Course title

Pre-requisite

Course description

AP Environmental Science is a college level course. Topics to be studied include evolution; speciation; biodiversity; interaction within ecosystems; and a wide variety of environmental problems including pollution; uncontrolled population growth; and landscape alteration by humans. AP Environmental Science prepares students for; and students are expected to take; the AP Environmental Science exam. Prerequisite: Biology. Fee required.

This course is designed to cover a variety of topics within the sciences.  The goal is to provide you 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 risk factors of these problems; and to examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them.  Emphasis in this class is placed on science as a process; energy conversions underlying all ecological processes; the Earth as an interconnected system; how humans alter the environment; environmental problems and their social context and developing sustainable practices.  This course adheres to the objectives instituted by the College Board for all AP Environmental Science.  
 
This is a laboratory course in which you are expected to follow scientific methodologies; collect data and make accurate hypotheses. 
 
The objectives of this course are that each student shall:
• Demonstrate skills using various types of instrumentation and scientific methodologies
• Learn how to read and critique scientific research articles in the field of Environmental Science
• Practice using data collected to solve scientific problems and;
• Apply their knowledge and critical thinking to current social concerns.
 
Materials
Textbook
This course will utilize the following textbooks
       Miller; G. Tyler. Living in the Environment: Principles; Connections; and Solutions. 15th ed. Pacific Grove; Calif.:Brooks/Cole; 2007.
 
Recommended Student Materials
The key to success in an advanced placement course is organization.  For you to be organized it is recommended that you have the following:
       COMPOSITION book for labs with graph paper pages (Staples or Office Max)
       Lined composition book for chapter notes.
       Binder with the following sections (you may use a section in a larger binder)
o   Powerpoint notes (you may print them from my webpage and supplement in the margins)
o   Practice Questions
o   Additional Readings
o   Homework and class work
       In general you will not be permitted to use a Calculator. However; in some cases I may permit you to use it for data collection. In these cases; your cell phone will not be allowed to be used. If you wish to use a calculator you will need to have one with you.
       3 x 5 index cards
       Pens and pencils for writing
       A cover for your textbook (your book is expensive to replace! Protect the one I give you)
Methodologies
Lab Component
Laboratory investigations are a very important component of this course.  Through lab work you are required to use higher thinking skills; apply concepts in real situations and perform science skills such as data collection; analysis and communicating results.  Laboratory exercises utilize the inquiry method.  Students will participate in many hands on activities and AP style labs.  Labs will be run approximately once per week.  Our school operates on modified schedule with one block class each week; therefore many labs will be conducted in a 100 minute block; some labs will run over the course of many class periods.  You will keep lab journals for all laboratory investigations; and will need to present complete lab write ups in your journals including background information; data collection; data analysis; conclusions and further inquires.  Once each semester you will be responsible for developing your own investigation on a particular topic and presenting all information using methods typically used of a scientist; for example the format of a scientific review journal.  The topics that will be utilized for these purposes will be urban land use and pollution.  In addition; each quarter you will be expected to conduct a long term experiment. This lab will be presented to me in as a formal lab report. I expect these lab reports to be about 10 pages in length.
 
 
Lectures
Because this course parallels an introductory college course I will lecture a few times a unit.  In lecture I will present topics in relation to the current data available.  I will utilize pictures; graphs; and other various visual aides.  Lectures will consist of note-taking as well as discussion.  I will teach you various methods of note-taking and help you analyze what works best for you for use in future classes.
 
Science as Inquiry
Science is a process which produces an explanation of both the external; physical and natural environment. Scientific inquiry must include descriptions of both hypothesis generation and testing (Stan Rachelson).   It is important that the science done in the classroom resembles the science done outside the classroom.  You will be presented with lab activities throughout each unit and will learn to ask questions and investigate to answer them. 
 
 
Student Assessment
You will be assessed daily with reading quizzes; pre/post lab quizzes; and lecture quizzes.  There will be unit exams; AP style exams and laboratory exams.  Students are evaluated on their level of performance in laboratory exercises; lab write ups; homework; attendance; and organization of lab book and binder.
Quarter grades are based on a weighted scale. I will be using the following breakdown when calculating your quarter grade.
            Tests and Quizzes          55%
                      Lab Reports                   35%
                      Other                          10%  (Homework and class assignments)
 
Semester class grades are based on the traditional grading scale: 100%-90% = A; 89%-80% = B; 79%-70% = C; 69%-60% = D; 59%-50% = F. Semester grades are calculated according to the school’s grading policy; 40% first quarter; 40% second quarter; 20% final exam.
 
Earning College/University Credit
 
  AP Exam:  Students are expected to take the AP Exam in May 2013.  This test is the driving force for the curriculum taught throughout the year.  Early in the course we will visit the Career Center; where students will explore the credit they can receive at their university/college of choice for a score of 3; 4; or 5 on the AP Environmental Exam. 
 
Course Outline
 
Please note; these are the minimum labs that will be conducted. Labs may be added throughout the course of the year.

Unit 1: Interdependence of Earths Systems
1A. Environmental Issues; their causes and sustainability
‚àí Textbook chapter 1
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Evaluating environmental issues
‚àí Assessment of personal ecofootprint
‚àí Students will use a computer based calculator to determine their personal footprint on the earth. Evaluations of their footprints and ways to reduce their impact will be explored.
‚àí Tragedy of the Commons- Lab activity
‚àí Students will play roles to imitate the concept of the tragedy of the commons.
‚àí Eco-Journals
‚àí Students will create journals each quarter. They will respond to prompts that coincide with topics that we are talking about.
‚àí Video: Planet Earth From Pole to Pole
‚àí Additional Readings
‚àí Garrett Hardin: Tragedy of the Commons

1B. Environmental History and the Nature of Science
‚àí Textbook chapter 2
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Environmental History timeline
‚àí Hypothesis generation
‚àí Students will use examples from magazines and the outdoors to practice generating proper hypotheses
‚àí Additional Readings
‚àí Selected readings on the Nature of Science from Kuhn and Lakatos

1C. Systems; Energy and Matter
‚àí Textbook chapter 2
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Half life lab
‚àí Students will graph and calculate the half life of a material; this will then be applied to real world scenarios.

Unit 2: Earth Systems and Resources
2A. Geology: Processes and Hazards
‚àí Textbook chapter 15
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Rock Cycle lab
‚àí Students will identify rock types using a dichotomous key

2B. Soil and Soil Dynamics
‚àí Textbook chapter 3 pages 67-70
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Soil Lab Reports- Lab Activity
− This lab report consists of the three following smaller labs. Put together they make up the first “mega” lab. This report is expected to be typed and in APA formatting. You will learn various techniques to analyze soil and will practice these techniques using soil from various regions of the United States.
‚àí Soil Labs- Lab Activity
‚àí Students will learn how to use the soil triangle to determine soil texture using samples from around the world. They will also use the LaMotte test kit to evaluate the chemical make-up of the soil.
‚àí Porosity and Permeability- Lab Activity
‚àí Students will evaluate how particle size affects a soils ability to hold water and allow water to flow through.

2C. The Atmosphere: Structure; Weather and Climate
‚àí Textbook chapter 19 and first half of 5
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Climatograms
‚àí Students will create climatograms using real data from various biomes

2D. Global Water Resources and Use
‚àí Textbook chapter 14
‚àí Topics
‚àí Freshwater availability
‚àí Water shortages
‚àí Damming of rivers
‚àí Irrigation and desalinization
‚àí Watersheds and drainage
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Personal Water use log
‚àí Mapping of the watershed drainage area
− Ground Water Models and Contamination – Lab activity
‚àí This is an inquiry based lab in which students will work in pairs to explore a question they develop based on groundwater issues.
‚àí Additional Readings
‚àí Various readings about Glen Canyon Dam

Unit 3: The Living World
3A. Ecosystem Structure
‚àí Textbook chapter 5 (second half) and 6
‚àí Topics
‚àí Terrestrial Biomes
‚àí Aquatic Biomes
‚àí Community Ecology
‚àí Native and non-native species
‚àí Indicator and keystone species
‚àí Relationships
‚àí Activities and Labs
− Predator/ Prey simulations – lab activity
‚àí Using paper to represent wolves and mice; students will simulate predator/prey relationships and evaluate how they affect a populations ability to survive and carrying capacity.
‚àí Invasive species wanted posters
‚àí Second Quarter Long Term Lab- Eco-columns
‚àí Students will set up eco-columns and monitor them over time. They will test for the quality of the environment present. This lab will be presented in a formal lab report.

3B. Energy flow in ecosystems
‚àí Textbook chapter 3
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Owl Pellets- Lab
‚àí Students will dissect owl pellets and identify the remains from the meals of the owl. They will then construct the food web involved in feeding the owl based on the remains that they find.
‚àí Diagram a food web activity
‚àí Continue eco-columns

3C. Introduction to biodiversity: origins; niches and adaptation
‚àí Textbook chapter 4
‚àí Activities and labs
‚àí Beaks of finches- lab
‚àí Students will use tools to model bird beaks and make connections between beak shape and size with ability to gather food.
‚àí Continue eco-columns
‚àí Additional Readings
‚àí Selected readings from E.O. Wilson

3D. Natural Ecosystem changes
‚àí Textbook chapter 7 page 155-159
‚àí Activities and labs
‚àí Continued study of eco-columns
‚àí Succession study of natural ecosystems

3E.  Biogeochemical Cycles
‚àí Textbook chapter 3 (second half)
‚àí Activities and Labs
− Cycles  skits

Unit 4: Population
4A. Community ecology
‚àí Textbook chapter 7
‚àí Topics
‚àí Growth curves (exponential and logistic)
‚àí Biotic potential
‚àí R and K strategists
‚àí Survivorship curves
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Quadrat Surveys- Lab
‚àí Students will assess the biodiversity of 2 (two) areas; one developed and one undeveloped. They will use statistical analysis to analyze the data that they gather.

4B. Population Ecology
‚àí Textbook Chapter 8
‚àí Activities and labs
− How Populations grow – Lab
‚àí Students will simulate exponential population growth and model changing communities. The exponential growth equation will be derived from collected data.

4C. Human Population
‚àí Textbook chapter 9
‚àí Topics
‚àí Birth and death rates
‚àí Immigration and emigration
‚àí Rule of 70
‚àí Doubling time
‚àí Age structure diagrams
‚àí Industrialization transitions
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Age structure diagrams
‚àí The haves and have-nots
‚àí Students will explore how the economy of a country affects the resources that are available for use. They will also explore solutions to many problems countries face.

4D. Impacts on Human Health
‚àí Textbook chapter 18
‚àí Topics
‚àí Toxicity
‚àí Diseases
‚àí Activities and labs
‚àí LD-50 lab
‚àí Students will test how the concentration of a pollutant affects lettuce seeds. They will determine the LD-50 concentration.
‚àí Additional Readings
− “our stolen future” by Theo Coburn

Unit 5: Land and Water Use
5A. Agriculture
‚àí Textbook chapter 13
‚àí Topics
‚àí Production and nutrition worldwide
‚àí Genetic modified organisms
‚àí Irrigation
‚àí Land use for food production
‚àí Pesticides
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí How diet affects the environment
‚àí Students will explore how their personal choices affect the environment when it comes to producing their food.
‚àí Additional Readings
‚àí National Geographic- Use of corn as a biofuel
− Selected readings on GMO’s

5B. Forests
‚àí Textbook chapter 10
‚àí Topics
‚àí Healthy forest initiative
‚àí Forest sustainability
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Rocky Mountain National Park Elk/Wolf Lab
‚àí Students will study the population of Elk in RMN and the effect the population is having on Aspen trees. They will evaluate several proposals by the national parks service to remedy the situation.

5C. Sustaining terrestrial Biodiversity
‚àí Textbook chapter 10 and 11
‚àí Topics
‚àí National Parks
‚àí National Wildlife refuge
‚àí Restoration and preservation
‚àí Endangered species act
‚àí Activities and labs
‚àí National Parks Project
‚àí Endangered species poster project
‚àí Design a Nature Reserve

5D. Other Land Use
‚àí Textbook chapter 23
‚àí Topics
‚àí Sustainable cities
‚àí City land use
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Lego Land Lab
‚àí Students will use legos to represent cities. They will design three different cities that maximize personal space; public space and sustainability.

Unit 6: Pollution
6A. Air Pollution
‚àí Textbook chapter 18 (acid rain only); 19 and 20 (ozone depletion only)
‚àí Topics
‚àí Indoor air pollution
‚àí Outdoor air pollution
‚àí Tropospheric pollution issues: NO2; Acid Deposition; Ozone; Particulates; Smog
‚àí Stratospheric Ozone
‚àí Air quality monitoring
‚àí Activities and Labs
− The following labs make up a “mega” lab report on Air Pollution. This lab report is expected to be typed and in APA format.
‚àí How clean is the Air?
‚àí Students will use various methods to analyze the quality of outdoor air
‚àí Acid Rain Lab
‚àí Students will measure the effects of acid rain on plant growth
‚àí Ozone Monitoring
‚àí Students will create Schoenbein strips to measure the level of ozone present in the troposphere.
‚àí Indoor Air Quality lab
‚àí Students will use a kit from Environmental Protection Agency to measure the quality of indoor air within our school building.

6B. Water Pollution
‚àí Textbook chapter 17
‚àí Topics
‚àí Types of pollution
‚àí Point and non-point pollution
‚àí Ground water contamination
‚àí Wastewater treatment
‚àí Algal blooming
‚àí Activities and Lab
‚àí Wastewater treatment lab
‚àí Students will model the processes of primary and secondary treatment of water.
‚àí Additional readings
‚àí Exxon Valdez

6C. Solid and Hazardous Waste
‚àí Textbook chapter 21
‚àí Topics
‚àí Love canal
‚àí EPA
‚àí Landfills
‚àí Landfill design and leachate options
‚àí Bioremediation
‚àí Disposal of hazardous wastes
‚àí Recycling
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Long term lab- Landfill lab
‚àí Students will set up landfills and fill them with materials to be broken down. Over time they will monitor the effectiveness of the landfill to breakdown their materials. They will compare the ability of a material to degrade. They will then observe actual materials from landfill liners and examine the effectiveness of the materials used on a large scale.
‚àí Solid Waste and Recycling Lab

Unit 7: Energy Uses and Resources
7A. Non-renewable energy (fossil fuels)
‚àí Textbook chapter 15 and 16
‚àí Topics
‚àí Mining
‚àí Use of coal; natural gas and oil
‚àí Energy conversions (mathematic calculations)
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Cookie Mining- Lab
‚àí Students will simulate mining techniques to extract ore from a mine (cookie)
‚àí Energy conversions
‚àí Energy primer from College Board website
‚àí Additional Readings
‚àí Selected readings and activities from Shell Corporation.

7B. Nuclear Energy
‚àí Textbook chapter 16 (second half)
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Chernobyl discussion roundtable
‚àí Nuclear Reactor Simulator- online computer program
‚àí Additional Readings
‚àí Chernobyl Article
‚àí Three Mile Island Article

7C. Energy Efficiency and Renewable energy use
‚àí Textbook chapter 17
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Personal energy audit
‚àí Students will compete with each other to see who can reduce their energy consumption by the greatest percentage
‚àí Can You Catch the Sun?
‚àí Students will use curved and flat mirrors to determine how to harness the power of the sun. They will calculate the amount of heat energy that can be generated and develop possible uses for this energy.

Unit 8: Climate Change and Our Future
8A. Global Warming
‚àí Textbook chapter 20
‚àí Topics
‚àí Greenhouse effect
‚àí What happens with increased carbon dioxide
‚àí Greenhouse gases
‚àí Biosphere 2: an experiment
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Personal CO2 Emissions
‚àí Students will use handheld GHG calculators to determine how much CO2 they emit on an average week.
‚àí CO2 and Cars
‚àí Students will use Vernier lab equipment to measure the ppm of CO2 emissions from their vehicles.

8B. Dooms Day?
‚àí Textbook chapter 26
‚àí Topics
− We’ve talked about environmental issues in relation to many different aspects of the world. What can we as individuals do to make a difference?
‚àí Activities and Labs
‚àí Personal Lifestyle Evaluation
‚àí Eco footprint
‚àí Students will revisit the activity done in unit 1 and reevaluate their eco footprint. They will assess whether or not there has been a change in their lifestyle as a result of the topics covered in this class.
‚àí Final Project
‚àí After the completion of the AP exam I will present you with a challenge. You will have The month after the exam to complete the challenge in class.

School country

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School city

School / district Address

School zip code

Requested competency code

Date submitted

Approved

Approved competency code

• LINT
• Integrated science

Approved date

Online / Virtual