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Frederick A. Douglass: Honors Environmental Science Syllabus School Calendar Year: 2010-2011 Instructor: Mr. Matt Iverson Email: [email protected] [email protected] Phone: 773.534.6176/ 630.251.4591 Course Description: The goal of the course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them, and to develop and focus their own political perspective. It is a rigorous course that stresses scientific principles and analysis and includes laboratory/field work, enabling students to understand a more advanced study of topics in environmental science. Text: Living in the Environment by G. Tyler Miller Jr., 12th edition, 2002, Thomson Brooks/Cole Publishers. Other texts mat include: Environment: The Science Behind the Stories by Jay Withgott and Scott Brennan, 3rd edition, 2008, Pearson Education, Inc. Other Resources In addition to the textbook, we will draw information from supplemental environmental science textbooks, lab manuals, periodicals, readings/case studies, and the Internet. Required Materials Notebook for class notes Separate notebook (small) for assignments Scientific calculator 1-1/2" 3-ring binder Pens and pencils ( make sure to have plenty of extras) colored pens or pencils ( to make lab report drawings more appealing) Mr. Iverson's Schedule and Room: Room 126A: periods 1,3,8 Room425D: periods 4,6 Free periods: 2,5,7 (please make appt.) Schedule: Daily from 7:30 am- 3:15pm Contact Phone: (773) 534-6176 Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Classroom Expectations from the Teacher You are expected to come to class everyday and on time. I expect you to be prepared: have your text, notebook, pens and pencils. I expect that you will show respect to me as I will to you. I expect that you will show respect to your classmates and refrain from fighting or arguing. If there is a problem, please come and see me. Please allow other students to speak and try not interrupt: RESPECT Leaving the classroom before the bell rings is not allowed. I expect that you will try hard to keep up with all reading assignments, complete all classwork and homework and study hard for tests and quizzes. I expect you to spend a minimum of 2 hours per week at home doing work for this class, whether reading ahead (what a great idea!) studying or assignments Classroom Rules and Procedures Tardies will be carefully recorded and can mean lower grades. Attendance will be carefully recorded. You will not get a good grade if you are not in class. (expect a call to your Mom if you're not in class) Copying and plagiarism will not be accepted. All people involved will get zeroes. It is very easy for teachers to uncover this type of academic fraud. Take responsibility for your own success in this course. You will NOT be given a grade; you must earn it. No food, drinks or gum will be allowed in class unless previously approved by the teacher. The Douglass High School and CPS Handbook of Policies and Procedures will be adhered to. Grading Policy Grading is based on points earned and a percentage of the total. Points are earned for everything from homework to class participation to projects and lab write-ups. Answering a question does not give automatic points, but it is noted and counts towards participation. 93-100% ---- A 85-92% ------ B 77-84% ------ C 68-76% ------ D IMPORTANT: You will be graded on all work received and class participation in the following weighted format: Test and Quizzes 30 % Classwork and homework 30% Lab write -ups and projects 30% (some projects worth more) Class participation 10% **Please Note: We will be actively studying for the Science portion of the ACT test. Students are stongly encouraged to remain focused for this test as it is very important to their future. There will be weekly quizzes and an assessment (test) every five weeks. There will be a summative assessment at the end of each semester that will cover approximately 19 weeks of content. Late assignments will be accepted up to two days at a grade reduction of 20% per day. For example, 1 day late highest grade B, 2 days late highest grade C. Exemptions only for approved absences with written note signed by parent. You may come and see me to discuss your grades anytime, but during class is not an appropriate time. I will be available almost everyday after school until 3:15-3:30pm. Please come and see me for help. I will also be in the room by 7:45 am everyday. You can also see me during my free periods, but you must make an appointment. Make-up tests will be given during your lunch. See me for appointment. Grades will be entered into IMPACT allowing students and parents access via internet. Curriculum Outline: Unit 1: Overview of Environmental Science- 3 weeks Chapter 1: Environmental Science Chapter 2: Environmental History Chapter 3: Science, Systems, Matter, and Energy Video: The Lorax, Race to Save the Planet Unit 2: Ecosystems and Biodiversity- 5 weeks Chapter 4: Ecosystems: Components, Energy Flow, and Matter Cycling Chapter 5: Evolution and Biodiversity: Origins, Niches, and Adaptation Chapter 6: Biogeography: Climate, Biomes, and Terrestrial Biodiversity Video: The Rainforest (National Geographic) Unit 3: Biodiversity, Populations, and Communities- 3 weeks Chapter 7: Aquatic Ecology: Building in Aquatic Ecosystems Chapter 8: Community Ecology , Structure, Species Interaction, and Sustainability Chapter 9: Population Dynamics capacity, and Conservation BiologyVideo: Cane Toads Unit 4: Geology - 2 weeks Chapter 10: Geology: Processes, hazards, and Soils Video: Weathering and Soil: Earth Revealed Unit 5: Human Population- 2 weeks Chapter 11The Human Population: Growth, Demography, and Carrying Capacity Chapter 25: Sustainable Cities: Urban Land Use and Management Video: The People Bomb, World Population (Zero Population Growth) Unit 6: Resources- 4 weeks Chapter 12: Food Resources Chapter 13: Water Resources Chapter 14: Geologic Resources: Nonrenewable Mineral and Energy Resources Chapter 15: Energy Efficiency and renewable Energy Video: The Power of Water (National Geographic) Unit 7: Pollution- 5-6 weeks Chapter 16: Risk, Toxicology, and Human Health Chapter 17: Air and Air Pollution Chapter 18: Climate Change and Ozone Loss Chapter 19: Water Pollution Chapter 20: Pesticide and Pest Control Chapter 21: Solid and Hazardous Waste Video: Endangered Planet Unit 8: Conservation- 3 weeks Chapter 22: Sustaining Wild Species Chapter 23: Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: the Ecosystem Approach Chapter 24: Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity Video: NOAH’S: Keeper of the Ark Unit 9: Environment and Society- 4-5 weeks Chapter 26: Economics, Environment, and Sustainability Chapter 27: Politics, Environment, and Sustainability Chapter 28: Environmental Worldview, Ethics, and Sustainability Unit 10: Review and After-2-3 weeks Independent Research Community Service Project Critical Evaluation of Media Portrayal of Environmental Issues Parents/Guardians: Please sign and return this sheet, indicating that you have read the syllabus and know the policies set forth by Mr. Iverson. Print Student Name – Print Parent/Guardian Name – Parent/Guardian Signature – Date_____________________________ During lab periods the following labs and activities may be/are performed: First Semester 1. Quadrat lab. On school grounds, students learn how to mark off a quadrat and identify the large plants in the area. Then they graph the area. 2. Population lab. In a nearby meadow, students caught grasshoppers in a specified plot of land, marked them, and then released them. The next week, we returned to recatch the insects and did a population study using the Shannon-Weaver Index. Students also identified any unusual insects or animals in the meadow. 3. Ecological succession. Students did a transect study of ecological succession in a park near the school, from the mowed area to the woods. Plants were identified along a string line, and their root depth was noted. 4. Soil diversity. Students collected soil during the lab on ecological succession, and stored it in a refrigerator until the following week. Using Berlese funnels and arthropod identification keys, students identified organisms found in different types of soils. 5. Computer lab on population growth. Students used one of the ecology labs from “Biology Explorer” by Logal Educational Software and Systems to compare rabbits in the United States and Australia. When a virus is introduced, they find out what happens to the populations. 6. Thermal pollution. This is a timed experiment using yeast cells, heat, stain, and microscopes. 7. Bacterial identification lab. Students grew three unknown bacteria on special agar. Using a colony growth key, they identified each. 8. Acid rain and seed germination. 9. Lead lab. Students collected samples from dishes and pottery at home. In the lab, they tried to determine the presence of lead through a chemical change. 10. Skull lab. I borrowed all types of skulls (herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores) from a local museum. The students determined what the animal’s lifestyle was from its dentition, jaw shape, location of eye orbits, zygomatic breadth, size of the nasal cavity, and shape of the cranium. 11. Detecting mutant bacteria. The students grew E. coli on streptomycin agar and collected the mutants. They grew the mutants in nutrient broth and replated them on specific concentrations of streptomycin agar plates. 12. Oxygen cycle Lab—with snails and elodea. The students determined whether there was any chemical change, over time, by using indicator solutions in test tubes. 13. Horns and antlers—Bovidae and Cervidae. Again I went to our local museum and borrowed all kinds of skulls with different horns and antlers. The students determined the chord, catching arch, stabbing zone, greatest reach, and length of the stem. This information enables the students to determine how the animal used these structures, and it leads to good discussions on natural selection. Second Semester 1. Chaparral seeds. Requirements for germination. 2. Bacterial enrichment from a carrot medium. This demonstrates bacterial succession over a period of weeks. 3. Growing plants hydroponically and macronutrient effects. 4. Winogradsky column. A study of ecological succession in a microbial community with an oxygen gradient. 5. Population dynamics of Drosophila growth. Determining the potential for increase and how different conditions affect population dynamics. 6. Human population study in a cemetery. Students collected data from tombstones over the last few hundred years to create survivorship curves, age pyramids, death per age group graphs, etc. 7. Physiology activity—perception and behavior. Houseflies are used to determine behavioral response. 8. Modeling a wet scrubber. Students build a wet scrubber with laboratory equipment and determine how well it operates. 9. Controlling pests in stored grain. Oat cereal is used to show pest control. 10. Amount of land needed to grow our food. Students calculate the amount of calories in our food and then the amount of land required for different kinds of foods. 11. Experimental eutrophication. Using creek water, students cause eutrophication and observe the resulting changes in small aquatic organisms. 12. Hike to sites of acid mine drainage to see how drainage enters different watersheds. We explore an old railroad track not too far from us that has excellent examples of AMD and an old closed portal from the original mine. 13. Creek analysis. There will be two more trips to the water this semester; this involves a great deal of lab time. 14. Local trail maintenance. My students were asked to help improve trails in a park in our township. We lined the trails with logs, staked the logs, and added gravel to areas that had poor drainage, covering the gravel with shredded bark. Materials were provided by the township. Evaluation Methods & Grade Composition: Tests……………………………………………………………... 20% Quizzes……………………………………………………………15% Lab Notebook……………………………………………………. 25% Group Projects…………………………………………………… 20% Homework……………………………………………………….. 10% Classwork………………………………………………………... 10%