Course Syllabus · 2026–2027
Environmental Science
A year-long look at how Earth's systems work, how people are changing them, and what a genuinely sustainable future would take. We spend far more time on evidence, data, and trade-offs than on memorizing terms — most units end with you defending a position using the numbers.
- Teacher
- Mr. Sajdak
- School year
- 2026–2027
- Units
- 5 units · 14 chapters
- Text & platform
- Cengage Environmental Science with MindTap
- Grading
- Numeric · 10-week marking periods
About this course
Environmental Science asks a question that doesn't have a clean answer: how do billions of people live well on one planet without wrecking the systems that keep them alive? We work on that question all year, moving from how ecosystems function, to how human demands strain them, to what the realistic solutions actually cost.
How class runs
- You explore first, then we name it. Most lessons start with a real problem or a set of real data. The vocabulary comes after, once you have something to attach it to.
- Each chapter is built around one real case. The work you do in that chapter builds toward answering it.
- You will talk through your thinking. Saying an idea you aren't sure about is the point. Being wrong in a useful way is how science actually moves.
- There will be a lot of data. Graphs, measurements, and comparing costs against benefits show up in nearly every unit.
- We use Buffalo. The Great Lakes and this city are real examples of almost every topic in this course.
Questions we keep coming back to
These run through the whole year. If you can answer all five with evidence by June, you've gotten what this course is for.
- What makes a society environmentally sustainable — and is ours?
- How do ecosystems respond when conditions change, and what limits their recovery?
- Who benefits and who pays when we use a natural resource?
- What would it actually take to slow climate change?
- How should the true cost of a product include its environmental and health damage?
Units at a glance
Five units across the year. Day-to-day pacing lives on the weekly schedule — this is the shape of the year, not a promise about exact dates.
-
Ecology and Ecosystems
Chapter 1
What sustainability actually means, how to measure an ecological footprint, and why environmental problems stick around even when everyone can see them.
- Sustainability
- Natural capital
- Ecological footprint
- Pollution
- Environmental worldviews
-
Biodiversity
Chapters 5–6
How species interact, what limits population size, and how climate decides where ecosystems form.
- Species interactions
- Succession
- Carrying capacity
- r- and K-selection
- Climate & biomes
-
Sustaining Biodiversity
Chapters 7–8
What drives species to extinction and what conservation actually accomplishes — from saving one species to managing a whole ecosystem.
- Extinction
- Habitat fragmentation
- Biomagnification
- Endangered Species Act
- Biodiversity hotspots
-
Environmental Quality
Chapters 9–13
The biggest unit, and the closest to daily life: food, soil, fresh water, minerals, and energy — fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables. Lots of weighing one solution against another.
- Food security
- Soil & agriculture
- Water resources
- Mineral resources
- Fossil fuels & nuclear
- Renewable energy
-
Environmental Concerns
Chapters 14–18
Population growth and cities, health risks, air pollution, and climate change, then what we do with everything we throw away. Ends on economics, politics, and environmental justice.
- Population growth
- Urbanization
- Risk & toxicology
- Air pollution
- Climate change
- Waste & recycling
- Environmental justice
Standards
This course follows the New York State science standards. In practice that means you are graded on more than recalling facts. You are also learning to do the things scientists do:
- Ask good questions
- Read and interpret data
- Build and use models
- Make an argument and back it with evidence
- Explain your reasoning clearly to someone else
The exact standards for each lesson are listed on the weekly schedule.
Grades
A 65 passes. At City Honors the expectation is 85 or better — that's the number to aim at.
How grading works here
Assignments are scored on a 4.0 scale, not out of 100. That's fairer math. On a 100-point scale a single zero can sink an average past saving; on a 4.0 scale every score stays a reasonable distance from the next.
Your final grade is a weighted average of those scores, converted to a 100-point grade where 0.0 = 50 and 4.0 = 100. There are four marking periods, and your course grade is the average of the four.
| Category | Weight | What counts |
|---|---|---|
| Tests & projects | 50% | Unit tests, quizzes, case-study projects, presentations |
| Work done in class | 40% | Labs, data work, notebooks, group work, chapter reviews |
| Homework | 10% | Reading, practice, online assignments |
Two things students often assume, that aren't true here:
- Participation is not its own grade. Being engaged matters to how much you learn, but I don't put a number on it.
- No single assignment can sink you. There are many graded items each marking period, so one bad day stays a bad day.
Late and missing work
Work is due on the date posted on the weekly schedule. Need more time? Just ask. You don't need to explain why.
- Up to 5 school days late, full credit. No penalty, no questions.
- After that, we set a new date together. That one is full credit too.
- Until you turn it in, it shows as Missing — never a zero.
- Long projects get checkpoints, so nothing rides on one date weeks away.
- Want to redo something you already handed in? Ask.
If your IEP includes extended time or assignment accommodations, they always apply and always override anything on this page.
Absences
Everything we do is posted on the weekly schedule, so a missed day never has to become a mystery. Check it first, then come see me about anything that needs to be made up in person — labs especially.
Retakes and corrections
If a test didn't show what you know, you get another shot. Learning it in November still counts. Open to everyone, every unit — no permission and no reason needed.
- Do the corrections first. Show me you've worked out what you missed. This is the part that teaches you; the retake just measures it.
- Then take the retake. A different version of the same material.
- The higher score counts — not the average of the two.
- Ask before the marking period ends. Grades lock when it closes, so don't sit on it.
If that doesn't fit your situation, come talk to me.
What to bring
- A dedicated notebook or binder section for this course
- Pens, pencils, and a highlighter
- A basic calculator — we do real unit math
- Your school device, charged, for MindTap and data work
Academic integrity
City Honors depends on shared academic standards, and this course holds to them without exception.
By putting your name on work, you are certifying three things:
- The work is honestly your own.
- Any source you used is properly cited.
- You have respected other students' work — which includes not handing them yours to copy.
About AI
AI tools are genuinely useful and I build them myself — but work you hand in has to represent your thinking. Using AI to explain a concept you're stuck on is studying. Submitting text or answers it produced as your own is plagiarism, and it is treated as such.
If it happens
Cheating and plagiarism are handled through City Honors and district policy.
Not sure whether something crosses the line? Ask me before you turn it in.
Getting help
Ask early. The single biggest predictor of a rough marking period is waiting until after the test to say something wasn't clicking.
- Extra help: TBD — we'll set days once I know what works for you.
- Email: rsajdak@buffaloschools.org
- Call or text: (716) 222-2016
- Weekly schedule: every objective, agenda, and assignment
Families: email or text any time — whatever is easiest for you. I'll do my best to get back to you within one business day. Grades and official notices live in the district's systems; this page is course information.