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Biodiversity in Your Backyard: Online course syllabus

Syllabus for the course Biodiversity in Your Backyard designed to help teachers of elementary-aged students to explore the topic of biodiversity and expand their knowledge of life science.

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Course Goals

Biodiversity Is Your Backyard is a professional development course offered to K-5 elementary teachers in North Carolina. The goal of the course is listed below:

By making observations and conducting experiments in their backyards, K-5 teachers will develop understanding of the fundamental concepts underlying biodiversity.

Studying biodiversity is important for a variety of reasons. From an elementary teacher’s perspective, the general concept of biodiversity is the foundation upon which the life sciences portion of the Standard Course of Study is built. All living things are unique and are connected in many different ways. Understanding these connections--and knowing why they exist--will deepen your general scientific knowledge and will enhance your ability to address the learning objectives specified in the Standard Course of Study.

From a more general perspective, studying this topic is important because the biological diversity of our world is increasingly threatened--and yet the very quality of our lives depends upon this biodiversity. Scientists are not sure of the exact number of species on Earth; 1.7 million species have been named, but it is estimated that millions of other species (including microorganisms and invertebrates) exist. The famous naturalist E.O. Wilson believes that between 50 and 100 species go extinct each day. While this number is nearly impossible to verify, scientists do agree that species extinctions occur on a daily basis. Think about what this statement means: numerous species completely disappear from the planet each day, and we often have no idea what role they played in their ecosystems. Heightening awareness of our rich and robust world is an important first step in halting this destruction and planning for long-term conservation.

Course structure

The course is divided into six weeks. Each week has a unique theme:

  • Week one: What is biodiversity and why is it important?
  • Week two: What is my backyard?
  • Week three: What lives in my backyard?
  • Week four: How are living things connected to each other and the environment?
  • Week five: How am I connected to biodiversity?
  • Week six: What can I do to improve biodiversity?

Specific learning objectives will be provided at the start of each week. Instruction will include a variety of readings, activities, and online discussions. Additionally, nature journaling will play an important role in the course. This activity requires a quiet corner in your backyard (or school yard, or neighborhood park) where you can sit and observe the many diverse life forms that surround you. Begin thinking about the spot that you might select. You will spend a lot of time there, so it is important that you can access this spot at different times of day (and night) and in all kinds of weather.

Prerequisites

Everyone enrolled in this course should have a basic understanding of the scientific concepts currently taught in elementary schools. We will build upon these basic concepts as we proceed through the materials.

Required text/Materials

The textbook required for the course varies depending upon the region of the state in which you live. (Ask the instructor for assistance if you are unclear on your region.) Purchasing information is provided below. You should have purchased the appropriate textbook before week one of class.

For participants living in the Coastal Plains and Sandhills:
Backyard Carolina: Two Decades of Public Radio Commentaryby Andy Wood

  • $14.95 (plus tax and shipping)
  • The book is available at the following Wilmington bookstores:
    • Pomegranate Books (910.452.1107)
    • Two Sisters Bookery (910.762.4444)
    • The Cape Fear Museum (910.798.4350)

For participants living in the Piedmont and Foothills:
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48104068&referer=brief_resultsThe Piedmont Almanac(2001) by Dave Cook

  • $20 (plus tax and shipping)
  • Contact the Eno River Association (919.620.9099 or http://www.enoriver.org) to order.

For participants living in the Mountains:
Hollows, Peepers & Highlanders: An Appalachian Mountain Ecology (2nd Edition) by George Constantz

  • $14.43 (plus tax and shipping)
  • Contact Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com) to order.

These texts will be supplemented with a variety of other online readings and websites. Information about these additional resources will be provided at appropriate points in the course.

Course requirements

Biodiversity in your backyard is a six week course. Each week you will be asked to complete a set of assignments. Details about the assignments and their due dates are provided at the start of each week. Descriptions of the types of assignments appearing in the course are provided below:

Readings

Each week you will be responsible for completing assigned readings. The readings may come from the book that you purchased, online materials, or various other sources.

Activities

A variety of activities are built into each lesson. These activities reinforce key concepts and will deepen your understanding of the content provided in a particular week.

Discussions

A discussion forum will be set up each week where you will respond to at least one question or problem posed by the instructor. All class members are expected to participate in these discussions in a courteous and timely manner. Discussions will be monitored by the instructor.

Nature journaling

You will be asked to complete a nature journaling activity at appropriate points in the course. A journal has been provided in the biodiversity backpack for your convenience. To successfully complete this activity, you will need a quiet corner of your backyard (or a park, the school yard, etc.) where you can observe the world that surrounds you. As mentioned earlier, spend some time thinking about the spot that you select. It must be convenient to your home and accessible both day and night, regardless of the weather. Your journal entries are private and therefore will not be graded, although we will provide a space for posting entries that you would like to share.

Course project

In week one you will be given details about a course project that you will be expected to work on as the course progresses. The final project is due at the end of week six.

Course Schedule

Each week of the course begins on a Wednesday and ends at midnight on the following Tuesday. This schedule is beneficial for two reasons:

  • It accommodates vacation schedules. Participants who are away from the computer for a normal calendar week (that runs from Monday to Sunday) will not miss an entire week of class on a Wednesday-to-Tuesday schedule.
  • Because all of you likely have very busy lives, having the weekend fall in the middle of the week (instead of at the end of the week) is beneficial when it comes to completing homework. Please keep in mind, however, that you cannot save all of your work until the weekend. Participation is required throughout the entire week.

Each lesson includes activities that are due at designated times. These due dates are clearly specified in the lessons. All assignments must be submitted by midnight on their due date. Late submittals will not be accepted. Please carefully review the deadlines that are posted at the start of each week and plan your time accordingly.

Grading

This is a pass/fail course. Grading is based on successful completion of designated activities, including discussions, written assignments, and projects. Assignments will be graded as complete, partially complete, or incomplete. A Discussion Rubric is located in this Course Information section. Other assignment rubrics are provided as needed. Feedback on assignments will be provided in private messages sent by your instructor.

You cannot pass this course without completing the two final projects in week six. Refer to the final projects folder for more information.

Class polices and procedures

Each class member is expected to attend and fully participate in each week of the course. Try to stay on schedule! With each new week, a new set of tasks will be assigned. The new tasks will build upon assignments and readings from the previous week, which means that catching up will be difficult. You will find it much easier to keep up with an online class, and the class will be of greater value, if you log in often.

As a member of this class, you are expected to:

  • Complete all assignments by the due date.
  • Check into the online course each week to see new announcements, check messages, and view discussion postings.
  • Participate in all class discussions.

“Quantity” and “quality” are important considerations when it comes to participation. As noted earlier, you are expected to participate in discussions, and your interactions are expected to be of high quality. A high-quality response means adding something of substance to the discussion, for example, questions, perspectives and ideas, examples from your work or life experiences, etc. A message that says simply, “I agree,” will not be considered as participation because it does not add anything of substance to the discussion.

The quality of your contributions will be assessed in the following ways:

  • Your postings should offer original insights or responses that build on the ideas of your classmates.
  • Your postings should be appropriate to a particular purpose and audience.
  • Carefully structure your postings to demonstrate that you have read and understood a particular assignment.
  • Use your postings as a way to dig deeper into assignment questions or issues.
  • Respond to those who comment on your contributions.
  • Show respect for your classmates’ ideas.
  • Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation in your postings.