Ecology: The Foundations of Nature (Ages 13-18)
In this class, students will explore the amazing interactions between organisms and the environment they live in.
Mrs. Atwood
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(267)
What's included
8 live meetings
6 in-class hoursClass Experience
Have you ever wondered about how interactions between organisms can greatly impact our environment? For example, how removing an ecosystem's top predator can greatly impact the rest of the food chain. Or how natural disasters such as fires, pollution and landslides can have severe impacts on an entire ecosystem of organisms and wildlife. Or how the presence of one organism can alter the behavior of another. In this class, students will be introduced to the dynamics of environmental food chains and how the addition or removal of one keystone organism can effect the entire balance. Students will look at topics such as invasive species from pollution, predator and prey interactions between organisms, the breakdown of habitats, food chains, and human impacts on wildlife. Students will get an introduction into how processes such as habitat fragmentation can cause decreased population numbers in animals possibly leading a species to be at risk of endangerment. Week 1: Biotic & Abiotic Factors Week 2: Animal Populations Week 3: Ecological Interactions Week 4: Food Webs & Food Chains Week 5: Community Structures & Biodiversity Week 6: Energy Systems Week 7: Biochemical Cycles Week 8: Human Impacts on Ecosystems
Other Details
Supply List
Links to relevant websites and articles will be provided by the teacher. There are no additional supplies that need to be purchased.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined September, 2017
4.8
267reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
My entire life I wanted to explore the ocean and the environment. I have always had a great appreciation for the processes that are not completely understood and the unknowns that have yet to be discovered in the environment. In the beginning of my professional career in research, I worked as a naturalist on a whale watch boat and as a laboratory technician working on environmental clean up projects such as water and land pollution. Then I moved into my dream job of being a research chemist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in marine & geochemistry where I was able to be in the foundation of the research community and learn from many amazing scientists & researchers who devoted their life to exploring the mysteries of the environment as well as protecting the animals and organisms living in it. For me, working as a student mentor with graduate and post graduate students, made this experience one I will always cherish. As a teacher, I want my students to be excited about what they are learning and with my background in research, I will work extra hard to make sure that if there is an aspect of a topic that a student is interested in, I will make every effort to alter my lessons to include those topics.Reviews
Live Group Class
$85
for 8 classes1x per week, 8 weeks
45 min
Completed by 4 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-17
3-9 learners per class
