Earth's Interacting Systems
Aligned to 5-ESS2 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Earth has four major systems: the geosphere (rock/land), hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air), and biosphere (living things). They constantly interact — water cycles among all of them.
Worked examples
Example 1
A rainstorm: water from the atmosphere falls on the geosphere, flows through the hydrosphere into rivers, and is used by the biosphere (plants, animals).
Example 2
A wildfire is the biosphere and atmosphere interacting: burning trees release smoke that changes the air for hundreds of miles.
Example 3
Change one system and the others respond. Paving a field means rain runs off instead of soaking in, which floods the creek downstream.
Practice questions
- Name the four Earth systems.
- Give one example of two systems interacting.
- Which systems does a growing tree connect?
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Los Sistemas que Interactúan en la Tierra
La Tierra tiene cuatro sistemas principales: la geosfera (roca/tierra), la hidrosfera (agua), la atmósfera (aire) y la biosfera (seres vivos). Estos sistemas interactúan constantemente — el agua circula entre todos ellos.
Ejemplo 1: Una tormenta de lluvia: el agua de la atmósfera cae sobre la geosfera, fluye a través de la hidrosfera hacia los ríos, y es utilizada por la biosfera (plantas y animales).
Ejemplo 2: Un incendio forestal es la biosfera y la atmósfera interactuando: los árboles que arden liberan humo que cambia el aire por cientos de millas.
Ejemplo 3: Cambia un sistema y los demás responden. Pavimentar un campo hace que la lluvia escurra en vez de filtrarse, lo que inunda el arroyo de abajo.
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