Reflection

Unit 1

LESSON 1: The Human Population

(1) What is the most important thing I learned personally from the lesson? Why
do you think so?

Because an expanding population necessitates the use of more and more resources,
human population growth is one of the driving reasons behind all of these environmental
pressures. Population growth is real and it must not be taken lightly because it can result in
major repercussions and implications for today's society. It can result in the abuse of the
country's natural resources which leads to different environmental problems, unemployment,
poverty, economic disturbance, unequal education, etc. The most important thing I learned
personally from the lesson is that I, you, we and all of us have the power to avoid and
mitigate the overgrowing population and its consequences. We must continuously advocate
for, promote, and place a high value on family planning and population control in order to
prevent overpopulation from escalating the environmental and social issues we already face.
Family planning and population control have enormous power, influence, and the ability to
mitigate the effects of overpopulation. We may contribute to reducing human overpopulation
by starting to apply these solutions we want to promote both within ourselves and to others
around us.

(2) What do you want to learn more about the lesson?

I would like to learn more about how each country comes up with and successfully
implements solutions to the world's growing population. I'm interested in how diversified
their solutions are, as well as ways to obtain a better grasp of how to reduce and relieve the
repercussions of overpopulation. I also want to learn about the consequences of
overpopulation, not just in terms of the earth's resources, but also in terms of problems such
as unemployment and poverty, how countries address these issues, and how they turned the
table upside down, that instead of focusing on the negative aspect, they innovative and
creatively create something good out from it like creating more job opportunities and taking
this chance to improve their economy.

(3) What should you do with what you learned today?

In order to mitigate and lessen overpopulation and its effects on our environment and
people's lives, I would start applying what I have learned myself first before advocating
family planning to those around me. I would live by what I have learned, not just by telling
others what I have learned from this lesson to appear knowledgeable, but by putting these
words into action and applying it in my daily life because I understand how serious the issue
of overpopulation is, and then I would advocate what I have learned to those around me.
Lesson 2: Human Population Dynamics

1. As a student, why do you need to learn about the factors that may affect the size of the
population?

Several factors influence population density and growth, and these factors can cause
population size oscillations throughout time. As students, we must be knowledgeable about
the factors affecting population size in order to understand how we may assist mitigate the
overpopulation. We students are taught in school about how we can influence population size,
and when we are educated on the matter, we can be agents of change and apply it on our daily
lives and share to others what we have learned. In our hands lies the future of the world, we
students have the capability to limit the overgrowing population because we are taught and
educated, hence, we must use these learning to bring change to the world.

2. How can you help to slow down human population growth?

As a youth of today’s generation, family planning is the most powerful tool to combat
the human population growth, all people need is proper education about these matter,

Lesson 3: Population Pyramid: The shape of the society’s

1. Can you possibly make a population pyramid using the age-sex structure
of your barangay/town?

Yes, because population pyramid not only it can be applied in country's age-sex
distribution but it may be also used for different areas or sub-populations such as the barangay
or towns.

2. If so, why do you think it is important to study the population pyramid of

your barangay/town?

The population pyramid of our barangay or town is significant to analyze since it may
show us the differences in the male and female populations of a barangay or town area. They
also reveal the number of dependents (children and, occasionally, the old) and the overall
structure of the population at any given time, which is important since it can provide us with
specific information about the age and gender of the barangay and town's population.
Barangay or town officials can then use such information to make decisions to fulfill the
demands of the population, identify problems and community needs, and set goals and
objectives.

3. How will this help you understand the current condition and the future of
your barangay/town?

Demographic data can assist give a foundation for understanding where communities
are now, where they've been, and where they're going. It can be a strong tool for tracking
change over time and identifying a community's needs or strengths to drive planning, policy
formulation, or decision making. Governments and other industries use them to forecast
present population demands and develop demographic projections for the future. They can
provide information on birth, death, and life expectancy rates. Understanding a population
pyramid is required for making population predictions. Dependents, frequently minors (young
dependents) and the elderly (elderly dependents), rely on the economically active age groups
(ages 15 to 65) for support. If there are not enough people contributing and assisting
dependents, unusual problems may arise. When there are many young dependents, education
and employment are critical, as is access to suitable childcare and healthcare. When there are
a high number of elderly dependents, additional pressing problems arise, such as elderly
residential care, healthcare expenditures, and retirement payments. Significant complications
arise when there are a big number of elderly dependents. These include the costs of elderly
residential care, healthcare, and retirement payments. If there are numerous elderly
dependents, more pressing difficulties develop. These include elderly residential care,
healthcare costs, and retirement payments.

Reflection
UNIT 2

LESSON 4: ECOSYSTEMS: What are they and how do they work?

1. Write two questions that you would like to have answered as a result of
reading lesson on Ecosystem.

 What is the value of biodiversity why is it important to conserve and protect and what are
the ecological and economic benefits provided by biodiversity?

 How can we humans personally help maintain balance in ecosystem or ecological

balance?

Lesson 5: Characteristics of Life

1. Why is it important to understand the characteristics of life?

The basic foundations of life include order, metabolism, motility, responsiveness,

reproduction, development, heredity, evolution, adaptations, and homeostasis. These
properties of life are what distinguish living things from non-living objects in their ability to
carry out life activities like as movement, respiration, growth, reactivity to environmental
stimuli, and reproduction. A living creature is distinguished from a non-living thing by more
than one attribute which is crucial for knowing if life is feasible beyond Earth. A cat, like an
automobile, moves. Like a cloud, a tree grows in size. Structure occurs in cells in the same
way that it does in crystals. Biologists define life by finding the properties shared by all living
things. Everything regarded to be alive possesses all of the properties of life. The duck decoy
may look to float about and be alive, but it is not. The decoy is unable to reproduce, respond
to its surroundings, or breathe. We can distinguish which of them is alive and which is not by
seeing which of them exhibits all of the hallmarks of life.

2. What are some examples of objects that we use that were once living
things, but are not anymore.

Objects that were previously alive but are no longer alive are referred to as formerly
living things. Formerly living objects include butter formed from animal milk, leather and
wool made from animal skin, cooking oil made from plant seeds, apple fruit from the apple
tree, and rubber made from the latex of the rubber tree.

Lesson 6: What Keeps Us and other Organisms Alive?

1. How will you help in solving problems with regards to the abrupt changes to
the Earth’s climate?

We are the source of our own suffering from rapid climate changes, natural disasters
and all environmental shifts we face nowadays, climate change, and global warning are the
results of our abuses of ecosystems, which just wants to supply us with our daily necessities. I
can contribute to addressing issues caused by dramatic changes to the Earth's surface by
limiting and saving the energy I use in my daily life, turning off appliances when not in use,
using only one device at a time and when it is really necessary, and walking or biking. I can
use my voice to persuade those around me to save energy by educating them about the risks
of climate change and how to combat it. Whether I use word of mouth or social media, there
are always methods to educate others on what climate change is doing to our world. By voting
for legislation and politicians who work to mitigate the detrimental impacts of climate
change. Purchasing used clothing, shoes, and bags in ukay-ukay would not only help me save
money, but it will also benefit the environment since recycling and reusing is a cost-effective
and eco-friendly procedure that removes waste while emitting no greenhouse gases into the
environment. Using bags or baskets instead of plastic bags when buying at the market. Save
water by collecting and reusing water drained from laundry, showers, hand washing, and hair
washing.

Lesson 7: What are the Major Components of an Ecosystem?

1. How have humans altered the biome you live in?

Just as human activities have changed and evolved over time, so have the areas and
biomes they inhabit. Human action has irreversibly altered the shape of our world, posing
grave challenges to the overall health of multiple biomes, particularly as a result of global
warming. This has resulted in climate change, land erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable
water. The rainforest is the forest biome most threatened by human development because of
logging, power generation, agricultural expansion, and the paper industry. Dams, water
removal for human use, drainage from human settlements, invasive species brought in by
people, draining of wetlands, and floods and droughts brought on by global warming all have
an effect on freshwater biomes. Excessive evaporation puts deserts in danger, and pollution
threatens marine biomes. Irrigation in desert regions has changed the soil's composition, and
more damage has been done by the storing of nuclear waste, the exploitation of oil and gas,
and vehicle movement in the desert. Humans have fragmented wildlands, altered the
population structure of forests, transformed forests to agricultural and urban uses, exploited
species, damaged the ecosystem with air and soil pollution, imported exotic pests and rivals,
and domesticated preferred species. Human greed and industrialization's influence on
ecosystems result in ongoing substantial changes in ecosystems and extinction rates. Not only
do we change and harm the diverse biomes, but we also endanger the lives of living and non-
living species in the environment.

Lesson 8: What happens to an Energy in an Ecosystem?

1. Could a balanced ecosystem exist with only producers and decomposers and no consumers
such as humans and other animals? Explain?

An ecosystem can exist with only producers and decomposers, but a balanced
ecosystem cannot exist with only producers and decomposers and no consumers. Plants will
overgrow and compete for the few nutrients available if there are no consumers. Without
consumers, no ecosystem can exist. Because it lacks the ability to generate its own food, a
heterotrophic organism known as a consumer consumes producers or other organisms for
energy. We are a part of the population that eats food produced by producers such as plants.
Consumers in an ecosystem keep the food chain balanced by limiting the number of plants.
Consumers are necessary for the survival of an ecosystem since without them, producers
would lack prey and higher level consumers would perish. When one level of a food chain is
removed, the effect spreads to all other levels. If consumers such as deer are eliminated,
producers such as plant or grass growth would rise and take up more land. Tigers that hunt
deer for food will likewise become extinct as a result of food scarcity.

Lesson 9: What happens to Matter in an Ecosystem?

1. Why do we humans have a very big role in all the biogeochemical cycle?

Every step we take, no matter where we travel, leaves a carbon impact. Carbon
dioxide and nitrogen levels in the atmosphere have significantly increased due to human
activity, affecting biogeochemical cycles and making biodiversity, food security, human
health, and water quality more vulnerable. Fossil fuel combustion, chemical emissions into
the atmosphere, logging of forests, and the increase of commercial, industrial, and agricultural
activities are some examples of these behaviors. These modifications increase the amount of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, resulting in climate change. Because we are the only
species that can alleviate and regulate these cycles, humans play a significant role in all
biogeochemical processes. Our actions determines how the biogeochemical cycle works.