| Economics and System Dynamics for Young Students |
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Author(s):
Debra Lyneis, Rob Quaden, & Alan Ticotsky |
Subject:
Social Studies |
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Today's students need an understanding of economics and system dynamics to participate effectively and fully in our complex global economy, but very few schools teach either discipline. Carlisle, Massachussetts teachers have developed several basic econom |
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| From Hunter-Gatherers to Farmers: Students Study How Civilization Changed during the Neolithic Age |
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Author(s):
Jason O'Neil-Willoughby, Martha McClure, & with Alan Ticotsky |
Subject:
Social Studies |
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Human civilization underwent significant changes between the periods archaeologists characterize as the Paleolithic Age and the Neolithic Age. Why and how did people become less nomadic? What factors led to technological growth and the development of more |
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| Graphing the Friendship Game: A Preliminary System Dynamics Lesson |
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Author(s):
Alan Ticotsky, & Debra Lyneis |
Subject:
Personal Growth and Development |
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A variation on the original Friendship Game (SS1996-11FriendshipGame) becomes the foundation for an introductory graphing lesson for students in grades K, 1 and 2, adding graphing to the systems tools used and systems concepts learned in the game. |
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| Shape of Change (Lesson 1): In and Out Game, including Stocks and Flows |
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Author(s):
Rob Quaden, Alan Ticotsky, & Debra Lyneis |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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From "The Shape of Change" including "The Shape of Change: Stocks and Flows." A simple activity that introduces and reinforces the understanding of change over time, including the use of stock/flow diagrams that show why the change happens. |
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| Shape of Change (Lesson 10): Do You Want Fries With That? Learning about Connection Circles, including Stocks and Flows |
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Author(s):
Rob Quaden, Alan Ticotsky, & Debra Lyneis |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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From "The Shape of Change." In this lesson, students use connection circles to examine an article about the health risks associated with rising French fry consumption. As in previous lessons, they identify what is changing and describe how it is changing, but in this lesson they begin to think about why it is changing, as they create feedback loops.
Complex Systems Connection: Separate Cause and Effect, Short and Long Term Conflicts. Eating an unhealthy diet may not seem to hurt a person immediately, but it can have long-term negative impacts on overall health. Because we may not feel the effects right away, it can be easy to continue the bad behavior. People eat unhealthy food because it tastes good; it gives them immediate pleasure. Over the long run, however, the effects accumulate, leading to poor overall health. |
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| Shape of Change (Lesson 11): Keystone Species in an Ecosystem--Using Connnection Circles to Tell the Story, including Stocks and Flows |
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Author(s):
Rob Quaden, Alan Ticotsky, & Debra Lyneis |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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From "The Shape of Change." Students read a chapter from a skillfully written science book and use connection circles to unravel a mystery of nature. In the Stocks and Flows lesson, students will build the stock/flow map from the ground up.
Complex Systems Connection: Separate Cause and Effect, Short and Long Term Conflicts. This lesson illustrates how scientists often see effects or results of actions that set consequences in motion many years prior. They must link the effects back to the root cause or causes of the problem. Part of the backstory for this lesson illustrates that hunters aiming for profit in the short term can destroy the resource so it's not available in the long term. |
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| Shape of Change (Lesson 2): Making Friends, including Stocks and Flows |
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Author(s):
Rob Quaden, Alan Ticotsky , & Debra Lyneis |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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From "The Shape of Change." A non-competitive tagging game, wherein students track the rate of growth of friendship and discover the effect of rates of growth, including showing why change occurs by means of stock/flow diagrams. |
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| Shape of Change (Lesson 3): The Mammoth Game, including Stocks and Flows |
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Author(s):
Rob Quaden, Alan Ticotsky, & Debra Lyneis |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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From "The Shape of Change." Teams of students play a dice and graphing game to track the population growth and decline of a herd of twenty mammoths, including learning why change occurs by means of stock/flow diagrams. |
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| Shape of Change (Lesson 4): It's Cool, including Stocks and Flows |
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Author(s):
Rob Quaden, Alan Ticotsky, & Debra Lyneis |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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From "The Shape of Change." Students engage in the scientific method as they measure, record, and graph the changing temperature of a cooling cup of boiling water, learning why the change happens with the use of stock/flow diagrams. |
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| Shape of Change (Lesson 5): The Infection Game, including Stocks and Flows |
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Author(s):
Rob Quaden, Alan Ticotsky, & Debra Lyneis |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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From "The Shape of Change." Students play a game that simulates the spread of an epidemic. The included Infection Game stock/flow map combines all the elements that were used in the previous lessons. Students apply all that they have learned about behavior over time graphs, stocks and flows, and reinforcing and balancing feedback loops to understand how and why the infection spread among them.
Complex Systems Connection: Separate Cause and Effect. For some illness/disease, symptoms appear long after initial infection. Sometimes people travel great distance while infected because they are unaware of the infection. Medical "detectives" faced with an epidemic must understand how the infection spreads and how quickly. Delays in the system make this more difficult. |
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