Estuaries: Finding the balance
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/11/g912/
tgestuaries.html
A lesson plan for Grades 9–12 Advanced Placement Earth and Environmental Science
About this resource
- Appropriate grades
- 9–12
- Subjects
- science (environmental science), thinking skills (critical literacy, higher order thinking, information literacy, research skills, visual literacy), education technology (integrating technology), teaching methods (discovery learning, discussions, online learning)
- Provider
- National Geographic
Legal
This catalog record is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License. This license applies to the content of this page only and does not apply to the referenced website.
In this Xpeditions lesson, students examine the conflict between development and the environment, and the attempts for a sound compromise. Using estuaries as a case study, students will be encouraged to consider the interaction between environmental and economic demands, and to seek a balance that will protect both the estuarine habitat and economic growth.
Students will:
- learn about the environmental and economic importance of estuaries;
- consider the conflicts that arise because of the many uses of estuaries;
- research a specific estuary and the problems and solutions that have developed around it; and
- suggest compromises that might be made in order to protect both estuaries and economic development.
Xpeditions provides links to necessary web resources and blank maps of the United States, detailed instructions for completing the lesson, and suggestions for assessment and extension activities.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Science (2005)
Grades 9–12 — Advanced Placement Earth and Environmental Science
- Goal 1: The learner will develop abilities necessary to do and understand scientific inquiry.
- Objective 1.01: Identify questions and problems in the earth and environmental sciences that can be answered through scientific investigations.
- Objective 1.02: Design and conduct scientific investigations to answer questions related to earth and environmental science.
- Create testable hypotheses.
- Identify variables.
- Use a control or comparison group when appropriate.
- Select and use appropriate measurement tools.
- Observe and measure real phenomena.
- Collect and record data.
- Organize data into charts and graphs.
- Analyze and interpret data.
- Communicate findings.
- Goal 2: The learner will build an understanding of the interdependence of Earth's systems.
- Objective 2.05: Investigate the biosphere.
- Organisms: adaptations to their environment.
- Populations and communities: exponential growth and carrying capacity.
- Ecosystems and change: biomass, energy transfer, succession.
- Evolution of life: natural selection, extinction.
- Biomes: global distribution.
- Objective 2.05: Investigate the biosphere.
- Goal 4: The learner will build an understanding of the distribution, ownership, use and degradation of renewable and nonrenewable resources.
- Objective 4.01: Analyze sources and uses of freshwater and oceans.
- Renewal rates.
- Agricultural, industrial and domestic water uses.
- Increasing water supplies: Dams and desalination.
- Fisheries and aquaculture.
- Water management and conservation.
- Objective 4.03: Analyze local, regional and global soil aspects.
- Soil composition and profiles.
- Soil characteristics.
- Soil types.
- Erosion and conservation.
- Objective 4.04: Analyze biological resources.
- Benefits of biodiversity.
- Threats to biodiversity.
- Endangered species management.
- Nutrition and food supplies.
- Green revolution.
- Objective 4.06: Analyze land types and uses.
- Residential and commercial, land use planning.
- Agricultural and forestry.
- Recreational and wilderness.
- Ecotourism, Parks and preserves.
- Objective 4.01: Analyze sources and uses of freshwater and oceans.
- Goal 5: The learner will build an understanding of air, water and soil quality.
- Objective 5.01: Analyze the sources of major pollutants.
- EPA Criteria Pollutants.
- Indoor air pollutants.
- Thermal pollution.
- Pesticides.
- Acid deposition.
- Units and measurements.
- Point and nonpoint sources.
- Objective 5.02: Investigate the effects of pollutants on:
- Aquatic systems (Eutrophication).
- Vegetation.
- Natural features, buildings and structures.
- Wildlife.
- Objective 5.03: Analyze and investigate pollution reduction, remediation and control measures.
- Legislation.
- Historical examples and global case studies.
- Waste water treatment plant.
- Objective 5.04: Analyze and investigate local, regional and global issues concerning solid waste.
- Types, sources and amounts.
- Disposal methods and environmental effects.
- Decreasing waste: Reduce, reuse, recycle.
- Objective 5.01: Analyze the sources of major pollutants.
- Goal 6: The learner will build an understanding of global changes and their consequences.
- Objective 6.03: Investigate effects and consequences on biota:
- Habitat fragmentation and destruction.
- Introduced species.
- Overharvesting.
- Objective 6.03: Investigate effects and consequences on biota:
- Goal 7: The learner will build an understanding of environmental decision making.
- Objective 7.03: Recognize significance of major environmental laws and regulations: regional, national and international.
- Clean Air Act.
- Clean Water Act.
- Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
- Endangered Species Act.
- Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Control Act.
- Kyoto Protocol.
- Lacey Act.
- Mining Act.
- Montreal Protocol.
- National Environmental Policy Act.
- Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
- Wilderness Act.
- Objective 7.04: Develop an awareness of environmental options.
- Conservation.
- Preservation.
- Restoration.
- Remediation.
- Mitigation.
- Objective 7.03: Recognize significance of major environmental laws and regulations: regional, national and international.
