How will I be taught?! Lessons are interactive and are accompanied by online resources on the portal so that you can review them at home. Videos and animations are also used to help explain the information.! ! There is a course companion textbook that covers the course that you will be provided with. ! ! You will be expected to regularly read extra information from your textbook before and after lessons, and bring to class any questions.! ! You should keep an eye on the news for new developments in science.!
DP Group 4 Environmental Systems & Societies SL only YEARS 12-13 What DP ESS students think:! “Choose what you think will be best for you, not what your friend is choosing, not what your parents want you to choose and not because other people say that ESS is not a real science, because ESS is and it is also challenging in other aspects.” Amanda! ! “ESS is a subject that combines the experimental sciences with the social sciences that allows students to appreciate the interconnectedness of the environment and human culture. My advice would be to treat ESS as you would any other subject: study hard, pay attention in class and meet the deadlines.” Hoyon! ! ESS is in Group 4 of the IB diploma course and can be taken at Standard level only. ! It is a Science and covers parts of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. ! ESS works very well with Geography. !
Assessment!
Syllabus Outline!
Internal Assessment!
1. Foundations of ESS!
25% of final grade !
2. Ecosystems and Ecology!
Individual Scientific investigation based on
3. Biodiversity and Conservation!
10 hours of work graded on the following
4. Water, Soil and Food resources!
criteria: ! • Identifying the context!
5. Atmospheric systems!
• Planning!
6. Climate change and energy!
• Results, analysis and conclusion!
7. Human populations and
• Discussion and Evaluation! • Applications!
resources!
• Communications!
!
Students will also spend 30 hours on
Fieldtrip! There is a compulsory fieldtrip in year
investigations!
Careers in Environmental Science!
12 for 4 days near to Chiang Mai
• Architect or Land Planning!
where we cover some parts of the
• Botany!
curriculum and techniques for the
• Ecology!
internal assessment.! There is also a fieldtrip to Khao Yai national park to study conservation & management.!
• Environmental Biogeography!
!
External Assessment! 75% of final grade on three exam papers! • Paper 1 – unfamiliar case study data analysis (1 hour)! • Paper 2 – short answer an data analysis
• Environmental Law!
questions, 2 essay questions (2 hours)!
• Environmental Management!
!
• Geology!
Mathematical requirements!
• Marine biology!
There is a mathematical requirement that
• Nature/Animal conservation!
will be assessed in the internal and external
• Sustainable technology / engineering!
components of the course.!