Introduction:  AP Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary course focusing on the application of scientific concepts and principals to the understanding and solution of environmental problems and issues.  As a rigorous, college level class, this class includes lecture, laboratory and field study components.  The course is scheduled with 4 single class periods of 58 minutes with one double period lab per week (116 minutes).

 

Goal:  The goal of AP Environmental Science is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems, both natural and human made, to evaluate the relative risk associated with these problems and to examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them.  These primary goals will be presented to the students:  To prepare them for our environment today and in the future; To prepare them for the demands of college studies; To prepare them to confidently take and pass the AP Environmental Science exam at the conclusion of the course.

 

Labs:  Labs and fieldwork activities will be employed on a weekly basis to supplement information presented and/or read.  Students will be required to complete each lab.

 

APES in the News:  Students will be required to keep an APES Current Events Journal. Each student needs to find a newspaper, magazine or scientific journal article relating to environmental science once per quarter.  The students must read the article and write a one page reflection.  Twice during the course, in the fall and spring, in cooperation with our school’s TV news department, the students will produce a segment, “Planet of the APES”.

 

Textbook: Environment; The Science Behind the Stories, by Jay Withgott and Scott Brennan.  4th Edition, 2011

 

Student Expectations:  Students are expected to strive for personal growth and academic achievement through the following behaviors:  Being prepared for, and faithfully attending, class (bringing all needed materials:  writing tools, binder, lab notebook, flash drive, and calculator), completing all assignments on time and participating in all classroom and field work activities.

 

Grading Policy:

Participation 10%

Attendance, Collins I Writing, Notebooks, class conduct

Assignments 15%

Informal Activities, Collins II Essays, Problem Sets, Formal Lab Reports

Assessments 75%

Quizzes, Unit Tests, Collins III & IV Research, Papers, Performance Tasks, Projects

 

 

AP Exam

The AP Environmental Science Exam, created by the College Board and The Educational Testing Service will be administered in May.  The exam is 3 hours long and divided equally in time between multiple choice questions and free-response questions.  The multiple-choice portion of the test consists of 100 questions and constitutes 60% of the final grade.  These questions are designed to cover the breadth of the student’s knowledge and understanding of environmental science.  Thought-provoking problems and questions based on fundamental idea from environmental science are included along with questions based on the recall of basic facts and major concepts.  The number of multiple-choice questions taken from each major topic area is reflected in the percentage of the course as designated in the outline of topics.  There are four free-response essay questions that constitute 40% of the final grade, emphasize the application of principles in greater depth.  In this section, students must organize answers to broad questions, demonstrating reasoning and analytical skills, as well as the ability to synthesize material from several sources into cogent and coherent essays.  The three types of questions included in this section are data analysis, document based, and synthesis/evaluation questions.

 

Syllabus: 

Unit 1 - Course Introduction (3 weeks) 

 

 Chapter 1 – Science and Sustainability:  An Introduction to Environmental Science

Essential Question:  How do scientists uncover, research, and solve environmental 

problems?

 

Topics: The Importance of Resources and Ecosystem Services, (Industrial/Ag. Revolutions), Scientific Method, Sustainability, Calculating Ecological Footprint

 

Chapter 2 – Earth’s Physical Systems:  Matter, Energy, and Geology

Essential Question:  What are the characteristics of Earth’s geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere?

 

Topics: Basic Chemistry, Life Processes: Photosynthesis, Cellular Respiration, Energy Transfer, Plate Tectonics and the Rock Cycle, Geologic Hazards

 

Lab (LA) & Field Work Activities

 

Lab health and safety/writing lab reports

The Scientific Method:  Observation and Hypothesis, Results and Discussion

Environmental Awareness 

Science and the Popular Media 

Begin Current events Journal (environmental science in the news) 

Summary and response for each article. 

Plate Tectonics Project

 

Unit 2 – Environmental Ethics & Policy (3 weeks)  

Essential Question:  How can we best balance our own interests and needs with

the health of the environment?

 

Chapter 6 – Environmental Ethics and Economics: Values and Choices  

Essential Question:  How is sustainability affected by economics?

 

Topics: Ethical Perspectives, Conservation vs. Preservation, Cost-Benefit Analysis 

 

Chapter 7 – Environmental Policy: Decision Making and Problem Solving

Essential Question:  How do environmental policies protect the environment?

 

Topics: Policy & History in the U.S., International Policy, The Policy Process

 

Labs: 

Experimental Designs:  Students will plan an experiment with a constant and a 

single independent variable 

Natural Areas Project Students will select a federally protected natural area and 

write a paper identifying the characteristics of that area making it 

important to preserve, threats to preservation, sources of energy withheld, type of ecosystem, etc. 

Choose an Approach –Which approach is best for implementing a particular 

Environmental policy?

 

Unit 3 – Ecology (5 weeks)

 

Chapter 3 – Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology  

Essential Question:  How do organisms affect one another’s survival and 

environment?

 

Topics: Evolution Fueling Biodiversity, Ecological Organization, Population Characteristics, Biodiversity, Conservation

 

Chapter 4 – Species Interactions and Community Ecology

Essential Question:  How do species interact in nature?

 

Topics: Species Interaction, Trophic Levels, Food Webs, Succession, Invasive Species, Restoring Communities, Biomes

 

Chapter 5 – Environmental Systems and Ecosystem Ecology

How do the nonliving parts of Earth’s systems provide the basic materials to 

support life?

 

Topics: Systems/Interrelatedness, Ecosystems, Biogeochemical Cycles (Phosphorus Cycle, Nitrogen Cycle, Hydrologic Cycle, Rock Cycle), Geological Systems/Plate Tectonics

 

Chapter 11 – Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

Essential Question:  Why is it important to protect biodiversity?

 

Topics: Diversity (genetic, ecosystem, species), Loss of Biodiversity, Solutions to Loss of Biodiversity

 

 

 

Labs: (C9)

Predator-Prey Simulation: Students will re-create a predator-prey model and explore how 

species populations are dependent upon one another. Students will develop a 

graphical analysis using population modeling and examine created/observed

 population cycles on the internet. 

Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index:  Students will investigate the number of invertebrates

 at the species level near the school using a diversity index. 

Ant Biodiversity (Done Simultaneously with Above Experiment):  Students will create 

their own class experiment using tuna/honey to attract ants in different 

environments surrounding the school. Students will then use the Shannon-Weiner

 Diversity Index as well as other models to estimate ant biodiversity.

Eating at a Lower Trophic Level: Students will use mathematical principles involving 

gram and caloric intake ascending a food chain in order to understand energy 

demand differences between being a human as an apex predator versus a primary 

consumer.

 

Unit 4 – Population Dynamics (2 weeks)  

 

Chapter 8 – Human Population

Essential Question:  How does the human population affect the environment?

 

Topics: Current Human Population Growth, Demography, Societal Impacts of Population Growth (Poverty, Disease, Policy)

 

Labs: (C9)

World Population Growth:  Students will analyze human population growth throughout

history and predict future population growth using data from the United States Census.

Population Distribution and Survivorship – Students will predict future populations in

certain areas based on survivorship curves and age-sex population pyramids. 

Population Growth Activity:  Students will compare rates of growth/death, doubling rate,

 and other calculations in comparison of the United States and Ethiopia. 

 

Unit 5 – Soils (3 weeks) 

 

Chapter 9 – Soil and Agriculture

Essential Question:  What is soil?

 

Topics: Soil Use, Soil Systems, Soil Degradation

 

Chapter 10 – Agriculture, Biotechnology, and the Future of Food

Essential Question:  How can we produce enough food for a rapidly growing 

population while sustaining our ability to produce it?

 

Topics: Food Production, Pests/Pollinators, GM Foods, Feedlot Agriculture, Aquaculture, Sustainable Agriculture

 

 

Labs: 

Soil Characteristics:  Students will investigate soil horizons in a soil test pit to identify 

the components of soil and to hypothesize what plant life could be supported by that soil 

Soil Salinization: An Experimental Design:  Students will investigate (and show 

graphically) how plants are affected by varying salinity conditions in soil and the 

cause of this problem in agriculture 

Soil Analysis:  Students will analyze the various aspects of soil including texture, percent 

composition, moisture, percent organic matter, porosity, percolation rate, and fertility. 

 

Unit 6 – Environmental Management and Health (3 weeks)  

 

Chapter 12 – Forests, Forest Management, and Protected Areas 

Essential Question:  How can resource managers strike a balance between the 

ecological and economic value of forest management?

 

Topics: Current Lumber Retrieval Methods, Environmental Costs and Benefits of Each Method of Cutting, Maximum Sustainable Yield, Sustainable Forestry Certification

 

Chapter 13 – The Urban Environment:  Creating Livable and Sustainable Cities

Essential Question:  What are the characteristics of a sustainable city?

 

Topics: Urban Growth/Sprawl, Urban Sustainability (Smart Growth)

 

Chapter 14 – Environmental Health and Toxicology

Essential Question:  What is the relationship between environmental health and

our own health?

 

Topics: Environmental Factors and Human Health, Toxicology, Risk Management/Assessment

 

Labs/Activities: 

 

Copper Extraction:  Students will recreate the process of copper extraction and examine

the environmental impacts. A calculation of expected and actual percent yield will be calculated using stoichiometry to determine how much copper metal can be extracted from copper carbonate. 

 

 

 

Mining and Cookie Mining Activity:  Students will re-create the process of resource 

extraction and reclamation.  They will practice with by mining chocolate chips 

from a cookie and reclaiming the land as well as possible. Students will then undergo a more in-depth simulation using landscapes created by the teacher. For instance, different nuts buried in sand will represent various ore within the earth; a Petri dish with water will represent wetlands, pine needles a forest, and so forth.

Bioassay Experiment:  Students will examine the toxicity of certain substances by 

measuring/calculating solution strength versus percent germination. 

 

Unit 7 – Water as a Resource (3 weeks) 

 

Chapter 15 – Freshwater Resources and Resources

Essential Question:  How can we change the way we use water?

 

Topics: Freshwater Systems, Human Use, Pollution, Depletion, Solutions, Wastewater and Treatment

 

Chapter 16 – Marine and Coastal Systems and Resources

Essential Question:  What conditions and organisms characterize the world’s 

aquatic ecosystems?

 

Topics: Oceanography, Marine Ecosystems, Human Impact, Marine Conservation

 

Labs:  

 

National and Local Water Use (Project):  Students will use topographic maps and 

principles of area and percent use to examine water consumption patterns and rainfall amounts in certain areas of the United States. 

Water Diversions Project:  Students will examine the positive and negative aspects of 

diverting water for human use including hydroelectric power, irrigation, and recreation.

Water Quality Index:  Students will investigate the local Water Quality Index (WQI) for 

Severn, MD based on numerous indicators such as dissolved oxygen, pH, fecal coliform. 

 

Unit 8 – Atmospheric Science (2 weeks) 

 

Chapter 17 – Atmospheric Science and Air Pollution

Essential Question:  How can we ensure everyone has clean air to breathe?

 

Topics: Atmospheric Composition, Outdoor and Indoor Air Pollution - Causes and Effects, Weather/Seasons/Tides/Solar Energy

 

Chapter 18 – Global Climate Change

Essential Question:  What are the causes and consequences of a warming Earth?

Topics: Climate Change – Causes, Indicators, Predictions, Debates, Solutions; Natural Disasters

 

Labs: (C9, C10)

Particulate Air Pollution:  Students will measure particulate matter locally and evaluate 

the data by EPA standards.

Acid Rain:  Students will investigate the formation and consequences of rain with

 increased acidity 

Global Warming and Atmospheric CO2 Correlation:  Students will examine how/if 

increasing carbon dioxide concentrations alter the temperature in a given area. 

 

 

Unit 9 – Energy – Nonrenewable, Renewable, and Human-Use (5 weeks)  (C5)

 

Chapter 19 – Fossil Fuels: Their Impacts, and Energy Conservation

Essential Question:  What problems are associated with fossil fuel use?

 

Topics: Global Energy Use Statistics/Needs with population growth, Current Sources of Energy (types and providers), Coal, Oil, Natural Gas, Impacts of Fossil Fuel Use, Energy Conservation

 

Chapter 20 – Conventional Energy Alternatives

Essential Question:  What are the potential uses and limitations of renewable 

energy sources?

 

Topics: Alternatives to Fossil Fuels, Nuclear Power, Biomass Energy, Hydroelectric Power

 

Chapter 21 – New Renewable Energy Alternatives / The Future of Energy

Essential Question:  How can we rely on the sun, wind, and heat of the Earth for 

power?

 

Topics: Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Geothermal Energy, Ocean Energy, Hydrogen Energy

 

Labs/Activities: (C9, C10, C11)

 

Energy Alternatives - Solar Absorption:  Students will use mathematical principles with 

heat (q) and joules (j) to examine the absorption potential of many different substances for use in solar powered devices, specifically practical uses such as home energy consumption. 

Energy Resource Comparison Project:  Students will research the different methods of 

electricity production in the United States, defend a method of their choosing, and 

include alternative production strategies for upcoming generations. 

Energy and Recycling Investigation:  Students will analyze the use of one of earth’s 

major resources, aluminum, in beverage cans within a given county. Analysis will include energy saved by recycling (ex. needing less aluminum) as well as energy needed to recycle (ex. fuel in trucks). 

Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Fossil-Fuel Burning: Students will use online data and 

graphs to determine production and percent increase of carbon dioxide on a global

 level from human consumption of fossil fuels. 

Nuclear Power Simulation:  Students will use an online simulation by Henrik Eriksson to 

analyze nuclear power use and how to prevent a disaster at a plant in three unique situations. (http://www.ida.liu.se/~her/npp/demo.html)

 

Unit 10 – Waste Management (1 week) (C6)

 

Chapter 22 – Managing Our Waste 

Essential Question:  How do our choices as consumers and waste 

producers affect our environment?

 

Topics: Municipal and Industrial Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, Reduction and Recycling

 

Labs:

Solid Waste Collection:  Students will conduct an analysis of waste in their houses based

on weight, volume, percent of each material, etc, with the idea of creating ideas 

for recycling and using less. 

 

Unit 11 – Sustainability and Solutions (1 week)  (C8)

 

Chapter 24 – Sustainable Solutions

Essential Question:  What are some of the conclusions we can draw from our

study of APES that will allow educate humans so that we can occupy the Earth in 

a more sustainable and healthy manner?

 

Topics: Renewable Energies (Cont’d), Alternatives (Ex. Hybrids, Mass Transit, CAFÉ Standards

 

Labs:  (C9, C10, C11)

Watershed Assessment (from the College Board):  Students will choose a stream segment

and examine soil/water quality in an effort to make management decisions

 

Sustainable Island:  Students will analyze the sustainable use various energy consumption

including hydroelectric, geothermal, nuclear, solar, wind, and coal-fired energies on an imaginary island over a set amount of generations. 

 

Unit 12 – AP Exam Review (2 weeks) TEST DAY MAY