AP® Environmental Science
Course Description:
Environmental Science is the study of the components of our surroundings, both living
and nonliving, and the interactions of these components. This course is designed to
help students gain a greater understanding of many of the more specific concepts
incorporated in this broad definition; including air, water, soil, geology, human ecology,
succession, and our relationships as humans to the components of this environment.
Students will develop skills in observation and objective analysis, scientific inquiry, and
in oral and written communications; they will take part in ecological field studies, learn
data collection procedures, and conduct oral presentations of their findings to the
class. Environmental Science is a very dynamic, hands-on course subject to opinion
and heated debate, new interpretations, and often, tech information that can be
confusing and misleading.
The course is broken down into five overlapping areas of study: environmental science in a
social context, ecological principles and their application, energy, resource management, and
pollution policy. Thematic topics covered in the course include: science as a process,
ecosystems, energy sources, population principles, biodiversity issues, water management, air
quality issues, and environmental policy and decision making. In addition, students will
conduct all of the College Board AP Environmental Science laboratories, as well as other
supplemental laboratory experiences and independent research that will support my thematic
approach.
The class meets five days a week for thirty eight
weeks. Regular class periods are forty-one minutes long. Lab periods are given every other day for an additional fortyone
minutes, allowing for a double lab period when needed.
Required Text:
E. Enger, B. Smith. Environmental Science: A Study of Interrelationships, Mc Graw Hill, 10th
edition.
Additional Resources:
Supplemental readings and information will be provided from a variety of other sources.
Evaluation:
Quarter grades will be broken down as follows:
1) Tests and Quizzes: 70%
2) Lab reports: 20%
3) Homework/Classwork/Projects: 10%
Assessments:
Quizzes
Students will normally be given a quiz covering the vocabulary for each chapter covered in this
class. Vocabulary lists for some of the shorter chapters may be combined into a single quiz.
Each vocabulary quiz will be worth 20 points.
Tests
A test will usually cover the material from one chapter. The typical format is 3050
multiple choice questions, followed by one essay question which students may choose to answer from a
bank of three or four possibilities.
Homework
Most homework will be reading assigned from your textbook or from a supplement. You will
earn credit for each reading assignment by completing a short 510
question assignment. Other homework may consist of research, writing assignments, or analysis activities associated with a
class exercise or lab assignment.
Laboratory
Environmental Science is credited as a "laboratory science. Students will earn lab credit
through the development and completion of a field research project, as well as handson
laboratory investigations through out the year.
The laboratory time accounts for approximately 25% of the instructional time. Students are
required to complete the labs set forth by The College Board Advanced Placement Program.
Students are expected to read each lab carefully before coming to the laboratory and are
responsible for following all correct laboratory and safety procedures. Additional labs will be
required include such as ecosystems and succession, landfill and recycling investigation,
ornithology, alternative energy, energy resources, aquatic ecosystems, sewage treatment and a
field trip to the Sunken Forest National Park. Computer lab simulations are available for landuse
planning principles, population trends, and global climate changes. Students will be
responsible for writing a formal lab report for each lab. Lab reports are due one week from the
completion of the lab activity.
This is a college level course and students are expected to conduct and apply themselves
appropriately in order to perform and excel at a college level. I will be available every day after
school for extra help. It is strongly suggested that each student attend at least one period of extra
help per week.
Each quarter will count for 20% of the final grade, midterm and final exam as 10% each
· Late homework will not be accepted. 5% will be deducted from each lab for each day
the lab is late. If a student is absent for a unit exam, they are required to make up the
exam within two days.
· Students must write a major paper dealing with one of the ethical issues surrounding
Energy and Civilization: Patterns of Consumption research today. This independent
activity introduces the students to proper research techniques using traditional library
sources and electronic sources. Students learn to discriminate between meaningful and
notsomeaningful
information. The paper is due by January 15th.
· PowerPoint presentations on environmental science topics will be required. Each
student will be responsible for giving a short presentation on a topic relating to the
course content that includes information from current journals and news articles.
· Debate The class is organized into two or more groups, pro and con, based on a
controversial issue in environmental science. Members of each group must research
information to help their side win the debate. The winning side formulates the most
well documented arguments and counterarguments.
· Students will be required to read and write a paper on a novel, such as An Inconvenient
Truth, which presents a view of global warming and its progress by exposing the myths
and misconceptions that surround it. The reaction paper is due by June 15th.
Topics and Time line:
I. Environmental Science in a Social Context Chapters 1 3
1) Environmental Interrelationships (1 week) Chapter 1
a) An Ecosystem Approach
b) Regional Environmental Concerns
2) Environmental Ethics (1 week) Chapter 2
a) Views of Nature
i) How we view nature
ii) Environmental Attitudes
iii) Societal Environmental Ethics
iv) Corporate Environmental Ethics
v) Environmental Justice
vi) Individual Environmental Ethics
vii)Global Environmental Ethics
3) Risk Management and Cost: Elements of Decision Making ( 2 weeks) Chapter 3
a) Risk and Economics
i) Characterizing Risk
ii) Risk Assessment and Management
b) Economics in an Environmental Context
i) Resources
ii) Supply and Demand
iii) Assigning Value to Natural Resources
iv) Comparing Economic and Ecological Systems
v) Economics and Sustainable Development
vi) Economics, Environment and Developing Nations
II. Ecological Principles and Their Application Chapters 4,5,6,7,8
1) Interrelated Scientific Principles: Matter, Energy, and Environment (1 week)
Chapter 4
i) The Scientific method
ii) Observations
iii) Constructing and Testing Hypothesis
1. Lab SCIENTIFIC
METHOD AND DATA INTERPRETATION
The student will be able to: understand the basic elements of the scientific method and apply this
process to solving problems. List limitations and challenges to the scientific method and relate
scientific method to environmental agencies and organizations. Students will also organize data
and describe how it would best be presented through the use of charts and graphs.
The Structure of Matter
iv) Atomic structure
v) Acids, Bases and pH
vi) Chemical Reactions
vii)Inorganic and Organic Matter
b) Energy Principles
i) Kinds of Energy
ii) States of Matter
iii) First and Second Law of Thermodynamics
2) Interactions: Environments and Organisms (2 weeks) Chapter 5
a) Ecological Concepts
i) Environment
ii) Living Factors
iii) Habitat and Niche
iv) The role of natural selection and Evolution
v) Natural Selection
vi) Evolutionary Patterns
b) Kinds of Organism Interactions
i) Predation
ii) Competition
iii) Symbiotic Relationships
iv) Human Interaction
c) Community and Ecosystem Interactions
i) Major Role of Organisms
ii) Food Chain and Food Web
iii) Energy Flow through the Ecosystem
iv) Nutrient Cycles in Ecosystems
v) Biogeochemical Cycles
2. Lab/Field Activity – Mapping Biotic Factors in the EnvironmentStudents
will study populations using the quadrat sampling method. Students will
examine ecosystems and identify living things that make up a community
3) Kinds of Ecosystems and Communities (3 weeks) Chapter 6
a) Succession
i) Primary Succession
ii) Secondary Succession
iii) Modern Concepts of Succession and Climax
b) Biomes
i) The Effect of Elevation on Climate and Vegetation
ii) Desert
iii) Grassland
iv) Savanna
v) Chaparral
vi) Tropical Dry Forest
vii)Tropical Rainforest
viii)Temperate Deciduous Forest
ix) Taiga and Tundra
c) Major Aquatic Ecosystems
i) Marine Ecosystems
ii) Freshwater Ecosystems
iii) Genetic variation the substrate for natural selection
3.Lab – Ecosystems and Succession
This lab will enable the student to understand the parts of ecosystems and how biotic factors
interact. Students will create a food web and determine if the organisms are producers or
consumers. The lab is designed to demonstrate the importance of clean water in the lives of
all living organisms. Students will explore ecological succession, give some real world
examples and explain how humans affect ecological succession.
4. Lab – Aquatic Ecosystems
This lab will enable the student to create a balanced aquatic ecosystem in the laboratory and
observe the nitrogen cycle. Students will observe how an imbalance in the nitrogen cycle can
effect an entire ecosystem and observe the abiotic and biotic components of some local
aquatic ecosystems. Students will also investigate interrelationships among the aquatic
organisms and their nonliving environment.
5. Field Activity – Students will engage in field work by collecting local marine aquatic
samples to use in the implementation of the aquatic ecosystems lab.
6. Lab – AP – Primary Productivity, Marine Adaptation
By: Dr. Angela C. Morrow, University of Northern Colorado
Through the investigation of this lab students will have a better understanding the concept of
primary productivity and have used one or more methods to calculate primary productivity.
Students will also discover the concepts of marine primary productivity, net productivity vs.
gross productivity, and the importance of comparing dry weight versus wet weight.
III. Energy Chapters 9, 10, 11
1) Energy and Civilization: Patterns of Consumption (2 weeks) Chapter 9
a) History of Energy Consumption
i) Biological Energy Sources
ii) Increased Use of wood
iii) Fossil Fuels and the Industrial Revolution
iv) Growth and the use of Fossil Fuels
b) How Energy is Used
i) Residential and Commercial Energy Use
ii) Industrial Energy Use
iii) Transportation Energy Use
c) Energy Consumption Trends
i) Growth Energy Use
ii) Available Energy Sources
iii) Political and Economic Factors
2) Energy Sources (2 weeks) Chapter 10
a) Resources and Reserves
i) FossilFuel
Formation
ii) Coal
iii) Oil and Natural Gas
iv) Coal Use
7. Lab Energy Resources
Students will search the web, current periodicals, or recent publication to find the most
uptodate energy information. They will investigate several questions, and find sources
of information to see how government, private energy corporations and environmental
organizations differ in their projections of energy use.
8. Lab Solar House
Students will research passive and active solar house designs. Students will build the
model house from materials provided and scrounged. Students will test the ability of their
model house to remain cool in the summer and retain heat during the winter.
IV. Resource Management – Part I
1) Biodiversity Issues (6 weeks) Chapters 1216
a) Biodiversity Loss and Extinction
i) Causes of Extinction
ii) Extinction as a Result of Human Activity
b) Describing Biodiversity
i) Genetic Diversity
ii) Species Diversity
iii) Ecosystem Diversity
c) The Value of Biodiversity
i) Biological and Ecosystem System Value
ii) Direct Economic Values
iii) Ethical Values
d) Threats to Biodiversity
i) Habitat Loss
ii) Overexploitation
iii) Introduction of Exotic Species
iv) Control of Pest Organisms
e) What is Being Done to Preserve Biodiversity
i) Legal Protection
ii) Sustainable Management of Fish Population
iii) Sustainable Management of Wildlife Populations
2 Land –Use Planning
a) The Need for Planning
b) Historical Forces That Shaped land use in North America
i) The Importance of Waterways
ii) The Rural – to –Urban Shift
c) Migration from the Central City to the Suburbs
d) Factor That Contribute to Sprawl
i) Lifestyle Factors
ii) Economic Factors
iii) Planning and Policy Factors
e) Problems Associated with Unplanned Urban Growth
i. Transportation Problems
ii. Air Pollution
iii. Low Energy Efficiency
iv. Loss of Sense of Community
v. Death of Central City
vi. Higher Infrastructure Costs
vii. Loss of Open Space
viii. Loss of Farmland
ix. Water pollution Problems
x. Flood Plain Problem
xi. Wetlands Misuse
xii. Other Land – Use Considerations
f) LandUse
Planning Principles
g) Mechanisms for Implementing LandUse Plans
i) Establishing State of Regional Planning Agencies
ii) Purchasing Land or Use Rights
iv) Regulating Use
h) Special Urban Planning Issues
i) Urban Transportation Planning
ii) Urban Recreation Planning
iii) Redevelopment of Inner City Areas
v) Smart Growth
9. Lab – Studying an Algal Bloom
Students will investigate how algae are affected by common pollutants. Students will also
determine how common pollutants contribute to environmental problems. Through this
investigation students will analyze the effect of different concentrations of common
pollutants on the growth of algae.
Resource Management – (Weeks 6) Part II
i) Soil and Its uses
i) Geologic Processes
ii) Soil and Land
iii) Soil Formation
iv) Soil Properties
v) Soil Profile
vi) Soil Erosion
vii)Soil Conservation Practices
10. Lab – Earth Science: Plate Tectonics, Volcanism, Earthquakes
Students will explore the earth’s dynamic plates and the cause and affect of the
movement. Students will also examine the affects of volcanism on soil, farm lands and
how it effects the population.
11. Lab – Earth Science: Soil Structure and the Rock Cycle
Students will explore how earth’s natural processes create and destroy rocks through the
investigation of the rock cycle. Through this exploration students will also investigate
soil properties and structure.
j) Environmental Close Up: Desertification and Global Security
i) Contour Farming
ii) Strip Farming Terracing
iii) Waterways
iv) Windbreaks
k) Conventional Versus Conservation Tillage
l) Protecting Soil on Non Farm Land
3 Agricultural Methods and Pest Management
a) The Development of Agriculture
i) Shifting Agriculture
ii) LaborIntensive
Agriculture
iii) Mechanized Agriculture
b) Fossil Fuel Versus Muscle Power
c) The Impact of Fertilizer
d) Agricultural Chemical Use:
i. Insecticides
ii. Herbicides
iii. Fungicides and Rodenticides
iv. Other Agricultural Chemicals
b. Problems with Pesticide Use
i. Persistence
ii. Bioaccumulation and Biomagnifications
iii. Pesticide Resistance
iv. Effects on Nontarget Organisms
v. Human Health Concerns
c. Why Are Pesticides So Widely Used?
d. Alternatives to Conventional Agriculture
i. Techniques for Protecting Soil and water Resources
ii. Food Additives
iii. Integrated Pest Management
e. Kinds of Water Use
i) Domestic Use of Water
ii) Agricultural Use of Water
iii) Industrial Use of Water
iv) In Stream Use of Water
f. Kinds and Sources of Water Pollution
i. Municipal Water Pollution
ii. Agricultural Water Pollution
iii. Industrial Water Pollution
iv. Thermal Pollution
v. Marine Oil Pollution
vi. Groundwater Pollution
g. WaterUse
Planning Issues
i. Water Diversion
ii. Wastewater Treatment
iii. Groundwater Mining
iv. Preserving Scenic Water Areas and Wildlife Habitats
v. Issues – Analysis: Is There Lead in Our Drinking Water?
12. Lab Watershed
Assessment
Students will explore how science must inform policy if land use and zoning regulations
are to be sustainable. This lab integrates water resources, soil resources and
environmental policy.
4. Pollution and Policy
Air Quality Issues
a) The Atmosphere
b) Pollution of the Atmosphere
c) Categories of Air Pollution
i) Carbon Monoxide
ii) Particulate Matter
iii)Sulfur Dioxide
v) Nitrogen Dioxide
vi) Lead
vii)Volatile Organic Compounds
viii)Groundlead
Ozone and Photochemical Smog
ix) Hazardous Air Pollution
e) Control of Air Pollution
i) Motor Vehicle Emissions
ii) Particulate Matter Emissions
iii) Power Plant Emissions
iv) The Clean Air Act
f) Acid Deposition
f) Ozone Depletion
g) Global Warming and Climate Change
i) Causes of Global Warming and Climate Change
ii) Potential Consequences of Global Warming and Climate Change
h) Addressing Climate Change
i) Energy Efficiency
j) The Role of Biomass
k) Political and Economic Forces
l) Indoor Air Pollution
Solid Waste Management and Disposal
Kinds of Solid Waste
Municipal Solid Waste
Methods of Waste Disposal
i. Landfills
ii. Incineration
iii. Producing Mulch and compost
iv. Source Reduction
v. Recycling
vi. IssuesAnalysis:
Paper or Plastic?
Regulating Hazardous Material
n) Hazardous and Toxic Materials and our Environment
o) Hazardous and Toxic SubstancesSome
Definitions
p) Defining Hazardous Wastes
q) Issues Involved in Setting Regulations
i. Identification of Hazardous and Toxic Materials
ii. Setting Exposure Limits
iii. Acute and chronic Toxicity
iv. Synergism
v. Persistent and Nonpersistent
Pollutants
r) Environmental Problems Caused by Hazardous Waste
s) Health Risks Associated with Hazardous Waste
t) HazardousWaste
DumpsA
Legacy of Abuse
u) Hazardous Waste Management Program Evolution
v) IssuesAnalysis:
House hold Hazardous Waste
13. LAB – AP Acid
Deposition Lab
By: Lonnie Miller, El Diamante High School, Visalia Unified School District, Visalia, CA, in
conjunction with the Environmental Literacy Council Summer Lab Development Team 2004
Students will describe and discuss the impacts of various fossil fuels on acid deposition and how
gaseous pollutants acidify rain. Through the exploration of this lab students will have a better
understanding of the pH of the local area’s precipitation and how it compares to other areas.
Environmental Policy and Decision Making
a) New Challenges for a New Century
i. Governance and Government
ii. Learning from the pat
iii. Thinking about the Future
iv. Defining the Future
b) The Development of Environment Policy in the United States
i. The Changing Nature of Environmental Policy
c) Environmental Policy and Regulation
d) The Greening of Geopolitics
e) Terrorism and the Environment
f) International Environmental Policy
14. Lab – AP Land
Use: Past, Present, and Future
By: Dr. Edward Wells, Wilson College, in conjunction with the Environmental Literacy Council
In this laboratory exercise, students will gain an understanding of the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) and be able to apply it to a (perhaps hypothetical) community project. In the process,
they will learn the methods of investigating an environmental history and integrate this pursuit
with sciences of ecology and geology along with environmental land use policy.
V. Pollution and Policy Chapters 17 20
9. AIR Quality Issues (2 weeks)
a. The Atmosphere
i. Pollution of the Atmosphere
ii. Categories of Air Pollution
1. Carbon Monoxide
2. Particulate Matter
3. Sulfur Dioxide
4. Nitrogen Dioxide
5. Lead
6. Ground Level Ozone and Photochemical Smog
iii. Control of Air Pollution
1. Motor Vehicle Emissions
2. Particulate Matter Emissions
3. Power Plant Emissions
4. Clean Air Act
b. Acid Deposition
i. Ozone Depletion
ii. Global Warming and Climate Change
iii. Causes of Global Warming
1. Potential Consequences of Global Warming
2. Energy Efficiency
3. The Role of Biomass
c. Indoor Air Pollution
i. Gases
AIR Quality Issues (2 weeks)
a. The Atmosphere
i. Pollution of the Atmosphere
ii. Categories of Air Pollution
1. Carbon Monoxide
2. Particulate Matter
3. Sulfur Dioxide
4. Nitrogen Dioxide
5. Lead
6. Ground Level Ozone and Photochemical Smog
iii. Control of Air Pollution
1. Motor Vehicle Emissions
2. Particulate Matter Emissions
3. Power Plant Emissions
4. Clean Air Act
b. Acid Deposition
i. Ozone Depletion
ii. Global Warming and Climate Change
iii. Causes of Global Warming
1. Potential Consequences of Global Warming
2. Energy Efficiency
3. The Role of Biomass
c. Indoor Air Pollution
i. Gases
15. Lab Monitoring
Air Quality
Students describe and discuss several air pollutants and methods for detecting them.
Students will also investigate the chemical reactions behind how several monitoring systems
function.
Solid Waste Management and Disposal (2 weeks) Chapter 18
a. Kinds of Solid Waste
x) Municipal Solid Waste
b. Methods of Waste Disposal
c. Kinds of Solid Waste
xi) Municipal Solid Waste
xii)Landfills
xiii)Incinerations
xiv)Producing Mulch and Compost
xv) Source Reduction
xvi)Recycling
16. Lab –Landfill and Recycling Facilities
This lab will familiarize the student with: the problems associated with the increases in solid
waste. Students will explore some of the environmental problems associated with landfills, solid
waste and recycling programs. Students will also observe the methods available for reducing the
amount of material reaching landfills and the benefits of reusing/recycling products.
Regulating Hazardous Materials (2 weeks) Chapter 19
a. Hazardous and Toxic Materials in Our Environment
i. Identification of Hazardous and Toxic Materials
ii. Setting Exposure Limits
iii. Acute and Chronic Toxicity
iv. Synergism
v. Persistent and Non Persistent Pollutants
vi. Individual Environmental Ethics
13.Environmental Problems Caused by Hazardous Waste
a. Hazardous Waste
i. Health Risks
ii. Hazardous Waste Dumps
iii. Toxic Chemical Releases
b. HazardousWaste
Management Choices
i. Reducing the Amount of Waste at the Source
ii. Recycling Wastes
iii. Treating Wastes
iv. Disposal Methods
v. International Trade in Hazardous Wastes
vi. Hazardous Waste Management Program Evolution
Lab – Sewage Treatment
This lab will enable the student to understand: the importance of water quality to
environmental health. Students will investigate the chemical, physical and biological
processes involved in water treatment. Students will discover the importance of water as
a resource and part of ecosystems and the problems associated with various water
contaminants.
Environmental Policy and Decision Making (2 weeks)
a. New Challenges for a New Century
i. Governance and Government
ii. Learning From the Past
iii. Thinking about the Past
iv. Defining the Future
b. The Development of Environmental Policy in the United States
i. The changing Nature of Environmental Policy
ii. Environmental Policy an Regulation
iii. Terrorism and Environmental
1. Earth Summit on Environmental and Development
2. Environmental Policy and the European Union
3. New International Instruments
Lab – Designing a Professional Environmental Impact Study
Students will choose an area in the environmental field and create and perform a their own study.
When the environmental study is complete they will present the impact study to the class.
AP Exam Review: 2 weeks
AP EXAM MAY 7, 2012
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