A.P. Environmental Science (APES) Introductory Assignment 2012-2013
Central High School
Mrs. Goodwin~ www.goodwinscience.wikispaces.com~ lenora.goodwin@ppsd.org
Welcome to APES!
I am excited that you have decided to challenge yourself academically and to begin the
transition from high school to college a little early by taking an AP course!
Please familiarize yourself with our class wiki, www.goodwinscience.wikispaces.com.
You will be using it throughout the year to access and print labs and other handouts, as well as to
access the web links page for in-depth study, research, and review.
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The Introductory assignment: To Hand In on September 5th!
Overall format
 Cover page (4 pts.)
 Part 4: Environmental Legislation (12 pts.)
 Part 5: Environmental Articles (30 pts.)
 Copy of Article 1
 Commentary on Article 1
 Copy of Article 2
 Commentary on Article 2
 Copy of Article 3
 Commentary on Article 3
 Bibliography, MLA or APA format (4 pts.)
Details of assignment:
 Must be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, using Times New Roman font size 12.
 A cover page is required.
o Title,Name, teacher name, course name, date due
o Example: APES Introduction Assignment
J. S. Thompson
Mrs. Goodwin, AP Environmental Science
September 5, 2012
o Assignments that are not submitted in the proper format will not be accepted for
credit.
 This assignment is worth the same as a unit test.
 The assignment will be collected at the beginning of class.
o No late Intro assignments will be accepted for students who were listed on my roster
Aug 31st
If you have any questions, email me any time. I check my email daily.
The first 2 parts of the assignment are NOT for a GRADE! These are to aid you in your
preparation for our class.
Part 1 (not graded)
Go to www.goodwinscience.wikispaces.com and thoroughly familiarize yourself with the layout and
content of the wiki. Be sure to look over the APES page carefully.
Part 2 - NOT REQUIRED BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - (not graded)
Purchase a copy of the following study guide: Cracking the AP Environmental Science Exam.
New York, NY: The Princeton Review. (Updated yearly – any year is fine.)
 Check sites such as amazon.com for sales this time of year.
 Read the introductory sections
If this is difficult for you, please see me as soon as possible.
 You might also want to purchase a set of the “Barron's A.P. Environmental Science flash
cards”
o Check sites such as amazon.com for sales this time of year.
Parts 3-5 will be graded and are weighted as much as a unit test
Part 3 (24 points, 12pts/chapter)
Read the notes on the class wiki for the first two chapters, as well as the readings for that chapter.
 Identify 3 things you found interesting, 2 things you agree with and 1 thing you question for
each chapter.
 This may be written as question and answer (complete sentences) or as short essays.
Part 4 (12 points): Environmental Legislation
 Research each of the following laws; state the main objective of each law.
 Cite your sources properly (MLA format) on the reference page.
Laws:
1. Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1970, 1990
2. Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972
3. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA or Superfund), 1980
4. Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973
5. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), 1947
6. Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) of 1984
7. Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act)
8. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976
9. Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974
10. Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA)of 1965
11. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976
12. Wilderness Act of 1964
Part 5 (60 points, 20pts/article): Environmental Articles
 Find three different current articles (from March-August of this year) that provide at least
one example of human impact on the environment, negative or positive.
o Each article must be about a different impact.
o You are encouraged to use articles from local sources. One of the articles must focus
on Rhode Island.
 Attach copy of each article you use, either printed from the internet, or photocopied from a
journal, a newspaper or a magazine. (the librarian can assist you with this)
o You may use an online newspaper or journal, as well as “.gov, .edu, or .org” sites.
 Cite your sources properly (MLA format) on a reference page at the end of the
section.
 Remember, maintain your integrity and write your original thoughts.
o See previous section for proper overall format and details.

For each article, answer the following questions. (Please write the question before your
answers.)
1) Summarize the article in your own words. (a paragraph or two)
2) What is the problem or issue of concern? When did it begin?
3) Who are the responsible parties, if they are known?
4) How significant is the environmental impact? Explain why.
5) What are your thoughts on the issue? ( a paragraph or two)
6) Why did you choose this article?
Examples of some environmental issues: (Find something interesting to you!)
 chemical contamination,
 oil spills,
 pesticides,
 conservation or restoration efforts,
 air pollution,
 over fishing,
 climate change,
 erosion,
 deforestation,
 overpopulation,
 desertification,
 reef destruction or reconstruction,
 urban sprawl,
 introduction of non-native/invasive species,
 endangered species,
 habitat fragmentation,
 species reintroduction or protection,
 wildlife habitat disruption
 mining
 logging
 Irrigation issues
 Dredging
 Drilling