Students in AP Environmental Science lost the opportunity to conduct fieldwork during the pandemic. Now that we have returned to in-person learning, they are ready to complete labs in the field again, applying their classroom learning to the local environment.
Our forestry fieldwork involves measuring several characteristics of trees, including taking core samples to analyze tree rings. The core samples provide information about more than just the age of the tree, including its health, growth history, fire activity, and climate trends during the tree's life.
In addition to the core samples, students also complete another series of measurements during the lab that allow them to use trigonometry and geometry to calculate the amount of wood in the tree, compare the average sizes of different tree species, and predict how many trees it would take to build a house.
These activities help students meet the NVACS ecosystem standards (HS-LS2-1 and HS-LS2-1) as well as developing several of the NVACS science process skills (such as Planning Investigations, Analyzing Data, and Using Mathematics).
About my class
Students in AP Environmental Science lost the opportunity to conduct fieldwork during the pandemic. Now that we have returned to in-person learning, they are ready to complete labs in the field again, applying their classroom learning to the local environment.
Our forestry fieldwork involves measuring several characteristics of trees, including taking core samples to analyze tree rings. The core samples provide information about more than just the age of the tree, including its health, growth history, fire activity, and climate trends during the tree's life.
In addition to the core samples, students also complete another series of measurements during the lab that allow them to use trigonometry and geometry to calculate the amount of wood in the tree, compare the average sizes of different tree species, and predict how many trees it would take to build a house.
These activities help students meet the NVACS ecosystem standards (HS-LS2-1 and HS-LS2-1) as well as developing several of the NVACS science process skills (such as Planning Investigations, Analyzing Data, and Using Mathematics).
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