Norcross High School
High School Course Syllabus
Fall 2015 – Spring 2016 School Year
Course Title: IB Environmental Systems and Society (ESS)
Instructor: Ms. Willis Room #: D 211
Teacher Contact and Support InformationE-mail /
Phone / (470) – 222 – 4107
Web Page / See e-class for Teacher Web Page *(2016S1WILLIS)
Teacher Support
/ AFTER SCHOOL ONLY: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday*Please notify the instructor via e-mail or verbally prior to coming in for help. This will allow for verification of availability.
Course Description
This is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Standard Level (SL) course that has been designed to study the environment from a systems approach. This course culminates with the IB SL exam in May 2016. Environmental Systems and Society is rooted firmly in the principles of science and makes use of empirical, quantitative and objective data collection to describe and analyze environmental systems. While being an academic course rooted in the sciences, the central goal is to electrify and activate your awareness about the state of the world’s environment. You are the next generation, who will inherit a legacy of earthly abuse. Our common future is that we all need to make major changes in the way we think about the world. This class is designed to help you start making these changes from a well-informed and educated perspective.
The systems approach provides the core methodology of this course. It is amplified by other sources, such as economic, historical, cultural, socio-political and scientific, to provide a holistic perspective on environmental issues. The aims of the Environmental Systems and Societies course are to:
1. acquire the knowledge and understandings of environmental systems at a variety of scales
2. apply the knowledge, methodologies and skills to analyze environmental systems and issues at a variety of scales
3. appreciate the dynamic interconnectedness between environmental systems and societies
4. value the combination of personal, local and global perspectives in making informed decisions and taking responsible actions on environmental issues
5. be critically aware that resources are finite, and that these could be inequitably distributed and exploited, and that management of these inequities is the key to sustainability
6. develop awareness of the diversity of environmental value systems
7. develop critical awareness that environmental problems are caused and solved by decisions made by individuals and societies that are based on different areas of knowledge
8. engage with the controversies that surround a variety of environmental issues
9. create innovative solutions to environmental issues by engaging actively in local and global contexts.
Environmental problems are, by nature, interdisciplinary. That is, they involve the physical sciences, while also being intertwined with human behavior, culture, politics and a host of other factors. This class is rooted in environmental, physical, and natural resource science. However, the course also draws on social sciences in order to address the multi-faceted environmental problems that the world currently faces. We will address issues on a global scale in order to give you a broader understanding of environmental issues.
Course Resources
Miller, G., & Spoolman, S., (2009) Living in the Environment (16th edition) Cengage Learning
Rutherford, J., (2009) Environmental Systems and Societies, Oxford University Press
Laboratory Component
The lab component of this class is huge! You are required to be present for ALL labs. In general, there is no lab make up for any circumstance. The labs may require several days per unit of study for setup, data collection, and discussion. Students should participate in all aspects of the lab and have a complete understanding of the purpose for a lab within the context of the current unit. Students will work in teams of 4 or 5 depending on equipment. All lab reports will be written in the form of a well-designed investigation.
You are required by the IBO to complete two Internal Assessments in this course (IA’s). When labs are designated as “internal assessment,” it is important to design the best investigation possible, and to communicate the findings according to the prescribed method shown in class. These labs will be scored by the instructor, but sent to the IBO for further judgment. These labs will determine your IB certificate eligibility.
Evaluation and Grading
Semester Grades will be determined according to the following percentages:
Classwork / Quizzes / 25% / Grading ScaleHomework/Classwork / 10% / A: 90-100
Summative Assessments / Unit Tests / 25% / B: 80-89
Major Labs and Projects / 20% / C: 74-79
Final Assessments / Performance Final / 5% / D: 70-73
Final Exam / 15% / F: 0-69
Classwork/Homework:
Classwork and homework will include chapter readings and questions, handouts, math problems, or selected activities. These assessments will be checked periodically to evaluate student comprehension of content and further support student learning. These assessments will provide students with the opportunity to develop their reading, writing, critical thinking, and inquiry skills as it relates to this course and science as a whole. Selected homework and classwork assignments will be submitted each Friday as a packet. These selected assignments may include, but not be limited to chapter readings and questions, handouts, math problems, selected activities, or participation points.
Readings:
Class readings will come from the IB ESS Textbook as well as additional resources assigned in class. Students will participate in a weekly summary discussion on e-class. The summarizing discussion will specifically correspond to the readings for that week and will be due every Friday at midnight via e-class.
Writing:
Students will participate in ‘Free Write Friday’ at several points during the school year. This will give students the opportunity to summarize and apply their content knowledge as well as practice their science writing skills in preparation for the IB ESS Exam. Students may be given the topic ahead of time to allow for preparation prior to that particular Friday; as the school year progresses this act will become less common.
Labs/ Activities:
Activities and labs will range from one day to one week. IB ESS students must complete 20 hours of practical activities or labs separate from their own 10 hours of individual investigation (IA’s). These labs will be inquiry based, student-directed investigations. These labs will be spread throughout the school year and will be submitted separately from classwork/homework packets and/or assignments. Other activities will include but not be limited to projects and presentations, which may or may not exceed one week.
Assessments:
A test should be expected at the end of each unit. These tests will be given in class and will mimic the IB ESS exam. There will be a short answer and structured essay component with each test. Quizzes will also be given in class and may be announced in advance or may be ‘pop’ quizzes. Quizzes may consist of figure labeling, multiple choice, or short answer. All of these items will provide students with the opportunity to develop their reading, writing, critical thinking, and inquiry skills as it relates to this course and science as a whole.
* Student evaluations include classwork/homework, quizzes, laboratory investigations and reports, abstracts of journal articles, activities, unit tests, and final assessments.
*Due to the rigorous standards of IB ESS, ten points will be awarded to your final course grade at the end of the term. If a gifted student scores a final grade of a 74 or below in any Gifted level class, he or she will be put on a Plan of Improvement and may be dropped from the Gifted Program.
Curriculum Framework
Topic / Teaching Time / Time FrameFall Semester
Topic 1: Systems and Models / 5 hours / 2 weeks
Topic 2: The Ecosystem / 31 hours / 7 weeks
Topic 3: Human Population, Carrying Capacity, and Resource Use / 39 hours / 9 weeks
Spring Semester
Topic 4: Conservation and Biodiversity / 15 hours / 5 weeks
Topic 5: Pollution Management / 18 hours / 5 weeks
Topic 6: The Issue of Global Warming / 6 hours / 2 weeks
Topic 7: Environmental Value Systems *Thread throughout / 6 hours / 3 weeks
Curriculum Schedule
1st Semester
Calendar / Topic Information / Readings(See Chapters 16-19 to further support your readings)
Unit 1: Systems and Models
Week 1:
August 10-14 / Introductions and Environmental Perspectives / N/A
Week 2:
August 17-21 / Systems and Models / Chapter 1: p.7
Chapter 2: p.17
Week 3:
August 24-28 / Systems and Models / Chapter 4: p.69
Unit 2: The Ecosystem
Week 4:
August 31-September 4 / The Ecosystem: Structure / Chapter 3: p.27
Week 5:
September 8-11 / The Ecosystem: Measuring abiotic and biotic components of the system
Week 6:
September 14-18 / The Ecosystem: Biomes
Week 7:
September 21-25 / The Ecosystem: Function
Week 8:
September 28-October 2 / The Ecosystem: Changes
Week 9:
October 5-9 / The Ecosystem: Measuring Changes in the System
Week 10:
October 13-16 / Catch Up Week/Review
Unit 3A: Human Population, Carrying Capacity, and Resource Use
Week 11:
October 19-23 / Human Population, Carrying Capacity, and Resource Use: Population Dynamics / Chapter 8: p.160
Week 12:
October 26-30 / Human Population, Carrying Capacity, and Resource Use: Resources—Natural Capital / Chapter 9: p.184
Week 13:
November 2-6 / Human Population, Carrying Capacity, and Resource Use: Energy Resources / Chapter 10: p.199
Unit 3B: Human Population, Carrying Capacity, and Resource Use
Week 14:
November 9-13 / Human Population, Carrying Capacity, and Resource Use: The Soil System; Water Resources / Chapter 11: p.209
Chapter 12: p.224
Week 15:
November 16-20 / Human Population, Carrying Capacity, and Resource Use: Food Resources / Chapter 13: p.244
Week 16:
November 30-December 4 / Human Population, Carrying Capacity, and Resource Use: Limits to Growth; Environmental Demands of Human Populations / Chapter
Week 17:
December 7-11 / Catch Up Week/Review
Week 18:
December 14-18 / Review/Final Exam
2nd Semester
Calendar / Topic/Lab Information / ReadingsUnit 4A: Conservation and Biodiversity
Week 1: January 6-8 / Conservation and Biodiversity: Biodiversity in Ecosystems / Chapter 5: p. 91
Chapter 6: p. 118
Chapter 14: p.265
Week 2: January 11-15 / Conservation and Biodiversity: Evaluating Biodiversity and Vulnerability
Week 3:
January 19-22 / Conservation and Biodiversity: Evaluating Biodiversity and Vulnerability
Unit 4B: Conservation and Biodiversity
Week 4: January 25-29 / Conservation and Biodiversity: Conservation and Biodiversity
Week 5:
February 1-5 / Conservation and Biodiversity: Conservation and Biodiversity
Week 6: February 8-12 / Catch Up Week/Review
Unit 5: Pollution Management
Week 7:
February 16-19 / Pollution Management: Nature of Pollution; Detection and Monitoring of Pollution / Chapter 15: p.276
Week 8:
February 22-26 / Pollution Management: Approaches to Pollution Management; Eutrophication
Week 9:
February 29-March 4 / Pollution Management: Solid Domestic Waste; Depletion of Stratospheric Ozone
Week 10:
March 7-10 / Pollution Management: Urban Air Pollution; Acid Deposition
Week 11:
March 14-18 / Catch Up Week/Review
Unit 6: The Issue of Global Warming
Week 12:
March 21-25 / The Issue of Global Warming / Chapter 7: p. 133
Week 13:
March 28-31 / The Issue of Global Warming
Spring Break
April 4-8
Week 14:
April 11-15 / Catch Up Week/Review
Week 15:
April 18-22 / Catch Up Week/Review
Week 16:
April 25-29 / Catch Up Week/Review
Week 17:
May 2-6 / Catch Up Week/Review
Week 18:
May 9-13 / Catch Up Week/Review
Week 19:
May 16-20 / Catch Up Week/Review
Week 20:
May 23-25 / Review/Final Exam
IB ESS Exam
The IB ESS Exam will take place in May 2016. The test is composed of two papers. Paper 1 is made up of short-answer and data-based questions. Paper 2 consists of two sections. In Section A of Paper 2, students will be provided with a wide range of data relating to a specific case study—students are required to answer ALL of Section A. In Section B of Paper 2, students are required to answer two of four structured essay questions. More details regarding the IB ESS Exam will be provided throughout the course.
Classroom Expectations
I expect all students to follow Gwinnett County Public Schools and Norcross High School policies for classroom behavior. In addition, I expect students to respect themselves, to respect others around them, and to respect Norcross High School. Lastly, I would expect you, the student, to participate, have a good attitude, and enjoy learning about biology.
Student Expectations and Consequences
Student Expectations: Consequences:
1. Respect yourself.2. Respect others.
3. Respect Norcross High School. / 1. Warning
2. After school detention with Ms. Willis (Parent Contact)
3. Referral to Administration
(Parent Contact)
Subject to change at teacher’s discretion.
Cheating
Cheating of any sort, including plagiarism, will not be tolerated and will result in a zero for the assignment, parent contact, and a possible referral to an administrator. The NHS Academic Integrity Policy will be enforced.
Late Work Policy
You are expected to complete and hand in your assignments on time. Late work of any kind will not be accepted!
(Note: Keeping your binder organized, using your agenda, and checking e-class regularly will help tremendously.)
Make-Up Work Policy
Make-up work is only available for excused absences. Per NHS policy, students must present a valid excuse to the NHS Attendance Office within 2 days of their return to class in order to receive make-up work. It is the student’s responsibility to find out what work needs to be made up. From the date the student returns to school from the absence, he/she will have 5 days to complete the work missed for each excused absence. Major tests and quizzes that take more time will be scheduled on an individual basis, but can be made up after school within one week from returning to school. In the case of prolonged absences of three or more days, please come and speak with me before or after school to work out a schedule for completing missing assignments. Failure to complete missed work will result in a zero for the assignment and will negatively affect your overall semester average. Students with unexcused absences will not be allowed to make up ANY assignment. (Note: Due to the nature of the IB ESS Labs you must be here—there will be no make-up labs).