AP Environmental Science
Information Packet & Survival Guide
Welcome to AP Environmental Science/ APES. This course was created and designed to engage and
challenge students while providing a framework within which to learn the scientific underpinnings of some of
the most pressing issues of our time. Because this is an AP course, students should expect to spend several
hours each week outside of the classroom preparing for class and completing assignments – a good rule of
thumb for an AP course is to expect to spend about 1½ times as many hours outside as you spend inside the
classroom. It is each student’s responsibility to read, know, and abide by the following policies. Any questions
or concerns must be addressed at the beginning of the school year.
Syllabus
Semester 1
Unit 1: Introduction to Environmental Science The first unit of APES will acquaint you with environmental science and provide you
with an idea of what you may expect to learn this year. You will also learn about the dynamics of human populations and gain
a general understanding of how humans cause environmental changes.
Unit 2: Systems Thinking: Global Warming and Ozone Deletion The second unit begins with a review of the scientific method and
an introduction to systems thinking; you will learn that “systems thinking” is essential to evaluating and understanding
environmental change. You will then apply what you learned about systems to two significant global environmental issues that
are consequences of human activity – global warming and ozone depletion.
Unit 3: Life on Earth This is the first of two units which will introduce and/or reacquaint you with some of the concepts fundamental to
understanding the ecology of the Earth.
Unit 4: Biogeography This is the second of the two units which will introduce and/or reacquaint you with some of the concepts
fundamental to understanding the ecology of the Earth.
Unit 5: Biodiversity This unit will culminate your learns about ecology with the study of biodiversity and the loss biodiversity which
along with global warming and ozone depletion constitute the three most significant present-day global environmental changes
that are consequences of human activity.
Unit 6: Agriculture and Food This unit will introduce the study of agriculture. You will learn about artificial fertilizers, pesticides, soils,
soil conservation and the “green revolution”. In addition, you will learn the basic nutritional needs of human beings as well as
what is being done in an attempt to make certain that these needs are met for all people.
Unit 7: Water This unit is especially relevant for environmental science students in Southern California. Many of the world's best
examples of water development are in our backyards, and we will focus on these local examples.
Final Examination: A 90-minute exam designed to assess each student’s mastery of the material studied during the first semester.
Semester 2
Unit 8: Nonrenewable Resources This unit will focus on the use of minerals and fossil fuels (the most popular energy sources being
used in the world today) both are currently being used at unsustainable rates. You will learn about the environmental
consequences of the extraction and use of these nonrenewable resources.
Unit 9: Renewable Energy Sources This unit surveys the alternatives to fossil fuel use as an energy source.
Unit 10: Human Health and Air Pollution This unit will begin with the study of how environmental hazards affect human health. You
will then learn the various mechanisms that result in the formation of outdoor and indoor air pollutants and the resulting
consequences of those pollutants on human health.
Unit 11: Solid and Hazardous Waste This unit is all about garbage. You will learn what we throw away, where “away” is and what
happens as a result of generating solid waste.
Unit 12: Human Societies and The Environment The final unit of the curriculum examines how human societies interact with the
environment and the issues that underlie decision making that impacts the environment. Previously in the course, you learned
much of the information contained within this unit.
Unit 13: APES Review This unit is a review of the topics studied during the course in preparation for the IB Environmental Systems
and Societies and/or AP Environmental Science Examination.
Unit 14: Your World Project Completion Following the Environmental Systems and Societies and AP Environmental Science Exam
the students will complete the Your World Project.
Final Examination: A 90-minute exam designed to assess each student’s mastery of the material studied during the entire school year.
Classroom Rules
1. Listen and follow all directions
2. Be polite and never talk while the teacher is talking
3. Be in control and never leave your seat without
permission
4. Respect your fellow students, teacher, substitutes and
school
Consequences of Breaking the Classroom Rules
1. Warning
2. Warning & afterschool detention with teacher
3. Referral & phone call to your parents
4. Referral & parent meeting
Laboratory Rules
 The laboratory is a special situation that you will encounter in this class. Labs can be fun and rewarding learning experiences, however, they
can also be dangerous.
Always follow safety rules…Think, safety first, safety last, and safety always!
When in doubt…Ask before you act!
 The consequence of breaking a laboratory rule is exclusion from the lab and no credit for the lab with no option to make up the lab.
Tardies
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You are required to be in your seat, with all necessary materials for that day readily available, ready to work, on time.
 The school-wide tardy policy is in effect.
Absences
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You are expected to attend class everyday. It is your responsibility to be aware when you need to make up an assignment, lab, or test and to
be proactive in making it up. All absences must be verified with a readmit.
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If you are absent the following policies apply.
 Absent on the day an assignment is due, present when it was assigned—it is due your first day back.
 Absent on the day an assignment is due, and when it was assigned—it is due your second day back.
 Absent for part of a lab—obtain data from lab partners, it is due on time.
 Absent for an entire lab or activity—obtain an alternate assignment (2-3 page paper).
 Absent for a test—a cumulative make-up test will be offered during the last week of the grading period.
 Late assignments (not due to absence) may or may not receive partial credit, depending on the circumstances.
 Class cuts—no credit for assignments, labs, or tests that are due, performed or administered that day.
 There will be no make-up quizzes or in-class essays; for excused absences, the average quiz or in-class essay grade will be assigned.
Grades
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Each assignment you complete and submit, on-time, will be graded with points assigned based on a universally applied, objective grading
scheme for that assignment. Approximate point values for assignments follow.
Test
500 pts
Quiz
200pts
Homework
10-100 pts
Classwork
10-50 pts
Lab or Activity
50-200 pts
Extemp. Writing
30 pts
ScrAPESbook
300-5000pts
Project (i.e. Your World)
100-600 pts
In-Class Sponge/ Agenda
5 pts daily
Final Examination
600 pts
There will be approximately 40,000 to 50,000 total points available each semester.
Grades will be based on the percentage of total points earned and assigned according to the scale below.
A percentage will be determined for each student, and grades will be assigned based on the guidelines listed below.
Final grades will be calculated to two significant digits.
>97% – A+
87-89% – B+
77-79% – C+
67-69% – D+
94-96% – A
84-86% – B
74-76% – C
64-66% – D
90-93% – A80-83% – B70-73% – C50-63% – D<50% – F
Vocabulary
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A Vocabulary List for each unit is due on the day of the unit test.
 The Vocabulary List must be handwritten, in your handwriting, and must be legible.
 The Vocabulary List must not be sloppily prepared and must be correctly formatted (see below).
 Vocabulary List Format:
 Write with pencil or pen.
 Write your name, period and “APES” in the top right-hand corner of the paper.
 Title the paper "Vocabulary Unit ___"
 Provide complete unambiguous definitions for each of the words listed in the vocabulary list of the unit's study guide.
Quizzes
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Anywhere from zero to five quizzes may be administered during a week, but most often two or three quizzes will be administered.
Quizzes are administered at the beginning of the period and they rarely take more than two minutes.
There will be no make-up quizzes (for excused absences, the average quiz grade will be assigned).
Current Event Extemporaneous Writing
The purpose of this weekly assignment is to help improve your writing while encouraging you to watch the news for stories related to the study of
environmental science. You should watch the news, and carefully read articles about environmental issues to prepare for writing thoughtfully about
those issues. Each week of the school year, you will write about a current event that is relevant to the study of environmental science. The process
for the weekly writing assignment is below.
 Write for 5-10 minutes about the prompt that is presented to you in class; the prompt will be about a news event that took place, or was in the
news during the previous week. The writing will be graded and returned the next day. You may earn up to 15 points for what you wrote
extemporaneously in Step One.
 Step Two (completed as homework the night the essay is returned and due the next day)
 Type your essay exactly, word-for-word as it was written in class. Type a one or two paragraph self-assessment of what you wrote, and a oneparagraph, accurate response to the prompt. You may earn up to 150 points for Step Two.
 Each extemporaneous writing assignment is worth 300 points.
Tests
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There will be a test at the conclusion of each unit.
Each test will be equivalent in length and format to one-fourth of an AP Environmental Science exam.
 There will be 25 multiple choice questions worth 60% of the total score (300 pts)
 There will be one free-response question worth 40% of the total score (200 pts)
Notes
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Notes will be collected at the conclusion of each unit.
Notes are worth 10 points per assigned reading; incomplete notes will receive no credit.
Notes must be correctly formatted (see below) and include all notes, diagrams, and charts from the unit to receive credit.
APES Notes
Topic
Date
Focusing
Questions
Write
questions in
the margin
that are
answered by
the adjacent
notes.

Take notes in this area of the page.
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Include all diagrams or charts.
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Highlight all information that is emphasized during class.
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If you are absent, you are responsible for copying the notes of a classmate – in
your own writing.
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Notes are due on the day of the unit test.
Focusing
Questions
Summary
Write a few sentences in this area to summarize this page of notes.
Each page of notes must include a summary at the bottom.
Guidelines for Preparing and Maintaining the Lab Notebook
 Use a graph paper-filled Composition Book.
 Write only in ink.
 Do not tear pages out of the lab notebook.
 Number the top outside corner of both sides of each page of the lab notebook.
 Begin the first lab write up on page 3.
 The lab notebook must contain a record of all materials and procedures used in performing the lab (a scientifically literate stranger should be
able to execute any of the labs within your lab notebook–without any additional information).
 Record all data directly into the lab notebook.
 Initial and date all data the day it is collected.
 Do not obliterate information. Strike out incorrect information and mistakes with a single horizontal line.
 Use the first two pages of the lab notebook for the Table of Contents.
 Begin the Table of Contents on page 1.
 After each lab is completed, add its name and page number to the Table of Contents.
 Be prepared to turn in your lab notebook at any time during a laboratory.
Guidelines for Planning and Completing a Scientific Graph
 Draw the graph directly into the lab notebook.
 Use the full extent of the graph paper in each direction for the graph.
 Include a figure number and descriptive title at the top of the graph.
 Unless otherwise instructed, plot the independent variable (the variable set before the experiment begins) along the x-axis, and plot the
dependent variable (the variable measured as the experiment progresses) along the y-axis.
 Label both axes with the variable name (measured or predetermined quantity) and the units of measurement.
 Plan the graph so that the data fills most of the available space on the graph paper. Do not squish the data into one area of the graph.
 Evenly space the tick marks on both axes and clearly label them.
 Do not plot data points on the axes.
 Data points must be clearly visible, identifiable, and unambiguous.
 If multiple sets of data are plotted on one graph, use a different symbol and line style or color for each data set, and include a legend that
clearly identifies each set of data.
 Data should be appropriately correlated, by drawing a best-fit line or smooth curve between the points. Connecting the data points is rarely
appropriate (i.e. nearly always wrong) on a scientific graph.
Guidelines for Preparing, Organizing, and Completing a ScrAPESbook
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Section 1: Keep Up (20 pts/week ≈300-360 pts/semester) This section of the ScrAPESbook will contain current events from local and
national newspapers. Each article will be accompanied by a one-page analysis of the article with emphasis on its relevance to the course.
Complete the following for one article each week (the date of the article must fall within the week for which it is submitted).
 Affix the article to the left-hand page of the ScrAPESbook in such a way that it does not stick out of the ScrAPESbook when it is closed.
Write the bibliographic reference for the article at the top of the page.
 Handwrite a one-page analysis of the article on the opposite page. Strongly emphasize the relevance of the article to the course.
 Complete an entry in the Table of Contents for each article. (see the example below)
 You may receive up to 20 points for each article.
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Section 2: Look Up (10 pts/week ≈150-180 pts/semester) This section of the ScrAPESbook will contain examples of websites that include
information relevant to the course. Each website will be accompanied by a one-page description and review of the website including its
relevance to the course, and its potential value to a student in this course.
Complete the following for one website each week.
 Affix a printout of the homepage of the website to the left-hand page of the ScrAPESbook in such a way that it does not stick out of the
ScrAPESbook when it is closed. Include the URL of the homepage of the website on the printout.
 Handwrite a one-page description and review of the website on the right-hand page.
 Complete an entry in the Table of Contents for each website. (see the example below)
 You may receive up to 10 points for each website.
 You may not receive duplicate credit for more than one webpage from the same website.
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Section 3: Step Up (optional/extra credit) (50 pts/month ≈0-300 pts/semester) This section of the ScrAPESbook will contain a record of
your participation in activities or events relevant to the course. Each entry in this section will include artifacts from an activity or event along
with photographs of you participating in the activity or event. Each entry will also contain a two-page reflective journal entry describing your
participation in the activity or event, and its relevance to the course. Each activity must be pre-approved. Activities will occasionally be
announced as pre-approved during class.
Complete the following for each activity.
 Affix artifacts and photographs to the pages of the ScrAPESbook.
 Handwrite a two-page description of the activity or event in a reflective, journaling style that includes both personal reflections and an
explanation of how it related to the course.
 Complete an entry in the Table of Contents for each activity. (see the example below)
 You may receive up to 50 points for one artifact from each activity or event (a ticket, receipt, flyer, etc.).
 You may receive up to 50 points each, for four photographs, from an activity or event (you must be included in each photograph).
 You may receive up to 250 points for the two-page description of the activity.
 You may complete one entry in the Step Up section each month (the date of the activity must fall within the month for which it is
submitted.
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The format of the ScrAPESbook will be strictly enforced.
Number the top outside corner of both sides of each page of the ScrAPESbook.
The ScrAPESbook will include three Tables of Contents, on the first three sets of facing pages in the ScrAPESbook.
The Tables of Contents must be completed as shown in the examples below.
Include a labeled tab for each section to allow the book to be conveniently opened to Keep Up from a tab at the top, Look Up from a tab at the
center, and Step Up from a tab at the bottom of the book.
The ScrAPESbook must be brought to class everyday. Unannounced spot-checks will periodically take place throughout the school year.
You must be prepared to discuss the contents of your ScrAPESbook at any time.
ScrAPESbooks will be collected on the Friday prior to the end of each grading period. The ScrAPESbook must include the week it is collected.
The ScrAPESbook must be completed weekly or monthly as described. No credit will not be given retroactively for work not completed in due
time.
Section 1: Keep Up
Page #
Day/Date
Section 2: Look Up
Page #
Day/Date
URL
Section 3: Step Up
Page #
Day/Date
Time of Day
Newspaper
Title of Article
Subject
Points
Webpage
Subject
Points
Activity
Organization
Points