sierramv1 Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 (edited) Our local Natural History Center offers a Master Naturalist Program. It consists of approx. 36 hours of lecture/labs, 24 hours of field work, and 12-15 hours of homework. Totaling 75ish hours. They offer this as a University class for 3 credits (it's Environmental Studies 391). Here is a sample syllabus: x Introduction + Nature Journals Class overview and the Nature Journal x Winter bird ID, topography Lecture + Field x Winter bird ID + Riparian Ecology In the field: Council Groves State Park x Saturday Field Day: Winter Raptors Brian Williams Birder, Naturalist In the field: Ninepipes NWR x Local Geology Lecture + Field x Nature Journaling + Herpetology Lecture + Lab x Gymnosperms + Fungi/Lichens Lecture + Field x Saturday Field Day: Biogeography Greg Peters Missoula College Professor Lecture + Field: cross section of the Bitterroot valley x Insect anatomy, physiology, order ID Charles Miller Missoula College Professor Lecture + Lab x Butterflies Families + Field Notes Lecture + Lab x Saturday Field Day: Tracking Adam Lieberg Northwest Connections In the field: Swan Valley x Mammal Skulls Lecture + Lab x Flower anatomy and family ID Lecture + Field x Flower families Peter Lesica Botanist In the field: Mount Jumbo x ID practice naturalist walk In the field; Final Journal + Final Project Due x Celebratory dinner Final Project Presentation and Dinner I was thinking about rounding it out with some of the Highschool level 'trunks' that you can borrow - complete with curriculum guides (each is 3-4 weeks of material): AQUATIC INVERTEBRATE MONITORING FIREWORKS - FIRE ECOLOGY GLACIAL LAKE MISSOULA PRAIRIE ECOSYSTEM RAPTORS OF THE ROCKIES THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES Would this round out an Environmental Science credit? Or Ecology? TIA Edited March 7, 2017 by sierramv1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Perhaps Field Ecology? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 (edited) in high school I took a class called Field Biology and Ecology that covered a lot of that. It was considered "Advanced" Biology (2nd year of Biology). To add hours/topics you could look at adding: Bird silhouettes identification bird songs identification tree identification using leaves and seeds winter tree identification using bark and buds using dichotomous keys natural dyes Macroinvertebrates insect collection--either pinned or photos, with identification scat identification Identification of wildlife by tracks (and scat) Wild edibles (including cooking/baking with them) Owls/owl calls/owl pellets Amphibians and reptiles (did not see that mentioned at all above)--lots you can do with this the pond ecosystem in general, including fish invasive species (plants, insect, animal) and their impacts IF you live near a park that has ACOE rangers, you might have an event called the "Bioblitz" either in the spring or the fall. It is a citizen census of species. It is totally free. They have different naturalists/experts who lead hikes or talks almost every hour. There is a lot of great information shared and it is a great way to meet local experts in herpetology, entomology, etc. They do fish shocking at ours (not to kill, just to census) which is a great way to see what fish are in the lake and what sort of invasive species exist, etc. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/biodiversity/national-parks-bioblitz.htm Edited March 7, 2017 by cintinative 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Our local Natural History Center offers a Master Naturalist Program. It consists of approx. 36 hours of lecture/labs, 24 hours of field work, and 12-15 hours of homework. Totaling 75ish hours. They offer this as a University class for 3 credits (it's Environmental Studies 391). Here is a sample syllabus: x Introduction + Nature Journals Class overview and the Nature Journal x Winter bird ID, topography Lecture + Field x Winter bird ID + Riparian Ecology In the field: Council Groves State Park x Saturday Field Day: Winter Raptors Brian Williams Birder, Naturalist In the field: Ninepipes NWR x Local Geology Lecture + Field x Nature Journaling + Herpetology Lecture + Lab x Gymnosperms + Fungi/Lichens Lecture + Field x Saturday Field Day: Biogeography Greg Peters Missoula College Professor Lecture + Field: cross section of the Bitterroot valley x Insect anatomy, physiology, order ID Charles Miller Missoula College Professor Lecture + Lab x Butterflies Families + Field Notes Lecture + Lab x Saturday Field Day: Tracking Adam Lieberg Northwest Connections In the field: Swan Valley x Mammal Skulls Lecture + Lab x Flower anatomy and family ID Lecture + Field x Flower families Peter Lesica Botanist In the field: Mount Jumbo x ID practice naturalist walk In the field; Final Journal + Final Project Due x Celebratory dinner Final Project Presentation and Dinner I was thinking about rounding it out with some of the Highschool level 'trunks' that you can borrow - complete with curriculum guides (each is 3-4 weeks of material): AQUATIC INVERTEBRATE MONITORING FIREWORKS - FIRE ECOLOGY GLACIAL LAKE MISSOULA PRAIRIE ECOSYSTEM RAPTORS OF THE ROCKIES THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES Would this round out an Environmental Science credit? Or Ecology? TIA Oh yes! That is a class to drool for. :drool5: For senior year (after physics, chem, and bio) we did a Natural Science Field Studies class which included earth and marine science. My son loves to hike, dive, and sail so we wanted to have studies that related to his life experiences. We supplemented those studies with lectures from the Audubon Society that were along the lines of the ones that you have listed. We have a marine science lab within driving distance and there was a shark necropsy which my son and a good friend attended while they were in AP Bio. Taking science outside and applying it is such a cool experience. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Unless you NEED to round out a credit, I think it makes a much more impressive extracurricular. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sierramv1 Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 in high school I took a class called Field Biology and Ecology that covered a lot of that. It was considered "Advanced" Biology (2nd year of Biology). To add hours/topics you could look at adding: Bird silhouettes identification bird songs identification tree identification using leaves and seeds winter tree identification using bark and buds using dichotomous keys natural dyes Macroinvertebrates insect collection--either pinned or photos, with identification scat identification Identification of wildlife by tracks (and scat) Wild edibles (including cooking/baking with them) Owls/owl calls/owl pellets Amphibians and reptiles (did not see that mentioned at all above)--lots you can do with this the pond ecosystem in general, including fish invasive species (plants, insect, animal) and their impacts IF you live near a park that has ACOE rangers, you might have an event called the "Bioblitz" either in the spring or the fall. It is a citizen census of species. It is totally free. They have different naturalists/experts who lead hikes or talks almost every hour. There is a lot of great information shared and it is a great way to meet local experts in herpetology, entomology, etc. They do fish shocking at ours (not to kill, just to census) which is a great way to see what fish are in the lake and what sort of invasive species exist, etc. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/biodiversity/national-parks-bioblitz.htm This is great! He actually takes a year round survival class, which covers a bunch of these topics (tracking, bird id, tree id, edible plants, etc) Now to decide if I should let it stand as an extra curricular or combine it for a science credit.... Thank you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennay Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 If the class "as is" is worth 3 college credits why wouldn't it be worth a high school credit without adding anything? And couldn't you just call it Environmental Studies? Sounds like such a cool class! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 (edited) I would stick to the Environmental Studies title or one of the Field titles. You are looking at a hybrid class that doesn't really follow an environmental science course or an earth science course. If you are looking to add work to the course because you are worried about the 75 hours and perhaps you define a credit as 120 Carnegie units, then add a couple of books that your student would find relevant. Get one of the Roadside Geology books for your area or a meteorology book for weather in your area. If your son is taking a year long survival course, look for literature that accents that. Our son loves a book that is full of stories from hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Edited March 9, 2017 by swimmermom3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 this is a black and white field guide, but I used to work with geologists and one of the guys told me it's pretty decent (for us non-geology majors) =) https://www.amazon.com/Field-Manual-Amateur-Geologist-Activities/dp/047104430X I don't know if you knew this, but The Cornell Lab has a Bird Academy and you can take classes on bird identification, etc. It would probably be a great resource as you can be sure the people teaching the classes really love birds. =) https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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