OverviewThe class will brainstorm, write, create, and produce a play in which theyrepresenthowalltheEarthsystemsareinterconnected.ThisplaycanbebasedontheElementaryGLOBEbookAllAboutEarth:OurWorldonStage.
Student OutcomesThrough this activity, students will demonstrate their knowledge of how thehydrosphere,atmosphere,geosphereandbiosphereinteract.
Science Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry•Abilitiesnecessarytodoscientificinquiry
Science Content Standard C: Life Science•Thecharacteristicsoforganisms•Organismsandenvironments
Science Content Standard D: Earth and Space Science•PropertiesofEarthmaterials
Earth:OurWorldonStage–either read it to theclassorhavestudentsreadittothemselves.Thebook can be downloaded from www.globe.gov/elementaryglobe.
Part 2:•Gather materials required for creating costumes,
propsandbackdrop.
•Copy the script and distribute to each student intheclass.
Part 3:•Setupbackdrop.
•Gatherallprops.
Teacher’s Notes
The Earth as a SystemWhendiscussingtheEarth,scientistsoftenorganizeitintofive“spheres”:theatmosphere,hydrosphere,geosphere,cryosphere,andbiosphere.Thesespheresare connected to each other in a complex web ofprocesses.Insteadoffocusingontheindividualpartsof the Earth, Earth system scientists use chemistry,biology,andphysicstostudythecyclesthatconnectthesesphereswitheachotherandwith theenergyfrom the Sun, which ultimately drives almost all oftheseprocesses.AllAboutEarth:OurWorldonStageuses terminology that is more age appropriate forK-2students:air,water,soil,and livingthings. Thisbook also includes the cryosphere (ice) within thehydrosphere.SeeFigure1below.
The Atmosphere (Air)Theatmosphereconsistsof thegases in theair. Itprovides the oxygen animals breathe and carriesoffthecarbondioxidetheyexhale.Theatmospherefiltersoutmostharmful formsofsunlightandtrapsoutgoingheatfromEarth’ssurface.Theatmospheretransportsheatfromtheequatortothepoles,makingthe whole planet more livable. It also carries themoistureevaporatedfromlakesandoceansoverland,whereitcancondenseandfallindifferentformsofprecipitation.
The Hydrosphere (Water)Theoceans,inlandwaterbodies,groundwater,andice sheets (cryosphere), comprise the hydrosphere.(Note:AllAboutEarth:OurWorldonStagedoesnotdiscussthecryospherespecifically.Instead,“ice”isincludedindiscussionsabout“water.”)
The hydrosphere includes water that is on or closeto the surface of Earth wherever it is found. Thisincludeswaterintheoceans,lakes,streams,ponds,underground, ice sheets, glaciers, icebergs, snow,sleet, hail, clouds, and fog. Water continuallycirculates between Earth’s surface and atmosphereinwhatiscalledthehydrologiccycleorwatercycle.
The Geosphere (Soil and other Earth Materials)ThegeosphereincludestheentiresolidsurfaceoftheEarth: soil, rock, sand, ocean floor and continents.Soil is a precious natural resource and so deeplyaffectseverypartofeachecosystemthatitisoftencalledthe“greatintegrator.”Forexample,soilholdsnutrients and water for plants and animals. Soilfilters and cleans water that passes through it. Itcan change the chemistry ofwater and impact theamountthatrechargesthegroundwaterorreturnstotheatmospheretoformrain.Thefoodsweeatandmost of the materials we use for paper, buildings,and clothing are dependent on soil. Soil plays animportantrole intheamountandtypesofgases intheatmosphere.Itstoresandtransfersheat,affectsthetemperatureoftheatmosphere,andcontrolstheactivitiesofplantsandotherorganismslivinginthesoil.
Formore information on the Earth system, see theGLOBETeacher’sGuide(www.globe.gov).
What To Doand How To Do It
Part 1: Discussion and Brainstorming1.HavingreadtheElementaryGLOBEbookAllAbout
Earth: Our World on Stage, introduce the idea tothestudentsthattheywillproduceaplay,justlikethestudentsinthebookdid.ExplainthattheywillbebrainstormingandcreatingascriptthatshowshowthedifferentEarthsystems interactandhowallofthecomponentsareimportant.
2.Brainstorm all the Earth system components theythinkshouldfeatureintheplay.
3.Ask for volunteers to play each component, orassignrolestostudents.Seebelow(Part2,Number2)forideasofhowtoincludeallofyourstudentsintheplayeventhoughthebookfocusedonfivestudents.
Part 2: Play Preparation1.Howtodotheplay:
Ideally, you and your students will constructall elements of the play together from scratch.However,hereareafewoptionstogetyoustarted.You and your students could probably come upwithseveralmore!(a) StudentsactoutthewordsoftheEarthSystem
songwhileitisbeingsungbyachorusoftheirclassmates.
(b) Just as Anita, Ono and their friends argueaboutwhoisthemostimportantEarthsystemcomponent in the book All About Earth: OurWorld on Stage (pp. 25-26), your studentsargueabouttheirimportanceinthecourseofthe play. They can perform the closing linesfromthebook:“Weareair,water,soil,plants,
animals,andtheSun.Weallneedeachother.Togetherwemakeup a system called Earth!”The students can end their performance bysingingthesongtogether.
(c) Students act out their parts while you, asnarrator, read the script. Students may haveshort speaking parts at various points in thenarrative.
(d)AsthedifferentEarthsystemcomponentstakecenterstage,studentsrepresentingpartsofthecomponentsactouttheirpossibleinteractions(e.g.,RabbitnibblesGrass,SoilsupportsFlower,ChipmunkdrinksWater,RainfallsonSoiletc.).Other possible actions include Rain makingsprinkling motions with hands, Tree droppinghandfulsofpaperleaves,Plant“growing”fromacrouchingposition.
2.Whoarethecharacters?
AirWaterSoilSunPlantsAnimals
The play can also include Arrow Carriers (whoillustrate the connections among earth systemcomponents) and an Earth Chorus to sing thesong. Somestudentsmightnotbe interested inactingoutparts in theplay,so theseroleswouldsuitthem.Otherstudentscouldspendtheirtimecreatingpropsandthebackdropfortheplay.
The play in the book has only five characters.However, this isnotenough for themore typicalelementary classroom where most children wantto take part. Here are some ideas for creatingadditionalparts:
Watercanbefurtherdividedintoitscomponents(Rain, Snow, Ice, Hail, Sleet, Clouds), as canSoil or the Lithosphere (sand, compost, gravel,stones),Animals(Bird,Deer,Cougar,Mouse,Fox,Wolf,Rabbit,Squirrel,Chipmunk,Skunk,Possum,Raccoon)andPlants(Grass,Flower,Shrub,Tree)andotherlivingthings(Mushroom,Bacterium).
3.CostumesandPropsCostumes can be as simple or elaborate as timeand money afford and student schedules andcurriculum needs dictate. Students may dress intheirregularclothesincolorsappropriatefortheir
roles (e.g., white for Air, blue for Water, greenfor Plant, brown for Soil), they may make simpletunics inthesecolors,wearheadbandsmadeoutofconstructionpaper,ortheymayhaveHalloweencostumes that represent some of the characters,especiallytheanimalones.Alternatively,studentscan simply carry small signs stating which Earthsystemcomponentstheyrepresent.
Creating masks, props, and backdrops can bewonderful art activities. Young children love towearmasks,especiallyonestheyhavecreatedanddecoratedthemselves.Childrencanmaketheirownmasksfortheircostumesiftheyareappropriateforyourschoolsetting.Props can include leaves, raindrops, clouds, etc.Backdrops can represent the biome in which theschool is located(e.g.,adesertbiomeinTucson,AZ or a forest biome in Madison, WI) or a largeimageoftheEarth.Havethewholeclassworkonabackdropasacollaborativeartprojectanddisplayitintheclassroomafterwards.Ifyourschoolhasanartteacher,thisactivitywouldbeanicewaytointegrateartclasses.Remembertohavethestudentscreatelargearrowstorepresent“flow”orconnectionsbetweenEarthsystemcomponents.ArrowsconnectingtheSuntotheEarthsystemcomponentsshouldbe“one-way”arrows because the Sun is not affected by Earthin any significant way; arrows connecting Earthsystemcomponentstoeachothershouldbe“two-way.”SeetheillustrationsinAllAboutEarth:OurWorld on Stage for examples for how to use thedifferentarrows.
Part 3: It’s Showtime!Oncecostumes,backdrop,andpropshaveallbeencreated, students have learned their lines, and thebasic choreography has been worked out, it’s timeto stage the show. Have students create postersadvertising their play around the school (keep inmind school policy) and design a flyer to send tootherclassroomsand/orhometofamilies.Reserveatimeslotataschoolassemblyifappropriate.
Adaptations for Youngerand Older Students
The suggestions in the “What To Do and How ToDoIt”sectionpresentideasthatareappropriateforyounger/olderstudents.Inaddition,olderstudentsmaywant toputon theplay for younger students.Youngerstudentscanperformascaled-downversionoftheplay,ortheycanactoutonlythesongiftheplayseemsliketoomuch.
Further Investigations
•Expand upon the Earth System song: Studentsmay write additional verses of their own for thesong.
•Earth System Riddles:Dividethestudentsintofivegroups(perhapsusingthecharactersfromtheplayasgroupleaders).Telleachgroupwhatparttheyare,butdon’tannouncethegroupstotherestofthe class. Then have the students write a riddlethatdescribestheirpartintheEarthsystem.Oncetheyhavewrittentheirriddleontochartpaper,theyshare itwiththerestof theclasssotheclasscanguesswhatthatgrouprepresents.Forexample,awaterriddlemightbe:“Icanbeseeninmorethanone form. Ihelpplantsandanimalssurvive. MyformchangesdependingonwhetherIamwarmorcold.WhatamI?”
•Write/Perform Other Plays: Read other tradebooksthatlookatspecificspheres(thewatercycle,thegeosphere,etc.)withyourclass.Thenwriteanewplaybasedonthatspecificsphere.
The “Earth System Play Learning Activity” wasdeveloped in collaboration with Harold McWilliamsandGillianPuttickfromTERC,Cambridge,MA.
