphere: evaporation, condensation
Biosphere and geosphere: the trees roots displace the ground
Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
© Copyright 2015 – All rights reserved.

10. Independent Practice Rubric
3 Points
2 Points
1 Point
Claim
Statement contains two spheres
Statement contains one sphere
Statement does not contain any spheres
Evidence
Statement quotes correct sentence from scenario that contains both spheres and their interaction
Statement quotes a sentence from the scenario that only contains one sphere and one interaction
Statement quotes sentence from the scenario that does not contain the proper spheres or interactions
Reasoning
Students clearly identifies both spheres and how they interact
Student does not clearly identify both spheres and their interactions
Students only mentions one sphere
CER stands for Claim, Evidence and Reasoning
Claim: What do you know?
Evidence: How do you know?
Reasoning: How does your evidence support your claim?
The teacher will explain the directions.
Students will complete a CER for the following scenario.
Criteria: The claim has to state an interaction between two spheres.
Students will complete 3 CERS based on the scenario below. This will allow students to explain multiple interactions.
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11. Independent Practice
Scenario: One day Patrick and SpongeBob were arguing because Patrick lost SpongeBob’s spatula. They searched everywhere for SpongeBob’s prized possession. Sandy even swam to the top of the ocean to see if it was floating along with seabirds. Sandy was amazed at all of the seabirds that were drifting with the waves; she even took her oxygen tank off to get fresh air. Finally, Patrick found the spatula buried 3 feet below the surface of the ocean’s floor. Patrick was so excited! He searched everywhere for SpongeBob and finally found him sitting in the Krusty Krab making krabby patties. Claim: Evidence: Reasoning:
Students will complete this assignment on a piece of paper. Students should label each section (claim, evidence, reasoning).
The teacher will tell students, “Read this scenario individually. There are several steps you will take while reading it.”
Identify two interacting spheres.
Make a claim or statement, answering the question “What do you know about interactions between spheres of the Earth?
Provide evidence for your claim by answering the question “How do you know?”
Explain your reasoning by answering “How does your evidence support your claim?” Think of this as details in essay.
Sample student response:
Claim: The biosphere is interacting with the hydrosphere.
Evidence: The seabirds, Sandy, Patrick, and Sponge Bob are all in the ocean.
Reasoning: The biosphere contains all living things, which includes Sandy, Patrick, and SpongeBob. The ocean is part of the hydrosphere. The biosphere is interacting with the hydrosphere because SpongeBob and his friends live in the ocean.
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12. Summative Assessment: Exit Slip
Based on the picture:
Identify all of the spheres present and its components.
Discuss at least one interaction.
Make an illustration that contains at least two spheres. Label the picture.
Explain how the spheres interact in your illustration.
Answers:
The leaf and the frog are part of the biosphere; the atmosphere is composed of the air around the tree and frog.
The biosphere (frog) is interacting with the atmosphere because the frog is breathing.
For questions 3 and 4, student illustrations and responses will vary. Refer to the guided practice to see examples of possible explanations.
Cary James Balboa, Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
© Copyright 2015 – All rights reserved.