Ecology
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This integrated, collaboratively taught Ecology Content class will provide all students an opportunity to study ecosystems while identifying the various components; Energy in Ecosystems, Biogeochemical
Cycles, Limiting Factors, Populations in Communities, and Conservation; to examine
the relationship between the living and nonliving world in which we live in. By satisfying requirements of this study, all students will become more informed,
skilled, productive, employable, and socially responsible citizens.
SWRSD OUTCOMES
Outcome 5:
Students demonstrate honesty, respect, concern, and caring for themselves, their environment,
and others.
Outcome 6:
Students use a variety of ways to think and to reason when solving problems and making
thoughtful decisions.
Outcome 7:
Students use a variety of ways to think and to reason when solving problems, and making
thoughtful decisions.
Outcome 11:
Students demonstrate skills and attitudes that will enable them to achieve post high
school education.
COURSE OUTLINE
CONTENT
(Essential course facts, concepts, and basic skills; assessed
with
teacher
-made
tests
and
rubrics
)
Major Units of Study
A. The Ecosystem
Alaska Content Standard(s): Standard
A 14a:
(A student should understand the interdependence between living things and their environments)
Key Elements:
Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to
- correctly spell, define, and use in proper context a variety of key terms/concepts
(biome, ecosystem, community, trophic, cycles)
- identify the basic components of an ecosystem (trophic structure, community, abiotic,
biotic, biosphere, population)
- determine the importance of ecological science and its relationship with the other
sciences.
B. Energy in Ecological Systems
Alaska Content Standard(s): Standard A 9: Energy
(A student should understand the transfers and transformations of matter and energy
that link living things and their physical environment, from molecules to ecosystems)
Key Elements:
Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to
- correctly spell, define, and use in proper context a variety of key terms/concepts
(food chain, food web, pyramid, carrying capacity, trophic)
- create food chains and webs by using local organisms as their example(caribou, lichen,
wolf, eagle, salmon, moose, beaver, tree, grasses...)
- formulate a local example of an ecological pyramid while showing the flow of energy
through the system.
- determine the rate of ecological succession a variety of different ecosystems(tundra,
taiga, grasslands, deciduous forest,...)
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C. Biogeochemical Cycles
Alaska Content Standards: Standard A 9:
Matter
(A student should understand the transfers and transformations of matter and energy
that link living things and their physical environment, form molecule to ecosystem)
Key Elements:
Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to
- correctly spell, define, and use in proper context a variety of key terms/concepts
(reservoir, pool, cycle rate, organic, inorganic, abiotic, biotic)
- formulate a localized example that illustrates the cycling of nitrogen, carbon, and
water.
- generate a product that illustrates the various ecological relationships between
reservoir pools and cycling pools(permanent, acquire, movable)
D. Limiting Factors & The Physical Environment
Alaska Content Standard(s): Standard A 14c: Interdependence
(A student should understand that a small change in a portion of an environment may
affect the entire environment))
Key Elements:
Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to
- correctly spell, define, and use in proper context a variety of key terms/concepts
(limiting factor, productivity, photoperiodism, biological clock)
- identify the productivity limits of organisms in relationship to their environment
(temperature, water, salinity, food, habitat selection, natural events)
- relate the ecological impacts of soil, water, and the atmosphere on organisms.
(water quality, pollution, leachates,...)
- examine the physiological and behavioral effects of day length on various organisms
(reproduction, migration, hibernation, feeding habits, estivation)
E. Populations in Communities
Alaska Content Standard(s): Standard A 14b: Levels of Life
(A student should understand that the living environment consists of individuals,
populations, and communities)
Key Elements:
Students will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to
- correctly spell, define, and use in proper context a variety of key terms/concepts
(population, community, individual, predation, herbivory, parasitism, habitat,
niche, guild)
- identify the ecological importance of the interaction between species (food web,
food chain, growth curves, limiting factors, overgrazing)
- relate the relationship and importance of competition and coexistence (natural selection,
mutations, food webs, ecological succession, population health)
- generate a product that illustrates the global importance of species diversity and
genetic diversity.
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F. Conservation Biology
Alaska Content Standard(s): Standard D 5:
(Students should participate in reasoned discussions of public policy related to scientific
innovations and proposed technological solutions to problems)
Key Elements:
Students will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to
- correctly spell, define, and use in proper context a variety of key terms/concepts(refuge,
US F&W, management, protected areas, genetic bottleneck, species value)
- employ the work of wildlife management to a local area (caribou, moose, wolf, herd
size)
- determine the value of wild diversification (food, shelter, biosphere, energy flow)
- decide the criteria for establishing new populations in various areas. (ie. wolves
in Yellowstone)
SKILLS
(Essential processes or skills, universally taught by all teachers in all courses;
assessed
with
teacher
-made
rubrics
and/or
tests
)
Major Categories of Skills
A. Cross-curricular and/or Integrative Skills
Key Elements:
Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to
1. effectively communicate (listen, observe, read, write, discuss, present, explain,
persuade, defend)
- apply a variety of mathematical concepts and skills (logic, statistical interpretation,
plotting and analyzing graphs, concluding, predicting trends) to solve common day-to-day
problems
3. use a variety of higher order thinking skills (hypothesizing, estimating, analyzing,
classifying, synthesizing, evaluating,inferring, generalizing) to solve common
day-to-day problems
- set and achieve goals (brainstorm, envision, plan, research, manage time, persist,
complete)
- produce quality products (plan, organize, draft, evaluate, revise, improve, persist,
complete)
B. Technological Skills
Key Elements:
Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to
- use modern technology (computers, scanners, copiers, printers, calculators, audio/visual
tools, telephones, fax machines, calculators) to solve common, day-to-day problems
- apply basic computer applications (word processing, spreadsheet, database, graphics,
desktop publishing, Internet, e-mail) to produce quality products, including
- multimedia presentations (speeches, demonstrations, lectures)
- reports, bids, proposals, instructions, manuals
- research polls, surveys, checklists
- graphs, tables, charts, maps, illustrations, photographs
- letters (complaints, requests, replies, recommendations, applications, resumes)
- expository essays, research papers, literary works related to Ecology.
C. Life and/or Employability Skills
Key Elements:
Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to
- behave responsibly and produce quality products related to Ecology.
- attend, be punctual, follow directions, manage time, stay on task, meet deadlines
safely, effectively, efficiently, accurately use the work area, materials,
tools, & technology
- set short and long-term goals, plan, use higher order thinking skills, seek help,
persist
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- work well with others (cooperate, develop group unity, determine leadership roles,
contribute to group success, allow others to contribute, resolve group conflicts,
make group decisions)
- relate Ecology content and skills to your personal life and the lives of others
respect and treat others equally, from the perspective of the needs and rights
of all people
- responsibly examine (be aware, know resources, research, consider, discuss) current
Ecology issues and/or events that personally affect you or others
- effectively support opinions in productive ways (preplan, research, logically organize,
give specific examples, illustrate, recommend)
- use new knowledge, understanding, skills and tools to solve real life problems, make
decisions or choices , and predict logical consequences or possibilities
- . acquire career knowledge and skills related to employment opportunities in biology and ecological sciences.
- compare colleges, technical, or business schools (locations, size, costs, special
programs)
- apply for admission, complete applications for scholarships or other financial aids
- develop a four-year schedule of classes, including alternatives for those not available 6. present oneself in an employable manner
- wear appropriate dress and be physically well-groomed demonstrate good
speaking and/or interviewing skills
- complete all written forms (letter of application, resume, required forms, legal
documents) provide a portfolio that shows special products, skills, experiences,
achievements, awards
D. Cultural Relevance:
Alaska Content Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools: Student Standards A-E
Key Elements:
Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to
- respect ones own cultural heritage, traditions, and language
- interview elders in order to compile personal genealogies and/or a local history
- identify local cultural values and traditional responsibilities to the environment
- respect and live in tune with local cultural values and traditions
- build on local knowledge and skills to achieve future success in the world at large
by
- using methods from ones own traditions to learn about the world beyond ones village understanding
how the local culture relates to others in the area, state, nation, and world
- making appropriate choices regarding the long-term consequences of ones own actions
- participate in a variety of traditional activities related to the local culture,
including
- subsistence activities, arts and crafts, dance and music, sports and recreation
- community government, tribal, and church affairs
- total wellness programs (drug and alcohol free programs, parenting, nutrition, exercise)
- engage in family-related activities based on traditional ways of knowing and learning,
including
- consistent, respectful, loving interactions with Parents and Elders that show appreciation of
their roles as providers and care givers, culture bearers, and educators in the community
- self-assess ones own strengths and needs in order to make appropriate life choice
- explain the processes, forces, and interactions of the world and its varied cultures,
including the
- interrelationships of the spiritual, natural, and human world
- geographical and ecological resources of the local environment
- impact of the environment on the origins of culture and ones personal cultural perspective
- the nature of diversity and the need for change over time
- cross-cultural influences, interactions, conflicts, communications, and resolutions
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AND MATERIALS
A. Community Resources Related to Course
Each individual and/or team of instructors, with the help of long time staff, students,
parents and other concerned community members should cooperatively compile and periodically
update a list of village elders,
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parents, local government leaders, business persons, and other concerned, active members
of the community willing to share their wealth of experiences, knowledge and skills.
If available, specific examples should be included now.
B.
Major Internet Web Site Addresses Related to Course
(a tiny sample)
C. Media Center: Southwest Region School District
Contact Roz Goodman, the Southwest Region Media Specialist, for help. She has
lists of materials related to specific subject areas and will help you find Internet
resources or other materials
- The Alaska State Framework for Social Studies Content Standards (This resource is full of
suggestions for activities, teaching/assessment strategies, lesson plans, web site
addresses etc.
)
- Teaching Study Skills & Strategies in High School (includes activities); Active
Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject (includes activities)
- Reconnecting Youth: A Peer Group Approach to Building Life Skills; Teaching Social
Studies With the Internet (booklet and CD ROM);
- Lion's Quest: Skills for Adolescence (instructional manual/student activities)
D. Itinerant Travel Kits and/or Permanent Core Skills Instructors' Materials
- Simulations and/or Activity Packets Related to Course
Is Democracy Fair? The Math of Voting & Apportionment; Delinquency: A Mock Trial;
Vandalism: A Mock Trial; A Mock Election.
- CD ROMs/Software Related to Course
U.S. Civics; Development of American Foreign Policy 1; Development of American Foreign
Policy 2; U.S. Government: First 200 Years 1, The U.S. Government: First 200 Years
2; The Oval Office (interactive, multi-media); Capital Hill (interactive, multi-media);.
- Text and/or Supplemental Books Related to Course
We the People; The Bill of Rights; Fact, Fantasy & Folklore Fairy Tales for Civic
Teachers; Loony Laws & Silly Statutes; The World's Wackiest Law Suits; Guilty or
Not Guilty: America's Legal System; Word Games on Law and Justice; American Government
Puzzles, Games and Activities; Civics and Government: Focus on Economics; Cross Examination:
An Introductory Booklet; Law in the Classroom; Preparing Citizens: Linking Authentic
Experiences and the Classroom; Tolerance for Diversity of Beliefs; Are You Liberal, Conservative or Confused? Opposing Viewpoints: The American Government; Opposing
Viewpoints: The Political Spectrum.
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(Assessment Guidelines and Grading still "under construction" and awaiting additional
in-put)
Teacher-made tests of content units will be required: pre-tests, quizzes, Unit Tests,
Final Exams
Processes/Skills will be assessed Rubrics, checklists, et.al.
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(The Following Still Needs Input, Thought, and Work)
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ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES AND GRADING
The primary goal of this class is to give all
students an opportunity to gain essential new knowledge, comprehension, and skills.
To determine if all
students are actually attaining this goal, regular, in-progress
assessment
of student progress will be part of daily in-progress activities and final student
projects.
- cooperatively develop traditional teacher-made daily/weekly quizzes, unit tests,
and final trimester exams
designed to measure student knowledge and comprehension of basic course content.
- cooperatively plan and consistently apply a variety of student performance assessments
(rubrics,
check-lists) to evaluate in-progress and summary student skill development.
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE TESTS
Minimum Requirements
: At the very least, course Content
will be regularly assessed with traditional
Teacher-made Tests
(multiple choice, completion, true/false, matching, short essay).
- daily or weekly Quizzes
should be given as part of normal, on-going classroom procedures.
- periodic reviews and subsequent summary Unit Exams
will be given in every course.
- comprehensive reviews and summary Trimester Final Exams
will be given in every course. Unit and Trimester Final Exams should measure
student retention and comprehension of the most
important
factual content (who, what, where, when, why, how) and
improvement of basic
skills (recall, reading, thinking, writing, calculating).
Suggestions:
- Pretest
or use the test-study-test
method
rather than simply study-test
. Pretesting at the start of a unit helps both students and teachers discover
What They Already Know
and What They Need to Learn
.
- Wh en necessary develop individualized tests to account for individual learning styles
and/or special learning difficulties. Consult Special Education teachers and
counselors for help.
- Reteach
and Retest
when needed to improve and/or reinforce student knowledge and comprehension.
- Promptly grade and review results of all quizzes, tests, or exams. Students want,
need, and have the right to quickly know how they have done on tests.
- Use tests as a teaching tool: require students to correct all factual errors and/or
process mistakes.
- Teach students How to Take Tests
. Important skills are involved and students need to learn them.
CRITERION-REFERENCED TESTS (CRT's)
- Core Skills
Language Arts and Mathematics teachers at the secondary level still have the duty
of teaching, testing, and accurately recording student progress on the district's
standardized CRT Tests
and are accountable for accurately recording student progress on these tests.
- Note:
Because all
secondary teachers are members of collaborative teams, all
secondary teachers are expected to assist their team partners help all
students successfully complete, at the very least, Banks 7 and 8
of the CRT's
.
STUDENT PERFORMANCE RUBRICS
- Rubrics
will be used to better teach and assess the development
of essential Skills
(listening, reading, speaking, critical thinking,writing, research, cooperative
group work, discussion, problem solving, decision-making, use of technology, social
behavior, employability, social behavior/citizenship, cultural relevance) and
to determine the quality
of final products
- Rubrics
must include clearly stated, easily understood directions, and specific information
about what students will be expected to do and learn. Quality standards and deadlines
should be included.
- Rubrics
will be assigned at the beginning of any activity whose major objective is the acquisition
and application of essential Skills. Carefully explain exactly how a particular
rubric will be used.
- Use rubrics as a teaching tool. Teach all
students how to use rubrics to self-assess the quality of their own work and/or
that of their classmates--and their teachers.
EXTRA CREDIT WORK
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In order to encourage students to pursue high level performances and quality products,
all
students who have completed required work, including any expected revisions, should
be given an opportunity and encouraged to do Extra Credit
work that might increase the depth and/or breadth of their understanding.
- Note that extra
does not
mean in place of
; rather, extra
means in addition to
. Students should thus be allowed and encouraged to voluntarily complete additional,
challenging tasks that might broaden or deepen their understanding.
- Assessment of Extra Credit
work should follow the same systematic guidelines and/or utilize the same type of
assessment rubrics
, tests, or other techniques used to evaluate required work.
GRADING
All
students will be held accountable for meeting the minimum requirements of all courses
and will earn grades based on their ability to demonstrate the acquisition of basic
content knowledge and comprehension, and their ability to apply specific essential
skills to produce quality finished products. Final Grades in all courses will follow
on a traditional "A", "B", "C", "D", "F", "I", system.
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