Syllabus

Quarter 1 (8/20-10/19)

Unit 1: Introduction to Environmental Science

• Environmental Values
• Scientific Skills
• Ecology Review

Unit 2: Geology

• Minerals and Rocks
• Plate Tectonics
• Weathering and Erosion
• Soil
• Earth's History

Unit 3: Atmosphere and Hydrosphere

• Atmospheric composition
• Energy balance
• Water cycle
• Freshwater systems
• Saltwater systems

Quarter 2 (10/22-12/21)

Unit 4: Weather and Climate

• Carbon cycle
• Weather basics
• Weather patterns
• Climate patterns

Unit 5: Populations: Growth and Regulation

• Carrying Capacity
• Resource factors
• Cultural/ Geographical differences

Unit 6: Sustainability and Biodiversity

• How are human's impacting the environment?
• What does it mean to be sustainable?
• Elements of Biodiversity
• Human Impacts to Biodiversity
• Endangered Species Act

Quarter 3 (1/2-3/8)

Unit 7: Materials Economy

• Where do things come from
• Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption, Disposal
• Plastic pollution
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycling

Unit 8: Mining and Energy

• Mineral resources and types of mining
• Renewable vs Non-renewable energy resources

Unit 9: Climate Change

• History of Earth's climate
• Cause and effect of climate change
• Climate Change Solutions

Quarter 4 (3/11-5/24)

Unit 10: Water/ Pollution

• Water as a resource
• Water availability
• Water pollution
• 8 types of pollution and their sources
• Clean up solutions

Unit 11: Agriculture

• Food Sources
• Agricultural practices and laws
• Pests
• Forestry and Grazing

Unit 12: Land Use

• Land use decisions
• Urban Development
• Public and federal land