Environmental Science Extra Credit Opportunities—Ms. Faulkner
KEEP THIS PAGE IN YOUR BINDER FOR REFERENCE!
1. Current Events. You may read an article from a newspaper or magazine about environmental issues and fill out a
report about it. Issues covered may include energy use, climate change, natural resources, recycling, pollution, nature,
ecology, green technology, etc. If you are not sure whether an article fits these descriptions, check with me first. After
reading, find and fill out the Current Events form on the class website. Each form is worth up to 20
homework/classwork points; you may complete 2 per quarter. Answers must be thorough and show an honest effort to
receive full credit. IF THE ARTICLE IS NOT ABOUT AN ENVIRONMENTAL TOPIC, YOU WILL NOT
RECEIVE ANY CREDIT.
Suggestions for article sources: Discover magazine, National Geographic magazine, Scientific American magazine,
New York Times (Science Times section). If you find an article on the internet, it must be from an actual
publication such as these, and not from a blog or unofficial publication. (See Links section on the class website for
links to these publications). I have several issues of Discover and National Geographic magazines if you would like to
check out a copy; however, if you lose the magazine, you will not receive credit for your report until you replace it.
2. Book reports. Read a book on environmental issues from the approved list (or get my approval for books not on the
list). Fill out the Book Report form on the class website. Completed forms will be worth up to 50 homework/classwork
points; you may complete 1 per quarter. Answers must be thorough and show an honest effort to receive full credit. IF
YOU DO NOT GET MY APPROVAL FOR YOUR BOOK, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY CREDIT.
Approved Book List:
 Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson
 A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold
 Hunting for Frogs on Elston: And Other Tales from Field and Street, by Jerry Sullivan
 Miracle Under the Oaks: The Revival of Nature in America, by William K. Stevens
 Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey
 Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer
 Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, by William McDonough & Michael Braungart
 Tinkering with Eden: A Natural History of Exotics in America, by Kim Todd
 A Voice in our Wilderness, by John Husar
 The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan
 In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan
 Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year in Food Life, by Barbara Kingsolver
 Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv
 A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson
 Unbowed, by Wangari Maathai
 Prodigal Summer: A Novel, by Barbara Kingsolver
3. Habitat restoration volunteering. One Saturday or Sunday per quarter, I will supervise a volunteer workday at a local
forest preserve. At these workdays, you will learn about the native local ecosystems and how people are restoring them
to resemble their original conditions. The work includes cutting invasive trees and brush, and then stacking and burning
them in a bonfire. To receive 30 points of credit toward your lab grade, you must participate for the entire 3-hour
workday and write a 200-word reflection about your experience. You may attend all 4 workdays for credit.
4. Science Fair. Science Fair this year is on approximately December 8, 2010. If you complete a Science Fair project or
symposium paper, you can receive up to 10 percentage points (one letter grade) added to your final 1 st or 2nd semester
grade, based on your project’s final score. Science Fair documents and rules are posted on the class website under the
Science Fair link, and it is recommended you attend Science Club meetings to receive help in planning your project.
Science Club meets in Room 354 Tuesdays during 9th period, and Wednesdays during 9th and 10th periods. You may
also write an essay for the State Essay Contest (this year’s topic: Science of Music). It should be 1,200 to 1,500 words
long, and you may receive up to 5 percentage points added to your semester grade.
5. Environmental Clubs. There are several environmentally-themed clubs at Curie: Nature Club (run by Ms. Faulkner),
the Curie Composting Program (also run by Ms. Faulkner), Ecology Club, Green Action Alliance, Marie’s Garden
Club, and others. I will give extra credit for regular attendance at club meetings and activities for any of these clubs.
Please see me for details and contact information.