Science Department

Essential Knowledge and Skills:

Desert Ecology is designed to provide students with an introduction to general ecology, and an in-depth study of the ecology of deserts of the western United States and the world. Its purpose is to provide all students with a literacy of ecological terms, and to provide a student upon leaving Judge Memorial the knowledge to be conversant in the current ecologic issues of the west and global desert biomes. Students will study the basic elements of ecology through a combination of lectures, laboratories and field trips. This course will also provide a framework for a trip to visit the deserts of southern Africa. The course is designed to serve learners who have a basic understanding of science, with at a minimum, a higher level of understanding of our natural world, its plant and animal populations, their communities, complete with the abiotic variables that act at an ecosystem level. This course will use these foundations to develop additional scientific literacy in ecology and critical scientific knowledge by developing the reasoning skills, process skills, and an understanding of ecology and its importance to those who live in desert biomes.

Indicators of Student Learning:

Upon the successful completion of this course, students will:

• Develop analytical and critical thinking skills.

• Investigate basic ecology problems.

• Develop laboratory techniques for identification of geologic specimens.

• Collect and record data.

• Organize observations made during an experiment and infer a conclusion based on their own data and observations.

• Deduce scientific principles from the results of their study.

• Identify the commonly occurring rocks and minerals.

• Read and interpret simple ecologic maps.

Communication

• Come to conclusions from their own laboratory experiments.

• Be able to clearly explain their thought processes used in arriving at the conclusions.

• Be able to effectively communicate their results and conclusions to fellow students and teaching staff using written and other electronic presentation modalities.

• Be able to work in groups or teams to study ecology

Technology:

• Students will become familiar with the tools and the basic laboratory equipment used in ecology.

• Students will be able to set up and use the apparatus to study and identify ecologic samples and maps.

• Students will be able to use computer presentation software (media) to effectively communicate their results to fellow students and teaching staff.

Assessment

Upon the successful completion of this course, students will:

• Expand upon the process skills that include: making observations, inferences and operational definitions, predicting, experimenting, interpreting data, analysis of space-time relations, model building, measurements, communication skills, graphing skills, journal recording and note taking, creative thinking and manipulation of laboratory and field equipment.