Principles of Ecology & Environmental Science

Instructor: Christi Coffin
Length of Course: 1 Year

Course Description:
This course emphasizes basic and advanced ecological & environmental principles. Students will approach ecology by studying levels, interactions, processes, pathways, and locations of biological systems. The primary objective of this course is to develop an interdisciplinary understanding of our natural environment, the human impacts that degrade the environment, and the measures we can take to protect and restore environmental quality. The first semester of the course analyzes the biotic and abiotic factors that control the distribution and abundance of plant and animal species. The second semester provides an overview of the major causes and consequences of pollution, natural resource depletion, and loss of biological diversity.

Course Prerequisites:

• Grade of C or better in two semesters of problem/project- based biology.
• Introduction to chemistry and physics is highly recommended.

Course Goals/Student Outcomes:

• To encourage the students to apply the scientific method in their efforts to understand, interpret, and engage in the ecological principles and conservation efforts
• To study specific biological knowledge as both a body of collective knowledge and a set of processes that can be used to acquire and refine information in an organized way
• To learn how application of fundamental scientific concepts affect our daily lives
• To develop skills in the manipulation of materials and equipment and in the collection, organization, and communication of scientific information
• To use attitudes and knowledge about science to live as an informed citizen in a scientifically developed and literate nation
• To stimulate curiosity, respect and appreciation for living organisms( including self) and their place in the environment
• Demonstrate ability to solve problems and think clearly by effectively completing challenging group and individual projects and assignments.

Course Objectives:
Students will prepare & present several written research report(s) that will demonstrate his/her ability to apply the scientific method to contemporary ecological and environmental problems.

• Investigate a science-based societal issue by researching the literature, analyzing data, and communicating the findings. Examples of issues include irradiation of food, cloning of animals by somatic cell nuclear transfer, choice of energy sources, and land and water use decisions in California.

Students will prepare and present several oral presentations that will demonstrate his/her ability to use effective oral communication skills to present biological information to a particular audience. Additionally, students will demonstrate their technology skills through presentations, lab write ups, and field work.

• Select and use appropriate tools and technology (such as computer-linked probes, spreadsheets, and graphing calculators) to perform tests, collect data, analyze relationships, and display data.

Students will demonstrate his/her ability to critically think by evaluating the processes of the scientific theory and finding practical applications for the scientific method.

• Know that when an observation does not agree with an accepted scientific theory, the observation is sometimes mistaken or fraudulent (e.g., the Piltdown Man fossil or unidentified flying objects) and that the theory is sometimes wrong (e.g., the Ptolemaic model of the movement of the Sun, Moon, and planets).

Students will demonstrate his/her knowledge of ecology and environmental science by applying the scientific method in the field.

• Recognize the usefulness and limitations of models and theories as scientific representations of reality.
• Recognize the cumulative nature of scientific evidence.
  • Analyze situations and solve problems that require combining and applying concepts from more than one area of science.

The following standards will be covered throughout the course:

• Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects. As a basis for understanding this concept:
• Students know biodiversity is the sum total of different kinds of organisms and is affected by alterations of habitats.
• Students know how to analyze changes in an ecosystem resulting from changes in climate, human activity, introduction of nonnative species, or changes in population size.
• Students know how fluctuations in population size in an ecosystem are determined by the relative rates of birth, immigration, emigration, and death.
• Students know how water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle between abiotic resources and organic matter in the ecosystem and how oxygen cycles through photosynthesis and respiration.
• Students know a vital part of an ecosystem is the stability of its producers and decomposers.
• Students know at each link in a food web some energy is stored in newly made structures but much energy is dissipated into the environment as heat. This dissipation may be represented in an energy pyramid.
• Students know how to distinguish between the accommodation of an individual organism to its environment and the gradual adaptation of a lineage of organisms through genetic change.

Course Outline:

• Botany
• Energy Processes (photosynthesis, respiration)
• Biodiversity & Ecological Sustainability
• Principles of Ecology (e.g. succession)
• Major Ecosystems & Global Perspectives
• Biogeochemical Cycles & Hydrologic Cycle
• Agricultural & Water Pollution
• Toxic Materials in the Environment
• Atmospheric Pollution & It’s Effects on Ecosystems
• Wetlands Protection
• Land Use Patterns, Urbanization & Zoning
• Population Dynamics & Carrying Capacity
• Energy Production & Consumption
• Environmental Decision Making Models
• Managing human-affected ecosystems
• Environmental Law

Materials Required:

• 2 blank audio cd’s
• Notebook
• Lab-book (composition book will suffice)
• Pencil
• Flash drive recommended

Text:

• Biological Science: An Ecological Approach (BSCS Green). c. 1992
• Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future (9th Edition) by Richard T. Wright
• Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn
• Introduction to California Plant Life, Revised Edition by Robert Ornduff, Phyllis M. Faber, Todd Keeler-Wolf

Instructional Methods:
This course will be based on the philosophy of constructivism through the use of project based learning to achieve course goals and learning outcomes. Teaching in this manner requires a diverse set of instructional methods that include lecture, group work, and research. This class will utilize these methods throughout the year.

Grading:
The grading system at NTHS is a reflection of the learning outcomes that have been established in the New Tech system. Thus your grade in this class will be formulated according to the following list:

• Work Ethic: 15% (homework/anticipatory sets, labs)
• Ecology Content: 30% (reflections, tests, projects)
• Oral/written: 30% (presentation, grammar)
• Critical Thinking: 25 %

Work Ethic Analysis:
Work ethic is based on homework, labs, and anticipatory sets.

• Homework (5%): You can expect that there will be two homework assignment due each project. This requires you to acquire time management skills because the homework may take several days to finish. Please do not attempt to complete the homework in one night. Can you do it? Maybe. Did you learn anything? Doubtful. Since this is an advanced science class you can expect 20-40 minutes of homework/studying each night. During class I will check each student’s completeness and effort. In addition, each group will be assigned one specific problem to submit an “acceptable solution” to be graded.
• Anticipatory sets (5 %): The sets will be given at the beginning of each class period. I will occasionally collect these for grading, in terms of effort and completeness. These are excellent tools for studying for tests (Yes, this is a hint!).
• Labs(5%): You can expect to have lab checkpoints throughout the year in which I will check the accuracy of your lab notebook. Your table of contents will always be checked for accuracy and be considered at 10% of each lab check.

Ecology/ Environmental Science Content Analysis:

• Reflections (10%): There will be approximately eight reflections per semester that asks the student to reflect on a specific article.
• Tests & quizzes(5%): Tests will be given after each unit and quizzes will be given at various times throughout each project. I do not believe in pop-quizzes so every student will be well aware of any testing instrument that I utilize.
• Projects (20%): There will be a minimum of two projects per semester that deal with various biological principles. Ecology requires students to participate in the field in actual projects.

Ecology Content Breakdown:

• Reflections/ Journals 10%
• Tests & quizzes 5 %
• Projects 15%
• 30%

Oral/ Written Breakdown:

• Oral Communication(10%): Various projects require students to create oral presentations or multimedia projects. This type of communication will be graded using rubrics that may be found on my calendar. Discussion and participation will be included in this grading and will amount to approximately 3% of the total grade for oral communication.
• Written Communication (10%): Various projects require students to use create essays, research papers, reports, etc. This type of communication will be graded using rubrics that may be found on my calendar.

Critical Thinking:
Students will be required to read texts, understand field guides, write perspective papers, and collaborate while dealing with complex real life problems. By using various learning modalities and developing important schemas in the field of ecology, students will have to use critical thinking skills (e.g. analysis, evaluation) to solve problems.

Assessment Criteria:
Rubrics have been developed and implemented in science and non-science classes for several years under the New Tech model. These rubrics encompass all learning outcomes and will be implemented and utilized throughout the course.

Attendance/Make up Work:
The calendar for the each class is posted on the Lotus database, and may also be found on the web. That means that you will know what is going on in a class any given day. For excused absences, you will have as many days to make up assignments or tests as the number of days you missed. Work may not be made up for unexcused absences. In addition, unexcused absences will count against your Work Ethic grade.

Tardies:
Each class will start with an anticipatory activity. I expect you to be working on the anticipatory activity at the start time of class-if you are not doing so, you are considered tardy. Every tardy will counts against your grade and two tardies will be considered an unexcused absence.