EASTER ISLAND Curricular Materials

This packet contains the curricular material for our module on Easter Island. These materials are based on original products of the Waters Center for System Dynamics (the precursor of CIESD); they were honed and adapted for use in pre-college settings under the auspices of the Center for System Dynamics at the Vermont Commons School.

Download these files

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• Easter-Island.zip (679kb) - (PC)
• Easter-Island.sit (679kb) - (MAC)

Within this folder you should find:

1. “Easter-Intro” (Adobe Acrobat file): Brief, 2 page, description of the historical scenario that is the focus of this unit.
2. “EasterIsland(student)” (Adobe Acrobat file): Packet of materials to guide a student through an exploration of the Easter Island historical scenario, culminating with a computer simulation that provides students with the opportunity to explore different behaviors and social responses that might have generated different outcomes.
3. “EasterIsland(teacher)” (Adobe Acrobat file): The curricular materials annotated to provide additional guidance for instructors.
4. “Easter-Finish” (Adobe Acrobat file): A brief follow-on exercise challenging students to apply their understanding of the Easter Island dynamics to more current, real-world issues.
5. “EasterIs(7)” (STELLA 7 (.stm) model): A computer simulation of the historical events on Easter Island. Students have the opportunity (and obligation) to explore the impact of different strategies of food production, wood harvesting, and population growth. STELLA 7, or a later version, is required for use of this model. A “Demo” version of the software can be obtained from IseeSystems, Inc. , if necessary for this purpose.
6. “EasterFinish(7)” (STELLA 7 (.stm) model): A set of illustrative solutions to the follow-on exercise, above (#4). STELLA 7, or a later version, is required for use of this model. A “Demo” version of the software can be obtained from IseeSystems, Inc. , if necessary for this purpose.