Yogesh Pathak

 

The 9th grader (which is also the beginning of “high school” in some countries) is very much a teenager, who is starting to develop an identity independent of their families. They are also becoming more aware of the society around them including issues like politics, religion, the rural-urban divide, racial or caste differences, or economic inequality. They learn using many methods of formal communication, including group discussions, arguments, debates, essay-writing, reading, book reviews, integrative projects, and competitions.

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Key concepts in the 9th grade strand of EcoUniv’s Web of Ecological Concepts include the following.

• Geology (contd): Endogenetic processes

  • Crust’s movements due to velocity, direction, and landforms

  • Slow vs. sudden movements

  • Horizontal vs. vertical movements

  • Creation of continents, plateaus, highlands

  • Continental drift and ecology: leading to the evolution of endemic species and unique ecosystems.

  • Creation of mountains due to folding and faulting

  • Mountain formation and ecology: Rising mountain ranges promoting the diversification of species on either side. Creation of microclimates supporting a wider range of life forms. Example of Himalayan biodiversity due to varied elevations and climatic zones.

  • Earthquakes and volcanoes.  Measurement of earthquakes. Types of volcanoes.

  • Volcano-Ecology connection. Contribution of volcanoes towards destruction and creation of habitats and life. Volcanic hot spring ecology.

• Geology (contd): Exogenetic processes

  • Weathering and it’s types: mechanical, chemical, biological

  • Sources of mechanical weathering: Temperature, Frost, Crystal growth, Release of pressure, Water

  • Chemical weathering: Oxidation, Carbonation

  • Biological weathering: tree roots, anthills, burrowing animals

  • Mass movements: rapid and slow

  • Erosion due to wind, running water, glaciers, sea water and groundwater

  • Erosion due to rivers: Transportation and sedimentation. Formation of the flood plain, flood levees, gorges, V-shaped valleys, waterfalls, alluvial fans, and deltas.

  • Ecological significance of the above landforms for the river ecosystem

  • Erosion due to glaciers: Transportation and sedimentation. Formation of terminal/medial/lateral/ground moraines, U valleys, drumlins, hanging valleys, eskers, cirques, Rôche moutonnées.

  • Ecological significance of the above landforms for the mountain & river ecosystem

  • Ecological significance of the above landforms for the river ecosystem

  • Erosion due to wind: Formation of dunes, hanging rocks, mounds, and other land forms, their ecological significance.

  • Erosion due to sea waves: Formation of cliffs, caves, arches, stacks, and wave-cut platforms, beaches, sand bars, their ecological significance.

  • Ecological impact of weathering and erosion: Release and transport of nutrients assists plant growth. Exogenetic processes results in a variety of soil types, which has an impact on vegetation.

• Hydrogeology/Groundwater: A formal introduction

  • Formation of groundwater

  • Groundwater table and it’s seasonality

  • Dependence on agriculture on groundwater

  • Recharge of groundwater

  • Erosion, transportation and deposition due to groundwater

  • Landforms like sinkholes, limestone caves, stalactites and stalagmites.

• Climate (contd.): Precipitation: Formation conditions and formation process for:

  • Rain

  • Hail

  • Snow

  • Convectional rainfall

  • Orographic rainfall

  • Cyclonic rainfall

  • Fog

  • Dew

  • Frost

  • Ecology-precipitation linkage: How each of the above types of rains plays a role in the lifecycle of major ecosystems like forests, grasslands, rivers, and wetlands. How the additional quantity of rainwater, local flows, and drainage affect species life cycles, food availability, food chains and species populations.

  • Economy-precipitation linkage: How each type of precipitation and it’s seasonal nature affect the economy, including agriculture, transport (including water transport), small industry, seasonal vocations, large industry, possibilities of floods, related human safety aspects, migration

  • Culture-precipitation linkage: How the presence of precipitation and its seasonality, has made it to stories, mythology, arts, artefacts, and sports in various cultures

• Meteorology – Measuring and predicting the climate

  • Data collection: Weather stations, satellites, doppler radars

  • Climate models e.g. monsoon models and their key parameters

• The plant kingdom

  • Definition & key characteristics

  • Basis for further classification

  • Cryptogams vs. phanerogams

  • Cryptogams: Thaloo, Bryo, and Pteridophyta

  • Phaenrogams: Gymno and Angiosperms – Dicots and Monocots

• Ecosystems (contd).

  • Energy flow and trophic levels

  • Examples of actual food chains and passing of calories across the energy pyramid

  • Biogeochemicals cycle with examples of ecosystems like grassland, forest, wetland, and river

  • A farm as a limited, human-controlled ecosystem and it’s biogeochemical cycle

  • Carbon cycle

  • Oxygen cycle

  • Nitrogen cycle

  • Phosphorous cycle

  • Sulphur cycle

• Microbiology (contd).

  • Useful bacteria: Lactobacilli, Rhizobium, Yeast, Gut microbiome

  • Antibiotics: History, current use, narrow and broad spectrum antibiotics, long term impacts like antibiotic resistance, antibiotic resistance use in animal feed and it’s implications

  • Harmful mmicrobes: Fungus, Clostridium, Protzoa, Virus

  • Zoonotic virus at the intersection of wildlife habitat and man, wildlife meat markets including fish markets and their role in spreading viruses

• Economics: Traditional economics concepts included in the texts

  • What is the science about

  • History

  • Functions of a local economy

  • Functions of a national economy

  • How the international economy functions – basics

  • Trade – local, national, international – basics

  • Layers of trade: Trade among distribution channels of goods and services – wholesale and retail

  • Trade associations – local, national and international

  • How the government can control or regulate trade

  • Human need for mobility – local, regional, national and international

  • Transport, tourism and travel as drivers of modern economics

  • Digital goods, digital services, digital trade, and digital payments

• The fallacies in economic theory/logic and assumptions w.r.t. natural resources

  • Legitimization of ‘man’s needs and wants being limitless and diverse’ by economics

  • A detached discussion on where and for whom modern economics has added value

  • Environmental impact of production of goods and services

  • Environmental impact of tourism and travel

  • Environmental impact of the digital economy & infrastructure

• Livelihoods

  • Various livelihoods and economic returns from them

  • Nature-centric vocations

  • Simple-technology-based vocations

  • Manual labour vocations

  • Vocations in classical knowledge societies

  • Vocations in modern knowledge societies drawing upon complex technology and access to capital.

• Urbanization

  • Rise in population of a city over the years: Data

  • Impact of rise in population

  • Expansion of city limits (officially and unofficially)

  • Unaffordable housing, long commutes, crowding of public spaces and transportation

  • Air, sound, water, and light pollution in a city

  • Competition for natural resources like water and clean air

  • Competition for quality education and healthcare

  • Competition of economic opportunities and treadmill of constant work in a city

  • Opportunities for manual labour work in a city (e.g. construction, sewage cleaning, waste pickers, transportation) and their lack of good working conditions and health risks

  • Lack of well-being, work-life balance, health, and happiness in a city

  • Urban-rural divide. Migration from rural areas and it’s impact on rural social fabric.

  • Pull of cities for educated people, especially education and healthcare workers and their lack of presence in villages

• Waste

  • Linkage of waste to population growth, urbanization, diversity of goods and services, and their packaging

  • Domestic solid waste management in cities and rural areas

  • Sewage management in cities and rural areas; Sewage treatment plants

  • Role of rivers and lakes as sinks in cities and rural areas; Self-cleaning capacity of river vs. the volume of waste

  • Role of sewage in spreading diseases

  • Agricultural waste and it’s management & recycling

  • Industrial waste and it’s management & recycling

  • Hazardous waste and it’s management (including nuclear and mining)

  • Biomedical waste and it’s management

  • Electronic waste and it’s management & recycling

  • Waste management in the mountains

  • The recycling movement: It’s success and limitations

  • Techniques for biodegradable waste recycling: Historical and modern; their role in agriculture e.g. composting, biogas

  • Circular economy of materials: Introduction

• Body systems in plants

  • Transportation of water in plants

  • Transportation of food in plants

  • Excretion in plants

  • Pollination in plants

  • Coordination in plants

• Tissue systems & types in animals and humans

• Vision and auditory systems of select groups of animals: An introduction

  • Mammals

  • Birds

  • Fish

  • Insects

  • Evolution to be used as a guide rail when teaching the above

• Genetics: A formal introduction

  • Heredity: Inheritance of traits and their expression

  • Mendel’s experiments on pea plants and the outcomes on heredity

  • Chromosomes & their types

  • DNA and the structure of it’s molecule

  • Genes

  • History of DNA sequencing of humans, plants, and animals

  • RNA and it’s types

• Distribution Maps as a tool to map the concepts learned about land use change, population studies, economics, agriculture, climate, oceans, geology, ecology, and environmental history.

  • Dot, Chloropeth, and isopleth maps

  • Maps for population distribution and density

  • Maps for rainfall and altitude from sea level

  • Drainage maps of a river basin

  • Land use, land cover map of a given region e.g. an ecological landscape, a river basin, a valley, a plain, or a dam catchment.

• ‘Livelihood Lab’: Participation in basic economic activities by students

  • Make simple goods or services, and sell them: Toys, books, stationary items, handicrafts, beverages and snacks (fresh and durable), clothes, purses, house cleaning / housekeeping / equivalent, selling fruits and vegetables, farms, plant nursery, libraries, shops, small factories and workshops. 

  • Outcome 1: Appreciate the value of labour in the market. Understand the differences between unskilled manual labour, skilled labour, and knowledge work.

  • Outcome 2: Understand the role of natural resources. Nature-society-economy linkage.

  • Outcome 3: P&L of a small business activity. Role of pricing, marketing/advertising, sales, accounting, procurement, etc.

 

Other concepts in geography, history, and science that are appropriate at this level, should also be covered in parallel. Below are some examples, but this is not an exhaustive list.

• International date line and time zones

• Disaster management

• Information technology & programming

• Physics: Study of reflection of light, study of sound

• Chemistry: Carbon, Other key chemicals that touch our lives

• Human body systems: Metabolism and excretory system. Nervous system, coordination, and brain. Endocrine system and glands.

• Genetic disorders in humans and their causes

• Biotechnology in agriculture e.g. tissue culture, animal farming, poultry, sericulture: Traditional and modern techniques, hybridization and selection

• Space observation and telescopes