How can systems survive

disruptions?
 What are we doing today?

1. Do Now: Extremes (5’)

2. Challenge: Prepare to be very disturbed! (40’)
3. Be disturbed!! (10’)
4. What Next? Earthstones, $ & Research (2’)
5. Exit Ticket How prepared is school? (5’)
Drought Extreme Precipitation

Extreme Heat Wildfires

Hurricanes & Tropical Cyclones

 Close To Home: Local Extremes

“Resilience refers to the capacity of [a natural or human system] to be prepared for

disruptions, recover from shock and stresses, and adapt and grow from a disruptive
experience.” (Dave Sanderson)
 Resilience Challenge Part 1: Prepare to Be Very
Disturbed

Prepare your Biosphere for a major disruption that will happen in

50 minutes! Prove that after 5-7 days your biosphere will return to
the average humidity, temperature, and CO2 levels it had prior to
your disturbance, and earn your final earthstones.
If more than half of the Biospheres in your class can prove their resilience after a week of monitoring,
the class will receive the final earthstones.
 Materials
Per 2 students
🐛 Anything available outside your classroom
to help prepare your Biosphere for a
disruption
🐛 “Fate” cards to determine your disruption
Directions
🌿 Choose only 1 fate card for your biosphere. Your card
will indicate which of the following disruptions will
occur in your biosphere:
⇾ Rainstorm: 1 cup of water will be sprayed into your
biosphere.
⇾ Heat wave: A heat lamp will be directed on your
Biosphere for 3-5 days.
⇾ CO2 Increase: 2 cups of rich moist natural soil will be
added to your Biosphere.
⇾ Deforestation: 2 cups of “organic material”
currently in your biosphere will be replaced with 2
cups of nutrient-depleted sand.
⇾ Increased cloud cover: Your biosphere will be moved
to the area of the room that receives the least
sunlight.
🌿 Prepare your biosphere for your disturbance using any
materials found outside the classroom.
 Part 2: The Disturbance...Dun Dun Dun!

1. Choose 1 fate card per partner pair.

2. Bring your biosphere to the station in the classroom that
matches your fate card.
3. Follow the directions at your fate card station to create a
disturbance in your biosphere.
 Resilience Challenge: “Fate” Cards

HEAT WAVE RAINSTORM CO2 INCREASE

A system of high atmospheric
pressure brought a heat wave to your
area, causing record-breaking
temperatures for three days!
Disturbance: A heat lamp will be
directed on your Biosphere for three
days.
A large rainfall event devastated
your area, causing flash flooding
from three days of torrential
downpour!
Disturbance: 1 cup of water will
be sprayed into your biosphere.
Global CO2 emissions reached a
record high in 2018, primarily due to
burning of fossil fuels. CO2 levels
have now reached 407.4 ppm and
continue to rise.
Disturbance: 2 cups of rich organic
soil will be added to your Biosphere.
Resilience Challenge: “Fate” Cards
DEFORESTATION
Large-scale deforestation has
resulted in erosion and depletion of
nutrients in your local soils.
Disturbance: 2 cups of nutrient-poor
soil will be added to your biosphere
and 2 cups of “organic matter” will
be removed.
INCREASED CLOUD
COVER
A period of increased cloud cover in
your area resulted in cooling
temperatures and less sunlight overall
due to the reflection of some rays back
into space. Disturbance: Your
biosphere will be moved to the area of
the room that receives the least sunlight.
 Materials Directions
Per 2 students
🌿 Follow the directions at your “disturbance station” to
🐛 Biosphere with pre-disturbance changes
create a disturbance in your biosphere.
🐛 “Fate” cards to determine your disturbance
🌿 Disturbance Stations include:
🐛 Materials and direction cards specific to
⇾ Rainstorm
each disturbance (these will be at your
⇾ Heat wave
stations)
⇾ CO2 increase
⇾ Deforestation
⇾ Increased cloud cover

7 Day Follow-up Materials: 7 Day Follow-up Directions:

🐛 Biosphere Resilience handout (1 per 🌿 Monitor your CO2, humidity, and temperature levels
person) each day for 5-7 days following the disruption and
note any changes in your system and cycles. Did any
🐛 CO2/temperature/RH monitors
change in your feedback loops occur?
🐛 Data charts/tables from past data
collection (1 chart per partner pair)
 Exit Ticket - How resilient is your school?
5 mi hare
nute
s Pair S

Imagine you know that on March 26, 2020 there will be a record breaking
rainfall with sustained winds of 50mph, list at least 3 research ideas for
what you might to do to understand how well your school is prepared for
such an event.

You can also research how different people think they are prepared. for this
kind of severe weather event.
 Exit Ticket Continued...
Food for Thought

Think about structures and technologies such as:

● Electricity
● Water drainage
● Phone lines
● Trees nearby the school
 What’s Next?
1. During the week: Monitor your biospheres for
1 to test resilience!
2. Next Class:
A. Earn your final earthstones
B. Earthstones sentence descramble! & earn
$500!
C. Introduce Phase 2: Research
Program Overview
 EARTHSTONES

By the end of Phase 1, you need to earn 5 earthstones to make

a sentence.

Each sentence that matches Wild Treasures’ is worth $50.

10 sentences = $500
 But there’s a
catch!
Half of the earthstones you earn will belong to another group’s
sentence, and another group will have half of the earthstones you need!

5 earthstones = 1 sentence = $50

10 sentences = $500