Welcome to your 9th grade environmental science class! I am excited to be your coach for using science skills to connect to your world! My main goal is to ensure you experience many different strategies for understanding the environment around us. You are already starting to build your own future. Wherever you are in life, I want you to have all the tools possible to make up your own minds.

This student centered science course is designed to challenge students and develop an understanding of the biological, physical, and earth systems that shape our environment. Scientific concepts, principles and modern science practices allow students to analyze environmental issues, both natural and human induced, and engage in evidence-based decision making in real world contexts. The appropriate NJ State Standards will be addressed so as to raise the level of students discourse and develop essential scientific reasoning skills.

We are starting the year in a virtual course schedule. Let’s use this time to connect and learn how to make our own choices that create improvements in our lives and communities. We will collaborate to create a shared understanding for how the living world works. We will make mistakes together, not alone.

Topics we will cover include:

Unit 1: History of Earth

Students will be able to…

• Determine the differences and similarities between Earth and other planetary objects, such as the moon

• Explain the difference between red-shifted and blue-shifted objects

• Illustrate the life cycle of a star

• Provide evidence to support the big bang theory

• Apply scientific reasoning and evidence from ancient Earth materials, meteorites, and other planetary surfaces to construct an account of Earth’s formation and early history.

• Construct an argument based on evidence about the simultaneous coevolution of Earth's systems and life on Earth.

Unit 2: Earths Systems

Students will be able to…

• Classify mass movements and identify factors that trigger them

• Demonstrate how each rock type forms

• Demonstrate how human activities affect the rate of soil erosion

• Describe how earthquake waves are measured

• Describe the rock cycle

• Determine the lag time between Primary and Secondary seismic waves

• Determine the type of volcanic eruptions that occur based on magma composition

• Diagram and explain the types of physical weathering

• Distinguish the difference between clastic sedimentary rocks and chemical sedimentary rocks

• Explain how human activity increases the rate of chemical weathering

• Explain the elastic rebound theory

• Explain the relationship between plate tectonics and volcanism

• Identify other dangers associated with earthquakes

• Identify the causes of earthquakes

Unit 3: Weather and Climate

Students will be able to…

• Identify energy alternatives to burning fossil fuels (solar energy, nuclear energy, wind energy, hydroelectricity, biofuel, etc.).

• Provide evidence of climate change which includes, but not limited to the following: more severe and frequent storms, melting ice caps, rising sea levels, shift in climate patterns, etc.

• Identify and explain the different phenomena occurring within each layer of the atmosphere.

• Identify weather patterns caused by differences in moisture, temperature, wind and pressure.

• Demonstrate how human influences on carbon dioxide vary due to deforestation, burning fossil fuels, cattle farming, etc.