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Understanding Global Change

Start Tool
Screenshot from the Understanding Global Change interactive

Topic

  • Environmental Science
  • Human Population & Impacts
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Systems
  • Earth Science
  • Climate

Resource Type

  • Interactive Media
  • Tools

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Saved By
140 Users
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View in Spanish

Description

This interactive module allows students and educators to build models that explain how the Earth system works. The Click & Learn can be used to show how Earth is affected by human activities and natural phenomena.

Earth is a dynamic place with many components that interact and shape our habitats. Using this Click & Learn, students and teachers can create visualizations of the connections among different processes, activities, and measurable changes, each represented by a separate icon.

Depending on the lesson, students can swap out other images for the background image in the model. They draw arrows between icons to indicate cause-and-effect relationships, each of which can be annotated with relevant evidence or explanations. Students can save, edit, and share their models, and/or display the model’s components on an infographic, which provides a visual table of contents for the causes and consequences of global changes.

The "Educator Materials" document provides implementation suggestions, including an example instructional sequence. The “Icons” document contains printable tiles of the icons in the Click & Learn. The “Ocean Acidification Model” ZIP file contains an example model that can be used in the Click & Learn. The “UGC poster” file contains the framework and example system models that can be used as a resource or reference.

The “Google Digital Whiteboard” contains the Earth system modeling tools, including the icons, Earth scene, and simplified Understanding Global Change (UGC) framework. Google Jamboard is an interactive cloud-based workspace that allows students to collaboratively construct online models during distance learning or in one-to-one computing environments. Additional materials are available on the UC Berkeley’s Museum of Paleontology website for Understanding Global Change.

Student Learning Targets

Construct system models to explain how one change in the Earth system can produce measurable effects in other parts of the system (e.g., changes in ecosystems and the climate system).

Estimated Time

One to several 50-minute class periods, depending on how it is used.

Key Terms

climate, cycle, Earth, environment, flowchart, infographic, phenomenon, process, system model, systems thinking

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria. Interactive media meets criteria. Spanish files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 09.14.18
Date Updated 01.26.21

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS2.A, HS-LS2.B, HS-LS2.C, HS-ESS2.A, HS-ESS2.D, HS-ESS2.E, HS-ESS3.A, HS-ESS3.C; SEP2

AP Biology (2019)

ENE-1.N, ENE-4.B, ENE-4.C, SYI-1.G, SYI-1.H, SYI-2.B, SYI-2.C; SP2

IB Biology (2016)

4.1, 4.2, C.1, C.2 

AP Environmental Science (2020)

Topic(s): 1.1, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 2.5, 3.8, 5.2, 5.4, 5.8, 5.9, 5.10, 5.12, 6.5, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 6.10, 6.12, 7.1, 7.4, 8.2, 8.5, 8.9, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6, 9.7, 9.8, 9.9, 9.10, 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5, 4.8
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-1.A, ERT-2, ERT-1.E, ERT-1.F, ERT-1.G, ERT-2.G, EIN-1.C, EIN-2.B, EIN-2.D, EIN-2.J, EIN-2.K, EIN-2.M, STB-1.A, ENG-3.E, ENG-3.I, ENG-3.J, ENG-3.L, ENG-3.N, ENG-3.R, STB-2.A, STB-2.D, STB-3.B, STB-3.F, STB-3.K, STB-4.C, STB-4.E, STB-4.F, STB-4.G, STB-4.H, EIN-4.A, EIN-4.B, EIN-4.C, ERT-4.A, ERT-4.B, ERT-4.D, ERT-4.E, ENG-2.B, SP1, SP2

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.2, 8.2

Vision and Change (2009)

CC5; DP3

Materials

Icons (PDF) 2 MB
Ocean Acidification Model (ZIP) 5 KB
UGC Poster (PDF) 3 MB
Educator Materials (PDF) 582 KB
Google Digital Whiteboard (Jamboard Link)
Educator Materials - Español (PDF)
Icons - Español (PDF) 2 MB
Ocean Acidification Model - Español (PDF) 7 KB
UGC Poster - Español (PDF) 3 MB
Google Digital Whiteboard – Español (Jamboard Link)
Desktop App - macOS 10.10 or later, 64-bit (ZIP) 73 MB
Desktop App - Windows 7 or later, 64-bit (ZIP) 52 MB

Additional Materials

paper and drawing supplies (optional)

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