Environmental Systems is an introductory course designed to explore the physical world. The purposes of this course it to expose students to the interrelationships of the environment and societies, and the nature of their interactions, so that they can make an informed personal response to a wide range of pressing global issues. In this class there will be an emphasis on hands-on activities and laboratory exercises that will promote problem solving, refine laboratory procedure, and reinforce reading, writing and math skills. In this course students will be involved in outdoor field studies and will be encouraged and rewarded for the exploration of personal avenues of interest in science.
COURSE CONTENT SCOPE & SEQUENCE:
Schedule
Week | Week Of | Topic | Assignment | Notes |
1st Semester |
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1 | 08.16.18 | Introduction | - Safety Quiz | Activities – Safety Equipment/Scavenger Hunt The Lorax Scientific Thinking, Potato Lab |
2 | 08.27.18 | Tools | Ch. 1 Quiz/Journal
| Activities – Closed Bottle Ecosystem Contour Map & Topo Map Compass & GPS/Sampling square How the Earth Was Made Movie |
3 | 09.03.18 | Spheres | Ch. 2 Quiz | Activities – How the Earth was Made Plate Cutouts Tectonic Movement |
4 | 09.12.18 | Ecosystems | 09.16.16 – Ch. 3 Quiz | Activities –Food Web Game Toothpick Birds
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5 | 09.19.18 | Energy Flow | 09.23.16– Chapter 4 Quiz | Activities – Trophic Levels Discuss Biogeochemical Cycles |
6 | 09.26.18 | Biomes | 09.28.16 - Six Weeks Exam/Journal | Activities– Pole to Pole Movie Biomes |
7 | 10.03.18 | Aquatic Systems | 10.06.16 - Movie Exam 10.07.16– Ch.5 Quiz | Activities – Biome Presentations Aquatic Systems
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8 | 10.10.18 | Populations | 10.14.16– Ch. 6 Quiz | Activity – Baby Dice Island |
9 | 10.17.18 |
| 10.20.16 - Exam/Journal 10.21.16 – Ch. 7 Quiz
| Activities –Interactions Packet Hunting – One child |
10 | 10.24.18 | Human Populations | 10.28.16 – Ch. 8 Quiz | Activity – Texas Graphs |
11 | 10.31.18 | Biodiversity | 11.04.16 - Chapter 9 Quiz
| Activities –Thin Green Line Invasive species |
12 | 11.07.18 | Water | 11.09.16 - Six Weeks Exam/Journal | Activity – State of Texas Movies |
13 | 11.14.18 | Water cont. | 11.18.16 – Ch. 10 Quiz | Activity – Water Lab |
14 | 11.21.18 | Water cont. | 11.23.15 – Exam/Journal |
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15 | 11.28.18 | Water cont. | 12.01.16 - Exam/Journal 12.02.16 – Ch. 11 Quiz | Activities – Not a Drop St. James River Oceans Study Guide |
16 | 12.05.18 | Air |
12.11.15 – Ch. 12 Quiz | Activity - |
17 | 12.12.18 | Air cont. | 12.15.16– Six Weeks Exam/ Journal | Activity - |
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1 | 01.02.19 | Atmosphere | 01.06.17– Ch. 13 Quiz | Activity - |
2 | 01.09.19 | Atmosphere cont. | 01.13.17 - Exam #1/ Journal | Activity - |
3 | 01.16.19 | Land | 01.19.17– Ch. 14 Quiz | Activity - |
4 | 01.23.19 | Land cont. | 01.27.17 - Exam #2/Journal | Activity - |
5 | 01.30.19 | Agriculture | 02.03.17 – Ch.15 Quiz | Activity - |
6 | 02.06.19 | Agriculture cont. | 02.10.17 – Exam #3/Journal | Activity - |
7 | 02.13.19 | Mining | 02.16.17– Ch. 16 Quiz | Activity - |
8 | 02.20.19 | Mining cont. | 02.24.17– Exam #1/Journal | Activity - |
9 | 02.27.19 |
| 03.03.17 – Ch. 17 Quiz | Activity - |
10 | 03.06.19 | Non- Renewable | 03.10.17 – Ch. 18 Quiz | Activity - |
11 | 03.13.19 | . |
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12 | 03.20.19 | Renewable | 03.24.17 – Exam #2/ Journal | Activity - |
13 | 03.27.19 | Renewable cont. | 03.31.17 - Ch. 19 Quiz | Activity - |
14 | 04.03.19 | Waste | 04.07.17 - Exam #3/Journal
| Activity - |
15 | 04.10.19 | Waste cont. | 4.12.17 - Chapter 20 Quiz | Activity - |
16 | 04.17.19 | Health | 4.21.17- Exam #1/Journal | Activity - |
17 | 04.24.19 | Health cont. | 4.28.17 - Chapter 21 Quiz | Activity - |
18 | 05.01.19 |
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19 | 05.08.19 | Activism/Policies | 05.05.17 - Exam #2/Journal | Activity - |
20 | 05.15.19 | Activism/Policies cont. |
| Activity - |
21 | 05.22.19 |
| 5.24.17 - Exam #3/Journal |
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Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service
Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Reclamation
Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Department of Energy
Environmental Management
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Hagar-Richter Geoscience
National Agricultural Statistics Service
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
U.S. Fossil Energy
USDA Agricultural Research Service
Research / Journals
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Nature
Science Advances Journal
Science Journal
Science Signaling Journal
U.S. Arctic Research Commission
