Unit 1 Alignment with National Science Standards

Unit 1 Learning Goal
Students will learn to develop a land use plan that balances the needs of a fragile ecosystem and the needs of a growing human population. To support their plans, students will apply knowledge of food webs, interdependent relationships, growth in human populations, and patterns of resource use. Students will justify their plans using evidence.

Environmental Science Concepts

Population
1.  Students will understand that Earth's human population has been growing rapidly, due to a variety of social, political, and environmental factors.

NSES: F2a, F5b
AAAS: 7C1, 7C2

Carrying Capacity
2.  Students will understand that populations are dependent on resources from their local environment to survive.

3.  Students will calculate how Americans, on average, use far more resources per capita than people from other countries.

NSES: C4d, F1c, F1e, F2c, F5d
AAAS: 3C4

Energy, Water and Land Resources
4.  Students will understand that a combination of climate and resource availability has been an important factor in determining the location and size of human settlements. Students will identify technology as a driving force in allowing humans to inhabit new areas of the planet.

5.  Students will identify energy, water and land as limited resources on Earth.

NSES: C5e, D1a, F3a, F3b, F3c
AAAS: 4B2, 5E2, 8C4, 8C5

Ecosystems
6.  Students will understand that land that may seem vacant is often alive with animal habitats, plant communities, and thriving ecosystems.

7.  Students will understand that energy is transferred between animals and plants through trophic levels. Students will identify the sun as the source of energy for living systems.

8.  Students will understand that animals and plants are interconnected in ecosystems in ways other than energy transfer. Students will understand that these relationships can be beneficial or harmful, and can include non-living parts of the ecosystem.

9.  Students will understand that disturbances to ecosystems can be manmade or natural, can cause anything from small changes to the catastrophic demise of a system.

NSES: C4b, C4c, C4e, C5b
AAAS: 5D1, 5D2, 5D3, 5E3

Scientific Practices

Working with Data and Representations
1.  Students will construct and interpret various representations of data, including data tables, graphs, and scientific visualizations.

2.  Students will learn to use geographic information systems (GIS) software to view, interpret, and manipulate large datasets.

NSES: A1c, A1d, A2c
AAAS: 11C1, 12B3, 12B4, 12B5, 12B6, 12C2, 12D3, 12D7, 12E2

Environmental Decision Making
3.  Students will learn a systematic approach to decision making; when faced with a problem they will analyze the situation, determine their goals, consider their options, evaluate the consequences, consider stakeholder interests, and make a decision.

4.  Students will understand the complex nature of environmental decisions, including their basis in both scientific evidence and values-based opinions.

NSES: A1e, E1b, E1d, F5d, F6a, F6b, F6c, F6d, G1c
AAAS: 1.A.3, 3.B.4, 3.C.3, 7.C.2, 7.D.1, 7.D.2, 7.D.3, 8.C.2, 8.C.5, 12.E.3, 12.E.4, 12.E.5, 12.E.6

Observation and Measurement
5.  Students will carry out scientific procedures, using appropriate measurements and careful observations.

NSES: A1e, E1b, E1d, F5d, F6a, F6b, F6c, F6d, G1c
AAAS: 1.A.3, 3.B.4, 3.C.3, 7.C.2, 7.D.1, 7.D.2, 7.D.3, 8.C.2, 8.C.5, 12.E.3, 12.E.4, 12.E.5, 12.E.6

Communication of Scientific Information
6.  Students will communicate the results of experiments and decisions in a clear and understandable manner.

NSES: A1f, A2f, E1e
AAAS: 12.D.1, 12.D.2, 12.D.3, 12.D.6, 12.D.7