New Year's Environmental Resolution due 1/1/13 @ midnight

One of our essential questions for the year is...

How do my actions impact my community, family, and city?

Reflect on this question.  Use the following questions as a guide.

1. Have your actions changed because of things you have learned in environmental science?
1. Why or why not?  Provide examples
2. Do you live a sustainable life?  
1. Why or why not?
3. What is one New Year's resolution you want to make that is related to the environment?
1. Explain your choice.

Congratulations Class of 2013!

• No blog due this weekend. 
• Annotations due Monday in order to participate in socratic circle.  
• Wastewater treatment quiz Weds.

Blog Post Due Sunday 12/10

NYC Tap is where it's at!

This week almost everyone presented their tap water campaign projects. (Check out this Prezi and this one, this website, this rap, this glog) Now that they have been completed reflect on the learning, planning, and creation process.

I am interested in knowing your thoughts about this project and if/how it helped you learn.

You may choose to reflect (in paragraph form) on some or all of the following questions...

DEP makin' that fo sho.

Use the questions below as a guide, not a script.

• How did this project help you understand the safety of our drinking water in NYC?
• How did/do you think the project will influence your personal actions in the future?  
• Will you make any changes in your actions? 
• Why/why not?
• Do you think you have a better understanding of where NYC's drinking water comes from and the bottled water industry after completing this project?  
• Why or why not?
• How does this project compare to others that you have completed in school?  
• What did you like about it?
• What could make it better?
• Would you be interested in doing something similar in the future?
• Which types of projects did you think were the most engaging when to presented (prezi, glog, video, rap, etc)?
• Explain your response
• Are there any other thoughts you want to share about the project or NYC's drinking water related to you, your family, or community?

Optional Blog Post due 12/2

Over the past 6 weeks we have been raising trout in the classroom.

In your post...

Explain how you have seen our trout change over time.

What have you learned about trout this year?

What benefits do you think having trout in the classroom provide to you as a student?

What else do you want to know about trout?

Blog Post Due Sunday 11.25

This week in class we continued to build our background knowledge in preparation for the creation of our NYC tap water advertising campaigns.

In your post choose two facts that you found to be the most interesting (quotes would be nice) and explain why you found them to be interesting as well as how and why they may have changed your thinking about bottled/tap water.

The idea here is to begin compiling a list of facts that you can reference when building your ad campaigns next week.

Note:

• One fact must be from the reading "Satan's Resin" from Garbage Land by Elizabeth Royte given out and partially read in class.
• The other fact can be from any of the lessons from this past week (Think gyres, windrows, bottle bills, and Tapped the movie).

Blog Post due 11.19

This week we analyzed the 2011 NYC Water Quality report and began to learn about the bottled water industry thanks in part to a visit from author Elizabeth Royte.

In your post reflect on how your thinking has changed about the quality and safety of NYC tap and bottled water.

Poland Spring delivery truck on 182 and Amsterdam

Do you think differently about each now after what you have learned in class this week?
What things specifically made you change your thinking?
Did you find anything surprising?  Why?
How does what you learned connect to yourself/family/and community?
What other questions/ideas do you have about tap and bottled water?

Elizabeth Royte posting questions

On Thursday, Elizabeth Royte will be visiting our class to answer your questions.

When you get the chance, please check out her blog and bio.

After completing your reading please post three questions on the following topics.

1.  A question you have about NYC's water.

2.  A question you have about bottled water or the bottled water industry.

3.  A question you have about being an author/writer.

BioBus pics from 10.25

The BioBus @ WHEELS

This week we had a visit from the BioBus.  Reflect on your experience.  Use the questions below to help guide your response.

• What was your BioBus experience like?
• How was this experience different from other science classes/experiences you have had?
• Did the BioBus make you think differently about science?  Explain.
• Did the BioBus make you think differently about what scientists do?
• Would you ever consider becoming a scientist?  Why or why not?
• What influence (if any) did your interaction with BioBus scientists have on your consideration of becoming a scientist?
• How did this experience impact your relationship and what you know about trout?

MillionTreesNYC Planting 10.19

Scroll down for Optional blog post below.

Period 6 plants a Witch Hazel tree in the school garden.

Martin Marosey 10.16

Trout expert visit

Optional Blog Post due 10.21

Optional blog post for those looking to replace a missing post or improve a low grade.

Please reflect on one of the following things we learned in class this week.

1.  Our socratic circle on "The Burden of Thirst" article

2.  Our visitor, Martin Marosy, trout expert.

Mr. Fox

Questions Posting due 10.15

Hi scholars.

Sorry for the delay in posting.
As a result your blog post will not be due until Monday night.
Please write down a question you have about each of the following....

1) trout
2) where our water comes from
3) visit www.fairfield.edu and ask 1 question you have about the college.

These questions will be used to help guide the lesson for our visitor on Tuesday.

For those of you looking to make up a missing post or improve a low blog grade answer the questions above and complete a normal reflection like you do each week. Also due Monday.

Pickin' up Trout Eggs 10.11, Hyde Park NY

Blog Post due 10.7

This week we calculated our personal water usage, analyzed that data, and synthesized a procedure for sustainable showering.  Reflect on your experience during these learning activities.

The best posts will comment on the actual data and graphs created from our water calculator activity found here.

To earn a bonus point on your post try out another way to calculate the amount of water you use in your life found here.  To earn the point compare your water calculator data from in class to the one you completed online.  (This means your post should include actual numbers).  Are they different?  Why do you think so?  Which is more accurate?

Also comment on how the water calculators themselves compare to one another.

Blog Post Due 9.30 @ midnight

This week we water tested, waded, went crabbing, sketched, walked, and canoed the Bronx river.

If you went on the trip, blog about your experience, if you stayed behind reflect on your leanings from this week (Bronx river restoration, alewife/oyster reintroduction).

Also check out some pics from the trip below.

Bronx River Canoe 9.27

Optional Post due Sunday 9/23

This week we learned what an estuary is, the different forms that they come in, and about the organisms that live within them.  We also tested four 4 different abiotic factors in preparation for the water samples we will collect on our canoe trip.

In this post reflect on what you have learned.  Connect your learning to your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and community/family.

This blog post is optional.  As a result no late posts will be accepted.

Your score on this post will do one of the following...

1.  Replace your lowest score (including any 0)
2.  Earn you extra credit points

UPDATE:  DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL MONDAY NIGHT

Blog Post due Sunday, 9/16 @ midnight

In class this week we focused on two topics.

Our first topic, sustainability, was wrapped up by analyzing The Lorax by Dr Seuss and the story of Easter Island and the Rapa-nui.

The second topic of the week kicked-off our semester long journey on all things water.  We took an in depth look at the water molecule and all of its unique properties.

For your blog post choose one of these two topics to write about.

Use the same format as last week.  (See last week's post for help and guidance when writing your post if needed).

Congratulations on finishing the first full week of school! It's going to be a great year.

Mr. Fox

Blog Post due Sunday, September 9th

Reflect on the first two days of class.  Focus your post on the idea of sustainability.

Remember to use the Hints below to maximize your score.  Feel free to look at past blogs from last year as an exemplar.

• Introduce the topic you will be writing about
• Write down why you found the topic to be interesting.
• Include a few facts and other interesting information about the topic that you learned from class.

• Focus on one idea/topic you found the most interesting
• Why did you find this interesting?
• What ideas/thoughts/questions did/do you have about this?

• Connect what you have written to your own life
• How has this changed the thinking about your life, your family, your community, your country?
• What else do you want to know about this topic?
• What else are you wondering/feeling about what you have learned?

Recycle this

At the Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm

Presenting PhotoVoice at Columbia U

Earth Day Festival

Post your work here.

Carbon Cycle Game

Climate Change Lab

Ozone Post due Sunday 2/12

Create a post on what you have learned about the ozone hole.

Focus on how your learning has changed about this topic from before to after we were done learning about the ozone hole.

WE ACT visits WHEELS

We will be having a visitor to class on Thursday to talk to us about local air pollution issues.

Post at least one question you have about air pollution by Tuesday night.

Steve Duncan's at it again

Check out Steve's new video here

Experiencing Air Pollution Lab

Scientific Inquiry Action with SO2, NO2, and CO2

Blog post due 1/12

Reflect on what you have learned about air and air pollution so far.