Unit Outline
The Earth is an amazing place. Its many natural environments and biomes have sustained the evolution of human life for millions of years. The water, plants, and animals of the earth's natural systems provided us with the resources and energy sources we needed for survival. For thousands of years, early humans achieved this survival by eating food foraged in their environments. They knew the importance of living sustainably in equilibrium with natural systems.
Yet the invention of farming about 12,000 years ago dramatically transformed the way humans lived with nature. This human intervention in natural systems made possible dramatic population growth, resulting in the development of cities and civilisations, and eventually the modern world. But this had come at a price. Human exploitation of natural systems has today increased to such an extent that the sustainability of natural systems, and the entire world, is now in question.
Yet the invention of farming about 12,000 years ago dramatically transformed the way humans lived with nature. This human intervention in natural systems made possible dramatic population growth, resulting in the development of cities and civilisations, and eventually the modern world. But this had come at a price. Human exploitation of natural systems has today increased to such an extent that the sustainability of natural systems, and the entire world, is now in question.
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STATEMENT OF INQUIRY
"Humans adapt to and manage natural systems in order to survive and progress"
GLOBAL CONTEXT
Scientific and Technical Innovation - Students will explore the natural world and its laws; the interaction between people and the natural world; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on communities and environments; the impact of environments on human activity; how humans adapt environments to their needs.
KEY CONCEPT
Systems - Systems are sets of interacting or interdependent components. Systems provide structure and order in human, natural and built environments. Systems can be static or dynamic, simple or complex. For individuals and societies, systems thinking provides a powerful tool for understanding both natural and human environments, and the role of individuals within them. Social and natural systems rely on a state of equilibrium and are vulnerable to change from internal and external forces.
RELATED CONCEPTS
Management and Intervention - Management can be defined as the human intervention in both natural and human contexts to achieve desired ends. MYP geography courses should consider the ways in which humans respond to the challenges of managing quantity and quality of resources, as well as the consequences of management. Often we see these as ways of solving problems through finding ways to preserve unique components of our lithosphere (land/waste management), hydrosphere (coastal/ water management), biosphere (conservation and animal/plant/agricultural management) and atmosphere (clean air management). Management can be embedded into political geography as a related concept by looking at governance through laws or education to enable better choices. Decision-making and management are dependent on the differences in the balance of power held by different stakeholders (see related concept of power).
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1. How did early humans adapt to natural systems?
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This lesson explores the relationship of humans to natural systems from a historical perspective, examining who early humans were, and how they adapted to natural systems in order to survive.
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2. How did farming help early human societies?
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The evolution of humans from hunter-gatherers to farmers was a turning point in human history. By developing new ways of managing natural systems, humans were able to produce more food, leading to profound changes in the way we live and work.
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3. What are natural systems?
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This third lesson continues our inquiry into systems by exploring what natural systems are from a geographical perspective and how they can be affected by human actions. This is done by exploring the water cycle.
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4. How do tropical rainforest systems work?
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Our next lesson enables students to find out more about natural systems by examining the unique structures and sub systems that comprise tropical rainforests. We also explore how human intervention can affect the functioning of tropical rainforest systems.
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5. How does farming affect natural systems?
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This week's switches back to the modern world to explore how humans today adapt to and manage natural systems like tropical rainforests. We explore the positive and negative impacts of human intervention by considering the concept of sustainability.
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6-7. Assessment: Human impact on natural systems
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This end of unit assessment gives students an opportunity to examine whether human interventions in natural systems are sustainable. Students have a choice of sustainable farming method to explore and research before communicating their findings in a formal report.
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8. Reflection: The Future of Natural Systems
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Our last week is an opportunity to reflect upon the key concept of systems and to apply the statement of inquiry to our own lives. Students will undertake an examination into the sustainability of their own lives, and what they can do to protect natural systems.
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