IB ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS AND SOCIETIES (IBESS) WASHINGTON-LEE HIGH SCHOOL 2017-2018 Instructors: Mr. Ryan Miller E-Mail: ryan.miller@apsva.us Phone: 703.228.6200 (please leave message with school administrative assistant) Office Hours: Generals Period, before school and or during second lunch Course Website: https://washingtonlee.apsva.us/post/staff/miller-ryan-overview/ess/ TEXT: Botkin & Keller Earth as a Living Planet 9 th Edition (Wiley); IB Environmental Systems and Societies Course Book: 2015 edition: (Oxford IB Diploma Program) COURSE DESCRIPTION, OBJECTIVES, AND GOALS: IB Environmental Systems and Societies (SL) is a full-year double block period, two-credit course for grades 11 & 12. It is a rigorous study of environmental issues and problems caused by our use of the natural world. In addition to studying ecological principles that are basic to our understanding of environmental interactions and the flow of matter and energy in ecosystems, the course seeks to develop skills in empirical, quantitative and objective data collection needed to describe and analyze environmental systems. The course also works to examine the belief structure people have with respect to human use of the natural world. This course is weighted by applying an additional 1.0 quantity point value assigned to the final grade upon successful completion. Topics to be investigated and mastered throughout the year include: Systems Ecosystems Global Cycles Human Populations Natural Resource Use Scientific Analysis Biodiversity Pollution Management Environmental Values COURSE STRATEGIES: Environmental Systems and Societies will be taught using a variety of methods which are designed to encourage and foster, within the student, opinions and responses to course concepts and ideas. Strategies include: Laboratories Assigned Observations Student Presentations/Mini-Lectures Class Demonstrations Computer Work Student Notebooks Class Lectures Field Work Individual and Group Projects Assigned Readings Current Event Activities Field Trips
EVALUATION PROCEDURES: Student progress will be assessed by both Washington-Lee faculty, (the Arlington Public Schools Grade reported by the school system,) and by the International Baccalaureate, which is the grade awarded by the organization (1-7). W-L quarterly grades for each student will be rounded up when a student s grade percentage is.5 or greater. All students enrolled in the course are eligible, per school rules, to receive exemption from a W-L course final exam upon successful completion of the course and IB test in May. Student grades reflect student achievement and not student behavior. Student letter grades (each quarter) will be determined by the following criteria: W-L ACADEMIC GRADE (APS/SCHOOL QUATERLY GRADE) COURSE COMPONENT APPROXIMATE PERCENT OF QUARTER GRADE Assessments (Exams/Quizzes) 40% Class Activities: Labs, Projects, Assignments 30% Binder/Journal 20% Class Participation 10% TOTAL 100 % GRADING SCALE A= 100-90 B+=89-87 B= 86-80 C+=79-77 C=76-70 D+=69-67 D=66-60 E=59 and below Final course grades will be determined by taking the average of the academic performance of each student for the four academic quarters of the school year. IB GRADE (INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ASSESSMENTS) 75 % of IB GRADE WILL BE DETERMINED BY STUDENT PERFORMANCE ON: IB EXAM (MAY) PAPERS 1 & 2 25 % of IB GRADE WILL BE DETERMINED BY STUDENT PERFORMANCE ON: EXTERNAL REVIEW/ANALYSIS OF IB LABORATORY WORK GRADING SCALE LOWEST SCORE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 HIGHEST SCORE
MATERIALS: It is expected that you will come to class prepared to actively participate in group work, lectures, laboratories, and computer work. It is required that you bring your student binder and notebook journal to class every day to enter all class notes, handouts, and completed work. The following course materials will be needed on a daily basis: 3 inch three ring binder with at least 10 dividers pen/pencil etc. three ringed multi-section notebook with lined paper LATE WORK: It is important to complete all assignments in a timely manner. Therefore, late work will not be accepted unless the absence or tardy has been excused/approved by the school (e.g. sickness, college visit). If you have an excused absence(s) or tardy, you have THREE (3) days to turn in the missing assignment, and missed assessments (THIS INCLUDES MISSED EXAMS AND QUIZZES). CLASSROOM COMPUTERS: All computers in the classroom are to be treated with respect and concern. Under no circumstances are the screensavers, wallpaper, or any piece of software or hardware to be modified, changed, or deleted. ATTENDANCE POLICY: First and foremost, higher rates of class attendance strongly correlate with higher academic grades (Moore, 2005, and Thatcher, 2007). This relationship has been documented extensively and previous student performance in this course has been dictated consistently by the attendance of individual students. Class missed will undoubtedly impact the grade a student receives. Arlington Public School / Washington-Lee Attendance policy states that regular school attendance is critical to a students success in school. A written explanation of the absence signed by the parent/guardian is expected no later than 2 days following the return to school. Students are expected to make up any school work they miss because of absences in a timely manner. Successful participation: engagement in class activities, regular and on-time attendance, will work to enhance student understanding and ultimately better academic performance. With respect to tardies: 3 UNEXCUSED TARDIES (UC) = 1 AFTERSCHOOL OR LUNCH ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION COURSE INTEGRITY: It is expected that ALL students enrolled in the course will follow and abide by the Washington-Lee Honor Code/Policy and conduct themselves accordingly when completing all course assignments and examinations. It is the hope of the instructors that taking this course will result in ALL students learning importing life-long lessons about the Earth and
environment; that the premise of this course is not just to work (or cheat) to get a high grade. All student work will be monitored thoroughly for incidents of plagiarism and examinations will be structured to avoid episodes of cheating. Instructors will work with all students to model appropriate behavior and work products to avoid situations of cheating and plagiarism. Students will be asked to sign an honor pledge for each major assignment turned in. By signing the pledge, students will acknowledge their understanding of the honor code/policy and that they have not violated that code/policy in any way. APS and Washington-Lee procedures and consequences will be used to handle incidents of cheating and or plagiarism (see student handbook for further details). CELL PHONES/SMARTPHONES: First and foremost, students observed in this course habitually using their cell phone/smart phone during class time, REGULARLY received lower grades than students who do not. The use of cell phones/smartphones may at times be encouraged during the course for academic benefit. At times cell phone/smartphone use in class will be prohibited and use would be considered as an impediment to the processes of teaching and learning. It is important that all students comply with instructions on use at all times. AT NO TIMES IS CELL PHONE OR SMART PHONE USE ALLOWED DURING ASSESSMENTS (EXAMS AND QUIZZES). Inappropriate use of cell phones/smartphones will result in consequences recommended under W-L school use policies. Students who were not using their mobile phones wrote down 62% more information in their notes, took more detailed notes, were able to recall more detailed information from the lecture, and scored a full letter grade and a half higher on a multiple choice test than those students who were actively using their mobile phones (Kuznekoff, 2014) **Based upon research done by the teacher over the past 4 school years indicates that high cell phone use during class time significantly impacted student academic performance. An R-Value of -.78 has been observed negatively correlating high smart phone use with poor academic performance. POTENTIAL COURSE FEE AND QUALITY POINTS: Arlington Public Schools (APS) pays for the examination fees for all IB classes. Any student who registers for an IB class, but chooses not to complete the required internal assessment and/or sit for the May examination must pay a drop fee. All fees are established by the International Baccalaureate Organization. Additionally, as outlined in the APS Program of Studies, students who do not complete the required assessments will not earn the additional quality point. REFERENCES: Kuznekoff. J. (2014) The Impact of Mobile Phone Usage on Student Learning, Communication Education, 62:3, 233-252, DOI: 10.1080/03634523.2013.767917 Moore, R. (2005). Attendance: are penalties more effective than rewards? Journal of Developmental Education, 29, 26-32. Thatcher, A., Fridjhon, P., & Cockcroft, K. (2007). The relationship between lecture attendance and academic performance in an undergraduate psychology course. South African Journal of Psychology, 37, 656-660.
Proposed Environmental Systems and Societies 2017-2018 Schedule The following topics are generalized and will be expanded upon in great detail throughout the year. Topic 1 - Foundations of environmental systems and societies 1.1 Environmental Value Systems 1.2 Systems and Models 1.3 Energy and Equilibria 1.4 Sustainability 1.5 Humans and Populations Topic 2: Soil systems and terrestrial food production systems and societies 2.1 Introduction to soil systems 2.2 Terrestrial food production systems and food choices 2.3 Soil degradation and conservation Topic 3: Ecosystems and ecology 3.1 Species and populations 3.2 Communities and ecosystems 3.3 Flows of energy and matter 3.4 Biomes, zonation and succession 3.5 Investigating ecosystems Topic 4: Human systems and resource use 4.1 Human population dynamics 4.2 Resource use in society 4.3 Solid domestic waste 4.4 Human population carrying capacity Topic 5: Water and aquatic food production systems and societies 5.1 Introduction to water systems 5.2 Access to fresh water 5.3 Aquatic food production systems 5.4 Water pollution Topic 6: Biodiversity and conservation 6.1 An introduction to biodiversity 6.2 Origins of biodiversity 6.3 Threats to biodiversity 6.4 Conservation of biodiversity Topic 7: Atmospheric systems and societies 7.1 Introduction to the atmosphere 7.2 Stratospheric ozone 7.3 Photochemical smog 7.4 Acid deposition Topic 8: Climate change and energy production 8.1 Energy choices and security 8.2 Climate change causes and impacts 8.3 Climate change mitigation and adaptation Please read this entire document and return the signed document indicating that you REVIEWED the expectations of the course and instructor.