Topic 2- Ecosystems and ecology
UNIT 3 - Ecosystems and Ecology
Part 1 - Species and Populations
Significant ideas
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A species interacts with its abiotic and biotic environment, and its niche is described by these interactions.
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Populations change and respond to interactions with the environment.
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All systems have a carrying capacity for a given species.
Big Questions
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What strengths and weaknesses of the systems approach and the use of models have been revealed through this topic?
Knowledge and Understanding
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A species is a group of organisms sharing common characteristics that interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
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A habitat is the environment in which a species normally lives.
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A niche describes the particular set of abiotic and biotic conditions and resources to which an organism or population responds.
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The fundamental niche describes the full range of conditions and resources in which a species could survive and reproduce. The realized niche describes the actual conditions and resources in which a species exists due to biotic interactions.
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The non-living, physical factors that influence the organisms and ecosystem (e.g. temperature, sunlight, pH, salinity, precipitation) are termed abiotic factors.
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The interactions between the organisms (e.g. predation, herbivory, parasitism, mutualism, disease, competition) are termed biotic factors.
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Interactions should be understood in terms of the influences each species has on the population dynamics of others, and on the carrying capacity of the others’ environment.
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A population is a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time, and which are capable of interbreeding.
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S and J population curves describe a generalized response of populations to a particular set of conditions (abiotic and biotic factors).
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Limiting factors will slow population growth as it approaches the carrying capacity of the system.
Content
Species, habitat and niche
Workbook 40, 50, and 51
Core Resources
Watch 'An inconvenient truth' and complete the worksheet questions.
1. An inconvenient truth worksheet
2. Species, habitat and niche
Use the following quizlet to learn ecological terms:
3. Ecological terms flashcard activity
Support Material
Video
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An inconvenient truth - this is the Netflix link there are others available online
Web links
Content
Energy Flow through, food chain, webs and ecosystems
Workbook 52, 56, 59 and 60
Core Resources
Make notes as you work through ppt
4. Energy flow through ecosystems
5. Notes to fill in
6. Energy flow DBQ
Support Material
Video
Content
Ecosystems
Workbook pg 57 and 63-64
Core Resources
Working through notes sheets on Ecosystems
Food webs show all of the feeding relationships within a habitat.
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Read:
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Do: Generate a food web from your workbook page 57-58
8. Ecosystem notes
9. Ecosystem ppt
Support Material
Video
Web link
Content
Interactions
Workbook pg 65-66
Core Resources
Lets explore food chains using a Gizmo:
10. Interactions of the community notes blank
11. Interactions of the community ppt
12. Predator prey worksheet
Support Material
Video
News
Content
Population growth
Workbook p90-96
Core Resources
13. Just how fast is the world population growing?
14. Populations
Support Material
Web link
Video
Content
Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
Core Resources
Work through this worksheet using the attached video links:
Support Material
Video
UNIT 4 - Flows of Energy and Matter
Significant ideas:
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Photosynthesis and respiration play a significant role in the flow of energy in communities.
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Ecosystems are linked together by energy and matter flows.
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The Sun’s energy drives these flows. Humans are impacting the flows of energy and matter both locally and globally.
Knowledge and Understanding:
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Respiration and photosynthesis can be described as processes with inputs, outputs, and transformations of energy and matter.
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Respiration is the conversion of organic matter into carbon dioxide and water in all living organisms, releasing energy. Aerobic respiration can simply be described as:
glucose + oxygen -----> carbon dioxide + water
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During respiration large amounts of energy are dissipated as heat, increasing the entropy in the ecosystem while enabling the organisms to maintain relatively low entropy/high organization.
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Primary producers in the majority of ecosystems convert light energy into chemical energy in the process of photosynthesis.
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The photosynthesis reaction is:
carbon dioxide + water -----> glucose + oxygen
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Photosynthesis produces the raw material for producing biomass.
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As solar radiation (insolation) enters Earth’s atmosphere some energy becomes unavailable for ecosystems as the energy is absorbed by inorganic matter or reflected back into the atmosphere.
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Pathways of radiation through the atmosphere involve a loss of radiation through reflection and absorption.
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Pathways of energy through an ecosystem include:
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conversion of light energy to chemical energy
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transfer of chemical energy from one trophic level to another with varying eficiency
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overall conversion of ultraviolet and visible light to heat energy by an ecosystem
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re-radiation of heat energy to the atmosphere.
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The conversion of energy into biomass for a given period of time is measured as productivity.
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Net primary productivity (NPP) is calculated by subtracting respiratory losses (R) from gross primary productivity (GPP).
NPP = GPP − R
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Gross secondary productivity (GSP) is the total energy/biomass assimilated by consumers and is calculated by subtracting the mass of faecal loss from the mass of food eaten.
GSP = food eaten – faecal loss
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Net secondary productivity (NSP) is calculated by subtracting respiratory losses (R) from GSP.
NSP = GSP − R
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Maximum sustainable yields are equivalent to the net primary or net secondary productivity of a system.
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Matter also flows through ecosystems linking them together. This flow of matter involves transfers and transformations.
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The carbon and nitrogen cycles are used to illustrate this flow of matter using flow diagrams. These cycles contain storages (sometimes referred to as sinks) and flows that move matter between storages.
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Storages in the carbon cycle include organisms, including forests (organic), atmosphere, soil, fossil fuels, and oceans (all inorganic).
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Flows in the carbon cycle include consumption (feeding), death, and decomposition, photosynthesis, respiration, dissolving, and fossilization.
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Storages in the nitrogen cycle include organisms (organic), soil, fossil fuels, atmosphere, and water bodies (all inorganic).
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Flows in the nitrogen cycle include nitrogen fixation by bacteria and lightning, absorption, assimilation, consumption (feeding), excretion, death, and decomposition, and denitrification by bacteria in water-logged soils.
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Human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, urbanization, and agriculture impact energy flows as well as the carbon and nitrogen cycles.
Content
Photosynthesis and Respiration
Classwork/Homework
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LAB - Investigating the effect of light intensity on rate of photosynthesis
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Do workbook pages 53-55
Support Resources
Video:
Content
Earths Energy budget
Classwork/Homework
Energy budget of the earth - make your own sankey diagram to represent the energy budget from the ppt on slide 2:
3. Flows of energy and biomass
4. Example energy flow diagram
Support Resources
Video:
Content
Productivity
Classwork/Homework
Make notes on productivity:
5. Productivity
Complete the question on the following worksheets:
6. Productivity worksheet 1
7. Productivity worksheet 2
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Do workbook pages 61-62
Support Resources
Video:
Content
Carbon cycle
Classwork/Homework
Make notes and complete your own carbon cycle diagram:
8. Carbon cycle activity
9. Carbon cycle worksheets
To test your comprehension you will now complete a web activity:
10. Carbon cycle web activity using the windows2theuniverse site
11. Carbon cycling in depth
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Do workbook pages 73-74
Support Resources
Weblink:
Content
Nitrogen cycle
Classwork/Homework
Use the following flash animation to follow the stages of the nitrogen cycle:
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Do workbook pages 75-76
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Do questions page 67 in course companion
Support Resources
Weblink:
Content
Measuring primary productivity
Classwork/Homework
You will first complete the virtual LabBench activity as an introduction to an open inquiry.
If you have time, you will learn how to calibrate the dissolved oxgen probe, set up the logger pro and measure O2 in water samples
Support Resources
Value
UNIT 5: Biomes, succession and monitoring ecosystems
Significant ideas:
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Climate determines the type of biome in a given area, although individual ecosystems may vary due to many local abiotic and biotic factors.
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Succession leads to climax communities that may vary due to random events and interactions over time. This leads to a pattern of alternative stable states for a given ecosystem.
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Ecosystem stability, succession and biodiversity are intrinsically linked.
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The description and investigation of ecosystems allows for comparisons to be made between different ecosystems and for them to be monitored, modelled and evaluated over time, measuring both natural change and human impacts.
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Ecosystems can be better understood through the investigation and quantification of their components.
Content
Biomes and climate
Core Resources
0. Biomes assignment
Make notes from the biomes ppt
1. Biomes. ppt
You will be shown Robert Whittakers climograph to study in this worksheet, use the climograph to identify the biome of places using their average temperature and precipitation:
2. Biomes of the world worksheet
DO-Complete workbook page 41-44
Support Material
Video
Weblink
Content
Succession
Workbook page 82-85
Core Resources
View this animation to show what happens to an ecosystem over time:
Make notes from the ppt:
3. Ecological succession
Use the learning activity to check your understanding and practice some IB style questions:
4. Succession learning activity
Video - Life returns to Mt. St. Helens
DO-Complete workbook page 82-85
Complete the workbook to consolidate your understanding:
5. 2.4 Biomes, zonation and succession
Support Material
Video
Content
Monitoring biotic and abiotic factors
Workbook page 40
Core Resources
Complete the methods to measure abiotic factors that may affect the distribution of biotic factors in the workbook pages 1-6 in the next workbook:
6. 2.5 Investigating ecosystems
Support Material
Video
Content
Classification and Keys
Workbook page 122-123
Core Resources
Classification review from MYP
7. Classification and dichotomous keys
This worksheet provides an opportunity to use and create a biological key, which can help identify an unknown (but previously discovered) species in the environment.
8. Using and making a biological key
Use the worksheet sheet to practice using a key:
9. Taxonomy worksheet
Now construct your own key to identify the following pond organisms:
10. Pond organisms
Support Material
Video
Content
Quadrats and sampling techniques
Workbook page 110, 109-113
Core Resources
Using the ppt as an introduction to sampling strategies and quadrats:
11. Sampling strategies and quadrats
This worksheet outlines the process by which quadrats and transects can be used to estimate the population of a NON-MOBILE (not moving or moving incredibly slowly) species within a given area.
12. Sampling populations
Now we will put this into practice to investigate an environmental gradient on the school grounds using these techniques.
12. Practical ecology booklet, sampling and calculations
Support Material
Weblink
Video
Content
Estimating populations of mobile organisms
Workbook page 115
Core Resources
Click on the "Estimating Population Size" icon and carry out this virtual investigation, to better understand how scientists estimate the population of a mobile organism within an area.
13. Population sampling lab - dry lab to simulate outside
Support Material
Video
Weblinks
Content
Species diversity
Core Resources
Introductory video:
14. Species richness and biodiversity questions
The Simpson Index is used to compare habitats:
15. Species Diversity ppt
Now use the following worksheet to practice this calculation:
16. Simpson Index worksheet
QUIZLET - Biomes, zonation and succession
QUIZLET - Investigating ecosystems
Support Material
Video
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Green - a film about orangutans, palm oil and deforestation (tissues needed!)
Topic 3- Biodiversity and conservation
UNIT 6: Biodiversity and Conservation
Significant Ideas
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Biodiversity can be identified in a variety of forms, including species diversity, habitat diversity and genetic diversity.
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The ability to both understand and quantify biodiversity is important to conservation efforts.
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Evolution is a gradual change in the genetic character of populations over many generations, achieved largely through the mechanism of natural selection.
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Environmental change gives new challenges to species, which drives the evolution of diversity.
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There have been major mass extinction events in the geological past.
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While global biodiversity is difficult to quantify, it is decreasing rapidly due to human activity. Classification of species conservation status can provide a useful tool in the conservation of biodiversity
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The impact of losing biodiversity drives conservation efforts.
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The variety of arguments given for the conservation of biodiversity will depend on EVSs.
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There are various approaches to the conservation of biodiversity, each with associated strengths and limitations
Content
Structure of the Earth and plate tectonics
Workbook pg 15-18
Core Resources
Do not waste much time on the mechanism of plate tectonics. Focus should be placed on how this influences evolution and biodiversity.
Read Course companion page 93 and 102-105.
Support Materia
Video
Content
Biodiversity
Workbook pg 233
Alternative textbook chapter (3.1)
Core Resources
Read CC page 91-101 about biodiversity, hot spots and types of diversity.
Watch the following video as an introduction:
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Video: How new species form
Make notes from the following presentation:
3. Introduction to biodiversity ppt
Homework:
Produce a display, outlining what we currently know about global biodiversity from the attached worksheet:
4. How many species are there on Earth?worksheet
You may choose any media format.
Support Materia
Video
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Weird places: Socotra - the most alien place on the planet
Content
Origins of Biodiversity
Alternative textbook chapter (3.2)
Core Resources
You will first watch a video about finch evolution on the Galapogos islands:
Now complete the worksheet questions based on the video:
5. The evolution of the finch beak worksheet
Support Materia
Video
Watch this awesome video about how evolution has occured in pocket mice
News
Content
Biodiversity in ecosystems
Core Resources
As we move through this presentation you will be asked to complete a number of tasks, use your laptop and text/work books to help you:
6. Origins of Biodiversity
Support Materia
Weblink
This article describes how a genetic mutation has almost instantaneously led to the formation of a new species of crayfish:
Video
Here you will find a comprehensive play list to cover all this unit via Youtube video broadcast.
Content
Threats to Biodiversity
Workbook
pg 234-236
Alternative textbook chapter (3.3)
Core Resources
Read CC page 106-109 about threats to biodiversity
You will make notes from the presentation and the embedded videos about the threats to biodiversity:
7. Threats to biodiversity
Use the following presentations to gather information to complete the worksheets:
8. Areas of biological significance.ppt
9. Areas of biological importance worksheet
10. Loss of diversity and importance of tropical rainforest.ppt
11. Loss of diversity worksheet
Support Materia
Weblinks
Video
News
Content
Conservation of biodiversity
Workbook
pg 237-242
Alternative textbook chapter (3.4)
Core Resources
Read CC page 118-127 conservation of biodiversity
In the support material there are several links to websites dedicated to monitoring, raising awareness and protecting biodiversity.
In this activity you will research the roles of the different conservation organisations:
12. Conservation organisations
Submit your electronic document to Managebac. (40 marks)
13. Conservation of biodiversity ppt
Support Materia
Weblinks
Content
Review
Core Resources
Use this QUIZLET to review terms
Use the sections 3.1 -3.4 on Kognity to complete the section reviews, test questions, and practice questions for each sub section to preparefor the semester exam.
Below are a selection of videos useful to review major concepts of this unit.
Support Materia
Video
Content for this unit will be tested on the semester exam together with the other units.
Topic 4 - Water and aquatic food production systems and societies
UNIT 9: Water and Aquatic food production systems and societies
Significant Ideas
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The hydrological cycle is a system of water flows and storages that may be disrupted by human activity.
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The ocean circulatory system (ocean conveyor belt) influences the climate and global distribution of water (matter and energy).
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The supplies of freshwater resources are inequitably available and unevenly distributed, which can lead to conflict and concern over water security.
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Aquatic systems provide a source of food production.
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Unsustainable use of aquatic ecosystems can lead to environmental degradation and collapse of wild fisheries.
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Aquaculture provides potential for increased food production.
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Water pollution, both to groundwater and surface water, is a major global problem, the effects of which influence human and other biological systems.
Content
The hydrological cycle
Workbook pg 31, 32 and 79
Core Resources
Complete the diagram of the hydrological cyle using the labels on the ppt to recap from Unit 2.
1. Hydrological cycle to label worksheet
2. Introduction to water systems ppt
3. The Worlds surface water DBQ worksheet
Support Material
Video
Weblink
Content
Ocean circulation
Alternative textbook section 4.1
Core Resources
4. Lab - What drives the global conveyor belt?
Using the videos and web links to annotate this map to show the ocean circulation
5. Map
USE KOGNITY TO HELP YOU WITH THIS INQUIRY
QUIZLET - Hydrological cycle
Support Material
Video
Weblink
Content
Personal water use
Workbook pg 33
Core Resources
Take this online water survey:
Note: 1 gallon = 3.7 litres
Is your personal water consumption high, medium, low?
Where can you reduce the amount of water consumed?
Support Material
Weblink
Find the animation in the middle bottom of the page. Try to understand how water can be recycled.
Content
Fresh water and access to it
Workbook pg 34-35
Alternative textbook section 4.2
Core Resources
Make notes from the ppt and then use laptops to research two conflicts over freshwater.
6. Access to fresh water
Below are some possible sources to start you off:
Support Material
Video
News
Content
Analysis of water use
Core Resources
Support Material
Weblink
Content
Aquatic systems and food production, sustainable fishing and fisheries
Workbook pg 155 -158
Alternative textbook section 4.3
Core Resources
Make notes from the ppt and watch the videos to gain an understanding of the issues associated with fishing:
7. Aquatic food production systems
Complete the worksheet:
8. Changing forms of fish farming
Support Material
Video
Content
Water and food crisis
Core Resources
Complete the worksheet on food and water crisis:
9. Long term food and water crisis
Homework: Open the following worksheet on water wars and water stress and complete the activity within the document:
10. Water wars and water stress
Upload your complete document to Managebac for grading.
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Complete Kognity sections 4.3 completing all checkpoint questions and strength test questions.
Support Material
Weblink
Content
Is there hope for the world?
Core Resources
Hope in a changing climate
watch the video complete the worksheet
11. Worksheet
Support Material
Video
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Follow up on John Lui - watch his follow up lecture
Content
Human impacts on the water cycle
Water pollution
Alternative textbook section 4.4
Core Resources
As we work through the presentation and videos make your own notes about pollution and it's consequences
12. Water Pollution
13. Deepwater horizon BP oil disaster case study
Now use Kognity 4.4 to complete your study on water pollution, management and monitoring. Use this to build a detailed concept map on this section.
After the notes, complete the following quizlets to test your understanding of this topic
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QUIZLET 4.4 Water pollution
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QUIZLET TOPIC 4 Whole topic
Support Material
Video
News
ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITY FOR 4.4
Use this worksheet and complete using the ppt
Worksheet 4.4
4.4 Study guide ppt
TEST NEXT LESSON