Wildlife Ecology

$49.99

Wildlife Ecology

Name: Wildlife Ecology
Brand: Homeschool Uncensored
Price: 49.99 USD
Availability: InStock

$49.99

🦉 Wildlife Ecology — A Complete High School Science Course

Study Wildlife. Investigate Ecosystems. Understand the World Around You.

A secular, lab- and project-based high school science course for grades 9–12

Does your student love animals, nature, hiking, or spending time outdoors? Wildlife Ecology turns that interest into a rigorous high school science experience focused on ecology, evolution, biodiversity, populations, ecosystems, conservation, and real-world field investigation.

This is a complete 36-week, 1.0-credit high school lab science course designed specifically for homeschool students and independent learners. Students read, watch, investigate, collect data, conduct field studies, complete research projects, and analyze real ecological questions.

🌿 WHAT WILL STUDENTS STUDY?

Semester 1 — Ecological Foundations & Species Interactions

Students begin by learning how scientists study ecosystems and then build toward increasingly complex ecological concepts.

Topics include:

The nature of science and ecological fieldwork
Abiotic and biotic factors
Earth's spheres
Thermodynamics
Water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles
Photosynthesis and chemosynthesis
Energy flow
Trophic levels
Food chains and food webs
Ecological pyramids
The 10% rule
Natural selection
Niche theory
Specialist and generalist species
Structural, behavioral, and physiological adaptations
Resource partitioning
Symbiosis
Predation
Herbivory
Parasitism
Mutualism and commensalism
Competitive exclusion
Coevolution

Semester 2 — Populations, Biomes & Global Conservation

Students then move from individual organisms and communities to larger-scale ecological systems.

Topics include:

Population demographics
Exponential and logistic population growth
Carrying capacity
Community change
Ecological succession
Stability and resilience
Disturbance ecology
Terrestrial and aquatic biomes
Biodiversity
Biodiversity indices
Keystone and indicator species
Habitat fragmentation
Climate-driven range shifts
Invasive species
Wildlife corridors
Island biogeography
Conservation ecology
The Anthropocene

🔬 18 FORMAL LABS

This isn't a textbook-only ecology course.

Students complete 18 formal laboratory investigations, one approximately every other week, with full protocols provided in the Lab Booklet.

Labs include investigations such as:

Microhabitat abiotic surveys
Decomposition experiments
Leaf pigment chromatography
Backyard invertebrate surveys
Food-web construction
Natural selection simulations
Camouflage and predation-rate testing
Lichens as bioindicators
Competition and resource partitioning
Population estimation
Exponential and logistic population modeling
Winogradsky columns
Disturbance and ecological recovery
Climatograph construction
Biodiversity field studies
Habitat fragmentation simulations
Invasive-species data analysis
Shannon–Wiener biodiversity calculations

Students aren't simply told what the answer is—they collect data, analyze results, create graphs, and draw conclusions.

🔎 36 WEEKLY MINI-PROJECTS

Every week includes a project that asks students to apply the week's ecological concepts.

Projects include activities such as:

Creating an ecologist's field journal
Camouflage challenges
Local water-cycle diagrams
Carbon-footprint investigations
Nitrogen-cycle comic strips
Photosynthesis vs. chemosynthesis comparisons
Local food chains
Ecological pyramid construction
Wildlife niche case files
Specialist vs. generalist comparisons
Adaptation scavenger hunts
Resource-partitioning field observations
Symbiosis investigations
Owl pellet analysis and biomass graphs
Mutualism mathematics
Predator-prey coevolution timelines

Many projects take students outside to observe actual organisms and ecosystems in their own environment.

🦌 GET OUTSIDE & STUDY YOUR OWN ECOSYSTEM

One of the best features of Wildlife Ecology is that the student's own surroundings become part of the laboratory.

Students can observe:

Their backyard
A local park
A trail
A garden
A pond
A neighborhood ecosystem
Other accessible local habitats

For example, students conduct field observations of organisms, investigate adaptations, examine resource partitioning, and collect biodiversity data.

A phone camera can be used for field documentation, and iNaturalist is incorporated as a free species-identification resource.

🌎 TWO MAJOR SEMESTER PROJECTS

Semester 1: Ecosystem Jar Project

Students create and monitor a small ecosystem while documenting changes and applying ecological concepts throughout the semester.

The project becomes an ongoing investigation rather than a one-day activity.

Semester 2: Phenology Calendar & Biodiversity Assessment

Students select a consistent outdoor plot and return to it regularly throughout the semester to document seasonal changes and biodiversity.

They maintain observations, identify species, collect data, and compile their findings into a final assessment.

📓 KEEP A REAL FIELD JOURNAL

Students maintain a dedicated Wildlife Ecology Field Journal throughout the year.

This isn't just a notebook for copying definitions. Students use it to document observations, record field data, track their semester projects, and reflect on what they're learning.

📝 RESEARCH & CRITICAL THINKING

The course includes two research-based essays—one per semester—along with weekly concept-application questions and data analysis.

Students learn to move beyond:

"What is it?"

and toward:

"Why is it happening, what evidence supports it, and what does it mean for the ecosystem?"

The course's suggested grading system includes labs, mini-projects, worksheets, essays, semester projects, and field-journal participation.

📚 NO TEXTBOOK PURCHASE REQUIRED

Both primary "spine" textbooks used by the course are 100% free and open-access:

CK-12 Biology FlexBook 2.0
Environmental Biology by Matthew R. Fisher

The course also incorporates free resources from organizations and educational providers such as HHMI BioInteractive, Khan Academy, National Geographic Education, NOAA, EPA, USGS, and iNaturalist.

No textbook subscription or paid resource is required.

🏡 DESIGNED FOR REAL HOMESCHOOL LIFE

You don't need a biology degree or a classroom full of laboratory equipment.

The course is designed for:

Independent high school students
One student or a sibling pair
Minimal daily parent instruction
Household and inexpensive materials
Outdoor learning
Local fieldwork

Every lab and worksheet contains step-by-step instructions, and the Day-by-Day Course Plan tells students exactly what to complete each day.

The weekly rhythm is simple:

Day 1: Reading + video + worksheet
Day 2: Concept application or lab
Day 3: Lab analysis or mini-project
Day 4: Finish the mini-project + field journal/project work

Each instructional day is designed for approximately 45–75 minutes of student work.

🧪 NO SPECIALIZED LAB EQUIPMENT

Most materials are ordinary household, yard, grocery-store, hardware-store, or craft-store items.

Examples include:

Thermometer
pH strips
Small trowel
Measuring string
Magnifying glass
Kitchen scale
Phone camera
Notebook
Calculator
Colored pencils or markers

The course estimates approximately $30–$50 in consumable materials for the entire year, depending on what your family already has available.

🎓 COURSE DETAILS

Course: Wildlife Ecology
Grade Level: 9–12
Length: 36 weeks
Schedule: 4 days per week / 144 instructional days
Credit: 1.0 high school science credit — lab science
Format: Digital curriculum
Formal Labs: 18
Mini-Projects: 36
Worksheets: 36
Research Essays: 2
Major Semester Projects: 2
Field Journal: Yes
Required Textbook Purchase: No

⚠️ AGE-APPROPRIATENESS & SAFETY DISCLAIMER

This course is designed for high school students, approximately grades 9–12, and is written from a secular scientific perspective. It includes age-appropriate discussion of predation and animal death, population die-offs, habitat loss, extinction, climate change, and human environmental impact. These topics are presented factually and without graphic imagery.

Some activities involve basic household chemicals, sharp tools, and outdoor fieldwork. Parents/guardians should review the Lab Booklet safety information and supervise activities as appropriate for their student's maturity and environment.

The course does not constitute professional wildlife-handling, veterinary, medical, or legal advice. Families are responsible for following applicable laws regarding collection of plants, animals, water, or specimens.

💻 DIGITAL DOWNLOAD — NO REFUNDS

Please read before purchasing.

This is a digital curriculum product. No physical product or printed book will be shipped.

Because digital products are delivered electronically and cannot be returned, all digital-download sales are final. No refunds, exchanges, or cancellations will be accepted after purchase.

Please review the course description, grade level, scope and sequence, materials requirements, safety information, and content disclaimer before purchasing to make sure this curriculum is appropriate for your student.

By purchasing this digital course, you acknowledge and agree to this no-refund policy.

🔒 SINGLE-FAMILY LICENSE

Your purchase provides a single-family license. The purchasing household may print and copy the curriculum for use by its own children. Reproduction for other families, co-ops, classrooms, or resale is prohibited without a separate license.