Honor Course:  Earth Environmental Science

Below, you will find specifics regarding Honors Earth Environmental Science.  This will include what to expect throughout the course and what extensions an honors student will receive in this class that is not taught in the general level class.  If you have questions regarding any of the following , please contact the course teacher. 

Curriculum Content

Honors Earth Environmental is mainly a freshmen level science class that the student will take to strengthen science lab skills and study skills needed for all upper level science classes.  Students will learn about the interacting relationships in astronomy, meteorology, geology, and hydrology.  Using this, students will see how everything around us is connected in a system and how humans interact and affect that system.   Students are also introduced to lab procedures that are necessary for higher level sciences and college level classes.  Throughout the course, students will have to think critically to come to conclusions, find solutions, and will make connections between pieces of knowledge they learned in pre-requisite science classes and the information learned in this class.

Honors Earth Environmental is a pre-requisite for several upper level classes, so the vertical alignment may be applied to more than one course.  The main classes we try to vertically align Honors Earth/Environmental Science to are Honor Biology and AP Environmental Science.

Standards and Objectives

• Extensions to prepare for AP Environmental Science:
  • Methods for analyzing and interpreting experimental data and mathematical calculations.
  • Critically examine various evidences and solutions for preventing or resolving environmental problems and human health risks.
  • Evaluate natural hazards and the impacts it would have on a specific city and critic that areas emergency plans.
  • Identifying sources of pollution currently affecting NC air and water quality.
  • Comparing various types of alternative and traditional energy sources in North Carolina. Debate the pros and cons of using each type.
  • Describe and explain how earth systems work together as a whole, and how humans impact those relationships.
  • Propose and judge how societies should change and contribute to helping sustain the Earth and it’s resources.
  • Debate the pros and cons of a town/city developmental issue verses environmental concerns.
  • Assess the ecological ramifications of overpopulation in a system.
  • Examine how invasive species are transported and analyze the impact of an invasive species on an ecosystem.

Curriculum Plan  

Click here to access the Course Syllabus.  

Click here to access the Parent Curriculum Documents.

Instructional Materials and Methods  

Students will receive additional instruction an modified assignments in reference to the extension topics.  They will be responsible for the general earth environmental curriculum as well as mastery of the extension topics.

Through Honors Earth Environmental students will be performing:

• Additional/ Modified Labs
• Additional/ Modified Performance Tasks
• Modified Assignments
• Modified Discussions and Debates and Projects
• Utilizing additional resources and technology

Assessment  

In Honors Earth Environmental, students will have various course/ unit assessments.  These include quizzes, labs, homework, performance tasks, and tests that will also assess the extension topics as well as the NC essential standard objectives.  Students will use math, measurement, experimentation and graph and diagram reading as a tool in science, so they will be required to complete procedures and collect and calculate data to analyze conclusions and questions.  Concepts will need to be interpreted and clearly expressed and explained. 

All students will be required to complete the NC Final Exam of Earth Environmental Science worth 25% of the overall course grade.  The Final Exam will not include honors extensions.