ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE UBD

Title of Unit
Curriculum Area
Developed By

Environmental Science
Science
M Penarroyo

Grade Level
Time Frame

10th
1st semester

Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)

Content Standards

Use a computational representation of phenomena or design solutions to describe and/or support claims and/or explanations. (HS-ESS3-6)
Construct an explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources (including students own investigations, models, theories,
simulations, peer review) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so
in the future. (HS-ESS3-1)
Design or refine a solution to a complex real-world problem, based on scientific knowledge, student-generated sources of evidence, prioritized criteria, and
tradeoff considerations. (HS-ESS3-4)
Evaluate competing design solutions to a real-world problem based on scientific ideas and principles, empirical evidence, and logical arguments regarding
relevant factors (e.g. economic, societal, environmental, ethical considerations). (HS-ESS3-2)
Science investigations use diverse methods and do not always use the same set of procedures to obtain data (HS- ESS3-5)
New technologies advance scientific knowledge. (HS-ESS3-5)

CCSS:
RST.11-12.1
RST.11-12.2
RST.11-12.7
RST.11-12.8
WHST.912.2

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author
makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account. (HS-ESS3-1),(HS-ESS3-2),(HS-ESS3-4),(HS-ESS3-5)
Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a
text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms. (HS-ESS3-5)
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video,
multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem. (HS-ESS3-5)
Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and
corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information. (HS-ESS3-2),(HS-ESS3-4)
Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or
technical processes. (HS-ESS3-1)

Understandings
Overarching Understanding

As matter and energy flow through different organizational

levels of living systems, chemical elements are recombined in
different ways to form different products. (HS-LS1-6),(HS-LS1-7)

Ecosystems have carrying capacities, which are limits to the

numbers of organisms and populations they can support. These

Essential Questions
How does my action impact the environment? Do I really care?
How do environmental issues influence citizen decisions in their
daily lives?

limits result from such factors as the availability of living and

nonliving resources and from such challenges such as predation,
competition, and disease. Organisms would have the capacity to
produce populations of great size were it not for the fact that
environments and resources are finite. This fundamental tension
affects the abundance (number of individuals) of species in any
given ecosystem. (HS-LS2-1),(HS-LS2-2)

A complex set of interactions within an ecosystem can keep

its numbers and types of organisms relatively constant over long
periods of time under stable conditions. If a modest biological or
physical disturbance to an ecosystem occurs, it may return to its
more or less original status (i.e., the ecosystem is resilient), as
opposed to becoming a very different ecosystem. Extreme
fluctuations in conditions or the size of any population, however,
can challenge the functioning of ecosystems in terms of resources
and habitat availability. (HS-LS2-2),(HS-LS2-6)

Moreover, anthropogenic changes (induced by human

activity) in the environmentincluding habitat destruction,
pollution, introduction of invasive species, overexploitation, and
climate changecan disrupt an ecosystem and threaten the
survival of some species. (HS-LS2-7)

Biodiversity is increased by the formation of new species

(speciation) and decreased by the loss of species (extinction).
(secondary to HS-LS2-7)

Humans depend on the living world for the resources and

other benefits provided by biodiversity. But human activity is also
having adverse impacts on biodiversity through overpopulation,
overexploitation, habitat destruction, pollution, introduction of
invasive species, and climate change. Thus sustaining biodiversity
so that ecosystem functioning and productivity are maintained is
essential to supporting and enhancing life on Earth. Sustaining
biodiversity also aids humanity by preserving landscapes of
recreational or inspirational value. (secondary to HS-LS2-7)

When evaluating solutions, it is important to take into

account a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and
aesthetics, and to consider social, cultural, and environmental
impacts. (HS-ETS1-3)

Knowledge

Skills

Students will know

Students will be able to

Key terms organic matter, consumer, producer,

decomposer, organism, population, community, trophic
levels, nitrogen cycle, carbon cycle, carbon, nitrogen,
succession, biodiversity, ecosystem, ecosystem equilibrium,
greenhouse effect, global warming, reproductive capacity,
population, population dynamics, abiotic factors, carrying
capacity, exponential growth

The laws governing the conservation of matter and energy.

The trophic level system of ecology.

Types of producers, consumers and decomposers and types

of interactions between organisms.

Types of human impact on the environment. Variables

influencing environmental change.

Types of natural succession.

Types of reproductive strategies.

Creating an exponential growth curve.

Types of common population graphs.

populations and biodiversity can be analyzed using

mathematical expressions.

ecosystems remain mostly the same unless affected by an

extreme event.

humans can have both positive and negative effects on the

environment and biodiversity.

learn the two most common formats for citing references

using the website www.citationmachine.net

search for information on the Web and sort the reliable

information from the rest.

hone their ability to properly read, write, present and

comprehend ideas using several mediums and present to
different audiences.

work together with people of their choice or with people

assigned to them. They will learn how to share, advocate
and compromise on issues that are important to their
success individually or as a team.

use their imagination to explore, refine and improve

original or existing ideas.

experiment on new and old concepts while processing

information until a solution has been reached,

demonstrate proper use of technology, become aware of

what is going on locally and globally and develop
maturely.

Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)

Performance Task Description
Goal
Role
Audience
Situation
Product/Performan
ce
Standards

To develop ways to protect their part of the world and come up with efficient solutions to different
environmental issues that we are facing in the 21st century.
Citizen scientist
School, community
Students are faced with different environmental issues that they need to confront and provide solutions.
Ecological Footprint project, PSA, Build-A- Biome, Dream Ecosystem Project
Your work will be judged by the accuracy of the information presented on the issue, the feasibility of the
proposed plan, and the quality of the presentation. You will be scored using different rubrics for each project.

Other Evidence
Experiments, lab reports, web quests, reflections, online research, etc

From: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (ppk)