AP® Environmental Science
Course Overview
This course follows the guidelines for the Course Description for AP® Environmental Science
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap-environmental-science-coursedescription.pdf
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. The following themes provide a
foundation for the structure of the AP Environmental Science course.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Science is a process.
Science is a method of learning more about the world.
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Science constantly changes the way we understand the world.
Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.
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Energy cannot be created; it must come from somewhere.
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As energy flows through systems, at each step more of it becomes unusable.
The Earth itself is one interconnected system.
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Natural systems change over time and space.
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Biogeochemical systems vary in ability to recover from disturbances.
Humans alter natural systems.
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Humans have had an impact on the environment for millions of years.
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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.
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6.
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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.
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A suitable combination of conservation and development is required.
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Management of common resources is essential.
This course is designed to be the equivalent of an introductory college course in environmental
science. Environmental science is an interdisciplinary course in that it integrates a wide range of
topics including earth science, biology, chemistry, sociology and economics. Core scientific
principles, concepts, and methodologies required for understanding the environment will be
presented to the students in this class. The primary themes of this course include: science as a
process, the earth is one interconnected system, humans alter natural systems, environmental
problems involve social and cultural issues, and the concept of environmental stewardship and
system sustainability. Through class and weekly laboratory experiences, students will learn to
identify and analyze environmental problems and how they affect humans (health risks) and the
entire biosphere. Students will look into solutions or possible preventative measures to these
issues
The course will consist of lecture, class discussion, projects, multi-media presentation and
indoor/outdoor laboratory investigations. Assessments will be in the form of laboratory reports,
weekly quizzes, exams, and projects. A final exam will constitute the fifth marking period. The
topics covered in this course also prepare students for the AP® environmental exam in May.
Students will be expected to read from the text and/or from supplemental reading weekly in
preparation for the class. Vocabulary and essay study guides will be constructed as a learning
tool by the students in preparation for exams.
Text
Miller, G. Tyler. Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and Solutions. 15th ed.
Pacific Grove, Calif.: Brooks/Cole, 2007
Final individual Project
Each student will work on a research project with a topic of his/her choice focusing on the topics
of environmental science and/or ecology. These projects will require students to identify an
environmental or ecological problem. Through the scientific method students will collect data
and analyze the problem to create a viable solution. Project details will be worked out with the
instructor. Projects will be presented in May following the AP® exam.
Course Outline
The following outline is organized in units and by marking period.
1st Marking Period
Overview of environmental science
Overview of issues and sustainability
Review of science as a process
Experimental design
Basic chemistry and physics (thermodynamics)
Chapters 1 ,2
Earth resources and systems
Geological process (plate tectonics, rock cycle)
Soil science
Atmospheric structures and circulation (weather and climate)
Freshwater and ocean systems
Chapters, 3, 5, 14, 15
Ecosystems (living world)
Energy flow
Matter cycles
Biodiversity
Natural selection and evolution
Biomes
Communities
Succession
Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
2nd Marking Period
Population Ecology
Biological concepts of population
Human population (dynamics, sustainability, impacts of growth)
Chapters 8, 9
Land and water use
Agricultural practices (crop production, erosion control, pest control, overgrazing, land
management)
Forest management
Land development (sprawl, urbanization, mining, land conservation, public and federal lands)
Water resources (fishing, aquaculture, wetlands, aquatic ecosystems)
Chapters 10, 13, 14, 15, 23, 24
3rd Marking Period
Energy Resources
Energy consumption (global use and future needs)
Fossil fuels
Nuclear energy
Hydroelectric
Renewable energy and renewable fuels
Energy conservation
Chapters 16, 17
Pollution
Air, water, solid and noise pollution (types, sources, causes, effects)
Pollution effects on the environment and human health
Chapters 19, 21, 22,
4th Marking Period
Global Changes
Ozone depletion
Global Warming
Loss of biodiversity (invasive species, extinction and endangered and threatened species)
Chapters 11, 20
Global Sustainability
Review of resources conservation
Ecological services and ecosystem monitoring
Environmental policy
Environmental law
Economic systems and sustainability
Environmental worldviews and ethics
Chapters 23, 24, 25, 26
AP Exam
Final Year Projects
Final Exam
Laboratory Investigations
The purpose of laboratory investigation is to allow students to observe and have direct
experiences with organisms or systems in the environment. It also allows for students to gain
sampling skills and data collection techniques as well as other scientific methodologies. It also
allows for data manipulation (calculations), interpretation, and inquiry. From these experiences
students will think analytically in order to make conclusions. Students can then evaluate the
validity of their findings to propose solutions to problems and further questions for study.
One day a week students will participate in a double laboratory period. Laboratory investigation
will range from in class experiments and investigation to field laboratories and investigations.
The following is a list of laboratories. Weather conditions and time restrictions limit the
completion of all the following activities. Many of these activities may take several weeks to
complete and therefore cover more than one laboratory period.
First Semester (marking periods 1 and 2)
Ecological succession – Students walk the property of nearby park to find and photograph
various stages of ecological succession. This information will then be put into powerpoint
presentations.
Mark – return – recapture of grasshoppers - Students visit a nearby meadow and capture and tag
grasshoppers. They then come back the following week to recapture them to do a population
study.
Tree species survey – Students will be given a set area of forest in which they will identify
species and group them by crown class in order to determine the structure of the forest.
Evolution and adaptation with wooly worms – Students will collect data on a simulated wooly
worm population to determine adaptations such as cryptic coloration and calculate a chi-square
test.
Forest study field assistants - Students will prepare an instructional video for the freshman
environmental science students on tree identification and forest quadrant procedures. They will
also assist the freshman the day of the study.
Exponential growth – Students will use data to determine exponential growth of a population.
Wildlife management –Students will create a report regarding a real life scenario on coyotes and
wildlife management.
Living soil – Students will create a mini subterranean ecosystem with earthworms and other soil
organisms in order to see their effects on the composition of soil over time.
Animal adaptations and recognizing animal sign – Students will identify skulls, tracks, and furs
of wildlife and relate their physiology to their feeding adaptations and habitat.
Reintroductions and age structure – Students will use age structure diagrams of two National
Forests to determine the best choice for Lynx reintroduction.
Choosing a pesticide – Students will choose a specific pesticides or pest management approach
for specific pest control situation through research.
Designing a conservation plan for a housing development – Students will be given a scenario for
a housing development in which they will have to present a plan incorporating various
conservation techniques.
Designing a model ecosystem – Students will do an in-depth group research study of an
ecosystem in order to design a model ecosystem. The design will be presented with visual
displays and models.
Hawk Mountain – Visit Hawk Mountain, where students will learn how to identify various
raptors and study migrations patterns
Second Semester (marking periods 3 and 4)
Human Population – Students will understand some of the basic concepts of population
demography - survivorship and mortality from a local cemetery
Biodiesel– Students will create their own biodiesel from vegetable oil.
Soil analysis – Student will test soil in various parameters including texture, porosity,
invertebrates, moisture content, percolation rate, and fertility.
Watershed mapping – Students will use various maps of the area in order to trace their local
watershed through increasing stream order until it reaches the ocean.
Visit to a water treatment plant – Students will visit a local water treatment plant in order to
study the various processes involved in water treatment.
Testing tap water – Students will be testing tap and other water sources for hardness and pH in
order to compare and discuss their quality.
Sewage Treatment Plant – Students will build a small sewage treatment plan in a two-liter bottle
in order to see how a sewage treatment plant works using real world parameters.
The effects of nutrients on a mini-pond ecosystem - Students will create miniature pond
ecosystems in order to observe the effects of eutrophication on an aquatic ecosystem.
Algae and water pollution – Students will study preserved slides of algae and evaluate the
pollution tolerance of the various species of algae.
Particulates Air pollution – students will measure particulate matter in and around the building
and evaluate the data by EPA standards
Acid Rain – Students will measure and compare pH levels in precipitation of areas over time and
analyze and account for varying concentrations of oxides and pH readings in precipitation.
Invasive hike and management proposal – Students will take a walk on the campus or nearby
park in order to identify various invasive species and their effects on native species. They will
then prepare a management plan and report for the school on dealing with this issue.
Individual research projects – Each student will design a research project following the scientific
method that will result in a scientific research paper and presentation. Topics must be approved
by the instructor, and the student will be guided by the instructor throughout year on this project.
Projects and presentations will be following the AP® exam in May. Project topics can be any
thing relevant to the fields of environmental science. Forest, pond, grassland surveys, the effects
of deer on vegetation, stream monitoring, pollution studies, and energy efficiency studies are just
a few examples of possible topics.