Academy Charter High School

Environmental Science
Curriculum Guide
2013 Edition

APPROVED ON:______________________

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Richard Morales-Wright, President
Kimberly Brock, Vice President
Tasha Youngblood Brown
Frankie Winrow
Mylo Wright

Mary Jo McKinley, Director

Megan Sherman, Director of Special Services
Jarred Shaw, Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Curran Fallon, Dean of Students

PURPOSE
Students will identify, analyze and evaluate natural and man-made environmental issues, by using critical
thinking and problem-solving skills. Students will use scientific principles and will be able to assess the risks
and benefits of environmental policies and practices.

Environmental Science
Course Description
Environmental Science Course Description
Environmental Science is designed to prepare students for entrance into their high school level Biology course. This is a
multidisciplinary course that draws from all the sciences, as well as other disciplines. Traditional lecture is integrated with
demonstrations, critical thinking and problem solving activities to enable students to gain a better understanding of the
relationship between humans and the world in which we live. The essential themes of the course include: Introduction to
Environmental Science, Ecology, Populations, Air, Water and Land, Mineral and Energy Resources, and Our Health and Our
Future.

The following unifying concepts form the foundation of this course:

1. Science is a process.
Science is a method of learning more about the world.
Science constantly changes the way we understand the world.
2. An Ecosystem is a system of interdependent living and non-living factors necessary for life.
Ecosystems can be as large as the earth or as small as a puddle of water.
The earth is a large ecosystem.
3. An ecosystem can continue perpetually; it is dynamic due to energy conversions.
Energy can neither be created nor destroyed.
As energy flows through systems, at each stem more of it becomes unusable.
4. Humans alter natural systems.
Humans have had an impact on the environment for millions of years.
Technology and population growth have enabled humans to increase both the rate and scale of their
impact on the environment.
5. Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.
Understanding the role of cultural, social and economic factors is vital to the development of solutions.
6. Human Survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.

COURSE CONTENT/ PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

1. Develop problem solving, decision-making, and inquiry skills.

2. Integrate mathematics and metric measurements, as a tool for problem solving in science, and as a means of expressing and/or
modeling scientific theories.
3. Apply safety principles in the laboratory and in daily activities.
4. Learn to identify systems of interacting components and understand how their interactions combine to produce the overall
behavior of the system.
5. Use technology and instrumentation.
6. Identify ways in which the study of Environmental Science serves as a foundation for many career opportunities.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of how people of various cultures have contributed to the advancement of science and technology.
8. Develop an understanding of how major environmental issues have impacted on society and discuss their ethical implications.
9. Develop workplace readiness skills.
10. Explain the concept of open and closed systems.
11. Describe the factors which influence the proper functioning of a healthy ecosystem.
12. Describe the flow of energy and the movement of nutrients through the biosphere and their effect on organisms.
13. Discuss the properties, phases, composition, and interactions of matter.
14. Discuss the relationship between photosynthesis and respiration.
15. Apply natural selection to changes in the inherited characteristics of a population.
16. Analyze the role organisms play in a typical ecosystem.
17. Explain ecological succession, differentiating between primary and secondary succession.
18. Differentiate between the worlds forest biomes, identify where each is located and the man-made threats to each.
19. Explain why clean fresh water is vital to life on Earth and examine the threats to the Earths fresh water supply.
20. Describe the effects of air, water and land pollutants on both man and society.
21. Describe major causes and effects of climate change.
22. Analyze possible solutions to solve the urban crisis and implement practical urban planning practices.
23. Discuss strategies of food production, maintenance of soil productivity, and the challenges of feeding the world.
24. Debate the ethical and practical arguments about the feasibility of preserving biodiversity.
25. Discuss the environmental consequences of relying on fossil fuels for energy and list the advantages and disadvantages of
alternative fuel sources.
26. Identify examples of how all citizens can act as stewards for the Earth.
27. Describe the flow of energy and the movement of nutrients through the biosphere and their effect on organisms.
28. Explain why environmental cooperation is necessary on the international, national and local level.

Table of Contents

BOARD OF EDUCATION
PURPOSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES
CURRICULUM UNIT MAP INCLUDING STANDARDS

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