Iceberg Diagram: A Systems Thinking Tool

My NASA Data, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

This diagram uses the metaphor of an iceberg to demonstrate the idea of visible vs. hidden as it relates to Earth science phenomena. This teaching strategy helps students to see beyond the obvious and to develop their awareness of the underlying causes, relationships, and/or conditions that can contribute to phenomenological events. It also provides a framework for digging deeper into phenomena-driven lessons in Earth Science.

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Notes from our reviewers

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Teachers may choose to download the entire page for use as a lesson planning strategy.
This is a diagram of an iceberg that supports students in the early stages of exploring a phenomenon. This resource is presented as a lesson template and could be used for many different phenomena. The diagram itself has no content information, but instructions are provided for how to use it with different concepts where what is seen is just the tip of the iceberg. Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
The diagram serves to guide students who struggle with considering phenomena as descriptors of events within a system. This diagram offers a flexible way to organize a lesson on a multitude of natural phenomena. The resource begins with a measurable "event", and walks a teacher/student through how to connect the event to "patterns", "structure", and "connections to earth science." Numerous NGSS core ideas and engineering practices are linked to demonstrate the versatility of the diagram to be adapted to numerous phenomena/topics. The site includes a PDF diagram, NGSS DCI & SEPs, and teaching notes including using the diagram with a Jamboard (digital whiteboard). The Jamboard provides a framework that guides students through a sequence of questions as they move through the diagram parts.
The template for students/groups to do their own investigations is well organized with helpful descriptions of what the students are looking for. The diagram can be downloaded as a PDF to be done on paper (the instructor can also use post-it notes to simulate a Jamboard). A template for JamBoard is also provided for online use. If doing this in a large class, note that Jamboard may have limits to the number of students who can post to a particular board, so instructors may need to split students into smaller groups. To view the provided example more easily, instructors can download the PDF and zoom in.