Introduction to VCE Environmental Science - Teacher's PD

VCE Environmental

ScienceTeachers PD November

2013Britt Gow

Agenda9.00am Welcome & housekeeping - Sarah

9.15am Resources – Teacher’s handbook Launch

9.30am Introductions – on the Padlet Walll

10.00am Exploring Units 1 to 4 - Study design

10.30am Morning tea

11.00am Continue exploring Units 1 to 4 - Outcomes

12.00pm Developing a schedule and SACs for Units 1 & 3

1.00pm Lunch

1.30pm Exam , laboratory experiments, fieldwork and excursions

2.55pm Reflections & Farewell

An update from VAEEUSB resources

Trial exams and support for 2014 - VCE ES Conference - Preparing for Unit 2 & 4 - Revision lecture

Launch of “Issues of Sustainability” Teacher Resource Book

More Resources….VAEE website and teacher’s email

network (freelist)

FUSE Ebookboxes

VCE Environmental Science blog

“Envirostudy” app for mobile devices (IOS and android)

Introductions….Go to the VCE Environmental Science

blog at http://vceenviroscience.edublogs.org

Access the Padlet wall and introduce yourself

Name and school, Units 1/2 or 3/4 or both?

Experience teaching Environmental Science

What do you hope to get out of today?

Exploring Units 1-4Assessment

Case Studies

An overview of the outcomes

Course outline - School Assessed Coursework (where, when, how?)

Assessment

Unit 1 and 2

All school assessed

Unit 3 (25% SACs)

Unit 4 (25% SACs)

End of Year exam worth 50% of final score

Case-studiesIn Units 3 and 4, students apply scientific

principles to selected local contexts in the completion of assessment tasks. It should be noted that, although assessment of School-assessed Coursework will be in the contexts of local selection the end-of-year examination will not draw on specific details of the local contexts.

Unit 3 – AoS 2 - a threatened species

Unit 4 – AosS 1 – a pollutant

Unit 4 – AoS 2 – an environmental project

Unit 1 – The Environment

AOS 1 – Ecological components & interactions

Outcome 1

“On completion of this unit the student should be able to identify and describe the components and natural processes within the environment.”

Unit 1 – The Environment

AOS 2 – Environmental Change

Outcome 2

“On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse one human-induced environmental change and options for remediation.”

Unit 1 – The EnvironmentAOS 3 – Ecosystems

Outcome 3

“On completion of this unit the student should be able explain the flow of energy, nutrient exchange and environmental changes in ecosystems.”

Unit 2 – Monitoring the environment

AOS 1 – Environmental Indicators

Outcome 1

“On completion of this unit the student should be able to explain the nature of environmental indicators for pollution and ecological health of ecosystems.”

Unit 2 – Monitoring the environment

AOS 2 – Using Environmental Indicators

Outcome 2

“On completion of this unit the student should be able to investigate and report on a local example environmental degradation or environmental issue, using an appropriate monitoring program.”

Outcome 3

“On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse the scientific basis and use of for environmental indicators for pollution control and ecological health of ecosystems.”

Unit 1 & 2 Assessment“Where teachers allow students to choose between tasks they must ensure that the tasks they set are of comparable scope and demand.”

Assessment tasks for this unit are:

fieldwork and reports

oral presentations

practical activities and practical reports

reports in multimedia and/or poster format

tests

VCE Environmental Science Unit 3

Area of Study 1 –

Energy & Global Warming

Area of Study 2 –

Diversity in the Biosphere

Area of Study One:Energy and global warming.Concepts and principles of

energy.

Renewable and non-renewable energy resources.

Gases in the atmosphere

Greenhouse effect – natural & enhanced.

Unit 3 - Outcome One“On completion of this unit the student should be able to describe the principles of energy, and relate them to the contribution of one fossil and one non-fossil energy source to the enhanced greenhouse effect.”

Task 1 - A written report of a practical activity (20 marks)

and

Task 2 - A report in annotated poster or multimedia format (30 marks)

Total = 50 marks

Outcome 1 – Term 1

Part A (20 marks)

A collection of practical reports

A write up of one practical report

A ‘test’ based on a number of practical reports

Part B (30 marks)

Annotated poster: comparison of a fossil & non-fossil fuel

*SAME MARKING CRITERIA AS PREVIOUS ASSESSMENT HANDBOOK

Unit 3 - Energy resources

You must be able to compare your non-renewable energy resource with your renewable energy resource:

accessibility and provision to meet energy needs

energy conversions required

efficiency of energy conversions

environmental impact of extraction, conversion, distribution and use on the environment and society

How can both resources meet the energy needs of a town with reference to specific geographic location?

Q2 (c) Describe how the fossil energy source named in part b. is used to meet the need of a specific geographic location, city or region. You should include advantages and disadvantages of this energy source for the particular application. (4 marks)

• Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria with an estimated population of 3 million people (1m).

• Melbourne’s energy needs are very demanding especially during peak loads when energy demands are at their highest. Industry, lighting, heating and transport are the main energy requirements needed for Melbourne. Coal already does supply and cope with both the base and peak loads in Melbourne (1m).

• An advantage associated with coal is that it is accessible, cheap to use and is widely available within Australia (1m)

• A disadvantage associated with coal use is that is produces large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions hence contributing to the enhanced greenhouse effect (1m).

Typical exam question for Unit 3 – Area of Study 1

Q2 (d) Describe how the non-fossil energy source named in part b. is used to meet the need of a specific geographic location, city or region. You should include advantages and disadvantages of this energy source for the particular application. (4 marks)

Toora is located approximately 150km east of Melbourne in Gippsland. (1m) Due to a small population the energy needs of the town are relatively small. The general needs for energy are for heating, lighting, farming and transport. The Toora wind farm currently supplies 6,600 homes with energy so could meet the supply needs of Toora and surrounding Gippsland towns with energy. (1m) Wind farming is associated with many advantages however, the biggest would be the fact no greenhouse gas emissions are produced (1m). One main disadvantage is the fact that wind farming relies on a constant supply of wind and this is not always the case (1m).

Area of Study Two:Diversity in the Biosphere

Biodiversity

Biodiversity management

Unit 3 - Area of Study Two:Diversity in the Biosphere

Types of…

Value of...

Conservation categories….

Assessment of…

Threats to…

Unit 3 – AoS 2 - Outcome 2

“On completion of this unit the student should be able to describe the characteristics of biodiversity, evaluate strategies to reduce the effects of threatening processes on biodiversity, and apply this knowledge to one selected threatened animal.”

Task worth 30 marks:

A report on one selected threatened animal presented in any one or combination of the following:

a written report

an oral report

a multimedia presentation.

Unit 3 – AoS 2 - Outcome 3

“Explain how scientific data is used in the evaluation of biodiversity and is applied to the development of management strategies to ensure biodiversity.”

Task/s worth 20 marks -

Any one or a combination of the following:

a written or oral report

a multimedia presentation

a written response to set questions

a report on data collected from fieldwork or other sources.

Unit 4 AoS 1: Pollution and health

Outcome 1: Describe the characteristics of pollutants, and evaluate management options for reducing the risk of a pollutant affecting the health of the environment and humans.

Task 1: A report on the findings of selected fieldwork and/or practical activities relating to pollutant/s (30 marks)

Task 2: An evaluation of management strategies [of the selected pollutant] based on primary and/or secondary data. (30 marks)

Total = 60 marks

Useful Websites• National Pollutants Inventory -

http://www.npi.gov.au/data/index.html

• Environmental Protection Authority – http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/

• Urban Air Quality – http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1283.html

• Water Quality - http://www.enviroliteracy.org/subcategory.php/43.html

• Environmental Health - http://www.enviroliteracy.org/subcategory.php/170.html

SACs for Unit 4 - AoS 2: Applied environmental scienceOutcome 2

Use the principles of ecologically sustainable development and environmental management to evaluate environmental science projects, including a focus on one selected environmental science project.

Task 1 (20 marks) - A report or a test and

Task 2 (20 marks) –

A report or an environmental management plan.

Total = 40 marks

Unit 4 - AoS 2 - Outcome 2

Sewerage treatment plant upgrade

Freeway development

Energy efficiency improvements in a factory

Co-generation plant

Mining rehabilitation

Waste minimisation and management

Water treatment plant

Unit 3/4 Possible Timeline…

Term 1 – Unit 3 Area of Study 1 - Energy principles (4 weeks) and Greenhouse Effect (4weeks)- Introduce AoS 2 last week of term

Term 2 – Unit 3 Area of Study 2 - Biodiversity (4 weeks) and management (4 weeks)- Introduce Unit 4 AoS 1 (pollution & health) last 2 weeks of term

• Term 3 – Unit 4 Area of study 1 and 2

- Pollution & health (5 weeks)

- Applied Environmental Science (5 weeks)

• Term 4 – Finish Area of study two/ revision

End of Year Examination

NOTE: Outcome 1 (comparison of a fossil & non-fossil fuel will be examined in regards to specific location) is the only case study that will be directly examined on the end of year exam.

All other outcomes will not refer to the specific SACs completed in class however, students will need to apply their knowledge from these SACs to effectively answer questions.

Unit 3/4 Exam15 mins reading time/ 2 hrs writing

time

Section A – multiple choice

30 multiple choice questions (30 marks)

Section B – Short Answer (90 marks)

6 short answer questions balanced across unit 3/4

1 of these will be about the individual case studies (fossil VS non-fossil fuel)

Contributes 50% of study score

Common student problems

Run out of time ( 1 mark per minute)

Questions that use calculations

‘Evaluate’ – must give a judgement statement and back up with argument/evidence

Monitoring is not a strategy

Course structure

There is no prescribed way to teach the course you could start with AoS 2 Biodiversity!

New end-of-year exam gives more opportunities for integration between the different Areas of Study.

Organise your experiments, field trips and excursions early.

You may like to consider study camps during the school holidays.

Laboratory Experiments

Exothermic and endothermic

Student Power

Energy in candle wax

Insulation investigation

Effects of Sulphur dioxide

Excursions and Field Work

Ecolinc

Melbourne Water, Local Water Authority

Melbourne, Healesville and Werribee Zoos

Royal Botanic Gardens

Toolangi

Mt Rothwell Sanctuary

Good luck &Use the VAEE VCE

teachers network for support!

brittgow@gmail.com