AP® Environmental Science
2013-2014
Course Description
The AP® Environmental Science course is a full-year course designed to be the equivalent of a one-semester, introductory college course in environmental science. Unlike most other introductory-level college science courses, environmental science is offered from a wide variety of departments, including geology, biology, environmental studies, environmental studies, environmental science, chemistry, and geography. The AP Environmental Science course has been developed to be like a rigorous science course that stresses scientific principles and analysis and includes a laboratory component; as such, it is intended to enable students to undertake, as first-year college students, a more advanced study of topics in environmental science or, alternatively, to fulfill a basic requirement for a laboratory science and thus free time for taking other courses. Students learn methods for analyzing and interpreting experimental data. In both breadth and level of detail, the content of the course reflects what is found in many introductory college courses in environmental science.
The goal of the course 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 risks associated with these problems, to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them, and to develop and focus their own political perspective. Environmental science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from different areas of study. Yet there are several major unifying constructs, or themes, that cut across the many topics included in the study of environmental science.
Text
Environment by Peter Raven and Linda Berg, 4th edition, 2004, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Other Resources
In addition to the textbook, we will draw information from supplemental environmental science textbooks, lab manuals, periodicals, and readings/case studies.
The following themes provide a foundation for the structure of the AP Environmental Science course:
· Science is a process.
o Science is a method of learning more about the world.
o Science constantly changes the way we understand the world
· Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.
o Energy cannot be created; it must come from somewhere.
o As energy flows through systems, at each step more of it becomes unusable
· The Earth itself is one interconnected system.
o Natural systems change over time and space.
o Biogeochemical systems vary in ability to recover from disturbances
· Humans alter natural systems.
o Humans have had an impact on the environment for millions of years.
o Technology and population growth have enabled humans to increase both the
rate and scale of their impact on the environment.
· Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.
o Understanding the role of cultural, social, and economic factors is vital to the
development of solutions.
· Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.
o A suitable combination of conservation and development is required.
o Management of common resources is essential.
Homework
May include but not be limited to:
· reading the textbook
· printing out and reviewing lecture notes (from Power Points)
· reading and preparing for an upcoming lab
Assessments
Tests given in class will reflect the type of questions and format of the AP test in May. This includes multiple choice (30-60) and free response (1 or 2) questions.
Using Graphs and Charts
Students are tested on their understanding of quantitative data at regular intervals on tests and quizzes. Practice assignments and assessments will be given prior to formal testing.
Academic Honesty Policy
Cases involving academic dishonesty in this course will result in failure for the assignment/test/project/exam. I am strongly committed to the promotion of high ethical standards. Such standards are best accomplished in an environment where honesty and integrity are practiced. Academic dishonesty includes, cheating, plagiarism or other improper appropriation of another’s work as one’s own and/or falsifying records to advance one’s academic standing.
· Cheating includes but is not limited to copying answers, stealing and/or disseminating tests or answer keys, or using someone else’s data in preparation of reports or assignments and assisting others in such practices.
· Plagiarism involves the presentation of another person’s words, ideas or work as one’s own. It includes but is not limited to copying material (written and non-written) without proper acknowledgement of its source and paraphrasing another’s work or ideas without proper acknowledgement.
Laboratory work
Experiences both in the laboratory and in the field provide students with important opportunities to test concepts and principles that are introduced in the classroom, explore specific problems with a depth not easily achieved otherwise, and gain an awareness of the importance of confounding variables that exist in the “real world.” All laboratory/fieldwork includes an analysis and an interpretation component. Students are taught methods for analyzing and interpreting information; a variety of laboratories include data collection, the application of mathematical analysis by the student and data interpretation. The lab component includes identification and analysis of environmental problems. Laboratory/fieldwork will constitute approximately one class period each week.
The laboratory and field investigation component of the AP Environmental Science course challenges the students’ abilities to:
• critically observe environmental systems
• develop and conduct well-designed experiments
• utilize appropriate techniques and instrumentation
• analyze and interpret data, including appropriate statistical and graphical presentations
• think analytically and apply concepts to the solution of environmental problems
• make conclusions and evaluate their quality and validity
• propose further questions for study
• communicate accurately and meaningfully about observations and conclusions
AP exam
The exam is May 5, 2014. (The first exam) The AP Environmental Science Exam is 3 hours long and is divided equally in time between a multiple-choice section (90 minutes) and a free-response section (90 minutes).
Multiple choice / 100 questions (90 min) / 60 % of gradeFree-response / 4 (90 min) / 40 % of grade
The multiple-choice section, which constitutes 60 percent of the final grade, consists of 100 multiple-choice questions that are designed to cover the breadth of the students’ knowledge and understanding of environmental science. Thought-provoking problems and questions based on fundamental ideas from environmental science are included along with questions based on the recall of basic facts and major concepts.
The free-response section emphasizes the application of principles in greater depth. In this section, students must organize answers to broad questions, thereby demonstrating reasoning and analytical skills, as well as the ability to synthesize material from several sources into cogent and coherent essays. Four free-response questions are included in this section, which constitutes 40 percent of the final grade: 1 data-set question, 1 document-based question, and 2 synthesis and evaluation questions.
Teaching strategies
The course is divided between lecture and Socratic seminar. Students are responsible for keeping up with the reading and events in the news which will be used as a springboard for connections to the lessons.
Attendance and Participation
Attendance in this class is mandatory as required by Florida Statutes 1001.41, 1003.24, 1003.436. Any student missing more than 9 days during the semester will be required to pass a comprehensive competency exam. The competency exam will consist of a mock AP examination. Any student, who takes the competency examination and does not pass, will fail the semester regardless of his/her grade average. Please read and familiarize yourself with the school’s attendance policy.
Participation in class is emphasized both formally and informally. Students must read the materials and be prepared to discuss them in a classroom setting. Not all of the required reading can be discussed in class, but is considered testable material. Questions and comments about the readings, lectures, and current environmental issues are encouraged and welcomed.
Grading
Each semester is worth 50 percent of the final grade. There will be a cumulative semester exam (20% of semester grade) and a cumulative final exam (20% of 2nd semester grade). Both exams will be a mock AP exam.
Expectations
1. Attendance and punctuality.
2. Compliance with the Code of Conduct and Dress Code
3. Cell phones silenced and out of sight.
4. Prepared for class. (textbook, paper, assignments, etc.)
5. To earn credit lost due to an absence, the absence must be excused through the attendance office within 72 hours of your return to school. Tests will be made up one day following your return to school. It will not be the same test as your classmates.
6. Late work is accepted but loses 50% of its value.
*You may not postpone taking a test due to your absence the day before the scheduled test date.
APES outline
· The percentage after each major topic heading shows the approximate proportion of multiple-choice questions on the exam that pertain to that heading.
· The free-response portion of the examination will test students in some combination of the seven major categories outlined below.
· The outline is a guide and is not an exhaustive list of topics or the preferred order of topics.
I. Earth Systems and Resources…………………………………………………………………….. (10–15%)
A. Earth Science Concepts
(Geologic time scale; plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanism; seasons; solar intensity and latitude)
B. The Atmosphere
(Composition; structure; weather and climate; atmospheric circulation and the Coriolis Effect; atmosphere–ocean interactions; ENSO)
C. Global Water Resources and Use
(Freshwater/saltwater; ocean circulation; agricultural, industrial, and domestic use; surface and groundwater issues; global problems; conservation)
D. Soil and Soil Dynamics
(Rock cycle; formation; composition; physical and chemical properties; main soil types; erosion and other soil problems; soil conservation)
II. The Living World………………………………………………………………………………… (10–15%)
A. Ecosystem Structure
(Biological populations and communities; ecological niches; interactions among species; keystone species; species diversity and edge effects; major terrestrial and aquatic biomes)
B. Energy Flow
(Photosynthesis and cellular respiration; food webs and trophic levels; ecological pyramids)
C. Ecosystem Diversity
(Biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem services)
D. Natural Ecosystem Change
(Climate shifts; species movement; ecological succession)
E. Natural Biogeochemical Cycles
(Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, water, conservation of matter)
III. Population……………………………………………………………………………………… (10–15%)
A. Population Biology Concepts
(Population ecology; carrying capacity; reproductive strategies; survivorship)
B. Human Population
1. Human population dynamics
(Historical population sizes; distribution; fertility rates; growth rates and doubling times; demographic transition; age-structure diagrams)
2. Population size
(Strategies for sustainability; case studies; national policies)
3. Impacts of population growth
(Hunger; disease; economic effects; resource use; habitat destruction)
IV. Land and Water Use…………………………………………………………………………….. (10–15%)
A. Agriculture
1. Feeding a growing population
(Human nutritional requirements; types of agriculture; Green Revolution; genetic engineering and crop production; deforestation; irrigation; sustainable agriculture)
2. Controlling pests
(Types of pesticides; costs and benefits of pesticide use; integrated pest management; relevant laws)
B. Forestry
(Tree plantations; old growth forests; forest fires; forest management; national forests)
C. Rangelands
(Overgrazing; deforestation; desertification; rangeland management; federal rangelands)
D. Other Land Use
1. Urban land development
(Planned development; suburban sprawl; urbanization)
2. Transportation infrastructure
(Federal highway system; canals and channels; roadless areas; ecosystem impacts)
3. Public and federal lands
(Management; wilderness areas; national parks; wildlife refuges; forests;
wetlands)
4. Land conservation options
(Preservation; remediation; mitigation; restoration)
5. Sustainable land-use strategies
E. Mining
(Mineral formation; extraction; global reserves; relevant laws and treaties)
F. Fishing
(Fishing techniques; overfishing; aquaculture; relevant laws and treaties)
G. Global Economics
(Globalization; World Bank; Tragedy of the Commons; relevant laws and treaties)
V. Energy Resources and Consumption…………………………………………………………… (10–15%)
A. Energy Concepts
(Energy forms; power; units; conversions; Laws of Thermodynamics)
B. Energy Consumption
1. History
(Industrial Revolution; exponential growth; energy crisis)
2. Present global energy use
3. Future energy needs
C. Fossil Fuel Resources and Use
(Formation of coal, oil, and natural gas; extraction/purification methods; world reserves and global demand; synfuels; environmental advantages/disadvantages of sources)
D. Nuclear Energy
(Nuclear fission process; nuclear fuel; electricity production; nuclear reactor types; environmental advantages/disadvantages; safety issues; radiation and human health; radioactive wastes; nuclear fusion)
E. Hydroelectric Power
(Dams; flood control; salmon; silting; other impacts)
F. Energy Conservation
(Energy efficiency; CAFE standards; hybrid electric vehicles; mass transit)
G. Renewable Energy
(Solar energy; solar electricity; hydrogen fuel cells; biomass; wind energy; small-scale hydroelectric; ocean waves and tidal energy; geothermal; environmental advantages/disadvantages)
VI. Pollution………………………………………………………………………………………… (25–30%)
A. Pollution Types
1. Air pollution
(Sources—primary and secondary; major air pollutants; measurement units; smog; acid deposition—causes and effects; heat islands and temperature inversions; indoor air pollution; remediation and reduction strategies; Clean Air Act and other relevant laws)
2. Noise pollution
(Sources; effects; control measures)
3. Water pollution
(Types; sources, causes, and effects; cultural eutrophication; groundwater pollution; maintaining water quality; water purification; sewage treatment/septic systems; Clean Water Act and other relevant laws)
4. Solid waste
(Types; disposal; reduction)
B. Impacts on the Environment and Human Health
1. Hazards to human health
(Environmental risk analysis; acute and chronic effects; dose-response relationships; air pollutants; smoking and other risks)
2. Hazardous chemicals in the environment
(Types of hazardous waste; treatment/disposal of hazardous waste; cleanup of contaminated sites; biomagnification; relevant laws)
C. Economic Impacts
(Cost-benefit analysis; externalities; marginal costs; sustainability)
VII. Global Change ……………………………………………………………………………….. (10–15%)
A. Stratospheric Ozone
(Formation of stratospheric ozone; ultraviolet radiation; causes of ozone depletion; effects of ozone depletion; strategies for reducing ozone depletion; relevant laws and treaties)
B. Global Warming
(Greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect; impacts and consequences of global warming; reducing climate change; relevant laws and treaties)