Environmental Science
Couse Syllabus
Instructor: Mrs. Kristal Chenoweth
Room: 106
e-mail:
Plan hours: 12:45 pm - 1:30 pm; parent-teacher
conferences scheduled upon request
Phone: 918-788-3319, ext. 506
Class meets: 1st period, 8:00 am – 8:53 am
Text: Heithaus and Arms. 2013. Environmental Science. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Prerequisite: Biology 1
Rationale: The environment impacts our way of life in many aspects (e.g., food and fiber production, resources for building shelter and infrastructure, water supplies, etc.). Adverse impacts to this environment affect the well-being of humans and other living organisms. Therefore, it is essential that students understand natural environmental systems, physical and social causes of environmental problems, and strategies to mitigate or manage these issues. This course is also intended to allow students to explore careers within the subject.
Learning Objectives: Students mastering the material of this class will be able to do the following: 1) understand and define terminology commonly used in environmental science; 2) briefly summarize and describe global, regional, and landscape scale environmental processes and systems; 3) students will be able to list common and adverse human impacts on biotic communities, soil, water, and air quality and suggest sustainable strategies to mitigate these impacts; 4) students will be able to read, critically evaluate presented information and data using scientific principles and concepts, popular media reports/articles discussing environmental issues, and verbally discuss and defend positions on scientific issues; and 5) apply learned information to postulated environmental scenarios to predict potential outcomes.
How to succeed in this course: 1) attend class, listen attentively, ask questions, and take notes; 2) read assigned portions of the text prior to attending classes covering the new material; 3) be thorough and timely in completion of assignments; 4) participate in any labs or field trips, take good notes, and be engaged in these learning activities
Required supplies:
Binder specific to this class (2-2 ½” three ring binder)
Loose leaf paper
Pencils, pens (blue or black ink for assignments)
Red ink pens for grading
Grading
Grades will be based on the following scale:
90- 100 = A
80 - 89 = B
70 - 79 = C
60 - 69 = D
Below 60 = F
The grades will be calculated by dividing the total number of points earned by the total number of points possible. Points will vary for each assignment. Tests will be worth 100 points, labs 25-50 points; points possible for projects, quizzes and bell work will vary. Extra credit will be made available throughout the year.
Participation/Attendance: 10%
Assignments: 50%
Midterm: 10%
Midterm: 10%
Final: 20%
Academic Dishonesty: Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles of this school. All members must be confident that each person’s work has been responsibly and honorably acquired, developed, and presented. Academic dishonesty is regarded as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences. When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, consult your instructor.
Academic Dishonesty includes but is not necessarily limited to the following:
•Cheating or knowingly assisting another student in committing an act of cheating or other academic dishonesty.
•Plagiarism which includes but is not necessarily limited to submitting examinations, themes, reports, drawings, laboratory notes, or other material as one’s own work when such work has been prepared by another person or copied
from another person.
•Unauthorized possession of examinations or reserve library materials, or laboratory materials or experiments, or anyother similar actions.
•Unauthorized changing of grades or markings on an examination or in an instructor’s grade book or such change of anygrade report.
Cell Phones and other electronic devices: There will be times in class when students may use their device for the calculator or internet search. AT NO TIME, are students allowed on face book, Instagram, or any other social media site. On most all occasions, students are to have phones in off position during class time and kept out of site. I would prefer they leave them in their lockers. If a student is on their phone without permission or their phone goes off during class time, the discipline is as follows:
1st offense – warning
2nd offense – phone taken away and after school detention assigned, trip to office
3rd offense – phone taken, parents contacted and after school detention, trip to office
4th offense – phone taken and parent must come to the school to retrieve the phone, Saturday school assigned
I have read and understand the information within this syllabus. I agree that if I or my student has any difficulties or concerns, I will communicate with my instructor in a timely manner.
Student signature: ______Parent signature: ______
Let’s have a great year!!
Course Outline: Environmental Science
1st Semester
Week
1Class orientation (8/20-8/21)
2Lab Safety and Introduction to Environmental Science (8/24-8/28)
3Science and the Environment (8/31 – 9/4)
4Tools of Environmental Science (9/7 – 9/11)
5Unit 1 Labs (9/14 – 9/18)
6Dynamic Earth (9/21 – 9/25)
7Unit review and test(9/27 – 10/2)
8The Organization of Life(10/5 – 10/9)
99 weeks test (10/12 – 10/13)
10How Ecosystems Work (10/19 – 10/23)
11Biomes (10/26 – 10/30)
12Aquatic Ecosystems(11/2 – 11/6)
13Unit 3 Labs, review, testing (11/9 – 11/13)
14Understanding Populations (11/16 – 11/20)
15The Human Population (11/23 – 12/4)
16Biodiversity (12/7 – 12/11)
17Unit 3 Labs, review and testing (12/14 – 12/17)
End of 1st Semester – Holiday 12/18 – 1/3
2nd Semester
Week
1Water(1/4 – 1/8)
2Air (1/11 – 1/15)
3Atmosphere and Climate Change(1/18 – 1/22)
4Land(1/25 – 1/29)
5Food and Agriculture(2/1 – 2/5)
6Unit 4 Labs, Review, Testing (2/8 – 2/12)
7Mining and Mineral Resources (2/15 – 2/19)
8Nonrenewable Energy (2/22 – 2/26)
9Renewable Energy (2/29 – 3/4)
10Unit 5 Labs, Review, Testing (3/7 – 3/11)
11 Waste (3/21 – 3/25)
12 The Environment and Human Health (3/28 – 4/1)
13 Research Assignments (4/4 – 4/8)
14 Economics, Policy, and the Future (4/11 – 4/15)
15 Earth Day Projects (4/18 – 4/22)
16 Semester Review , Finals (4/25 – 4/29)
Last week of school (5/2 – 5/6)