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Course Title: Outdoor Living A Highly Qualified Teacher: Martha Severn Advisor: Greg Maddigan, Hydee Reber, Chuck Scheiwiller, Martha Severn Dates of Class: 8/31/2015 – 6/15/2016 Credits: 0.50 per semester Certificated Contact Method: In-Person instructional contact Estimated Total Hours/Week: 5 (Estimated hours per week spent on this class, counting both seat time and time spent at home doing homework). Class Description: The objective for this course is mastery of scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand, predict, and prevent a variety events and situations in the natural world. Students will critically analyze and problem solve current environmental issues of our time including, pollution, resource management, population, energy demands, and economic and political involvement. Environmental science is interdisciplinary in nature, and embraces a wide variety of topics in scientific fields including ecology, biology, chemistry, geology, geography, physics, atmospheric science, and oceanography. Students will actively engage in scientific investigation, laboratory research, and field work that include collecting, analyzing, interpreting and evaluating data using scientific methodology. The successful completion of this course would give prerequisite to postsecondary education and careers in the area of natural resource management, agriculture, ecology, environmental studies, environmental law and environmental engineering. Successful AP course completion will also provide students with the acquisition of environmental science college credit. *Any adjustments made to the syllabus will be indicated in the advisor’s working portfolio. Learning Materials: Living in the Environment. Miller & Spoolman. 17th ed. Computer and Internet Field Studies Learning Goals/Performance Objectives: Scientific Practices & Quantitative Reasoning SciPrac1: The ability to solve problems is greatly enhanced by use of mathematics and information technologies. SciPrac2: Conclusions must be logical and based on evidence. SciPrac3: The scientific process can be used to answer research questions by collecting and analyzing appropriate data, and communicating these processes and results clearly and effectively. Global Change GC1: Human actions can affect biodiversity. GC2: Understanding the role of cultural, social, and economic factors is vital to the development of solutions. Earth Systems ES1: Earth itself is one interconnected system. ES2: Natural systems change over time and space. ES3: Biogeochemical systems vary in ability to recover from disturbances. The Living World LW1: Ecosystem structure and diversity change over time. LW2: Energy flows through ecosystems. LW3: Ecosystems contain natural biogeochemical cycles. Population POP1: Human population dynamics follow patterns and have impacts on the natural world. POP2: Populations follow established biological principles. Land and Water Use LW1: Humans alter natural systems through acquisition of resources. Learning Activities: I. Introduction to Environmental Problems – Stewardship and Citizen Responsibility (3 Weeks) Local, Regional, National, International o Humans must protect our natural assets and live off the resources they provide. o Environmentalism is a social movement dedicated to protecting life support systems for all species. o Scientific research is a central means of answering questions about environmental issues and in seeking solutions of environmental problems. o #1 Environmental History Activity Goal: students will gain an understanding on how environmental concerns have changed over the years. • #2 Mentos Lab Goal: Designed to collect and analyze data using software available through Vernier software and technology. B. Personal – Ishmael, Tragedy of the Commons, and other personal accounts related to environmental stewardship o The tragedy of the commons describes the overuse or degradation of freely available resources such as the ocean, air, national parks, etc. All individuals are responsible for maintaining these free-access resources. o #3 Tragedy of the Commons Lab Goal: Introduce concept of renewable and nonrenewable resources, ownership, use and degradation. II. Matter and Energy (1 week) Cycles: Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Water, Phosphorous o Nutrient cycles/biogeochemical cycles are global recycling systems that interconnect all organisms. o #4 Biochemical Cycles Activity Goal: Discuss interdependence of earth’s systems, cycling of matter, the solid earth, renewable and nonrenewable resources. Basic Chemistry Review o The law of conservation of matter states that no atoms are created/destroyed during a physical or chemical change. A similar principle applies in energy transformations. o Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. The building blocks of matter are atoms, ions, and molecules. o #5 Stewardship of our Earth Activity Goal: Students write a letter to someone important to share their thoughts about an environmental issue they find important. III. Ecosystems – Ecology Principles (5 weeks) Populations, Communities, Food Chains, Food Webs o A population can grow rapidly with ample resources. o A population consists of a group of interacting individuals of the same species occupying a specific area. o Food chains and food webs help us understand how producers, consumers, and decomposers are interconnected in an ecosystem. o #6 Gypsy Moths Lab Goal: Perform population surveys in the field. • Species interactions, succession, species movement • Species in a community play many different roles in its ecology. • With new environmental conditions, community structures can change; species can be displaced by other species as conditions change. FIELD WORK - Water quality study (this field work is initially introduced at the beginning of the school year and is carried forward throughout the year) #7 Eco-columns Labs Goal: Provide an opportunity to explore several types of ecosystems, the components within each ecosystem, the conditions required for the sustainability, and the interconnections between the various chambers composing the column. IV. Biomes, Climate (2 weeks) • Climate and Weather o Weather is short-term atmospheric conditions in an area. Climate is the long-term atmospheric conditions of a region; climate patterns are usually examined over extended periods of time. o Gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide play key roles in determining Earth’s average temperatures and climate. Biomes • Different climates lead to different communities of organisms, especially vegetation. • Scientists divide the world into 12 major biomes. • #8 Biomes Activities Goal: Introduce and understand the different components of biomes and how to develop a power point presentation that will run on its own. V. Human Influence (2 week) • Human/Environment Relationships o Concern for the state of the environment is not a recent phenomena, but new concerns about the rate of changes in the environment are being raised. o There are different views about the state of the environment, environmental issues, and actions that would ensure sustainability. o Human Population o #9 Sustainable Island Activity Goal: Introduce interdependence of Earth’s systems, human population dynamics, and renewable and nonrenewable resources, ownership, use and degradation. • • • • • • Human Population Many factors affect human population size including fertility rates, growth rates, doubling times, demographic transition, and age structure. Exponential growth population may involve overshooting the environment’s carrying capacity, and this is followed by logistic growth which results in a drop in the population until stability is reached around the carrying capacity. Reproductive patterns in species are influenced by both ample resources and limited resources. Once resources become limited, the population will decrease over time. The patterns among specific species vary, but there are four general types of population fluctuations: stable, irruptive, cyclic, and irregular. #10 Ecological Footprint Activity Goal: Relates human population and how they use resources available in the environment in order to maintain and improve their existence. Progress Criteria/Methods of Evaluation: Successful completion will be indicated by successfully completing end of the unit assessments, teacher observation, daily work, and/or reports on readings, and student teacher conferences to determine mastery. Successful completion will also be indicated by successful mastery of online assessments and projects. CEDARS Codes: 03003 Environmental Science 03003 (9-12) District Code: 5620A