Unit 5- Man and the Biosphere

We have been studying the relationships between organisms and their environment. The truth is, no organism has more influence on the environment than human beings. So, this week we will concentrate our studies on man's influence in the biosphere.

Instruction will involve several videos followed by class discussion and a short work assignment.

SBS4d. Assess and explain human activities that influence and modify the environment such as global warming, population growth, pesticide use, and water and power consumption.

Assignment 1: Mini-lecture: Man in the Biosphere (influence on food chains and nutrient cycles).

Assignment 2: Watch the video entitled "Non-Native species." Be prepared to discuss what you learn afterwords.

Assignment 3: Mini-lecture (continued): Man in the Biosphere (resource depletion, habitat destruction, pollution ...). Take notes and participate in class discussion.

Click here to view a short presentation on habitat destruction.

Assignment 4: Mini-lecture: Renewable vs. Non-renewable Resources. Click here to see a video version of the mini-lecture.

Assignment 5: Class activity: Watch a video on "Renewable Energy." Afterwords, write a short paragraph describing the renewable energy source that interested you the most.
In the paragraph tell

• what source you picked
• how we acquire the energy (capture it, mine it, make it)
• what advantages it has compared to non-renewable fossil fuels (costs less, cleaner for the environment etc.).

Assignment 6: Mini-lecture: Population Growth. Take note and participate in class discussion.

Quiz: Man's Influence in the Biosphere.

Unit - old Environment and Ecology

In the last unit with the study of photosynthesis and respiration we actually began our study of ecology, the branch of biological science which focuses on the interactions and relationships between organisms and their environment. In this unit we continue our study by investigating the relationships between organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes. In the process we will see how energy as well as nutrients flow through an ecosystem through food chains and food webs, and explore the need for the cycling of major nutrients. Also during the process, we will examine two other important aspects of ecology -- symbiosis and ecological succession.

Instruction this week will be delivered in a series of videos, power point lessons, and short lectures accompanied by worksheets and at least one hands-on project.

SB4a: Investigate the relationships among organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes.

SB4b: Explain the flow of matter and energy through ecosystems by

• Arranging components of a food chain according to energy flow.
• Comparing the quantity of energy in the steps of an energy pyramid.
• Explaining the need for cycling of major nutrients (C, O, H, N, P)

SB4c: Relate environmental conditions to successional changes in ecosystems.

Assignment 1: View the video "Environment, Ecosystems,and Habitat" with your class. Complete the worksheet on the Environment and participate in class discussion as you go.
(Note: you can view the video again (below) on your own if you need to review it)



Assignment 2: Ecological features of populations -- mini-lecture. Take notes and continue to complete the vocabulary words on the Environment worksheet.

Assignment 3: As a class, view the following powerpoint on the Relationships between Organisms. Take notes. Complete applicable sections of the Environment/Ecology worksheet. (click here to see and review a copy of the power point presentation)

Assignment 3: Food chains and energy pyramids -- mini-lecture. Take notes. Complete the vocabulary on the Ecology Worksheet as you go. Then, begin working on your Food Chain project. Click here to see instructions and the grading rubric.

Assignment 4: As a class, view a video introducing you to the concept of biomes. Fill in the appropriate information in the Biome Worksheet as you go. Be prepared to match biomes with their corresponding climate, animals, and plants in a practice exercise later in the week. Use the worksheet as a study guide.

To help you review click here to see a power point quiz on biome. Your goal is to be able to identify the biome pictured on each slide by the animals, plants and climate you observe in the photograph. Click here to start power point.

Assignment 5: Mini-lecture on the Marine Biome. Take notes and fill-in new vocabulary on your Ecology Worksheet.

Assignment 6: View the following power point presentation on Ecological Succession. Fill in the worksheet on Ecological Succession as you go. Be prepared to participate in a class discussion on ecological succession afterwords. Click here to view the power point lesson.

Unit Quiz: Environment and Ecology. Quiz includes nutrient cycles, populations dynamics, food chains and energy flow, biomes, and ecological succession.

Unit 7 - Photosynthesis and Respiration

As we discovered in the last unit, animals and plants have evolved differently. They differ on the cellular levels as well as in structure and appearance. However, plants and animals are inextricably linked and dependent on one another throughout their evolution because of two complimentary life processes - photosynthesis and respiration. In this unit we will take a close look at those two processes and how they relate to the production of energy which all living things need to live and grow.

SB3a: Explain the cycling of energy through the processes of photosynthesis and respiration.Assignment 1: Begin our study by watching the video entitled "Energy and the Chemistry of Life." Part 1 of the video is a review of the chemistry of life we touched on in the last unit. Part 2 is a detailed look at the important chemical processes we call photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Take notes and answer the questions on the Photosynthesis/Respiration worksheet as you watch. (Click here to view worksheet)




Assignment 2: Photosynthesis and Respiration - mini- lecture. Take notes, participate in class discussion, and begin to fill in the Important Vocabulary section in the Photosynthesis/Respiration worksheet as we go.

Click here to review what we learned about photosynthesis.

Watch following video entitled "Cellular Respiration" to review cellular respiration.



Assignment 3: Structure and Function of a Leaf -- mini-lecture. Complete the Leaf Structure and Function worksheet as we go. (Click here to see worksheet)

Recap what you learned about leaf structure and function. Watch the following videos entitled "Leaf Structure and Function" and "Transport in Vascular Plants."





Assignment 4: Review for unit quiz. To review first study the information on the worksheets. Then watch the videos attached to Assignment 2 one more time. Finally, take the following short practice quiz and discuss your answers with your instructor. (Click here to view quiz)

Quiz: Unit quiz on Photosynthesis and Respiration. Know the raw materials, products and balanced equations for photosynthesis, aerobic respiration, and anaerobic respiration as well as where in the cell and in plants these processes take place.

Unit 3 - The Organization of Life -- The Classification of Living Things)

Life on earth is organized on many different levels from single cells to the entire biosphere. In this unit we will be introduced to how we presently group living organisms into categories based upon similarities in their structures and function, a process we call classification.

Instruction this week will be a series of mini-lectures supplemented by worksheets and a several short, but good videos. Also, we will have a lab practical (quiz) in which, as a class, we will classify real animal specimens into their respective phyla. If time permits, we will take an outdoor field trip to compliment our study of the plant kingdom.

SB3: Students will derive the relationship between single-celled and multi-celled organisms and the increasing complexity of systems.

SB3b: Compare how structures and function vary between the six kingdoms (archaebacteria, eubacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals).

SB3c: Examine the evolutionary basis of modern classification systems.

Assignment 1: Classification of Organisms - mini-lecture. Take notes.

Click here to review what we learned about classification.

Assignment 2: Six Kingdoms of Living Things - mini lecture. Your goal is learn the major characteristics of each kingdom and record that information on the Six Kingdoms worksheet (click here to see worksheet).

OR ... view the video version of the lecture below.
(click here to first learn some necessary vocabulary)



Also (optional)
click here to learn more about two bacteria kingdoms
click here to learn more about the kingdom Protista
click here to learn more about the kingdom Fungi
click here to learn more about the kingdom Plantae
click here to learn more about the kingdom Animalia

Assignment 3: Click here to learn about the major groups (phyla) of animals. Record the appropriate information in the table in the upper section of the Phyla of Animals worksheet (click here to see worksheet).

Assignment 4: Classify an Animal - activity. Pick the name of an animal "out of the hat." It is a common name. Use the internet to obtain the Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus and species for your organism. Enter the information on the form provided. (click here to see form) Turn in your completed form for grading.

Assignment 5: Clads and Phylogenetic Trees -- mini lecture. Take notes.

Click here to review what you learned about Clads and click here for an explanation of Phylogenetic Trees.

Quiz: Classification of Organisms. The quiz will include questions on the characteristics of the six kingdoms and the characteristics of the major animal phyla. Know all the Levels of Classification (Kingdom, Phylum, Class .....) and which level contains the most and the least number of organisms.