Instructional Materials

Illustration of 14 habits of a system thinker cards

Waters Center for Systems Thinking

14 Habits of a Systems Thinker - Card Set

Practicing systems thinking habits can change the way you see the world and influence the actions or decisions you make. This card set from the Water Center for Systems Thinking introduces 14 habits of a systems thinker that you can start practicing today!

Elementary
Middle School
High School
Post-Secondary
General Public
Classroom Instruction
After-School Instruction
At-Home Instruction
Tool
Systems Thinking
Garden vegetables, student notebook, and environmental sensor on a picnic table

Garden TOOLS - How-To Coding Guides

The Garden TOOLS how-to coding guides provide step-by-step instructions on how to program the BBC micro:bit in various ways to gather data in a school garden or other outdoor learning space.

Elementary
Classroom Instruction
After-School Instruction
At-Home Instruction
Technology
Engineering
Systems Thinking
Informed Decision Making
Food
Water
Milkweed in the Classroom logo in front of photo of milkweed plants

Milkweed in the Classroom - Lesson Set

The Milkweed in the Classroom lessons are designed to help students investigate a real-world phenomenon that is connected with students’ interests and experiences. In this unit, the monarch migration will act as the anchoring phenomenon and students will investigate the guiding question, “How has the monarch migration has changed over time and why?”

Elementary
Classroom Instruction
Engineering
Lesson
Systems Thinking
Informed Decision Making
Food
Community Science
Science Standard:

BBC micro:bit FAQ

The Garden TOOLS program supports students in grades 3-5 to use and program the BBC micro:bit microcontroller to gather data on environmental conditions and create technology-rich solutions to a variety of garden challenges. This FAQ will provide some basic information about the most common questions regarding the BBC micro:bit.

Elementary
Classroom Instruction
After-School Instruction
At-Home Instruction
Technology
Engineering
Systems Thinking
Informed Decision Making
Food
Water
Garden vegetables, student notebook, and environmental sensor on a picnic table

Garden TOOLS - Project Cards

The Garden TOOLS project cards provide guided instructions for BBC micro:bit coding projects that can be used to extend student learning. Project cards include will guide students to... design a soil moisture sensor to match different plant root depths, design a button to count garden visitors, and design an animated scarecrow to scare away pests.

Elementary
Classroom Instruction
After-School Instruction
Technology
Engineering
Lesson
Systems Thinking
Informed Decision Making
Food
Water
Garden vegetables, student notebook, and environmental sensor on a picnic table

Garden TOOLS - Lesson Set

The Garden TOOLS lesson set is an agricultural technology and engineering curriculum designed for use with students in grades 3-5.

Elementary
Classroom Instruction
After-School Instruction
At-Home Instruction
Technology
Engineering
Lesson
Systems Thinking
Informed Decision Making
Food
Water
Science Standard:
Garden vegetables, student notebook, and environmental sensor on a picnic table

Garden TOOLS - Video Tutorials

The Garden TOOLS video tutorials provide a guided introduction to getting started with the BBC micro:bit microcontroller including introducing the MakeCode for micro:bit coding platform and how to hook up the battery pack.

Elementary
Classroom Instruction
After-School Instruction
At-Home Instruction
Technology
Engineering
Video
Systems Thinking
Informed Decision Making
Food
Water
Beyond the Box graphic logo

Beyond the Box - Interactive Career Exploration

Beyond the Box is an interactive career exploration resource that leverages Museum-in-a-Box technology to bring to light the achievements of Black scientists in Agriculture and Natural Resource fields.

Elementary
Middle School
High School
Classroom Instruction
After-School Instruction
At-Home Instruction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tool
Video
Diversity Equity and Inclusion
Loopy graphic logo

Nicky Case

LOOPY: A Digital Tool for Thinking in Systems

LOOPY is a tool for thinking in systems created by Nicky Case. It allows you to quickly sketch system components (as circles) and their interactions (as arrows) and press play to simulate how a system behaves. In no time at all, you will be experimenting with negative and positive feedback loops, testing predictions, and, most importantly, having fun playing with your system creations.

Elementary
Middle School
High School
Post-Secondary
General Public
Classroom Instruction
After-School Instruction
At-Home Instruction
Tool
Systems Thinking