Oakland Unified School District Curriculum & Instruction Advisory Committee (CIAC) New Course Submission

Urban Ecology

School Information School Name: Youth Empowerment School (YES) High School District: Oakland Unified School District City: Oakland, CA School Course List Contact Information First Name: Abigail Last Name: Adams Position/Title: Coordinator, College & Career Readiness Office Phone Number: 510-879-2145

Ext.:

E-mail: [email protected] Teacher Contact Information First Name: Timothy Last Name: Bremner Position/Title: Teacher Phone Number: 510-501-0983

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E-mail: [email protected] Previously Approved Courses Was this course previously approved by CIAC? _____ Yes X No Was this course previously approved by UC?

_____ Yes X No

If “No”, proceed to the Course Description section. Course Description: Course Title: Urban Ecology Transcript Title(s)/Abbreviation(s): Course Code(s): Q2010

Bremner Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA)

Seeking “Honors” Distinction X No Subject Area and Category _____ “a” – History / Social Science _____ “b” – English _____ “c” – Mathematics X ___ “d” – Laboratory Science _____ “e” – Language Other than English _____ “f” – Visual & Performing Arts _____ “g” – Elective Grade Level: ____

9 __ 10

____X 11

Unit Value: 0.5 (half year/semester equiv.)

__ 12

1.0 (one year, 2 semesters)

Course Attributes Is this course classified as a Career Technical Education course? X ___ Yes

_____

No

If “Yes,” please select the name of the Industry Sector and Career Pathway: _____ X Public Services _____ X Human Services _____ Legal and Government Services _____ Protective Services Catalog Description: Brief Course Description: Students use inquiry and action research to unpack the broad topic of Chemistry, and research, analyze and address the scientific topics relevant to urban communities such as air and water quality. Green Urban Ecology is a class where through traditional laboratory assignments students take charge to design projects and solutions that connect to their community. This course connects students with environmental scientists and activists, engineers, and urban gardeners through participatory research projects doing development work and ecological study and restoration in the community. Students learn community mapping, how decisions are made, who does what, where the money comes from and goes and, ultimately, create their own action plans and designs based on

Bremner Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA)

real projects to present to real decision makers. Pre-Requisites: Co-Requisites:

Biology, Geometry Algebra II or equivalent

Required X __ Required X __

Recommended _____ Recommended _____

Background Information: Context for Course: Addressing the 3E's is a concrete effort to serve the public. Without balance between people, the economy and ecology then we will not be living and developing sustainably. If we are to become a sustainable society, all industries must "go green" in at least practice, if not purpose. Living sustainably is living healthy lives. Food and food systems is an engaging anchor to study sustainability and actively study and create healthy communities. Access to local fresh food is both economic, ecologic and humanitarian in that it addresses jobs and financial needs for food, locally and sustainably grown food not processed and conventional, and finally, humanitarian in addressing health issues such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity among others. Overall, stewardship of space, in particular green and open space, and natural resources in relation to human lives is fundamental as population continues to increase and society becomes more complex With the growth of cities, current energy crisis, increasing carbon emissions and diminishing use of resources it is extremely important to have trained students ready to address these most pressing scientific issues and create healthy and sustainable solutions for our communities. Through the Green Urban Ecology course students gain the knowledge and understanding of the environmental and human systems that most affect our lives. This course will focus on the study of air, water, and energy systems and devise plans to have these systems sustain healthy communities. Cities will need to begin generating energy, provide clean air and water for their residents. The high percentages of diabetes, heart disease, stress and the lack of local and fresh food in urban communities are examples of social inequity. Using our surrounding ecology as a case study, students learn about the 3 E's of Sustainability – equity, environment and economy – and how to create a plan to address them in creating their own healthy and sustainable communities. Green Urban Ecology is the 3rd course among 3 other classes offered that focus on Creating Healthy Communities, Green Urban Design and the Senior Thesis Project Internship in Action. Central to our school culture is a fundamental belief that the planet is in dire need of sustainable environmental action and that justice is equity for all communities. Defining the "Green Economy" as one that works towards both of these goals our students build skills as leaders in and for their own communities for a just and sustainable future. Sustainable Green Urban Ecology with a focus on air, water and energy systems is a concrete way for students to engage in “going green” with energy, transportation, natural resources, and pollution. In this light, sustainable ecology is serving the community in the most substantive and responsible way, by creating a healthy self, community and planet. History of Course Development: One definition of Youth Empowerment is an attitudinal, structural, and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority, and agency to make decisions and implement change in Bremner Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA)

their own lives and the lives of other people, including youth and adults (Wikipedia). Our school was founded by students and strives to live up to its commitment to Youth Empowerment. As a Public Service Academy, the focus is on Urban Ecology and Planning using Urban Agriculture as a tool to explore the 3 E's of sustainability in order to empower students to empower themselves and their own communities. Starting as a small public school, we became an Academy in order to further become a school that builds the knowledge and skills to practice these goals and achieve this vision. In this light, we will further become a school that partners with industry in the field of sustainable design in order to achieve a just and equitable future. Textbooks: Textbook 1 Title: Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice Edition: 1st Edition Publication Date: 2010 Publisher: CRC Press Author(s): Paul T. Anastas and John C. Warner URL Resource(s): Usage:

X Primary Text

X Read in entirety or near entirety

Textbook 2 Title: Shaping Neighborhoods for Local Health and Global Sustainability Edition: 2nd Edition Publication Date: 2003 Publisher: Routledge. New York. Author(s): Barton, Hugh and Guise, Richard URL Resource(s): Usage:

X Primary Text

X Read in entirety or near entirety

Textbook 3 Title: Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature Edition: 2nd Edition Publication Date: 2008 Publisher: Whiley and Sons. New Jersey.

Bremner Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA)

Author(s): Farr, Douglas URL Resource(s): Usage:

X Primary Text

_____ X Read in entirety or near entirety

Supplemental Instructional Materials: Green Chemistry for Environmental Sustainability by Sanjay Kumar Sharma, Ackmez Mudhoo Anastas, P. T. and J. C. Warner (1998). Green chemistry: theory and practice. New York, Oxford University Press. Anastas, P. T. and T. C. Williamson (1996). Green chemistry: designing chemistry for the environment. Washington, D.C., American Chemical Society. Anastas, P. T. and T. C. Williamson (1998). Green chemistry: frontiers in benign chemical syntheses and processes. New York, Oxford University Press. DeVito, S. C. and R. L. Garrett (1996). Designing safer chemicals: green chemistry for pollution prevention. Washington, D.C., American Chemical Society. video http://vodpod.com/watch/1935918-green-chemistry web http://en.wordpress.com/tag/green-chemistry/ http://www.emeac.org/current_programs.htm www.epa.gov Course Purpose: Central to our school culture is a fundamental belief that the planet is in dire need of sustainable environmental action and that justice is equity for all communities. Defining the "Green Economy" as one that works towards both of these goals our students build skills as leaders in and for their own communities for a just and sustainable future. Students use inquiry and action research to research, analyze and address the scientific topics relevant to urban communities. Green Urban Ecology is a class where through laboratory assignments students take charge to design projects and solutions that connect to themselves and their community. This course connects students with environmental scientists and activists, city planners, engineers, urban gardeners, among others through participatory research projects doing development work and ecological study and restoration in the community. Students learn community mapping, how decisions are made, who does what, where the money comes from and goes and, ultimately, create their own action plans and designs based on real projects to present to real decision makers.

Bremner Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA)

Course Outline: Context/Description/Overview: I. Sustainable Urbanism: Using the information generated in labs as a base, how planning, architecture, engineering, environmental studies, and interdisciplinary sustainable development can be used with other professionals and public and private officials to work together towards a sustainable future. Determine how the built environment is connected to the natural environment: air, water, soil and materials from the molecular to the social levels. Critiquing American lifestyle, consumption vs. conservation, identify problems, history of change, and solutions. Connect this lifestyle to a deeper understanding of the building blocks of life and how the environment affects and is affected: for example, carbon production, pollution and Climate Change. II. Designing and developing human settlements: societal norms, built environment, collective interdisciplinary approach to planning with shared purpose. Identify stakeholders and leaders. Action planning. Identify design professionals, project types, and teams. Communications and marketing. Apply knowledge of environmental impacts to create proposals supported by solid scientific research for feedback and further planning. III. Design standards: density, corridors, neighborhoods, biophilla, and high performance green design. Creating sustainable infrastructure. Explore and examine international case studies of Sustainable Urbanism. Use scientific research to engineer plans to create healthy and sustainable communities. Unit 1: Orientation and Principals In this Unit students will draw critical distinctions about community and neighborhood definition, principals of planning, and connections to larger debates and policy. Students will identify closed and open systems, the conservation of energy and interconnectedness. 1) Sustainable development, climate sustainability, healthy communities. 2) The Neighborhood as Habitat: ecosystems, health mapping, defining neighborhoods, districts, towns and place, design principals. Unit 2: Energy This Unit discusses the science behind policies and design for environmental sustainability of Energy. 1) Overview: Local global system, integrated strategy and interconnectedness, climate change and global warming 2) Energy Audit Unit 3: Water This Unit looks at environmental sustainability as informed by water study results. 1) Water cycle basics, neighborhood water planning, local supply and treatment, flooding, drainage and runoff. 2) Watersheds, conservation, pollution, water quality Unit 4: Food This Unit explores the ecological and agricultural sustainability of food.

Bremner Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA)

1) Food basics, staple issues, neighborhood food plan, local food supply and access, food growing. 2) Food systems as sustainable systems. Closed systems, creating healthy communities. Unit 5: Materials This Unit evaluates local environmental sustainability for waste management and recycling 1) Zero waste, local materials, resource recovery. Unit 6: Biodiversity This Unit explores how environmental policies impact sustainability with respect to Biodiversity. 1) Wildlife as a health issue, local biodiversity and wildlife planning, 2) Biodiversity framework, urban trees and habitat restoration in conjunction with air and water quality studies. Unit 7: Air Quality This Unit explores air quality in the urban environment, mapping and analyzing particulate matter and the connections to sustainability and climate change. 1) Air, pollution and climate change. 2) Mapping pollutant sources and collecting data. 3) Analyzing health impacts, creating proposals for change. Lab Assignments: Unit 1 Labs: What are systems, conservation of energy and how do they connect to Climate Change and Sustainability? Labs will demonstrate closed and open systems through CO2 generation and absorption and the relationship to climate stability, green house gases, pollution and human impact on the climate. Students will study the composition and formation of atmospheric ozone. They will conduct a study of the affects ozone has on the degradation of a multitude of materials including live organisms (plants) and building materials. To do this, they will fill four glass containers ozone and cap the jars. Each jar has a material in it that has been weighed prior to placement in the jar. They will let the jar sit overnight, open the jars and reweigh the contents the next day. Unit 2 Labs: Where is energy in a city coming from? Energy released from reactions, energy from molecules and alternative energy sources. Labs will delve deeper into demonstrating the concept of energy and energy conservation it's positive and negative impacts through chemical reactions, energy generation, measurement of heat and alternative sources of energy, such as hydrogen. Students will study batteries, hydrogen, solar fuel cells and biofuels as an alternative energy sources. Students will perform a lab experiment by making biodiesel. Using vegetable oil and 6M NaOH, students will create and test biodiesel Student will evaluate the BTU value of the biodiesel to ethanol. As an extension to this project, students will take the byproduct of the biodiesel, glycerin, and make soap. Unit 3 Labs: What is water and water quality? How is water a limited sustainable resource and how

Bremner Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA)

can we conserve water resources? Labs will demonstrate the importance of water quality and serve to analyze water as sustainable resource, such as heterogeneous vs. homogenous water system, water cycles, filtration systems and reclamation. Further, labs will consist of bottled water sample analysis and a field study to including surrounding creeks and watershed, and soil analysis. Field analysis of water will aim to identify pollutants. Students will perform field test to determine the Water Quality Index (WQI) of a local stream (from local watershed). They will work with EarthTeam on this on-going annual project to establish a record and basis for possible water remediation. Students will test for dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform, temperature, total phosphates and turbidity. Students will enter data and analyze water quality changes over time. They will also compare their data to determine the “health” of the San Francisco Bay.Students will purify water samples using 3 different processes, test for the presence of cations and anions using qualitative testing, explore chemical reactions which can be used to remove calcium ions, classify of water mixtures: colloid, suspension, or solution. Unit 4 Labs: What are the chemical make up of our foods and how do they impact individual and environmental health? Labs will demonstrate the chemical make up of foods and the impacts on the body. Examples include combustion of food, carbon production through sugar and sulfuric acid reactions, saturated and unsaturated fat bonding and esterification as they are related to food additives through combustion of a peanut, milk analysis to determine the percent protein, carbohydrate and water in nonfat milk, analyze various beverages for ascorbic acid content by performing titrations to identify vitamin C, and investigate the relative levels of iron in a variety of foods. Unit 5 Labs: What is waste, industrial waste and how can we create sustainable systems to deal with waste? Labs will focus on waste, reactions and bi-products of reactions to demonstrate pollution, industrial waste and the impacts on the environment. Students will study polymers as an example of processing and packaging waste and the role plastics play in society. In this lab students will describe some of the major plastics and their uses, compare and contrast the properties of different plastics, list products that different resins can become through recycling. To determine the properties of the plastic samples, students will look at its recycling symbol, evaluate its clarity, try to fold it, stretch it, determine its density, subject a sample to acetone for reactivity, and heat a sample. At the end of the lab, students will report on the role of plastics and design solutions for dealing with plastic waste now and alternatives for the future. In addition, standard safety labs will be re-introduced to analyze proper disposal of wastes in a chemistry lab with an understanding of environmental impacts. Unit 6 Labs: How do systems interact to create world-wide “closed system” and how can we design sustainable lifestyles? Labs will return to the concepts of systems with a focus on cycles, including energy, carbon, photosynthesis, respiration, water and nitrogen and how these cycles are interconnected and all play a role in designing a sustainable lifestyle. Lab analysis include, proteins, catalysis and lipids. In order to demonstrate this as part of a larger urban watershed study, students will study the the roles of nitrogen and phosphorus in a soil analysis lab, students will bring in soil from their community and perform chemical analyses on their soil in addition to soil from the surrounding watershed.

Bremner Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA)

They will prepare a report that analyzes their soil quality and identify practical uses for that soil and evaluate it for use as a community garden. Unit 7 Labs: What is air and air quality? How do human actions impact air quality and what are the consequences? Labs will demonstrate the importance of air quality research and the relationship to Climate Change and Sustainability. Students will research air particulate matter and air pollution. Students will study gas laws, sulfur dioxide levels, nitrous oxide levels, and CO2 generation. In addition, students will compare chemical and physical properties of nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide, compare combustion and exhalation on carbon dioxide levels in the air, demonstration electrostatic precipitators and wet scrubbing in removing particulate matter. Students will analyze particulates collected over a 24-hour period at various locations. Students will identify size (PM-10 vs. PM-2.5) and anthropogenic sources of particulate matter. Students will devise a method to determine the mass of the particles and compare their data to the EPA national air quality standards. Writing Assignments: 1) The carbon and nitrogen cycles in the urban environment: Model the food chain from the farm to the urban table. Then model the sewage treatment system from the potty to the final holding tank. In each model, describe how the two cycles work. Include discussion of process design considerations. 2) Energy use in the urban environment: Using a utility bill for your household, make a graphic that shows where in your household the energy was used. Be specific as to which appliance or what construction feature of your home was the consumer. The graphic must be quantifiable to allow visual comparison of energy use for each energy consumer. 3) Alternative energy sources in the urban environment: Select an alternative energy source (wind, solar, batteries, nuclear, etc.) Describe the appropriate size of a typical consumer. Size could be an apartment, a house, a building, a suburban block of houses, an urban block of houses, a community of 100,000, etc. Describe your reasons for picking this size. Describe how independent from a grid-power culture the selected alternative energy source would make its user. 4) Sustainable vs. not-so-sustainable practices in the urban environment: List up to five (5) sustainable practices and, for each, describe a corresponding not-so-sustainable practice. The rub is, both practices for each set have to be practiced currently somewhere in the world and both practices have to be for the same outcome. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of each practice in terms of cost of installation, cost of operation, carbon foot print, environmental impact, cultural acceptance, etc. 5) Carbon footprints: What is the comparative quantity of CO2 release to fuel a city bus that travels 70 miles per day if the bus runs on a) gasoline, b) a hydrogen fuel cell where the hydrogen is generated from water hydrolysis driven by a photovoltaic solar cell and, c) a hydrogen fuel cell where the hydrogen is generated from steam reforming of methane (natural gas).

Bremner Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA)

6) How could water be recycled in the urban environment?: Model an urban water cycle from the reservoir to the last sewage treatment tank. Then show what would be required to recycle 90% or more of the water after first use. Describe how the "water cycle" and your recycling plan are similar/ are different. Site an example of a water recycle system 7) How does smog reduction enhance sustainability? Define "smog". For each componentr of smog, list a corresponding smog abatement process. Select a process and discuss how this process effects a reduction in consumption of a dwindling resource. Also discuss what resources are required to build and operate the process. 8) The most unsustainable practices: List five (5) things that you do, or you see done by others, that are unsustainable and discuss why they are so. Include cost of construction, operation, environmental impact, etc. in your discussion. Recommend an alternative in each case and the reason that alternative would be more sustainable. Defend your recommendation by citing sources and comparing costs and environmental impact. 9) Feast and Famine: Compare corporate and small vegetable/fruit farms. Include average size (acreage, investment, production), percentage of national or international tilled acreage, use of machinery, etc. Determine which type of farm has the wider variety of crops. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of single crop farming and crop rotation. 10) Nuclear power can keep you warm in winter. So, why not make a radioactive blanket? What happens in a nuclear reactor? Describe nuclear processes used for commercial power generation. List types of nuclear radiation. Graph all the transmutation reactions for U-235. Describe why or why not you might want to make a radioactive blanket. 11) Fossil Power: List ten (10) compounds that can be considered to be fossil power sources. Research or estimate the enthalpy of combustion for each compound. Determine the carbon release as carbon dioxide and the exothermic heat release for combustion of 1 kilogram of each compound. Discuss the relative merits of each compound in terms of sustainability, carbon footprint and, energy efficiency. 12) Environment and DNA: List ten (10) human characteristics that are affected by environment. Discuss why these characteristics do not make different species among humans. Discuss the difference between species and pedigree with respect to DNA. How does environment affect a species according to Darwin's Origin of the Species? Discuss whether environment affects DNA too. 13) Crime and Chemicals: List ten (10) chemicals that are commonly involved in crimes. Describe the chemicals as pure substances or mixtures; solid, liquid, gas or plasma; metal or nonmetal. Describe the criminal use of one of the chemicals. Provide the correct chemical formula of the active ingredient of the chemical. Determine the molar mass of that ingredient. List its physical properties including boiling point, melting point, density, etc. How is this chemical produced? Is it a sustainable production process? What is the environmental impact of this chemical? 14) Water pollution in the urban environment: What pollutants are treated in a typical urban-

Bremner Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA)

area water-treatment plant? Describe how one or more pollutants is removed. Describe how three or more pollutants got into the water in the first place. Describe tests for these pollutants. 15) Air pollution in the urban environment: Everybody knows that NOx and SOx are bad news and that smoke fills the air with particulates. Can you describe where you have witnessed a source of air pollution? What chemicals were being released? How much was released? What process produced the pollutant? What was the input to that process? Key Assignments: Labs, air quality study, water quality study, energy audit study, design charrettes, project proposal, project presentation, project evaluation Lab Assignments: Please see course outline for more detail on unit lab assignments Based in lab and research projects. Lab write-ups, research analysis, research write ups: purpose, methods, findings, proposals. Comparative study of all writing. Reflection and Evaluation: 1-2 pages Instructional Methods and/or Strategies: To teach Investigation and Experimentation: CA science standard 1a-n the techniques listed below are used in addition to demonstration, experimentation (use of logic and evidence), asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. Lecture and Cornell Notes Socratic Seminar and evidence based discussion Small group projects Project Groups: Students work together in project teams to complete pieces of the project for each unit, for example, project manager, archivist, media creator, and designer. Reciprocal Teaching to make meaning of text: Connectors, Questioners, Visualizers, Summarizers, Wordsmiths Daily “testimonials”, appreciations and observations Project Based Learning: Hands on outdoor work experience, school garden, community garden, open space, culinary arts, park design, park maintenance, design charrettes. Pedagogy: M-W - reciprocal teaching, lecture, notes, T/Fri. Socratic seminars, discussions. Project Development in project teams ongoing on-going based on needs. Inquiry Cycle: Thought – Action – Reflection – Thought is woven within assignments, beginning/end of each unit Vocabulary and Terms development. Assessments Including Methods and/or Tools:

Bremner Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA)

Summative and Formal (in connection with writing assignments and key assignments): Essays evaluated using expository writing rubrics. Oral and Visual Presentation evaluated using Presentation rubrics. Discussion and argument using supporting evidence evaluated using rubrics. Research methodology and analysis evaluated using rubrics. Demonstration of Long Term and Short Term Learning Targets Data collection, analysis and inference Demonstration of scientific methodology Lab Safety Protocol Use of lab equipment (based on lab) Charting and Tracking Data Knowledge and application of chemical agents to produce predicted results Formative and Informal: Daily “Do Now”s or “warm ups” to engage learning and introduce themes. Checking For Understanding at the beginning, middle and end of a lesson using CFU question strategies (clarification, purpose and connections) Reading for Understanding, such as Connecting to Text (Text-Self, Text-Text, Text-World). Participation in Instructional Methods and Strategies Punctuality and Attendance Standards: Chemical Bonds (2a, b, d) Conservation of Matter and Stoichiometry (3 a-e) Gases and Their Properties (4a-f) Acids and Bases (5a-e); Solutions (6a-d) Chemical Thermodynamics (7a-d) Reaction Rates (8a-c) Chemical Equilibrium (9a-b) Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (10a-c)

Bremner Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA)