Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering – APES Summer Assignment
AP Environmental Science 2014-2015
Summer Assignment
Welcome to AP Environmental Science (APES)! This summer assignment will give you a brief
overview of overarching topic of sustainability threaded through this course by looking at some of
the associated readings, prerequisites and math calculations. It will also give an idea of the
amount of work expected for this class and how you MUST budget and allocate time for this
course as well as meeting the rest of your academic demands.
The major topics of the class are as follows:
Energy Systems and Resources – atmosphere, soil, groundwater, and geology
The Living World – ecosystems and cycles
Populations – demographics, dynamics and growth
Land and Water Use – agriculture, forestry, mining, fishing and global economics
Energy Resources and Consumption – fossil fuels, nuclear energy, conservation and consumption
Pollution – types of pollution and its impact, waste disposal
Global Change – ozone, global warming, loss of biodiversity
Over the course of the year we will learn more about the scientific, social and economic aspects of
these topics. There are several parts to the summer assignment, one of which is due at the end of
July and one of which will be collected on the first day of class. If you have any questions about
the assignment, feel free to email me at dianasoehl@columbiasecondary.org. The summer
assignment will count for a significant portion of your first marking period grade. All work turned
in must be your own work. The assignment will be graded as follows:
1. Email me by August 1 (15 points):
 Last name, First name, APES 2014 in the subject line
• Your full name
• Your home address
• Your home phone number (I do NOT want your cell phone number!)
 How you will plan and schedule time for meeting the rigors of an AP (college level) course.
(Discuss organization, planning, homework and study methods)
2. Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills – Quiz the first week of class on vocab and math skills
Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills
AP Environmental Science is a college level course that combines content area from earth science,
biology, chemistry, physics, math, and social studies. You are expected to enter the course with a
good understanding of basic scientific and mathematical concepts and skills, as well as strong
reading, writing, and speaking abilities. Although we will continue to develop these skills
throughout the school year, your success in the class is also dependent upon what you bring to it
at the onset. One goal of this summer assignment is to help you brush up on these skills and
Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering – APES Summer Assignment
concepts. Over the summer, review the scientific vocabulary & concepts below (either by making
online or actual flashcards, concept mapping, stories with terms in them) as well as the
mathematical calculations on the next page; we will be building upon and referencing them
throughout the school year. You should be prepared to take a quiz on these skills and concepts
during the first week of school. If you do not receive at least an 85% on the quiz, you will need to
stay after for tutoring until you are able to achieve an 85% on it.
Prerequisite Basic Scientific Concepts:
You should be familiar with the following terms/concepts from Biology, Chemistry, and Earth
Science:
Organic vs. Inorganic
Natural vs. Synthetic
Kinetic vs. Potential Energy
Radioactive decay
Half-life
Law of Conservation of Matter
1st Law of Thermodynamics
2nd Law of Thermodynamics
Entropy
Organism
Species
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Producers/Autotrophs
Consumers/Heterotrophs
Decomposers
Photosynthesis (reactants and products)
Cellular Respiration (reactants and products)
Aerobic vs. Anaerobic
Adaptation
Mutation
Gene
Trait
Chromosome
Gene pool
Natural Selection
Biodiversity
Extinction
Plate Tectonics
Weathering
Climate Change
Rocks vs. Minerals
Climate vs. Weather
The full name of each of these chemical
abbreviations:
CO2, CO, C6 H12 O6, CH4, H2,
H2O, N2, NOx , NO3- , NH3 , O2 ,
O3, P, PO43- , S, SO2 , Cl, K,
NaCl, Pb, Hg, Rn, U
3. Math Problems (40 points) – Due by Monday, August 25th
- Drop it off in the main office, email, scan or snail mail it to CSS; be sure that both your name and
my name are visible (grading: 2 points for setting up the problem, 2 points for the answer, 2
points for neatness)
Prerequisite Basic Mathematical Skills
Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering – APES Summer Assignment
Percentage
17% = 17/100 = .17
- Remember that “percent” literally means divided by 100.
- Percentage is a measure of the part of the whole. Or part divided by whole.
- 15 million is what percentage of the US population? 15 million / 300 million = .05 = 5%
- What is 20% of this $15 bill so that I can give a good tip? $15 x .20 = $15 x (20/100) = $3
Percent change
Percent increase and percent decrease are measures of percent change, which is the extent to
which something gains or loses value. Percent changes are useful to help people understand
changes in a value over time.
Scientific Notation
Thousand = 103 =1,000
Million = 106 =1,000,000 (people in the US)
Billion = 109 =1,000,000,000 (people on Earth)
Trillion = 1012 =1,000,000,000,000 (National debt)
- When using very large numbers, scientific method is often easiest to manipulate. For example, the US
population is 300 million people or 300x106 or 3x108
- When adding or subtracting, exponents must be the same. Add the numbers in front of the ten and keep
the exponent the same.
- When multiplying or dividing, multiply or divide the number in front of the ten and add the exponents if
multiplying or subtract the exponents if dividing
Ex. 9x106 / 3x102 = (9/3) x 10(6-2) = 3 x 104
Dimensional Analysis
You should be able to convert any unit into any other unit accurately if given the conversion factor.
Online tutorials are available:
http://www.chemprofessor.com/dimension_text.htm
http://www.chem.tamu.edu/class/fyp/mathrev/mr-da.html
Prefixes
m (milli)
=1/1000
=10-3
c (cent)
=1/100
=10-2
k (kilo)
=1000
=103
M (mega)
=1,000,000
=106
G (giga)
=1,000,000,000
=109
T (tera)
=1,000,000,000,000
=1012
Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering – APES Summer Assignment
Summer Study Sessions
I will be available at the following times to discuss summer assignment questions and go over
problems. You will receive a 15-point classwork grade for each session that you attend, though
attendance is not mandatory. Both sessions will meet at CSS (Basement Chemistry room).
Wednesday July 16th 10:00am - 12:00
Wednesday, August 25th 11:00am - 1:00
Math Problems
Answer the questions. Show all work (Use a separate sheet of paper if necessary.)
1) What is one million times one thousand? Show your work in scientific notation. Give the answer in
scientific notation and in words.
2) A population of deer had 200 individuals. If the population grows by 15% in one year, how many deer
will there be the next year?
3) One year I had 30 APES students and the next year I had 55 APES students, what is the percent increase
in APES students?
4) The price of oil decreased from $54 per barrel to $50 per barrel. What is the percent decrease in
oil prices?
5) Electricity costs 6 cents per kilowatt hour. In one month one home uses one megawatt  hour of
electricity. How much will the electric bill be? (be sure to look at the prefixes chart on the previous
page for the conversion of kilo to mega)
6) Your car gets 20 miles to the gallon and your friend’s car gets 35 miles to the gallon. You decide to
go on a road trip to SUNY-Oneonta, which is 165 miles away. If gas costs $4 per gallon and you decide to
split the gas money, how much money will you save in gas by driving your friend’s car?
7) Manhattan is 2.3 miles wide and 13.4 miles long. If Manhattan receives two inches of rain, how many
cubic feet of rain fell on Manhattan. (Hint: convert all units to feet first).
Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering – APES Summer Assignment
4. Current Events scrAPESbook (45 points) – Due on the first day of class (see below instructions)
- Summaries and responses to 3 articles dealing with APES topics, environmental issues; 15 pts. each
Current Events scrAPESbook
In environmental science, it’s important to know about current issues in the news. One of our
goals for this course is to educate you about environmental issues that are important to our
community, our country, and our world. We will be reading and discussing a variety of current
events throughout the school year as well. This is a great opportunity to start thinking about the
environment and how it affects us.
Over the course of the summer, find three articles that relate to environmental science. All
articles should be current (from May 2014 on) and taken from a reliable source. The sources may
be scientific publications, popular magazines, newspapers or the like. Try the NY Times (especially
Tuesdays), Washington Post, National Geographic, Discover Magazine, Natural History Magazine,
Scientific American, Science, Nature, etc. The articles should be long enough for you to write a
substantial summary and well-thought out response. All bibliographic information should be
visible on the article itself or included with the summary. You must find a variety of articles at the
state, national, and global level, (ie. Not all articles should be about New York City or the Hudson
River) that address multiple environmental issues. Topics include, but are not limited to: pollution,
climate change, environmental legislation, alternative energy sources, fossil fuels, human
population growth, renewable resources, recycling/waste management, air quality, water quality,
conservation/wildlife, food production/food safety, deforestation, GMOs (genetically modified
organisms), etc. (see page 1)
This portion of the summer assignment must be typed in 12 pt. Times New Roman or a similar
font. It must be double spaced.
On the first day of class, you should submit for each article:
- a copy of the article with proper citation (MLA or APA format) (2 points each)
- a summary of the article content (6 points each)
- a personal reaction (7 points each)
Summary:
Write a brief summary of each article and point out the major environmental themes discussed.
Your summary should be no less than 250 words.
Personal Reaction:
Your personal reaction should clearly state your opinions and/or reflection on the article. You can
offer potential solutions, compare it to another environmental problem, ask questions about the
article, or simply reflect on the article’s content. Do not simply write, “This article was very
interesting/good.” It should be no less than 250 words. Some questions to drive your discussion:
- What are the key points made in the article?
- What are the points of view presented about this issue?
- Does the article teach you something new?
- Does it support or refute other information you've heard or read? How so/in what way?
Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering – APES Summer Assignment
 Please keep copies of your articles (with sources
cited) to turn in the first week of
class. The articles should be neatly displayed with your 2 paragraph summary & reaction
facing its article. Summaries may be neatly handwritten or typed.

Include a Cover sheet and a Table of Contents in which you number the articles and list
the topic, title, source, and date of each article.
5. Readings: “Tragedy of the Commons” by Garret Hardin, The Lorax by Dr. Seuss You can obtain The
Lorax at any public library or sit in an air conditioned bookstore! Tragedy of the Commons can be found
online at: http://www.garretthardinsociety.org/articles/art_tragedy_of_the_commons.html
Summarize each reading from the lens of how it pertains to human society and being able to sustain our
population as well as conserve resources on Earth.
[Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut will also be incorporated into APES class and you should be prepared to
answer questions on the novel regarding its discussion on evolution, tragedy of the commons and
biodiversity, sustainability the first week of class.]
6. Data Collection & Graphing Activity
The environment sustains us, and we are a part of the environment no matter how much
modern folk think otherwise. Often we cut ourselves off from the environment with our
technology. The purpose of this project is to get you involved in data collection and analysis
of subtle long---term changes that occur in the environment.
Some suggestions are given below, but we can discuss other projects you may think of. The
intent is to collect data daily over an extended time period and analyze them. Many changes
in our environment are often slow and subtle which entails careful observation and
thoughtful analysis.
After you have collected your data, analyze and graph them using the appropriate graph.
After your analysis, write a summary and conclusion looking for patterns in your data.
You may choose one of the following as a possible project.
If you have another idea, we can discuss it via email.
Long term data collection study suggestions
Temperature–record the temperature at the same time every day 28 times or
record maximum and minimum temperatures from the newspaper. Compare the
minimum andmaximum temperature from a coastal city and inland city at the same
latitude for 28 days
Rainfall– record every day for five weeks (NOT if we are in a drought!) humidity
(dewpoint) –record every day for five weeks air pressure--- record every day for
five weeks measure a shadow of a stick or tree, every day at
the same timefor
28days draw or photograph the moon for 28 days
Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering – APES Summer Assignment
Astronomy
Time of sunrise/sunset for 28 days
Time of moonrise/moonset for28 days
Measure or download tidal cycle for 14 days
Monitor a bird feeder 2x per day for 14 days---record number and kinds of birds.
(likewise, monitoring the number of pigeons at the same specific location at the same
specific time at a favorite park or outside you apartment, subway station is possible).
If there is a new infant in the household (human, feline, canine)—record length and
weight for 6 weeks
Plant a seed, flower or herb and record the number of leaves, stems, petals and height
of the plant for one month. Graph the data appropriately.
7. MOVIE TIME! View a movie from the list below:
King Corn
Gasland
Erin Brockovich
Wall-E
An Inconvenient Truth
Happy Feet or March of the Penguins
Ice Age
Avatar
Gorillas in the Mist
Earth (Disneynature)
From this movie, you are to write a report (2-4 pages) that addresses the following aspects.
Be sure that your report is in paragraph format and not submitted as a list of questions and
answers.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
What was the environmental situation addressed in the book or movie?
Was this situation natural or man-made?
Exactly how did this situation occur (what is the cause)?
What were the positive and/or negative effects of this situation? (Any legislation
created is a positive effect)
How was this situation fixed – if at all?
Was anyone held responsible for this situation?
How was fault determined?
What consequences did they face – if any?
What were the long-term ecological impacts of this event – if any?
What did you already know about this situation before this project?
What is the most interesting thing(s) you learned by doing this project?
Additional Not so Random Announcements:
LAB FEE for class: $25.00 for the year for consumable items used in lab investigations.
Please have your parent write a check or put money in a sealed envelope with YOUR NAME
and class, as well as teacher name. These lab fees should be submitted on first day of school or
as soon as possible.
Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering – APES Summer Assignment
Plagiarism is Not New & Is Not Okay.
All work submitted in this class must be your own original work as stated in the class syllabus
for APES. This includes summer work, essays, vocabulary, reports and any other work
submitted for credit. If the words are not yours, neither is the credit! Aside from appropriately
cited article, inclusion of work done by anyone other than yourself will receive a grade of “0”
(zero). Repeated instances of plagiarism will result in a grade of Fail in AP Environmental
Science. All violations of NYC-DOE and CSS Academic Integrity Policy will be reported to
the administration.
You can find this assignment on the moodle website as well as announcements, notes and
study guides.
FIELD TRIP PERMISSION SLIP
We expect to do several trips through Morningside Park and to the Columbia Secondary Community
Garden. Please fill out and return the permission slip. The sooner we get the slips back, the sooner we
get to do field investigations!
Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering – APES Summer Assignment
Chancellor’s Regulation A-670
Parent Notification/ Consent Form
Day Trip
Name: ___________________________
Address:
__________________
__________________________________________
Email: ___________________________
School: Columbia Secondary School
Trip Date: open
Trip Coordinator: Diana Soehl
Departure Site: Columbia Secondary School
Destination: Departure Time: Lab Periods Return Site & Time: CSS
Mode of Transportation: walking
Morningside Park, Riverbank Park, CSS Community Garden (TBD for needed field study)
Purpose of Trip: Ongoing Field Investigations of extended CSS Campus
Specific Clothing/ Equipment Required for this Trip: School Uniform
This trip will include the following physical and sports activities: Walking
a) I understand that there are potential risks associated with the above-listed activities and I
consent to my child’s participation in all activities except for the following:
_______________________________________________________________________________
b) Please indicate below any permanent or temporary medical or other conditions including
special dietary and medication needs, or the need for visual or auditory aids, which should be
known about your child:
____________________________________________________________________________
c) I understand that as a parent, if I believe it is necessary to limit my child’s activity to a great
extent, then the school may not be able to accommodate my child on this trip and that I and my
child will be informed of this decision as soon as possible upon receipt by the school of this
completed consent form.
d) I agree that in the event of any emergency injury or illness, the staff member(s) in charge of the
trip may act on my behalf and at my expense in obtaining medical treatment for my child.
e) I understand that my child is expected to behave responsibly and to follow the school’s
discipline code and policies.
Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering – APES Summer Assignment
f) I agree and understand that I am responsible for the actions of my child, and I release the school
for all claims and liabilities that arise in connection with the trip, except if due to the negligence of
school officials.
g) I understand that I am responsible for getting my child to and from the departure and return sites
identified above. I understand that my child shall be accompanied by staff member(s) during the
trip, including while traveling from the departure site to the destination site, and from the
destination site to the return site.
h) I understand that alcoholic beverages and/or illegal drugs are prohibited and have discussed this
prohibition with my child. I understand that if my child is found in possession of these substances,
he/she will be subject to school disciplinary procedures and possible criminal persecution.
i) I understand that students who violate the school’s discipline code may be excluded in the future
by the school from participating in a trip.
j) In an emergency I can be reached at: Day: (_________) _________________________
Evening: (__________) ___________________________
Additional Contact: Name: ______________________________________
Day: (_________) __________________________
Evening: (__________) ___________________________
k) I give my permission for my child to participate in this school trip.
____________________________________
(Signature of Parent/Guardian)
_________________
(Date)
Student Declaration (To be signed by Middle School and High School students)
I have read this form and I understand that I am to act on this trip in the same responsible manner
in which I am expected to conduct myself at school.
_____________________________________
(Signature of Student)
Health Insurance Information:
Insurance Company Name:
Policy Holder Name:
Group or ID #:
_________________
(Date)
Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering – APES Summer Assignment