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Grade 11 IB Students Build and Balance Miniature Ecosystems over 100 Years


Dr. Shormila Roy Choudhury’s Grade 11 IB Environmental Systems & Societies students created miniature forest and soil ecosystems. Using materials like sand, gravel, playdough, toothpicks, and beads, they constructed different ecological components—layers of soil, forests, minerals, and fossil fuel deposits.⁠

The real challenge was to balance the delicate act of maintaining a thriving ecosystem while meeting the needs of a growing human population. They faced the complex task of managing resources: Should they harvest renewable resources like lumber or nonrenewable ones like minerals and fossil fuels? Should they harvest just the growth or also the original stock?⁠

And how could they do that sustainably over 100 years, especially with unexpected challenges like wildfires or beetle infestations? Through developing management plans for ten simulated decades, students honed their ability to think long-term, prioritizing socio-ecological system viability over short-term economic gain.⁠
 


The activity drew upon two of Graded's Learning Principles—Collaboration and Transfer & Authenticity. Working together to solve problems, students communicated, negotiated, and redefined their strategies based on each other’s proposed ideas. The challenge also pushed them to transfer their knowledge and understanding to complex and real-world contexts—learning to adapt and innovate in the face of change.⁠

Key takeaways? The students now have a deeper understanding of renewable and nonrenewable resources, natural capital, and natural income, as well as the importance of sustainable development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. 
 


 

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