TAGUM CITY COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION INC.

Elpidio M. Gazmen Compound, Gazmen Road, Tagum City

SEC. Reg. No. 200630691 / Tel. No. 216-6824
E-mail Address: tcit2007@yahoo.com

Supplementary Learning
Materials for
Senior High School
Grade Levels: Grades 11
Core Subject: Earth Science
Semester: 1st Semester

LEARNING COMPETENCY:

 explain the Earth’s four subsystems across whose boundaries are matter and
energy flow. S11ES-Ib-4

Subject Teacher: Mary Grace A.

Lequin
Contact Number: 09676179212
Week: 1st Week/MODULE 2

0
 Earth Systems

Earth is our home. Without the abundance of resources such as air,

water and heat no living thing will survive on it and all of these are
happening within a system. A system is a set of things that works
together as a part of a whole. The earth is a close system and is
made up of four subsystems namely the Geosphere, Biosphere,
Atmosphere, and Hydrosphere. Each subsystem is like a machine,
they have distinct function and processes. They are connected to
each other to make a one larger machine which is the Earth.

This unit will introduce the different subsystems of the Earth.

In this module, you will learn about:

1. subsystems of the Earth; and
2. how these subsystems work together.

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

 define the concept of a system; and

 recognize the Earth as a system composed of subsystems.

1
Direction: Read each statement comprehensively. Write TRUE if the statement is
correct and FALSE if the statement is incorrect. Write your answer on the space
provided prior the number.

1. Hydrosphere contains all the water on Earth. ___________

2. Geosphere is the part of the earth which we can walk over. ___________
3. Biosphere surrounds the Earth and protects it from harmful rays. ___________
4. Atmosphere could be called as the Earth’s total life. ___________
5. Lithosphere can also be called as Geosphere. ___________
6. Seashells are part of the atmosphere. ___________
7. Carbon dioxide is part of the hydrosphere. ___________
8. Worms are part of geosphere. ___________
9. Humans are part of atmosphere. ___________
10. Oceans are part of hydrosphere. ___________

Task 1. Direction: Study the picture below. Supply what is asked. Choose your
answer from the choices given inside the box and label the different subsystems
of the Earth.

Lithosphere/Geosphere Atmosphere
Biosphere Hydrosphere

1. ___________

2. ___________

4. _________
3. ____________

2
Task 2: Describe each subsystem based on the picture.

List any characteristic on Earth which is

Earth’s Subsystems associated with any of these “subsystems” that
can be observed in the picture.

Direction: Answer the following questions based on the previous activity.

1. What is the importance of subsystems?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
________________________________________

3
 2. What are the roles of subsystems on Earth?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________

3. How did these subsystems connect to each other?

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________

Earth “Subsystems” or “Spheres”

A system is a collection of interdependent parts enclosed within

a defined boundary. Earth is composed of four interdependent
subsystems or spheres. All parts of the Earth System interact and are
interrelated. A change in one will likely result in change in one or more
other subsystems. Changes can occur naturally, such as an
earthquake or a hurricane, or they can be caused by humans, such as
an oil spill or air pollution. This two-way cause and effect relationship between an event
and a sphere is called an interaction. Interactions also occurs among the spheres. For
example, a change in the atmosphere can cause a change in the hydrosphere, and vice
versa. Below are a few examples:
 Humans (biosphere) built a dam out of rock materials (lithosphere).
 Water in the lake (hydrosphere) seeps into the cliff walls behind the dam,
becoming groundwater (lithosphere), or evaporating into the air (atmosphere).
 Humans (biosphere) harness energy from the water (hydrosphere) by having it
spin turbines (lithosphere) to produce electricity.

The Earth System (Source: https://www.earthonlinemedia.com)

4
Atmosphere
 The atmosphere is the thin gaseous layer
that envelopes the lithosphere.
 The atmosphere receives energy from
solar radiation which warms the Earth’s
surface and is re-emitted and conducted to
the atmosphere.
 The atmosphere also absorbs water from
the earth’s surface via the process of
evaporation; it then acts to redistribute heat
and moisture across the earth’s surface. In
addition, the atmosphere contains
substances that are essential for life, including carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and
hydrogen.
 This system relates to meteorological features and phenomena such as weather,
clouds, or aerosols (particles in the air). It includes an ever-changing mixture of
gas and small particles located above the Earth’s surface.
 The present atmosphere is composed of 78% nitrogen (N), 21% oxygen (O2),
0.9% argon, and trace amount of other gases.

Geosphere/Lithosphere
 This system is associated with solid
portions of the Earth.
 It includes rocks, sediments and
soils, surface landforms and the
processes that shape the surface.
 Features associated with this
system can be broken down into a
variety of different processes. These
are:
o Fluvial and Alluvial Processes: Deltas, river channels/canyons, alluvial
fans
o Aeolian Processes: Sand dunes, yardangs, wind streaks
o Tectonic Processes: Folds, faults, mountains
o Impact Processes: Impact craters
o Other Processes: Mass wasting processes, erosional processes

Hydrosphere
 The hydrosphere includes: the
Earth’s oceans and seas; its ice
sheets, sea ice and glaciers; its
lakes, rivers and streams; its
atmospheric moisture and ice
crystals; and its areas of
permafrost.
 The hydrosphere includes both
saltwater and freshwater
systems, and it also includes the
moisture found in the soil (soil
water) and within rocks (groundwater).
 Water is essential for the existence and maintenance of life on earth.
 Heat is absorbed and redistributed on the surface of the Earth through ocean
circulation.

5
Biosphere
 The biosphere is the set of all life forms on
Earth.
 It covers all ecosystems—from the soil to
the rainforest, from mangroves to coral
reefs, and from the plankton-rich ocean
surface to the deep sea.
 Most living organisms require gases from
the atmosphere, water from the
hydrosphere and nutrients and minerals from the geosphere.
 Living organisms also require a medium for life, and are adapted to inhabit one or
more of the other three spheres.

Task 4: Read each questions carefully and write your answers on the space provided.

1. What subsystem will be affected during the occurrence of drought? Why?

_________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

2. What subsystem will be affected during the occurrence of hurricane? Why?

_________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

3. During the occurrence of Amazon deforestation, what subsystem will be affected?

Why?
_________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

4. What subsystem will be affected during the occurrence of Flooding? Why?

______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

5. During the occurrence of El Nino/La Nina, what subsystem will be affected? Why?
______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

6
 I have learned that ______________________________________.

I have realized that ______________________________________.

I will apply _____________________________________________.

Task 1A:
Direction. Read each item carefully. Write the letter of your answer before the
number.

1. Shifting winds cause major rainstorms, flooding streams, lakes, and rivers are
interactions between the:
A) Geosphere and biosphere B) atmosphere and hydrosphere
C) Atmosphere and geosphere D) hydrosphere and geosphere

2. Water availability impacts plant growth and animals who depend on plants for
food are interactions between the:
A) Geosphere and biosphere B) atmosphere and hydrosphere
C) atmosphere and geosphere D) hydrosphere and geosphere

3. Plants reduce soil erosion by protecting the land from weather are interactions
between the:
A) geosphere and biosphere B) atmosphere and hydrosphere
C) atmosphere and geosphere D) hydrosphere and geosphere

4. Cloud cover impacts the temperature on land are interactions between the:
A) geosphere and biosphere B) atmosphere and hydrosphere
C) atmosphere and geosphere D) hydrosphere and geosphere

5. Animals breath in carbon dioxide and breath out oxygen are interactions
between the:
A) geosphere and biosphere B) atmosphere and hydrosphere
C) atmosphere and geosphere D) hydrosphere and geosphere

6. Wind can carry seed to new places, so more plants can grow are interactions
between the:
A) geosphere and biosphere B) atmosphere and hydrosphere
C) atmosphere and geosphere D) hydrosphere and geosphere

7. Butterflies are part of the:

A) hydrosphere B) biosphere
C) atmosphere D) geosphere
8. The mantle is part of the:
7
 A) hydrosphere B) biosphere
C) atmosphere D) geosphere

9. Air is part of the:

A) hydrosphere B) biosphere
C) atmosphere D) geosphere

10. Glaciers are part of the:

A) hydrosphere B) biosphere
C) atmosphere D) geosphere

TASK 1B: Define the following terminologies.

1. System-
2. Atmosphere-
3. Geosphere-
4. Biosphere-
5. Hydrosphere-
Glossary

The following terms used in this module are defined as follows:

Aeolian produced or carried by the wind.

Alluvial made up of sand and Earth left by rivers, floods, etc..
Fluvial of a river.
a violent storm with strong circular winds of at least 72 miles (or
Hurricane
118 kilometers) per hour, esp. in the western Atlantic Ocean.
an occasion when two or more people or things communicate
Interaction
with or react to each other.
Permafrost an area of land that is permanently frozen below the surface.
relating to the structure of the surface of the earth and the way it
Tectonic
is formed, changed, and moved by forces inside it.

8
References

Carleton College. (n.d.). Earth System Science. Retrieved from http://

serc.carleton.edu/Earthlabs/climate/index.html

Centre for Development, Environment and Policy, Environmental Science and

Management. Retrieved from https://www.soas.ac.uk/cedep-
demos/000_P500_ESM_K3736-Demo/module/pdfs/p500_unit_01.pdf

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2020). Spheres Of Earth. Retrieved

from https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20100017766.pdf

Problem Solving Activity: How Do Earth’s Spheres Interact?. Retrieved from

https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/education/info_activities/pdfs/Teacher_PSA_sphere_inte
ractions.pdf

That Quiz. Earth's Spheres Test. Retrieved from https://www.thatquiz.org/tq/preview?

c=1orzu9v2&s=ol4d4b

Williams Jr., Richards S. (2012). The Earth System. Retrieved from

https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1386a/pdf/notes/1-8hydrocycle_508.pdf

https://cdn4.vectorstock.com/i/1000x1000/89/73/the-earth-atmosphere-structure-with-
clouds-and-vector-13568973.jpg

https://encryptedtbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn
%3AANd9GcQ1kpIxCegFOIs6TEmTTStw3Y_wGJJSuywQIw&usqp=CAU

https://sites.google.com/site/mlms11sciencesphere/home/the-hydrosphere
Prepared by:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/F-W9I-TJtzU/maxresdefault.jpg

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/

Prepared by:

KENT DARIUS F. BATINGAL, L. Agr.

Senior High School Teacher