Baja	Other Courses: Denali | Spanish Immersion | Lake Clark

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Course Credit
In the Baja course, students can earn high school credit for 4 different courses: Marine Biology, Ecology, Outdoor Leadership and PE. Students may elect to do all four, none or any combination. Those students not electing to do any of the four courses will do a couple of assignments in order to adequately partake in the field course. At this time, Classroom with a View does not issue transcripts. Courses are parent graded.

All coursework is complemented by a hands-on field course on the island of Espiritu Santo in the Gulf of California.

Marine Biology (1/2 credit science)
This course covers the basics of marine biology with a global approach, using examples from numerous regions and ecosystems worldwide. Solid basic science content is included: fundamental principles of biology, the physical sciences, and the scientific method.
Content will focus on the science of marine biology, primary and secondary production in the sea, basic biology of biota of marine environments, classification of marine organisms, characteristics of marine phyla/divisions and relationships among organisms. Students will become especially familiar with basic biology of many tropical species and will be able to identify common inhabitants and their community relationships in tropical marine habitats.
(Although the theory of evolution is in the text we use, neither the theory of evolution nor creation will be taught by instructors on the field course. This is left up to the parent-teacher to cover as he or she sees fit.)

Ecology (1/2 credit science)
This course introduces the science of ecology - the study of the interactions among organisms and their environment. Topics will include habitat, ecosystem, community, population dynamics, food webs, abiotic factors, nutrient cycling, energy cycling, succession, interdependency, endemics, and symbiosis.
Concepts will be covered in abstract as well as applied through the lens of several ecosystems in Baja. Studies will focus on ecology of the desert, coral reef, sandy beach, rocky beach and mangrove communities on Isla Espiritu Santo in the Gulf of California. Aspects of natural and human history, human impact on ecosystems, human use of resources and current conservation issues will be covered.

Outdoor Leadership (1/2 credit elective)
This course introduces principles of leadership that can be applied to any situation: styles of leadership, how to lead, communication, group dynamics, goal setting, teambuilding, decision making, initiative, planning, people skills, group responsibility, risk management, skills acquisition, motivation, integrity and awareness. Students will study the principles in theory, observe them modeled by instructors, and will gain hands-on experience with these principles while frequently leading the group during the field course element of this course.

The principles of leadership are taught in the scope of leading a group in the outdoors. This course will introduce a variety of outdoor skills: using outdoor gear properly, hiking, sea kayaking, minimum impact philosophy and safe travel in marine and desert environments. Emphasis will be placed on naturalist skills. Students will become familiar with the marine and desert ecosystems, will become experienced at using field guides, and will develop their observation skills.

PE (1/2 credit pe)
Students will keep a log of physical activity at home and accumulate 70 hours prior to the field course. Students may choose the activities as long as it meets the requirements for getting in shape.

Learning takes place in many formats throughout the field course:

	•	Field Lessons – Topics will span the scope of all subjects: marine biology, ecology, pe and outdoor leadership. A field lesson may be anywhere from 5 to 60 minutes, hands-on and given on a hike, during a paddle or in camp. Examples: keying out plants, adaptations of the sea star, reading a map, etc. They are given by instructors and the naturalist.
	•	Student Presentations – These are 15-30 minute presentations prepared by students prior to the field course. They will be given an extensive list of topics to choose from and will prepare 1 presentation to teach the rest of the class. Examples: conservation movement in Mexico, characteristics of cacti, and whale feeding.
	•	Teambuilding activities - Instructors will lead fun, interactive activities that teach principles of teambuilding, group dynamics and leadership.
	•	Leaders of the Day - After watching instructors lead for several days, students will be given the opportunity to lead. Leaders are responsible for our schedule, group decisions, group welfare, our route and more.
	•	Observation - Students will have time to develop their skills of observation through time specifically devoted to observing the natural world.
	•	Hands-on Experience - This is the bulk of learning. We will be using the endless number of teachable moments that arise to learn science and leadership while doing them.

Independent Study
Students must adequately complete all the assignments. Once enrolled, students will receive course materials, detailed information on course assignments, and due dates. Since each 1/2 credit encompasses a minimum of 90 hours of work, most of the coursework is done before the field course. There are many assignments, but you will have nearly the entire school year to complete them. The field course is designed to be the hands-on culmination and application of everything we've studied at home. All course materials are provided to you.

There will be an array of assignments designed to cover a wide variety of content. They will be interesting and prepare you well for the culminating field course. Assignments vary from reading selections from texts and literature to preparing a presentation to doing research on marine careers.

“The course was so well developed and structured. The syllabus was real clear and easy to understand. The assignments were well thought out and diversified. Our son learned a great deal through the year working on his assignments.”
- Parent, Baja '05

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