IACS Environmental Science Fall 2009 Syllabus
Instructor: Kellie Burtch Extra Help: Tuesdays 3-4 and as requested 978-649-0432 extension 3154
Course Summary: Students will be exploring both current and historical environmental issues with a goal of cultivating a deeper understanding and compassion for the health of our planet. They will leave the course with a heightened awareness of steps they can take to live more sustainably and with greater knowledge of career possibilities in the field of ecology/environmental sciences.
Please bring the following to each class: notebook, three-ring binder, your planner pen, and pencil. Optional: digital camera, field guides. You will know in advance when we are going outside; please dress accordingly as we will go out in most weather conditions.
Topics: Fall 2009: Areas of focus to include: ecology, climate change; water quality/conservation issues, human population concerns, biodiversity/wildlife management, energy sources/consumption, pollution, environmental justice with an emphasis on implementing sustainable solutions to current the ecological crisis.
Skills: Students will have an opportunity to develop skills in the following areas: systems thinking; problem solving; persuasive arguing, evaluating credible sources; organizing information for visual displays; oral presentation; working as a team; writing professional lab reports and research projects; basic laboratory procedures and safety; time management; classification; effective use and incorporation of technology for research and projects. Assessment Strands: a) Experimentation: Students will have weekly opportunities to conduct laboratory experiments. Throughout the year, both team and independent experiments will be designed by students to further explore aspects of coursework. Results will be shared with the rest of the class and the IACS community in graphic and/or oral presentations. Goals of these activities include fostering a genuine curiosity for further discoveries and connections to real world applications.
b) Research: Writing scientific research papers are an important component of the course. This gives students the freedom to further explore areas of person interest and make connections to scientists and professionals in the scientific community. Research findings will be shared through presentations and class discussions.
c) Modeling: Modeling comprehension of course objectives may be accomplished in many ways, including but not limited to: physical models, visual displays, videos, and through formal written assessments.
d) Work Habits: Effective use of class time and homework time are of paramount importance to the success of the individual student and the entire class. Grades on each project will reflect effective time management, classroom behavior, and self-direction.
Honors: This semester, honors students will have an opportunity to work on a multi-grade level team project during regularly scheduled meeting times. The specific project is to be decided the students taking science honors in grades 9, 10, and 11. Your role would be to work as the “life scientist” with a team of chemists and engineers. Regular attendance and participation, as well as maintaining a B is required for honors credit.
Project Ideas: Fall 2009: Semester-long project: Current Events Journal/Scrapbook each Friday Interdisciplinary Project: Sustainable Technology Design
Current event Fridays: Find environmental news to incorporate into scrapbooks. This is also a great time to explore “green jobs” and find people to invite to speak in our classroom!
We will be viewing a series of environmental films to improve our understanding of various topics in the curriculum. You will be required to provide a written response to movies viewed in class prior to class discussions and debates. Extra credit will be given for short write-ups of environmental films you watch outside of class.
Week 1-5 Sept 1-Oct 2 (21 days) Introduction: What is Nature? Tools/techniques used by scientists. Humans change the landscape
Week 6-9 Oct 5-30 (17 days)
Week 10-14 Nov 2-Dec 4 (20 days)
Week 15-19 Dec 7-Jan 15 (21 days) Green Technology: Begin Project building. Ideas: living roof system model, solar panels (guest speakers), passive solar water heating system, green building design model, living water filter, functioning windmill, hydropower, solar oven. **emphasis will be placed on sourcing recycled materials and involving other people from our community interested in sustainable living.
End Semester 1 |
Environmental Science Fall 2009 Syllabus |