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# What are Earth's spheres?

Year 9 Earth and space · The carbon cycle

<!-- Speaker note: Students name and describe Earth's four spheres, give examples of matter and processes in each, and recognise that spheres overlap and interact (AC9S9U03, node 1, a hinge node). About 18 minutes (Engage and Explore 7 min · Explain 6 min · Evaluate 3 min · Typical adds 1 min, Wider about 1 min). -->

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## Today

**We are learning to** earth can be described as four interacting spheres: the atmosphere (air), biosphere (living things), hydrosphere (water) and geosphere (rock, soil and magma). Many things sit where spheres meet.

- I can name the four spheres and say what each contains.
- I can give an example of matter in each sphere.
- I can explain that the spheres interact, with examples where they meet.

<!-- Speaker note: Before class: A concept tutorial for introducing or revising the idea. Set the width with `?width=minimum`, `typical` (default) or `wider`. The hinge is the framework itself: students who can't place things in spheres can't place carbon flows between them. The board accepts two answers for the cloud (atmosphere or hydrosphere) and the soil (geosphere or biosphere) and explains why. Board notes: a simple drawn landscape; students click a thing, then choose its sphere. The wider question on cool burning is general; use local First Nations sources for detail about practice on your Country. -->

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## Why it matters

> A single bushfire involves all of Earth: burning trees, smoke in the air, ash washed into rivers and scorched soil. Scientists use four 'spheres' to keep track of it.

<!-- Speaker note: To follow carbon around the Earth, you first need a map of where it can be. -->

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<span style="background:#dbeafe; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #3b82f6; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">💬 Discussion</span>

## Engage: predict

**Soil is made of broken-down rock, water, air and living things. Which sphere is it part of?**

- Biosphere only
- More than one: it's where spheres meet
- Geosphere only
- None of them

<!-- Speaker note: What happens: More than one. Soil is mostly broken rock (geosphere) full of living things and their remains (biosphere), with water and air in its gaps. The spheres overlap and interact. Take two or three predictions before anyone runs it. -->

<!-- Speaker note: Teacher: count how many chose 'more than one'. -->

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## Explore it

{{embed: https://studio.learningwaypoints.com/tutorials/_playground-board/index.html?id=deck%2Fscience%2Fearth-9%2Fspheres%2Fstep-2&code=widget%3A+carbon%0Amode%3A+spheres%0A&fresh=1}}

[Open this step in the tutorial](https://studio.learningwaypoints.com/tutorials/science/earth-9/spheres/?full=step-2#step-2)

<!-- Speaker note: Click something in the picture, then choose its sphere. -->

<!-- Speaker note: Teacher: discuss the cloud and the soil. -->

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<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## What happened?

* More than one. Soil is mostly broken rock (geosphere) full of living things and their remains (biosphere), with water and air in its gaps. The spheres overlap and interact.

<!-- Speaker note: Reveal after running. Ask who predicted it, and what made them think so. -->

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<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## Contents

**Match each sphere to what it contains.**

| | |
|---|---|
| `Atmosphere` | A. All living things |
| `Biosphere` | B. Rock, soil, minerals and magma |
| `Hydrosphere` | C. All water: oceans, rivers, ice, vapour |
| `Geosphere` | D. The layer of gases around Earth |

* Answer: Atmosphere → D. The layer of gases around Earth; Biosphere → A. All living things; Hydrosphere → C. All water: oceans, rivers, ice, vapour; Geosphere → B. Rock, soil, minerals and magma

<!-- Speaker note:  -->

<!-- Speaker note: Teacher: the tree question is the checkpoint (processes cross spheres). -->

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<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## Interactions

**A tree takes in carbon dioxide and water to grow. Which spheres does this connect?**

- Only the atmosphere
- Geosphere and atmosphere
- Atmosphere (CO₂), hydrosphere (water) and biosphere (the tree)
- Only the biosphere

* Answer: Atmosphere (CO₂), hydrosphere (water) and biosphere (the tree)

<!-- Speaker note:  -->

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<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## Processes

**Match each sphere to a process that happens in it.**

| | |
|---|---|
| `Atmosphere` | A. A kangaroo eating grass |
| `Biosphere` | B. Wind carrying smoke from a bushfire |
| `Hydrosphere` | C. Ocean currents carrying water around the world |
| `Geosphere` | D. Rock slowly breaking down into soil |

* Answer: Atmosphere → B. Wind carrying smoke from a bushfire; Biosphere → A. A kangaroo eating grass; Hydrosphere → C. Ocean currents carrying water around the world; Geosphere → D. Rock slowly breaking down into soil

<!-- Speaker note:  -->

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<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## Elaborate: a rain event

**A storm rolls in over farmland. Which sphere is each part mainly about?**

Groups: Atmosphere · Biosphere · Hydrosphere · Geosphere

Wind and falling air pressure · Rain filling the creek · Topsoil washed off a paddock · Crops growing faster after the rain

* Answer: Wind and falling air pressure → Atmosphere; Rain filling the creek → Hydrosphere; Topsoil washed off a paddock → Geosphere; Crops growing faster after the rain → Biosphere

<!-- Speaker note: What this step is for: Following one event across spheres shows Earth working as a system. -->

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<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## Elaborate: managing interactions

**For tens of thousands of years, many First Nations peoples have used small, cool fires to manage Country. Which spheres does a cool burn involve?**

- Only the biosphere
- All four: plants burn (biosphere), smoke and CO₂ enter the air (atmosphere), soil is warmed and enriched (geosphere), and later rain and regrowth (hydrosphere, biosphere)
- None: fire isn't part of the spheres
- Only the atmosphere

* Answer: All four: plants burn (biosphere), smoke and CO₂ enter the air (atmosphere), soil is warmed and enriched (geosphere), and later rain and regrowth (hydrosphere, biosphere)

<!-- Speaker note: What this step is for: Seeing land management as deliberately changing sphere interactions extends the framework to people. -->

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## Evaluate: look back

Write one sentence: "At first I thought… Now I think… because…"

**Revision summary**

- **Atmosphere:** air. **Biosphere:** living things. **Hydrosphere:** water. **Geosphere:** rock, soil, magma.
- Many things sit where spheres meet (soil, clouds), and processes move matter between spheres.
- Earth works as one system of interacting spheres.

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<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## Exit ticket

**Name the four spheres and give one example of something where two of them meet.**

* Atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere. For example, soil (geosphere and biosphere) or a cloud (atmosphere and hydrosphere).

<!-- Speaker note: Students answer on paper or a mini whiteboard before the reveal. Anyone who cannot answer needs the main idea again next lesson. Where this leads: Next: photosynthesis and respiration moving carbon (node 3), then combustion (node 4). -->