Modeling Earth’s Systems introduces Grade 5 students to real-world examples and fundamental concepts that will be explored in greater depth in later grades. Students will apply their background knowledge to develop models of the different “spheres” of the Earth and use their models to discuss how different systems interact. Examples for students include: the influence of the ocean on ecosystems, landform shape, and our climate; the influence of the atmosphere on landforms and living things; and the influence of mountains on weather patterns such as winds and clouds in the atmosphere. As part of this unit, students are tasked to create a graphical representation of the amounts of fresh water versus saltwater on the Earth and indicate where these sources of water are typically found.

Modeling Earth’s Systems introduced students to the concept of earth’s spheres and that these spheres constantly interact with each other. Liquid water falls from the atmosphere and helps living things in the biosphere to meet their needs for survival. Rocks crumble from a seaside cliff and dissolve in the ocean waters. Living things die and their molecules return to the soil. Understanding the Earth means to understand these interacting spheres in a way that can bring clarity to a complex natural world.

As students read Modeling Earth’s Systems, they will come to think, as scientists do, in terms of the models or “spheres”, specifically: the hydrosphere (all the water in the world in all its forms— underground, in the air, and in lakes, streams, estuaries, glaciers, and oceans), the atmosphere (the gases that surround us), the geosphere (all rocks, minerals, and landforms), and the biosphere (all living things).