Friday October 24

Happy Friday! Fall Break is here..... yeah!
Today, we will look at Amendment 105 which is the GMO Food Labeling bill.

Here is a link to some information on the amendment. I would like you to find two opposing viewpoints (in commercial form would be most humorous) to discuss this issue.  Here is another direct link to opposing views.

How does this amendment relate to our conversations about the Green Revolution?
How much money is being raised for each side of the conversation?

Wednesday October 22

The Green Revolution

Here are the notes that I posted on the board to help you prepare for our discussion on the Green Revolution.

Tuesday October 21

Howdy gang! In class today we will finish the FRQ portion of the Unit 1 test. We will have a test review on Friday.
To prepare for Wednesday and Thursday, please read/review the article linked here.
The reading tips for the article:

1. Read through it once to get an idea about the article; what is the story? Can you summarize the main points/ideas?
1. be sure to use the following words in your summary:
1. agriculture, yield, nutrition, malnutrition, poverty, fertilizer, pesticide, technology/information transfer
2. What are some key events that triggered the "Green Revolution"?
3. What did the Green Revolution ultimately lead to (in terms of current food production)?
4. Is it all good news? What is the bad news?
5. Where did it work? Why? Where did it fail? Why?

We will look at Chapter 10 in Chiras (Creating a Sustainable System of Agriculture to Feed the World's People) after break, please enjoy your break; relax a little, but try and get through this so that we can be ready for a full post-break week of work.
Let me start by saying that this is a DENSE chapter, full of all kinds of goodness, it is the breakfast equivalent of a bowl of bran--but more delicious!
As always, here are key concepts and vocabulary for you to focus in on and make things more manageable.

1. Concepts
1. Population
2. Agricultural Practices
1. yield measurements
2. crop rotation
3. tillage practices
4. strip cropping
5. terracing
6. shelter belts
7. contour farming
8. gully reclamation
9. farmland conversion
3. Irrigation Practices
1. drip line irrigation
2. center pivot irrigation
3. time of day irrigation practices
4. downward spray nozzle
5. desalinization
4. Soil Practices/Issues
1. soil profile
2. soil formation
3. tillage 
4. fertilizers
5. pesticides
6. herbicides
7. salinization
8. water logging
9. wind erosion
5. Crop Modification Practices
1. hybridization
2. cross breeding
3. modifications
4. selective breeding
6. Environmental Issues
1. mono-vs-poly culture farms
2. desertification
3. habitat alteration/destruction
4. population growth
7. Economic Issues
1. farm income 
2. subsidy programs
3. economic incentives
4. trade issues
2. Vocabulary
1. Refer to the vocabulary list on page 192
3. Alphabet Soup
1. GMO
2. FDA
3. USAID (Green Revolution article)
4. HYV (Green Revolution article)
5. CSA
6. USDA
7. 
   
4. Legislation

Monday October 20

Happy Monday!

In class, we will complete the MCQ portion of the Unit 1 test. I know that we ran long and most of you did not complete the FRQ.... that will be for tomorrow!

Wednesday October 15

Today we will cover the Demographics Lab in a slightly different way.

• A review of the Demographics Lab:
• A few clarifying points and a guided peer review.
• Use this document to provide your feedback on the Demographics Lab:
• 1st hour, divide into one of three groups: Group #1, Group #2, Group #3
• 2nd Hour, divide into one of three groups: Group #4, Group #5, Group #6.
• For each of the lab questions, provide your answer/thoughts and respond/reply to one comment per question. Please be respectful in your tone and use this as an opportunity to discuss questions that you might have and clarify issues that your group members might have.

Tuesday October 14th

Study Guide for the Unit 2 Test

1. Chiras (your textbook Blake)
1. Chapter 8
1. population growth
2. global population history
3. total human population 
4. carrying capacity
5. urban, rural and suburban
6. doubling time formula
7. developed, developing and east developed
8. mortality, natality, immigration and emigration
9. exponential growth
10. population pyramid (shapes associated with development status)
2. Chapter 9
1. Stabilization strategies
2. Role of
1. education
2. policy
3. religion
3. Chapter 11
1. biodiversity
2. threats to biodiversity
3. invasive species
1. accidental -vs- intentional introductions
4. environmental rights
5. debt for nature swaps
4. Chapter 12
1. Tragedy of the Commons
2. Threats to 
1. Rangeland
2. Grassland
3. Government owned/operated land
2. Laws, Legislation & Regulations (aka alphabet soup)
1. ESA
2. CITES
3. CERCLA
4. Federal Land Policy & Management Act
5. Public Rangelands Improvement Act
6. Wilderness Act
7. National Wilderness Preservation System
8. Thailand Population Policy (PDA)
9. China One Child Policy
3. Labs, Simulations & Activities
1. Population Pyramids
2. UN Population Growth
3. Biodiversity Lab
4. Carrying Capacity Lab
5. Population Control Discussion (Philippines, China, Liberia & Thailand)

Monday October 13

Monday October 13

1. Population Simulation Activity

This lesson exists in three (3) parts. You should complete part 1 in class today (Monday) and complete 2 at home for HW. We will finish part 3 in class and answer any questions that you might have on Tuesday. All work should be done on the provided data table. This assignment is due no later than the beginning of class on Wednesday.

Friday October 10

1. We have a unit test next Friday (10/17)
2. Dependency Ratio
1. How do they vary based on development status?
3. Population Pyramid 
1. Policy Decisions
2. Estimations & Forecasts
1. Food & Water
2. Healthcare
4. The Week ahead....
1. Please read & review Chapter 9 for Tuesday (2 days)
1. Pay close attention to:
1. Ethics of population growth control
2. The role of education in population growth control
3. The role of religion in population growth control
4. The role of government in population growth control
5. The role of human nature in population growth control
1. Specifically the rights versus responsibilities of citizens
2. Population Simulation Activity (2 days)
3. Unit Test (Friday 10/17)

Thursday October 9

Warm-Up #8: Population Histograms

Go to the CIA Factbook and look up the three (3) countries that you researched for the UN Population Activity that we completed yesterday.
Click on the "People and Society" tab.
Look at the population distribution data table and create a population histogram for each of your countries.

1. Calculate the doubling time for each country
2. Calculate the dependency ratio for each country.
3. Define the term "zero population growth".
4. Which histogram most closely resembles zero population growth?
5. What does it mean to have an "old" or "young" population?
6. How does migration affect a population pyramid?
7. How can the age-sex structure of a population help plan for the needs of that population?

Wednesday October 8

Compare and contrast the following countries:

1. China
2. Thailand 
3. Philippines
4. Liberia

using the following topics and this chart...

1. Government type
2. Government policy
3. Government funding
4. Growth rates
5. Changes in growth rates
6. Primary (predominant) religion
7. Population Control Policy

Tuesday October 7

In class, please complete the graphs that we started yesterday. This should include a graph for:

1. World Population Growth
2. Developing Nation Population Growth
3. Developed Nation Population Growth
4. Least Developed Nation Population Growth

For Homework Tonight (Due Wednesday)

1. Complete the Analysis Questions from the Population Activity.
2. Here is the population assignment. Please complete the questions associated with doubling time.
3. Be sure that you have read Chapter 8 (key reading points provided) and be ready to discuss and take notes in class in Wednesday (10/8).

Monday October 6

Population & Environment

Use this document to investigate the relationship between population growth and environmental effects. The goal of this activity is for you to understand how the populations of different nations are changing and the environmental effects associated with those changes.
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
UN Designated Country Designation Status

The vocabulary list for this week is:

1. doubling time
2. histogram
3. inner city syndrome
4. lag effect
5. less developed nation
6. more developed nation
7. developing nation
8. over population
9. overshoot
10. baby boom
11. total fertility rate
12. replacement fertility rate
13. zero population growth

The legislative policies that we will discuss this week are:

1. Thailand population growth policy
2. China population growth policy

The fun facts and quotes for today are:

"human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe." - H.G. Wells

"you cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today" -A. Lincoln

Friday October 3

Quiz #2 (Laws/Legislation & Vocabulary from Chapters 11 & 12)

Viral Comparison: HIV & Ebola

1. What are the origins of each virus?
2. What species is the natural host of each virus?
3. What human actions led to the transmission of the virus (the outbreak)?
4. Why was it possible for each virus to make the jump to humans?
5. Why Africa?

The week ahead.... 

Please have Chapter 8 read by Tuesday (10/7). Focus on the following as you read and take notes:

1. global population trends (historic and current)
2. carrying capacity (review)
3. technologically expanded carrying capacity
4. population histograms
5. exponential growth
6. doubling time (concept and formula)
7. Thailand Population Control Case Study
8. Urbanization Trends
9. UN Designated Country Status (Less Developed, Developing, Developed)
10. Key Terms (Page 151, define and be familiar with)

Thursday October 2

What are the issues associated with the increased global consumption of meat?

North Korea @ Night- How does the lack of meat change the way that we grow?

Bovine Growth Hormone & Early onset puberty-How does the increased consumption of meat and dairy change the way that we grow?

What are the health effects of increased consumption? CDC Report

Hog Farm, Methane Measurements, Methane (Part 2) - What are the environmental effects of meat consumption?

Wednesday October 1

1. Tracking disease outbreaks (Ebola as a case study)
2. Specialist -vs- Generalist
3. Warm-Up #7 (Write-up is due on Friday)

Between 1950 and 2000, global meat production increased from 52 billion kilograms to 240 billion kilograms. During this period, the global human population increased from 2.6 billion to 6.0 billion.

1. Calculate the per capita meat production in 1950 and 2000.
2. Use the values from #1 to calculate the change in global per capita meat production during this 50 year period as a percentage of the 1950 value.
3. Discuss why it is more efficient to produce grain for human consumption than to produce meat for human consumption. In your answer, consider both land use and energy use.
4. Describe TWO environmental consequences of the increase in the production of meat for human consumption.
5. Identify and explain one potential advantage and one potential disadvantage for human health of a diet that contains very little meat.