Environmental Science
Fall Semester | ||||||
Unit Title | Scientific Methods & Skills | Factors of Ecology | Flow of Energy | Natural Causes of Environmental Change | Human Impacts: Actions | Resources in the Environment |
Time | ~ 2 weeks | ~3.5 weeks | ~2.5 weeks | ~4 weeks | ~2 weeks | ~4 weeks (2 Fall + 2 Spring) |
Understandings | Ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models or investigations.
Apply scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems
Use appropriate safety equipment and practices during laboratory, classroom, and field investigations as outlined in TEA approved safety standards
Organize qualitative and qualitative data using labeled drawings and diagrams, graphic organizers, charts, tables and graphs
Distinguish among scientific hypotheses, theories and laws
Communicate explanations and solutions individually and collaboratively in a variety of settings and formats
| Identify native plants and animals within a local ecosystem and compare their roles to those of plants and animals in other biomes, including aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, and tundra
Explain the cycling of water, phosphorus, carbon, silicon, and nitrogen through ecosystems, including sinks, and the human interactions that alter these cycles using tools such as models
Evaluate the effects of fluctuations in abiotic factors on local ecosystems and local biomes
Measure the concentration of dissolved substances such as dissolved oxygen, chlorides, and nitrates and describe their impacts on an ecosystem
Use models to predict how the introduction of an invasive species may alter the food chain and affect existing populations in an ecosystem
Use models to predict how species extinction may alter the food chain and affect existing populations in an ecosystem
Predict changes that may occur in an ecosystem if genetic diversity is increased or decreased | Describe the interactions between the components of the geosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere
Relate biogeochemical cycles to the flow of energy in ecosystems, including energy sinks such as oil, natural gas, and coal deposits
Explain the flow of heat energy in an ecosystem, including conduction, convection, and radiation
Identify and describe how energy is used, transformed, and conserved as it flows through ecosystems. | Analyze and describe how natural events such as tectonic movement, volcanic events, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, and tsunamis affect natural populations
Explain how regional changes in the environment may have global effects
Examine how natural processes such as succession and feedback loops can restore habitats and ecosystems
Describe how temperature inversions have short-term and long-term effects, including El Niño and La Niña oscillations, ice cap and glacial melting, and changes in ocean surface temperatures
Analyze the impact of natural global climate change on ice caps, glaciers, ocean currents, and surface temperatures | Evaluate the negative effects of human activities on the environment, including overhunting, overfishing, ecotourism, all-terrain vehicles, and personal watercraft
Evaluate the positive effects of human activities on the environment, including habitat restoration projects, species preservation efforts, nature conservancy groups, game and wildlife management, and ecotourism
Research the advantages and disadvantages of "going green" such as organic gardening and farming, natural methods of pest control, hydroponics, xeriscaping, energy-efficient homes and appliances, and hybrid cars | Compare and contrast land use and management methods and how they affect land attributes such as fertility, productivity, economic value, and ecological stability
Relate how water sources, management, and conservation affect water uses and quality
Document the use and conservation of both renewable and non-renewable resources as they pertain to sustainability
identify how changes in limiting resources such as water, food, and energy affect local ecosystems
analyze and evaluate the economic significance and interdependence of resources within the local environmental system
evaluate the impact of waste management methods such as reduction, reuse, recycling, upcycling, and composting on resource availability in the local environment
|
TEKS | 1A, 1B, 1C, 1F, 1H, 3B, | 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E, 5F, 5G | 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D | 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D, 9E | 11A, 11B, 11C | 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F |
Skills TEKS | Env.1A-4B | |||||
Spring Semester | |||||
Unit Title | Human Impact: Pollution | Environmental Legislation | Ethics & Economics | Populations in Ecosystems | STEM Careers |
Time | ~4 weeks | ~2 weeks | ~3 weeks | ~4 weeks | ~3 weeks |
Understandings | identify sources of emissions in air, soil, and water, including point and nonpoint sources
distinguish how an emission becomes a pollutant based on its concentration, toxicity, reactivity, and location within the environment
investigate the effects of pollutants such as chlorofluorocarbons, greenhouse gasses, pesticide runoff, nuclear waste, aerosols, metallic ions, and heavy metals, as well as thermal, light, and noise pollution
evaluate indicators of air, soil, and water quality against regulatory standards to determine the health of an ecosystem
distinguish between the causes and effects of global warming and ozone depletion, including the causes, the chemicals involved, the atmospheric layer, the environmental effects, the human health effects, and the relevant wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum (IR and UV).
| describe past and present state and national legislation, including Texas automobile emissions regulations, the National Park Service Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act, and the Endangered Species Act
evaluates the goals and effectiveness of past and present international agreements such as the environmental Antarctic Treaty System, the Montreal Protocol, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Climate Accord.
| evaluate cost-benefit trade-offs of commercial activities such as municipal development, food production, deforestation, over-harvesting, mining, and use of renewable and non-renewable energy sources
evaluate the economic impacts of individual actions on the environment such as overbuilding, habitat destruction, poaching, and improper waste disposal
analyze how ethical beliefs influence environmental scientific and engineering practices such as methods for food production, water distribution, energy production, and the extraction of minerals
discuss the impact of research and technology on social ethics and legal practices in situations such as the design of new buildings, recycling, or emission standards
argue from evidence whether or not a healthy economy and a healthy environment are mutually exclusive | compare exponential and logistic population growth using graphical representations
identify factors that may alter carrying capacity such as disease; natural disaster; available food, water, and livable space; habitat fragmentation; and periodic changes in weather
calculate changes in population size in ecosystems
analyze and make predictions about the impact on populations of geographic locales due to diseases, birth and death rates, urbanization, and natural events such as migration and seasonal changes
| relate the impact of past and current research on scientific thought and society, including research methodology, cost-benefit analysis, and contributions of diverse scientists as related to the content
research and explore resources such as museums, libraries, professional organizations, private companies, online platforms , and mentors employed in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field in order to investigate STEM careers |
TEKS | 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E | 13A, 13B | 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D, 12E | 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D | 4B, 4C |
Skills TEKS | Env.1A-4B | ||||