Systems Literacy
Teaching About Systems

Bringing Systems into the Classroom: Grades 6-8

Video: From the Soil

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And on to grades 6-8:

In grades 6-8, students can understand that systems may interact with other systems; they may have sub-systems and be a part of larger complex systems. They can use models to represent systems and their interactions—such as inputs, processes and outputs—and energy, matter, and information flows within systems. They can also learn that models are limited in that they only represent certain aspects of the system under study.

—Next Generation Science Standards, Crosscutting Concept 4

Lesson idea: Show From the Soil. Then develop the balancing and reinforcing loops and the stock and flows model as described in the background essay and activity. Ask students to consider:

  • Is there a subsystem that is not described in these models? (Answers might include bacterial decay or nitrogen-fixing legumes.)
  • How might the loops that are illustrated function as parts of a larger system? (Answers might include national or international food industries, government agency policies, waste management, or pollution control).
  • What factors might be missing from these soil loops that might change or influence the system?