Natural Resources
NOTE: additional resources will be posted on the Communities of Practice site (you will need to use your login credentials to be able to view these resources). This is a suggested implementation of the curriculum but individual instructors are welcome to change the curriculum and instruction as needed to make it feasible for each classroom environment. Changes will regularly occur to this page as the curriculum is development and tested. To see the standards alignment for this course, click here.
Week 1 Lab safety & Intro
Sept 3-7
Monday: No School
Tuesday: Course Intros, Rules & Norms
Wednesday: Lab Safety
Thursday: Lab Safety Test
Friday: Intro to the Supervised Career Experience Project (SCE) - Word/PDF
Week 2 Matter & Energy
Sept 10-14
Monday: 5 Stations Activity (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Combustion Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 3 Cell Biology & Carbon Cycling
Sept 17-21
Monday: Respiration in a Bag (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Molecule Modeling (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 4 Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and Ecosystem Resilience & Fragility
Sept 24-28
Monday: Tabletop Ecosystems (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Tabletop Ecosystems Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections - Choosing a Career (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 5 Biodiversity & Habitats - Unit Objectives
Oct 1-5
Monday: Introduction of Lab Activity (Weekly Packet - Word/PDF)
Tuesday: School Habitat Data Collection – Habitat Quadrat Lab (Edge)
Wednesday: School Habitat Data Collection – Habitat Quadrat Lab (Interior)
Thursday: Data Analysis & Development of Reports/Presentations
Friday: Career Connections - Choosing a College and/or additional work time
Week 6 Review & Midterm Exam
Oct 8-12
Monday: Review of Material
Tuesday: Review of Material
Wednesday: Midterm #1
Thursday: Midterm #2
Friday: Make-up Day
Week 7 Extinctions
Oct 15-19
Monday: Data Dive & Model Development (Weekly Packet - Word/PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT/PDF; w/ questions - PPT/PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections - Resumes (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 8 Habitat Loss
Oct 22-26
Monday: Data Dive & Model Development (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF; w/ questions - PPT/PDF)) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections - Cover Letters (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 9 Invasive Species
Oct 29-Nov2
Monday: Data Dive & Model Development (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF; w/ questions - PPT/PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections - Peer Reviews of Resumes & CLs (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 10 Land & Water Pollution
Nov 5-9
Monday: Data Dive & Model Development (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF; with questions - PPT/PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 11 Atmospheric Pollution
Nov 12-16
Monday: Data Dive & Model Development (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 12 Overharvesting
Nov 19-23
Monday: Data Dive & Model Development (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 13 Midterm
Nov 26-30
Monday: Jigsaw Review of Weeks 7-12
Tuesday: Individual Midterm
Wednesday: Group Midterm
Thursday: Thanksgiving
Friday: Black Friday
Week 14 Natural Resources Management
Dec 3-7
Monday: Group Presentation Work Time (Weekly Packet - Word/PDF)
Tuesday: Group Presentations & Action Plans
Wednesday: Career Presentations
Thursday: Habitat Improvement Work (outside)
Friday: Career Connections and/or additional work time.
Week 15 Societies & Sustainability
Dec 10-14
Monday: Media Literacy (Weekly Packet - Word/PDF)
Tuesday: Media Literacy
Wednesday: Group Presentation Work Time
Thursday: Group Presentations & Letters to Congress
Friday: Career Connections and/or additional work time.
Week 16 Individual Sustainability
Dec 17-21
Monday: Individual Sustainability Assessments (Weekly Packet - Word/PDF)
Tuesday: finish Individual Sustainability Assessments & discussion
Wednesday: School Bus Carbon Footprints
Thursday: finish School Bus Carbon Footprints
Friday: Career Connections and/or additional work time.
Week 17 Personal Campaigns
Jan 1-4
Monday: New Year’s Eve
Tuesday: New Year’s Day
Wednesday: Introduction to Personal Campaigns Project
Thursday: Planning the Personal Campaigns
Friday: Worktime on Personal Campaigns; SCE Exit Interviews
Week 18 Personal Campaigns
Jan 7-11
Monday: Worktime on Personal Campaigns; SCE Exit Interviews
Tuesday: Worktime on Personal Campaigns; SCE Exit Interviews
Wednesday: Worktime on Personal Campaigns; SCE Exit Interviews
Thursday: Presentations of Personal Campaigns
Friday: Final Course Discussion – What will the future look like?
Week 19 Final Exam
Jan 14-18
Week 1 Lab safety & Intro
Sept 3-7
Monday: No School
Tuesday: Course Intros, Rules & Norms
Wednesday: Lab Safety
Thursday: Lab Safety Test
Friday: Intro to the Supervised Career Experience Project (SCE) - Word/PDF
Week 2 Matter & Energy
Sept 10-14
Monday: 5 Stations Activity (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Combustion Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 3 Cell Biology & Carbon Cycling
Sept 17-21
Monday: Respiration in a Bag (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Molecule Modeling (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 4 Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and Ecosystem Resilience & Fragility
Sept 24-28
Monday: Tabletop Ecosystems (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Tabletop Ecosystems Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections - Choosing a Career (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 5 Biodiversity & Habitats - Unit Objectives
Oct 1-5
Monday: Introduction of Lab Activity (Weekly Packet - Word/PDF)
Tuesday: School Habitat Data Collection – Habitat Quadrat Lab (Edge)
Wednesday: School Habitat Data Collection – Habitat Quadrat Lab (Interior)
Thursday: Data Analysis & Development of Reports/Presentations
Friday: Career Connections - Choosing a College and/or additional work time
Week 6 Review & Midterm Exam
Oct 8-12
Monday: Review of Material
Tuesday: Review of Material
Wednesday: Midterm #1
Thursday: Midterm #2
Friday: Make-up Day
Week 7 Extinctions
Oct 15-19
Monday: Data Dive & Model Development (Weekly Packet - Word/PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT/PDF; w/ questions - PPT/PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections - Resumes (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 8 Habitat Loss
Oct 22-26
Monday: Data Dive & Model Development (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF; w/ questions - PPT/PDF)) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections - Cover Letters (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 9 Invasive Species
Oct 29-Nov2
Monday: Data Dive & Model Development (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF; w/ questions - PPT/PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections - Peer Reviews of Resumes & CLs (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 10 Land & Water Pollution
Nov 5-9
Monday: Data Dive & Model Development (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF; with questions - PPT/PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 11 Atmospheric Pollution
Nov 12-16
Monday: Data Dive & Model Development (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 12 Overharvesting
Nov 19-23
Monday: Data Dive & Model Development (Weekly Packet - Word / PDF)
Tuesday: Notes (PPT / PDF) & Class Discussion
Wednesday: Lab Activity (see packet)
Thursday: Assessment
Friday: Career Connections (SCE Packet - Word/PDF)
Week 13 Midterm
Nov 26-30
Monday: Jigsaw Review of Weeks 7-12
Tuesday: Individual Midterm
Wednesday: Group Midterm
Thursday: Thanksgiving
Friday: Black Friday
Week 14 Natural Resources Management
Dec 3-7
Monday: Group Presentation Work Time (Weekly Packet - Word/PDF)
Tuesday: Group Presentations & Action Plans
Wednesday: Career Presentations
Thursday: Habitat Improvement Work (outside)
Friday: Career Connections and/or additional work time.
Week 15 Societies & Sustainability
Dec 10-14
Monday: Media Literacy (Weekly Packet - Word/PDF)
Tuesday: Media Literacy
Wednesday: Group Presentation Work Time
Thursday: Group Presentations & Letters to Congress
Friday: Career Connections and/or additional work time.
Week 16 Individual Sustainability
Dec 17-21
Monday: Individual Sustainability Assessments (Weekly Packet - Word/PDF)
Tuesday: finish Individual Sustainability Assessments & discussion
Wednesday: School Bus Carbon Footprints
Thursday: finish School Bus Carbon Footprints
Friday: Career Connections and/or additional work time.
Week 17 Personal Campaigns
Jan 1-4
Monday: New Year’s Eve
Tuesday: New Year’s Day
Wednesday: Introduction to Personal Campaigns Project
Thursday: Planning the Personal Campaigns
Friday: Worktime on Personal Campaigns; SCE Exit Interviews
Week 18 Personal Campaigns
Jan 7-11
Monday: Worktime on Personal Campaigns; SCE Exit Interviews
Tuesday: Worktime on Personal Campaigns; SCE Exit Interviews
Wednesday: Worktime on Personal Campaigns; SCE Exit Interviews
Thursday: Presentations of Personal Campaigns
Friday: Final Course Discussion – What will the future look like?
Week 19 Final Exam
Jan 14-18
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, Grant No. DGE-1424871. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation