AP Environmental Science Syllabus
Scoring Components
SC1 The course provides instruction in Earth Systems.
SC2 The course provides instruction in Earth Resources.
SC3 The course provides instruction in the Living World.
SC4 The course provides instruction in Population.
SC5 The course provides instruction in Land Use.
SC6 The course provides instruction in Water Use.
SC7 The course provides instruction in Energy Resources.
SC8 The course provides instruction in Energy Consumption
SC9 The course provides instruction in Pollution.
SC10 The course provides instruction in Global Change.
SC11 The course provides students with scientific principles required
to understand the interrelationships of the natural world and draws
upon various scientific disciplines.
SC12 The course includes methods for analyzing and interpreting
information.
SC13 The course includes methods for analyzing and interpreting
experimental data.
SC14 The course includes methods for analyzing and interpreting
mathematical calculations.
SC15 The course teaches students how to identify and analyze
environmental problems.
SC16 The course teaches students how to critically examine various
solutions for resolving or preventing environmental problems by
evaluating the associated ecological risks and human health
SC17 The course includes a laboratory and/or field investigation
component. A minimum of one class period, or its equivalent, per
week is spent engaged in laboratory and/or fieldwork
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Course Description
AP Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary, applied science course taught at a
level equivalent to a college-level environmental science course. It involves biology,
chemistry, physics, geology, ecology, economics, political science, and mathematics.
The course provides students with the scientific principles, concepts, and
methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world.
G. Tyler Miller’s Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and Solutions,
12th edition, Brooks/Cole/Cengage Learning, 2000, will be used.
Instruction consists mostly of lectures, discussions, demonstrations, research
projects, in-class assignments, and laboratory investigations. Students will be
assessed using a variety of methods, including weekly quizzes, unit tests, formal lab
write-ups, oral reports, and homework.
Class Size and Scheduling
Class size is held to a maximum of 28 students. Classes meet every day for 90 minute
blocks, with an additional 60 minutes of instructional focus time four days a week. The
block scheduling, as well as the instructional focus time, will ensure students will have a
minimum of one hands-on/laboratory experience per week. Students will be enrolled in
the class for one semester.
Course Prerequisites and Requirements
AP Environmental Science is open to all students that have successfully completed
Biology and/or Chemistry. Students may take this course concurrently with Honors
Chemistry and those students have to have the instructor’s permission to do so. Many
students take this course and AP Chemistry and/or AP Physics at the same time. Students
should be motivated learners and should be capable of reading a college-level textbook.
Environmental Science Curricular Requirements
The course provides instruction in each of the following seven content areas outlined in
the AP Environmental Science Course Description:
I. Earth Systems and Resources (10-15%)
II. The Living World (10-15%)
III. Population (10-15%)
IV. Land and Water Use (10-15%)
V. Energy Resources and Consumption (10-15%)
VI. Pollution (25-30%)
VII. Global Change (10-15%)
Unit 1: Review of Science Habits of Mind and Environmental
Science Overview
Chapter 2: Science Systems
Topic: The scientific method, and general overview of best practices for
students to use throughout the semester
 Lab: Scientific Measurements, Precision and Accuracy Lab - uses the
scientific method to clarify the relationship of various characteristics of the
human body to one another. Students will be asked to hypothesize relationships
between different anatomical parts, collect data to test their hypothesis, analyze
the data with statistical tests, and reach conclusions about their hypothesis.
 Environmental Skills Activity - students work with metric units, review the
purpose of lab work and general lab methods, and create and analyze graphs from
collected data.
Chapter 1: Environmental Issues, Experimentation and Statistics
A. Introduction to Environmental Science
B. General overview of the topics covered throughout the year
Lab: Exponential Growth—A Toss of the Dice: Using random throws of
dice, this activity simulates population growth of a species. Factors such
as life span, birthrate, resource depletion, and population momentum are
explored. Probability, and statistics are introduced to the study of
ecology.
 Video: The Rise of Ecology
Chapter 2: Environmental History
A. How humans have adapted to and modified the environment
B. Environmental history of the United States
 Activity: Ecological Footprint - allows students to keep track of their ecological
footprint for one week. Students will use this data to extrapolate their annual
CO2 emissions.
 Video: The Lorax
 Internet Activity: Top Environmental Stories, 1970-2000

Unit 2: Introduction to the Living World [SC3]
Chapter 3: Matter and Energy
A. Nature’s building blocks—a review of general chemistry
 Macromolecule Lab
B. Different forms of energy and their importance in environmental science
C. Laws of matter and energy
Chapter 4: Ecosystems: Components, Energy Flow, and Matter Cycling
A. Populations, communities, food chains, and webs
 Ecocolumns Lab (15-week lab) - provides opportunities to investigate the
components of different ecosystems in miniature. The conditions required for the
sustainability of the ecosystems, and the interconnections between them will be
studied. This is a long-term study that will not be completed until the midDecember.
 Owl Pellet Lab
B. Ecological pyramids and productivity
 Eating Lower Lab - students calculate and compare food needs at different trophic
levels, construct a biomass pyramid from data, and analyze and evaluate the
benefits and drawbacks of eating at lower trophic levels on a global scale
C. Biogeochemical cycles
 Lab: Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle
Chapter 5: Evolution and Biodiversity: Origins, Niches, and Adaptation
A. Micro- and macroevolution
 Wooly Worm Lab
B. Niches—fundamental and realized, generalists and specialists
C. Theories and misconceptions about evolution
Chapter 6: Biogeography: Climate, Biomes, and Terrestrial Biodiversity
A. Weather and climate
 Internet Activity: Creating and Understanding Climatograms
B. What are biomes and how do they differ?
 Lab: Biodiversity in Leaf Litter: A Berlese funnel is used to collect
organisms from leaf litter. Biodiversity is calculated using the
Shannon- Weiner Diversity Index.
 Internet Activity: Biome Webquest
 Video: The Rainforest (National Geographic)
Chapter 7: Aquatic Ecology: Biodiversity in Aquatic Systems
A. Saltwater life zones
B. Freshwater life zones
 Video: Aquatic Life Zones
Unit 3: Populations [SC4]
Chapter 8: Communities
A. Nonnative or exotic species
B. Indicator species and keystone species
C. Interspecific and intraspecific competition
 Lab: Inter-and Intraspecific Competition: Students analyze the effects of
population density on the growth of two plant species (radishes and
collards) growing alone and in mixed species groups. Density and species
composition are manipulated. The resulting biomasses of the two species are
statistically analyzed.
 Virtual Lab: Pearson Competition Lab
D. Competition and symbiosis
 Video: Cane Toads
E. Succession
Chapter 9: Populations
A. Exponential versus logistic growth
 Lab: Duckweed Population Growth Lab: Students observe the growth of
duckweed, an aquatic f loating plant, and how its growth rate yields a logistic
B.
curve, illustrating concepts of population growth rates, carrying capacity, and
limiting factors (such as light, pH, etc.).
C. Biotic potential and environmental resistance
D. Characteristics of r-strategists and K-strategists
E. Survivorship curves
Chapter 11: The Human Population: Growth, Demography, and Carrying Capacity
A. Zero population growth
Video: The People Bomb
Video:WorldPopulation(ZeroPopulationGrowth)
B. Fertility and death rates
 Field Trip Option: Cemetery Population Study
C. Age structure histograms
 Lab: Power of the Pyramids—Constructing Age-Sex Histograms: Students use
census data to construct age-sex population pyramids.
Such pyramids, representing several countries in various stages of
development, are discussed and compared. Students then explore and
discuss how the population would be affected by factors such as natural
and human-made disasters as well as social, economic, and political changes.
D. Factors affecting population size
E. The demographic transition
Unit 4: Earth Systems
Chapter 10: Geology: Processes, Hazards, and Soils
A. Geologic processes and plate tectonics
 Virtual Lab: Plate Tectonics
B. Erosion and weathering
C. Rocks, minerals, and the rock cycle
D. Soil formation and soil profiles
E. Characteristics of soil and reading a soil triangle
 Lab: Chemical and Physical Properties of Soils
F. Soil erosion, desertification, and salinization
 Student-Designed Lab: Soil Salinization’s Effect on Seed Germination.
Students will be expected to collect and analyze relevant data, draw
conclusions about the results, and discuss practical implications of soil
salinization for irrigated agriculture.

Chapter 14: Geologic Resources: Nonrenewable Mineral and Energy Resources
Unit 5: Resources
Chapter 12: Food Resources
Chapter 13: Water Resources
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.

Properties of Water
Types of Freshwater
Water Shortages
Damming water and water transfer
Desalinization
Irrigation
Solutions to overuse of water
Flooding and Floodplain Management
Video: Power of Water (National Geographic)
Chapter 14: Geologic Resources: Nonrenewable Mineral and Energy Resources
A. Identifying, locating, and removing nonrenewable mineral resources
1. Types of mining
2. Environmental effects of mineral extraction
B. Oil extraction, refining, and use
C. Natural gas
D. Coal
E. Nuclear energy
Chapter 15: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
A. Energy efficiency and how to improve it B. Solar energy
1. Passive solar energy
2. Active solar energy
C. Hydroelectricity D. Wind power
E. Biomass
F. Solar-hydrogen
G. Geothermal energy
H. Micropower
I. Sustainable energy use
Unit 6: Pollution [SC9]
Topic: Air and Air Pollution
A. Outdoor air pollution
1. Photochemical and industrial smog
2. Inversions
3. Acid deposition
B. Indoor air pollution
1. Types and sources
2. Effects on human health
• Lab: Measuring Automobile Pollutants
C. Solutions to air pollution
Chapter 19
Topic: Water Pollution
Main types of water pollutants and how they are measured
Point and nonpoint sources of pollution
Stream pollution and oxygen-sag curves
Groundwater pollution
Ocean pollution Wastewater treatment
Lab: Measuring Water Quality
Chapter 21
Topic: Solid and Hazardous Waste
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Hazardous waste
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Detoxifying, burning, burying, and exporting waste
Land disposal
Laws regarding hazardous waste in the United States
Chapter 16: Risk, Toxicology, and Human Health Chapter 17: Air and Air Pollution
Chapter 19: Water Pollution
Chapter 20: Pesticides and Pest Control
Chapter 21: Solid and Hazardous Waste
Unit 10: Global Change [SC10] Chapter 18
Topic: Climate Change and Ozone Loss
1. Natural greenhouse effect
2. Global climate change
3. Possible solutions
4. Ozone depletion
1. Causes and chemical reactions 2. Effects on human health
Unit 11: Ecological and Human Health
Chapter 16
Topic: Risk, Toxicology, and Human Health
1. Risks and hazards
2. To x i c o l o g y
1. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification
2. Poisons
C. Chemical hazards
D. Transmissible diseases
AP Environmental Science: Sample Syllabus 2
SC 10 The course provides instruction in Global Change.
F. Risk analysis
Chapter 20
Topic: Pesticides and Pest Control
1. Types of pesticides
2. Pros and cons of pesticide use
3.
4.
5.
6.
Pesticide treadmill and circle of poison
Pesticide regulations in the United States
Alternatives to the use of pesticides
Integrated pest management
Unit 9: Conservation
Sequence and Scope:
Chapter 22: Sustaining Wild Species
Chapter 23: Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: the Ecosystem Approach Chapter
24: Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity
Unit 10: Environment and Society
Sequence and Scope:
Chapter 26: Economics, Environment, and Sustainability Chapter 27: Politics,
Environment, and Sustainability
Chapter 28: Environmental Worldview, Ethics, and Sustainability
25: Sustainable Cities: Urban Land Use and Management