Life Science: WA Unit One

Life Science Unit One:
The weather is so nice, the class will begin with Ecology--right after doing some background work on Classification or Taxonomy.  The first quarter, our goal is to complete the material in Chapters 7, 8, 14, 15, and 16. My objective is to weave the key concepts regarding matter, energy flow or cycling, and environmental interactions throughout the curriculum.

 Students will learn about different classification schemes, dichotomous keys, and scientific names. Classification is in flux; our class will use a six kingdom classification model which separates Kingdom Monera into Archaea and Bacteria, which was Eubacteria!

Next, on to Ecology, beginning with Populations.  The students will make and interpret population histograms or pyramids (http://eeinwisconsin.org/content/eewi/101402/PopPyramidOriginal.pdf).  There is a little math required.  The class will review world population statistics and create histograms on Excel.( http://www.prb.org/Publications/Lesson-Plans/PopulationBuildingaFoundation/Activity1.aspx)
Population Dynamics paves the way to Ecology with terms such as 'carrying capacity' and 'limiting factors'.

Ecology includes Ecosystems and Biomes.  Our focus will be on healthy systems rather than on human impact on ecosystems.  Life Science is an important foundation for Biology; consequently, the class will need to learn biological terms, which can be foreign. The students will make model habitats to maintain and study. The class will conduct a number of simulations and activities in order to understand ecological principles: Swiss Cheese, Camouflage, Tag and Retag, Lynx and Rabbits, Doubling Time, and food webs.  My goal is to make instruction hands-on and inquiry-based with as little direct instruction as possible.