AP Environmental Science (APES)
Instructor: Karl Frank
Email: frankk@campbellhall.org
Phone: (818) 980 7280 ext. 732
Course Overview
This course is designed to be the equivalent of a one-semester, introductory college course in
environmental science that includes both laboratory and field investigation components. Emphasis is
placed on “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, and to examine alternative
solutions for resolving and/or preventing them.”
Learning Resources and Class Assessments
Text – Friedland and Relyea – Environmental Science for AP
Other Reference Books – A variety of Environmental Science reference books and articles will be
available for use in classroom and may be checked-out for overnight or weekend use at home. Many
of these books are Environmental Science textbooks recommended by the College Board.
Lecture – Lectures will be given and students are expected to take notes and keep notes organized in
notebook (spiral, three ring binder, etc.). It is the students’ responsibility to get notes after an absence.
These can be obtained from other students or from Haiku. Your notes will be an important study aid
for quizzes and tests.
Homework – Homework will be finished and turned in at the beginning of the class. Regular
assignments will give you an opportunity to review and apply topics discussed in class.
Internet – A wide variety of Internet based resources are available through our Haiku site. These are
intended to reinforce the material and activities from class, so take advantage of them.
Living on Earth Podcast - As part of preparation for the course, each student must listen to two
complete and current episodes of this podcast each month and write a 350-500 word summary/analysis
to be submitted on Haiku. The podcast will provide you with a greater depth of knowledge related to
issues we will explore in class and feature experts from a variety of related fields. Each summary must
be in your own words and is worth 50 points. Subscribe on itunes and dive in!
Laboratory Activities – Labs are designed to supplement lecture and the textbook and give students
hands-on practice with data collection, graph preparation and analysis. Students may need to visit the
classroom outside of regularly scheduled classes to collect data and/or complete labs.
Article Reviews – Students will be expected to turn in periodic reviews of news articles related to
topics covered in class. The purpose of the article reviews is to keep students up to date on the things
currently happening in the field of Environmental Science and to allow students to gain experience
reading information and preparing a response. This is a skill needed for the AP exam. Online
discussion of articles will also be a requirement.
Projects – Individual and group projects will be assigned from time to time. They are designed to
improve student understanding of the material covered and encourage individual/group exploration of
topics.
Field Trips – Effective study of environmental science requires that students spend time collecting
data in the field. This class features three field trips where you will work with scientists to gather data
and make observations that may be used by land managers and biologists as part of long term studies.
Guest Teachers, Speakers and Online Correspondence – APES students will have the opportunity
to communicate with people working fields including ecology, land management, and sustainable
development both in person and online. Our own Mr. Andy Barnett who is the Bishop’s Chair for
Environmental Studies will be a frequent guest presenter.
Quizzes – There will be one or more quizzes per major topic. Regular vocabulary quizzes will help
students retain the large number of new terms encountered during the course. Short reading quizzes (35 questions) can be expected frequently.
Exams – Exams will occur at the end of every major topic. Students can expect questions to reflect
the AP format: multiple choice and free response essay questions. Notes may not be used on exams.
APES Cumulative Exam: All students will take a two day cumulative exam on March 21st and
23rd. The exam will feature 100 multiple-choice questions and four free response questions.
GRADES:
Tests/Quizzes:
50%
Daily work/Discussions:
20%
Labs/Projects:
25%
Class Participation:
5%
Every grade in a nine-week trimester is important. If you allow yourself to fall behind, it
will be difficult to recover.
MAKE-UP WORK: It is recommended that you obtain phone numbers for at least two people in
your class. Call or text a classmate, email me or check the class Haiku for information when illnesses,
medical appointments, or extracurricular activities keep you from coming to class. When you miss
class for school activities and are on campus at any time that day, you are expected to turn in
assignments due that day and pick up or download new assignments.
After an absence, it is the student’s responsibility to check the class Haiku or talk to classmates about
what was missed, to pick up or download the necessary handouts and to turn in any assignments
without the teacher asking for the work. You have 1 day for each day absent to turn in any
assignment you missed. If you have a planned absence on a test days please take your test prior to
your absence. If you are absent on a test day, you will be expected to take the test on the day you
return. If you are unable to meet the above deadline, it is also your responsibility to suggest a
reasonable alternative.
LATE WORK: If an assignment is turned in one day late, the student will receive 70% of the
credit earned. For instance, a late homework assignment that would have earned a grade of 10 will be
counted as a 7. Assignments that are two or more days late will receive a grade of 0.
Labs must be made-up within a week because many of the labs make use of special equipment or
perishable lab supplies that cannot be permanently accessible.
TESTS/QUIZZES: All quizzes and tests will be announced in advance. There will be at least
two tests every nine weeks. Vocabulary quizzes will be based on a vocabulary development
handout. Students who do not prepare for tests/quizzes may not pass for the nine weeks.
Tutorial times are available in order to help students prepare for tests/quizzes; however,
students need to bring specific questions to tutoring. You will be required to keep up with
course readings from the textbook. You will have a reading guide to follow and there will be
chapter reading quizzes to help you gain confidence with the material.
HONOR CODE POLICY: All work submitted by a student should reflect that student’s work
alone. Any form of cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated. Although you are encouraged to
work together on homework and lab activities, directly copying answers from a peer or from the
internet is one form of cheating. A student will receive zero credit on any assignment, including
tests, on which he/she is found to be cheating and sent to the Academic Honor Board.
SUGGESTED NOTEBOOK INSTRUCTIONS:
To be a successful student, one must be
organized! If at any time you need help getting organized, please let me know. My suggestion is to
keep a separate APES binder. You will need your binder at every class meeting. I suggest that the
following information appears in the front of the notebook in case you misplace it.
Your Full Name
APES
Mr. Frank, Rm 41
Block (A or D)
You can separate your binder into sections based on our units of study and exam practice materials.
No Calculators are permitted during the AP Test. In order to be successful on the test, students need to
be able to do the math problems without a calculator. Everyone can develop these skills with practice.
If you struggle with organization, find a time to meet with me during the first few weeks of school and
I will work with you to establish effective routines.
As a portion of the class will be devoted to field work, students should always be prepared and willing to
work outdoors. We will try to avoid being outside on hot/rainy days.
Students are required to keep an organized portfolio of all labs done in the course to use when
requesting college credit. This will be collected at the end of April and be evaluated for 5% of your
trimester 3 grade.
Topic Outline:
The following are the topics that are addressed on the AP Exam and the percentage of the multiple choice
portion of the test that they constitute. For more detailed descriptions, visit apcentral.collegeboard.com
I. Earth Systems and Resources (10-15%)
- Earth Science, The Atmosphere, Global Water Resources and Use, Soil and Soil Dynamics
II. The Living World (10-15%)
- Ecosystem Structure, Energy Flow, Ecosystem Diversity, Natural Ecosystem Change,
Natural Biogeochemical Cycles
III. Population (10-15%)
- Population Biology Concepts, Human Population
IV. Land and Water Use (10-15%)
Agriculture, Controlling Pests, Forestry, Rangelands, Other Land Use, Mining, Fishing,
Global Economics
V. Energy Resources and Consumption (10-15%)
Energy Concepts, Energy Consumption, Fossil Fuel Resources and Use, Nuclear Energy,
Hydroelectric Power, Energy Conservation, Renewable Energy
VI. Pollution (25-30%)
Pollution Types, Impacts on the Environment and Human Health, Economic Impacts
VII. Global Change (10-15%)
Stratospheric Ozone, Global Warming, Loss of Biodiversity
Units and Topics
Duration
Unit 1: Fundamentals of Environmental Science (Ch 1, 2)
2 weeks
Fundamental Principles, Experimental Design, Chemistry, Systems and Feedback
Unit 2: Introduction to the Living World (Ch 3, 4, 5)
4 weeks
Ecology, Life’s Support Systems, Ecosystem Structure and Diversity, Biogeochemical
Cycles, Evolution, Community Interactions, Population Dynamics
Unit 3: Biodiversity and Conservation (Ch 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
4 weeks
Weather/Climate, Terrestrial Biomes, Aquatic Life Zones, Human Impact on Biomes,
Sustaining Diversity
Unit 4: Human Population, Food, Agriculture, Soil (Ch 6, 12)
3 weeks
Demographics and human population problems, Agriculture, Pest Management, Soil
Unit 5: Environmental Hazards & Human Health (Ch 17)
1 week
Health Hazards, Biological Hazards, Chemical Hazards, LD50, Cultural Hazards
Unit 6: Water: Global Resources and Pollution (Ch 13, 20)
3 weeks
Freshwater Resources, Wastewater Treatment, Water Conservation, Water Pollution,
Water Quality Testing, Groundwater Pollution, Ocean Pollution, Reducing Water
Pollution
Unit 7: Mineral and Energy Resources (Ch 14, 15, 16)
3 weeks
Mining, Mineral Resources, Fossil Fuels, Energy Conservation, Alternative Energy
Sources
Unit 8: Air Pollution (Ch 18, 19)
4 weeks
Atmosphere, Air Pollution, Climate Change, Stratospheric Ozone
Unit 9: Solid and Hazardous Waste Production (Ch 21)
2 weeks
Solid Waste Disposal, Hazardous Waste Disposal
Unit 10: Sustainable Cities (Ch 22)
1 week
Characteristics of Sustainable Cities
REVIEW FOR AP EXAM
2weeks
MY EXPECTATIONS: The intent of these expectations is to create an effective, safe learning
community.
 All students will come to class on-time with necessary materials every day.
 Students will actively participate in classroom discussions and/or laboratory activities every day.
 Students will study/review material presented in class each night. There is always homework in
APES
 All school-wide policies in the student handbook will be followed.
 Cell phones are not to be in view or used during class time unless specifically indicated. The use
of electronic devices in the classroom is allowed, but only in a manner that supports learning. If
your device becomes a distraction for you or your classmates, you will not be able to continue
using it.
 Food will not be eaten in class, except in special circumstances.
 Drinks other than water are not allowed in class.
 The classroom should be a safe place physically and emotionally. Students are expected to use
respectful language at all times.
AP Exam
The Environmental Science AP Exam will take place on Monday May 2, 2016 at 8 am
AP Credit Policies Colleges and Universities have many different policies concerning how they
handle AP exam scores and credit. Information about how specific schools handle AP credits can be
found at http://www.collegeboard.com.
More information for parents and for students can be found at http://www.collegeboard.com.
The primary goal of this course is for the students to learn as much about Environmental Science as
possible. The secondary goal is for the students to score well on the AP exam. There are many
resources available for students to work towards these goals, but students need to be self-motivated and
take advantage of these resources. Students are also expected to help each other and ask for help when
they need it.
For in the end, we will conserve only what we love.
We will love only what we understand.
We will understand only what we are taught.
- Baba Dioum, Senegalese Environmentalist, 1968
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
When we try to pick out
anything by itself, we find it
hitched to everything else in
the universe.
John Muir