Curriculum Guide
for
Environmental Science
Content Area: Environmental
Essential Questions:
Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title:
Science Practices
?
Unit Overview: learn knowledge and an evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge.
Standards
/
CPI’s
Unit Learning Targets As a result of
this segment of learning, students will…
Lessons and Activities The
learning experiences that will facilitate
engagement and achievement
Evidence of Learning
Resources Books, articles, text, etc.
5.1.12.A.1
Refine interrelationships among
concepts and patterns of evidence
found in different central scientific
explanations
See Actives in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.5, 5.3.12.B.6,
5.3.12.C.1, 5.4.12.C.2, and
5.4.12.F.2
See Evidence in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.5, 5.3.12.B.6,
5.3.12.C.1, 5.4.12.C.2, and
5.4.12.F.2
See Resources in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.5, 5.3.12.B.6,
5.3.12.C.1, 5.4.12.C.2, and
5.4.12.F.2
5.1.12.A.2
Develop and use mathematical,
physical, and computational tools to
build evidence-based models and to
pose theories.
See Actives in: 5.3.12.B.2,
5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C2,
5.4.12.E.1, 5.4.12.F.2, and
5.4.12.G.3
See Evidence in: 5.3.12.B.2,
5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C2,
5.4.12.E.1, 5.4.12.F.2, and
5.4.12.G.3
See Resources in: 5.3.12.B.2,
5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C2,
5.4.12.E.1, 5.4.12.F.2, and
5.4.12.G.3
5.1.12.A.3
Use scientific principles and theories
to build and refine standards for data
collection, posing controls, and
presenting evidence.
See Actives in: 5.3.12.B.2,
5.3.12.C2 and 5.4.12.G.3
See Evidence in: 5.3.12.B.2,
5.3.12.C2 and 5.4.12.G.3
See Resources in: 5.3.12.B.2,
5.3.12.C2 and 5.4.12.G.3
5.1.12.B.1
Design investigations, collect
evidence, analyze data, and evaluate
evidence to determine measures of
central tendencies, causal/correlation
relationships, and anomalous data.
See Actives in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.2, 5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.4,
5.3.12.B.5, 5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C1,
5.3.12.C2, 5.4.12.C.2, 5.4.12.E.1,
5.4.12.E.2, 5.4.12.F.2, 5.4.12.F.3,
5.4.12.G.1, 5.4.12.G.2, 5.4.12.G.3,
5.4.12.G.4, and 5.4.12.G.6
See Evidence in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.2, 5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.4,
5.3.12.B.5, 5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C1,
5.3.12.C2, 5.4.12.C.2, 5.4.12.E.1,
5.4.12.E.2, 5.4.12.F.2, 5.4.12.F.3,
5.4.12.G.1, 5.4.12.G.2, 5.4.12.G.3,
5.4.12.G.4, and 5.4.12.G.6
See Resources in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.2, 5.3.12.B.3,
5.3.12.B.4, , 5.3.12.B.6,
5.3.12.C1, 5.3.12.C2,
5.4.12.C.2, 5.4.12.F.2, ,
5.4.12.G.1, 5.4.12.G.3,
5.4.12.G.4, and 5.4.12.G.6
Content Area: Environmental
Essential Questions:
Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title:
Science Practices
?
Unit Overview: learn knowledge and an evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge.
Standards
/
CPI’s
Unit Learning Targets As a result of
this segment of learning, students will…
Lessons and Activities The
learning experiences that will facilitate
engagement and achievement
Evidence of Learning
Resources Books, articles, text, etc.
5.1.12.B.2
Build, refine, and represent evidencebased models using mathematical,
physical, and computational tools.
See Actives in: 5.3.12.B.2,
5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C2,
5.4.12.E.1, 5.4.12.F.2, and
5.4.12.G.3
See Evidence in: 5.3.12.B.2,
5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C2,
5.4.12.E.1, 5.4.12.F.2, and
5.4.12.G.3
See Resources in: 5.3.12.B.2,
5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C2,
5.4.12.E.1, 5.4.12.F.2, and
5.4.12.G.3
5.1.12.B.3
Revise predictions and explanations
using evidence, and connect
explanations/ arguments to established
scientific knowledge, models, and
theories
See Actives in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.C2,and
5.4.12.G.4
See Evidence in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.C2,and
5.4.12.G.4
See Resources in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.C2,and
5.4.12.G.4
5.1.12.C.1
Reflect on and revise understandings
as new evidence emerges.
Weekly current events articles in
science that students will have to
describe to the class and then the
class will discuss
The students will be evacuated on
their participation in the scientific
article discussion
Science Daily, The Records,
New York Times, or any
other newspaper with a
science section
5.1.12.C.2
Use data representations and new
models to revise predictions and
explanations.
See Actives in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C.2,
and 5.4.12.G.3
See Evidence in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C.2,
and 5.4.12.G.3
See Resources in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.6,
5.3.12.C.2, and 5.4.12.G.3
5.1.12.C.3
Consider alternative theories to
interpret and evaluate evidence-based
arguments
Students will be assigned a
controversial environmental issue
and then debate the different sides
of the issue
The information provided to
support their side of the
environmental issue
World book and any internet
search engine the students
want
Content Area: Environmental
Essential Questions:
Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title:
Science Practices
?
Unit Overview: learn knowledge and an evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge.
Standards
/
CPI’s
Unit Learning Targets As a result of
this segment of learning, students will…
Lessons and Activities The
learning experiences that will facilitate
engagement and achievement
Evidence of Learning
Resources Books, articles, text, etc.
5.1.12.D.1
Engage in multiple forms of discussion
in order to process, make sense of, and
learn from others’ ideas, observations,
and experiences
See Actives in: : 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.2, 5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.4,
5.3.12.B.5, 5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C1,
5.3.12.C2, 5.4.12.C.2, 5.4.12.E.1,
5.4.12.E.2, 5.4.12.F.2, 5.4.12.F.3,
5.4.12.G.1, 5.4.12.G.2, 5.4.12.G.3,
5.4.12.G.4, and 5.4.12.G.6
See Evidence in: : 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.2, 5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.4,
5.3.12.B.5, 5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C1,
5.3.12.C2, 5.4.12.C.2, 5.4.12.E.1,
5.4.12.E.2, 5.4.12.F.2, 5.4.12.F.3,
5.4.12.G.1, 5.4.12.G.2, 5.4.12.G.3,
5.4.12.G.4, and 5.4.12.G.6
See Resources in: : 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.2, 5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.4,
5.3.12.B.5, 5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C1,
5.3.12.C2, 5.4.12.C.2, 5.4.12.E.1,
5.4.12.E.2, 5.4.12.F.2, 5.4.12.F.3,
5.4.12.G.1, 5.4.12.G.2, 5.4.12.G.3,
5.4.12.G.4, and 5.4.12.G.6
5.1.12.D.2
Represent ideas using literal
representations, such as graphs, tables,
journals, concept maps, and diagrams.
See Actives in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C1,
5.4.12.E.1, 5.4.12.F.2, 5.4.12.G.1,
5.4.12.G.3, and 5.4.12.G.4
See Evidence in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.6, 5.3.12.C1,
5.4.12.E.1, 5.4.12.F.2, 5.4.12.G.1,
5.4.12.G.3, and 5.4.12.G.4
See Resources in: 5.3.12.B.1,
5.3.12.B.3, 5.3.12.B.6,
5.3.12.C1, 5.4.12.E.1,
5.4.12.F.2, 5.4.12.G.1,
5.4.12.G.3, and 5.4.12.G.4
5.1.12.D.3
Demonstrate how to use scientific
tools and instruments and knowledge
of how to handle animals with respect
for their safety and welfare.
See Actives in: 5.4.12.C.2,
5.4.12.F.2, 5.4.12.F.3, and
5.4.12.G.3
See Evidence in: 5.4.12.C.2,
5.4.12.F.2, 5.4.12.F.3, and
5.4.12.G.3
See Resources in:
5.4.12.C.2, 5.4.12.F.2, 5.
4.12.F.3, and 5.4.12.G.3
Content Area: Environmental
Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title:
Matter and Energy Transformations
Essential Questions:
To what extent does understanding the flow of matter and energy through living systems effect personal and
public policy decisions?
Unit Overview
Student will discover the conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life
on Earth.
Standards/
CPI’s
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
segment of learning, students will…
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences
that will facilitate engagement and achievement
Evidence of
Learning
Resources Books,
articles, text, etc.
Content Area: Environmental
Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title:
Matter and Energy Transformations
Essential Questions:
To what extent does understanding the flow of matter and energy through living systems effect personal and
public policy decisions?
Unit Overview
Student will discover the conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life
on Earth.
Standards/
CPI’s
5.3.12.B.1
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
segment of learning, students will…
Cite evidence that the transfer and
transformation of matter and energy links
organisms to one another and to their
physical setting.
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences
that will facilitate engagement and achievement
Food Web Activity- using string allow students
to follow the transfer of energy in the ecosystem
between organisms. The string represent energy
and students will be able to feel when there is a
change in energy
Building Food Web Activity: Students will be
assigned organisms and have to figure out the
connections between them.
Evidence of
Learning
Posters of food webs
for assigned
ecosystem
Participation in
debate on whether
we should use DDT.
Use mathematical formulas to justify the
concept of an efficient diet.
Limiting Nutrients Lab- students grow different
species of algae in isolation in a medium
containing different nutrients. For each algal
species they have to figure out which nutrient is
limiting, and what happens when that nutrients
is increased.
Math Skills Builder Practice Problems on
energy lost in tropic levels
Group Activity -use an on-line grocery store to
calculate the cost per calorie on a meat diet and
articles, text, etc.
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook: Ch 4
Pg 98- 114
Ch 5 Pg 124-131
Build your own
food web:
http://www.gould.
edu.au/foodwebs/
kids_web.htm
Case Study on DDT in an Aquatic Food Chain
where students will read an article about how
DDT biomagnifications
5.3.12.B.2
Resources Books,
Lab Write-Up
Answers to practice
math problems
Decrease in
trophic levels:
http://www.eco
marres.com/FD
MFW2.html
Analysis of diet cost.
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook: Page
131
Content Area: Environmental
Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title:
Matter and Energy Transformations
Essential Questions:
To what extent does understanding the flow of matter and energy through living systems effect personal and
public policy decisions?
Unit Overview
Student will discover the conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life
on Earth.
Standards/
CPI’s
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
segment of learning, students will…
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences
that will facilitate engagement and achievement
Evidence of
Learning
Resources Books,
articles, text, etc.
a grain diet.
5.3.12.B.3
Predict what would happen to an
ecosystem if an energy source was
removed.
Food Web Activity- using string allow students
to follow the transfer of energy in the ecosystem
between organisms. The string represent energy
and students will be able to feel when there is a
change in energy
Quiz on food webs
and food chains.
Building Food Web Activity: Students will be
assigned organisms and have to figure out the
connections between them.
5.3.12.B.4
Explain how environmental factors (such
as temperature, light intensity, and the
amount of water available) can affect
photosynthesis as an energy storing
process.
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook: Page
125-131
Build your own
food web:
http://www.gould.
edu.au/foodwebs/
kids_web.htm
Make a connection web of a local animal with
all of its interactions.
Student’s brainstorm
on animal
connections
Organism biographies students pick their
favorite organism and pick their favorite
organism and write three chapters, one on
habitat, second on population and survival and
the third on abiotic characteristics that are
crucial.
Write Biographies
Section 4.1 and 4.2
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook:
Chapter 4 Section
1 and Chapter 5
Section 1
World Book
Content Area: Environmental
Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title:
Matter and Energy Transformations
Essential Questions:
To what extent does understanding the flow of matter and energy through living systems effect personal and
public policy decisions?
Unit Overview
Student will discover the conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life
on Earth.
Standards/
CPI’s
5.3.12.B.5:
5.3.12.B.6:
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
segment of learning, students will…
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences
that will facilitate engagement and achievement
Investigate and describe the
complementary relationship (cycling of
matter and flow of energy) between
photosynthesis and cellular respiration
Skill building worksheet. On identifying
consumers vs. producers.
Explain how the process of cellular
respiration is similar to the burning of
fossil fuels
Have students draw a diagram of both a
human’s intake and outtake through respiration,
and an engines intake and outtake through
combustion.
Evidence of
Learning
Worksheet on
producers and
consumers.
Comparing photosynthesis and cellular
respiration formulas.
Diagrams and their
maps.
Resources Books,
articles, text, etc.
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook:
Chapter 5.1
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook:
Chapter 5.1
Website:
http://caferguson.
wordpress.com/2
010/10/27/lecture
-102510/
http://pbjots.blogs
pot.com/2008/07/
electric-vscombustionengine.html
Content Area: Environmental
Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title:
Matter and Energy Transformations
Essential Questions:
To what extent does understanding the flow of matter and energy through living systems effect personal and
public policy decisions?
Unit Overview
Student will discover the conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life
on Earth.
Standards/
CPI’s
5.3.12.C1
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
segment of learning, students will…
Analyze the interrelationships and
interdependencies among different
organisms, and explain how these
relationships contribute to the stability of
the ecosystem.
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences
that will facilitate engagement and achievement
Make a connection web of a local animal with
all of its interactions
Food Web Activity- using string allow students
to follow the transfer of energy in the ecosystem
between organisms. The string represent energy
and students will be able to feel when there is a
change in energy
Building Food Web Activity: Students will be
assigned organisms and have to figure out the
connections between them.
Evidence of
Learning
Students completed
food webs for local
area and assigned
group area
Food web test
Resources Books,
articles, text, etc.
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook:
Chapters 4 and 5
Students ability to
connect the different
organisms in a
garden
Students will
have to have the
ability to do an
on-line search of
their assigned
location
Students list of
selected
characteristics for
Holt’s
Environmental
Give students a list of specific garden organisms
and ask students to all the possible connections
Give the students work in groups, assign each
group a different location and then have the
students determine a food web for that area
5.3.12.C.2
Model how natural and human-made
changes in the environment will affect
individual organisms and the dynamics of
Have students pick a flower or vegetable and
research the plant from which it originated.
Have students then compare the differences
Content Area: Environmental
Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title:
Matter and Energy Transformations
Essential Questions:
To what extent does understanding the flow of matter and energy through living systems effect personal and
public policy decisions?
Unit Overview
Student will discover the conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life
on Earth.
Standards/
CPI’s
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
segment of learning, students will…
populations.
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences
that will facilitate engagement and achievement
Evidence of
Learning
between the artificially selected plant and the
original.
their plant.
Students will define a keystone species then use
the internet to identify a keystone species then
students will write a report on how that species
affects the species around it.
Students report on a
keystone species
Students will identify the four main ways that
humans affect extinction then brainstorm a list
of different species that have been effected by
extinction cause
Completed
brainstorm list of
species affected by a
human process.
Students will pick one species off their
brainstorm list and use Microsoft publisher to
create a pamphlet on how to save their species.
The pamphlet will include : animal description,
location, food source, reason for endangerment,
and ways to help the species
The finished
pamphlet will count
as a test grade
Resources Books,
articles, text, etc.
Science
Textbook:
Chapters 5.2,
10.1, 10.2
Online internet
search engine of
the student choice
Microsoft
publisher
Content Area: Environmental Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title: Properties of Earth
Essential Questions: Why is it important to think in terms of systems when considering environmental issues?
Unit Overview
Materials
Earth operates as a set of complex, dynamic, and interconnected systems, and is a part of the all-encompassing system
of the universe.
Standards/
CPI’s
5.4.12.C.2
5.4.12.E.1
Evidence of
Learning
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
segment of learning, students will…
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences
that will facilitate engagement and achievement
Analyze the vertical structure of
Earth’s atmosphere, and account for the
global, regional, and local variations of
these characteristics and their impact
on life.
Students will make convection current using
beakers. The students will fill 2 beakers with
cold water and 2 with warm water then put
yellow dye in the warm water and blue dye in
the cold water. Students will in one case pour
the warm into the cold and in the other pour the
cold into the warm
Students write up of
their observations of
the convection
current.
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook:
Chapters 3.2 and
13.
Cover a globe with flour has the students spin
the globe in a counterclockwise direction while
using a dropper to drop water on the north pole.
Students will
describe the tracks
made by the water
Globe and flour
Color pictures of each of the cycles and on that
picture write what is happening next to each
arrow.
Labeled picture of
each of the cycles
Math Skills Builder Practice Problems on
energy lost in tropic levels
Answers to practice
math problems
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook:
Chapter 5
Model and explain the physical science
principles that account for the global
energy budget.
Resources Books,
articles, text, etc.
Princeton Review
Biology Coloring
Book
5.4.12.E.2
Predict what the impact on biogeochemical
systems would be if there were an increase
or decrease in internal and external energy.
Food Web Activity- using string allow students
to follow the transfer of energy in the ecosystem
between organisms. The string represent energy
Quiz on food webs
and food chains.
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook:
Chapter 5
Content Area: Environmental
Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title:
Matter and Energy Transformations
Essential Questions:
To what extent does understanding the flow of matter and energy through living systems effect personal and
public policy decisions?
Unit Overview
Student will discover the conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life
on Earth.
Standards/
CPI’s
5.4.12.F.2
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
segment of learning, students will…
Explain how the climate in regions
throughout the world is affected by
seasonal weather patterns, as well as other
factors, such as the addition of greenhouse
gases to the atmosphere and proximity to
mountain ranges and to the ocean
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences
that will facilitate engagement and achievement
Evidence of
Learning
Resources Books,
articles, text, etc.
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook:
Chapter 3.2, 6, 7,
and 13
Students will make presentations pretending
they are travel agents trying to sell you land in
their assigned biome, during presentation
students will describe the biomes location,
climate, and species adaptations
Each students
presentation will
count as a test for
chapters 6 and 7
Students will diagram the greenhouse effect
Labeled greenhouse
diagram
Students will pick a west coast city and draw a
line graph of its annual precipitation over the
span of four decades. The students will then
note the five years with the highest annual
precipitation and finally students will infer
which years may have been El Nino years
Precipitation graph
and analysis
questions on graph
Internet search
engine
Have students look at satellite images of the
Pacific Northwest and answers question based
on where the students see vegetation growth.
Answers to
questions on satellite
images
Satellite images of the
Pacific Northwest from
the U.S. Geological
Survey
Model seasonal change in light by moving a
globe around a light source
Test on weather
patterns and causes
of change in weather
Content Area: Environmental
Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title:
Matter and Energy Transformations
Essential Questions:
To what extent does understanding the flow of matter and energy through living systems effect personal and
public policy decisions?
Unit Overview
Student will discover the conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life
on Earth.
Standards/
CPI’s
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
segment of learning, students will…
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences
that will facilitate engagement and achievement
Evidence of
Learning
Resources Books,
articles, text, etc.
patterns
5.4.12.F.3
Explain variations in the global energy
budget and hydrologic cycle at the local,
regional, and global scales.
Hydrothermal vent: Fill a large glass container
with cold water tie one end of a piece of string
around a neck of a small bottle. Fill the small
bottle with hot water and food coloring. Keep
the small bottle upright as you lower it into the
glass container.
Students written
observations of the
hydrothermal vent
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook:
Chapter 3.2 and
11
5.4.12.G.1
Analyze and explain the sources and
impact of a specific industry on a large
body of water
Students will draw a map of their state and draw
in where the aquifers exist
Students completed
aquifer drawing
USGS Internet
resources
5.4.12.G.2
Explain the unintended consequences of
harvesting natural resources from an
ecosystem.
Exotic Species: bring in pictures of various
exotic organisms that are sold as pets or décor.
Have students discuss if they have ever seen
these organisms and how they think they were
obtained
Participation in
group discussions
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook:
Chapter 10 and
15
Content Area: Environmental
Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title:
Matter and Energy Transformations
Essential Questions:
To what extent does understanding the flow of matter and energy through living systems effect personal and
public policy decisions?
Unit Overview
Student will discover the conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life
on Earth.
Standards/
CPI’s
5.4.12.G.3
5.4.12.G.4
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
segment of learning, students will…
Demonstrate, using models, how internal
and external sources of energy drive
the hydrologic, carbon, nitrogen,
phosphorus, sulfur, and oxygen cycles
Compare over time the impact of human
activity on the cycling of matter and
energy through ecosystems
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences
that will facilitate engagement and achievement
Evidence of
Learning
Carbon cycle: Pour water into beaker adds
several drops of bromthymol blue. Exhale
through straw into solution until it turns yellow.
Pour yellow solution into test tube with Elodea.
Stopper the test tube and place in sun. Observe
the test tube every 15 min and record the
observations.
Observations of
Elodea test tube
Have the students use the diagrams in the book
and list the similarities and differences of the
carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles
Analysis of the
similarities and
differences of the
cycles
Students will color the diagrams of the
hydrologic, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus,
sulfur, and oxygen cycles then use red sharpies
to add in human activities to the diagram.
Student will then discuss how the human
activities affect the different cycles
Students completed
diagrams and
participation in
classroom
discussion
Watch the movie “The inconvenient truth”
Paper on the movie
“The inconvenient
truth”
Resources Books,
articles, text, etc.
Holt’s
Environmental
Science
Textbook:
Chapter 5.2
Beakers,
bromthymol blue,
straws, Elodea
The biology
coloring book by
Princeton Review
and red markers
the movie “The
inconvenient
truth”
I
Content Area: Environmental
Science
Target Course/Grade level: 10-12
Unit Title:
Matter and Energy Transformations
Essential Questions:
To what extent does understanding the flow of matter and energy through living systems effect personal and
public policy decisions?
Unit Overview
Student will discover the conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life
on Earth.
Standards/
CPI’s
5.4.12.G.6
Evidence of
Learning
Unit Learning Targets As a result of this
segment of learning, students will…
Lessons and Activities The learning experiences
that will facilitate engagement and achievement
Resources Books,
Assess (using scientific, economic, and
other data) the potential environmental
impact of large-scale adoption of emerging
technologies
Students will due an internet search to find a
new technology that is environmentally helpful.
Students will then use consumer reports,
manufacturer information and governmental
information to write a report on their new
technology
The completed
research report
nternet search
engine of the
student choice
Watch the movie “Who killed the electric car?”
and write a opinion paper on the effect on the
environment of stopping production of the
electric car in the 90’s
Completed opinion
paper
DVD of “Who
killed the electric
car?”
articles, text, etc.