Environmental Science Merit Badge Lesson Plan Outline Aspen Ridge 2009

This plan was made by my first scout camp area director Nick. 

Day: Tuesday

Time:90 minutes

Objectives: "lecture Day"

• Req 1 : History
• Req 2 : Terms
• Req 3b : Acid Rain
• Req 6 : Careers

Sequence

• Greet/Introduce (3min)
• Explain purpose of class (5 min)
• "little glimpse of Environmental Scientists" Explain class outline and homework throughout the week. 1. Lecture day. 2. Experiment day 1. 3. Experiment Day 2 and field trip. 4. Major paper day
• Talk about History (40 min) * see end of envi-sci section for lecture and worksheets!
• Break into groups (around 5 minutes) have them get into a single file line and count off to 4 or 5 depending on class size. 1st four = leaders of groups. Leaders take roll of their groups every day. count rest of boys into 4 groups and separate into group areas. Roll call by group leaders.(5-7 min)
• Roll call : 1. first and last name of boys in group. 2. Day of week. 3. Time of class. 4. Group # 5. Leader name on top.
• As group leaders turn in their roles, give each group a terms worksheet. ( 10 minutes) groups perform team work to finish terms paper. It helps them to break the ice with each other. 
• Review terms paper finished or not. 
• Acid rain lecture (5 min) Page 38 in merit badge book. what is pH scale? Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrus oxide + primary causes. Made from cars/ power plants. Stuff mixes with rain as a cloud forms = sulfuric acid. Acid rain weakens plants. 
• Discuss how it affects plants and how we can make it better (35 minutes) erosion, weakens plants, can burn skin, poisons water supply. 
• Talk about careers (5min)

Day: Wednesday

Length: 90 minutes

Objectives: Experiment day 1

Requirements A2, C2, 3, F2

Preparation: 4 stations

• Greenhouse effect *next to outlet* (pg76) Need 2 2liter bottles cut in 3/4, Garden soil, 2 thermometers, plastic wrap/rubber band, lamp.
• 2 Oil spill simulation (pg 81) Need 8 pie pans, water, oil 4 tsp., place straws, string paper, fabric, soap on tables. 
• Resource center (pg 66) write 10 ways to conserve resources. 

Procedure: 

• Greet/ reform groups/roll call
• Explain stations
• Do experiments: ask observation questions before switching. 
• 1st rotation tables mirror each other
• 2nd rotation to experiment they havent done

This evening fill a 5 gallon bucket with water and tear strips of newspaper. let them soak overnight.

Day 3: Thursday

Length 90 min

Expirement day 2

Requirements 3d, 4A

Preparation: pg 84

• fill 12 boxes with soil, 4 with grass on top.
• place the boxes around the area and lift with rocks. 3 boxes per table. 
• Place giant jug of soggy paper in middle
• Place pie pans

Procedure

• Greet/ groups/roll
• explain erosion experiment pg84
• do experiment and pick up observations.
• field trip! take to two areas, do requirement 4a. Esplain Biodiversity and population density.record the conditions of the areas. Homework write a 75 word report comparing/contrasting areas. 

Day 4: Friday

Length 90 minutes.

Objective Major paper day

Requirements 4, 3e, 5

Preparation

• tape up poster boards with the major paper requirements. 
• set out endangered species catalog  

Procedures:

• Greet/roll
• collect papers
• explain environmental impact statement (pg 63) What is the project? what are the effects? what is an alternative way to conserve, short term benefits/long term? what resources are needed to maintain it?
• Explain endangered species report. Research 1 endangered species animal using catalog. write 100 word paper. If the article that the scout uses doesn't answer all the questions help them out. 
• due by dinner. 

Day 1 lecture (40 min)

What is Environment?

• All living and nonliving materials around you. Plants animals, soil, water, heat, light, etc.
• Plants and animals interact with eachother and also with nonliving things.

The roots of environmental science... see the book for the timeline. (I'm too lazy right now to type it all) 

go over each point in history.