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APES Syllabus

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AP Environmental Science Syllabus

Text

Living in the Environment by G. Tyler Miller Jr., 15^th edition, 2007, Thomson Brooks/Cole Publishers

Additional Resources

Instruction will be supplemented by information gathered from other textbooks, lab manuals, scientific journals and magazines, reading assignments, and the internet.

Course Description

The AP Environmental Science course is a full-year course designed to be the equivalent of a one-semester, introductory college environmental science course. AP Environmental Science has its foundation in the following branches of science: ecology, meteorology, geology, and oceanography. It then incorporates an investigation into the impact humans have on the earth and its natural resources and how those resources and the earth can be preserved and sustained. The AP Environmental Science course has been developed to be a rigorous science course that stresses scientific principles and analysis and includes a laboratory component; as such, it is intended to enable students to undertake, as first-year college students, a more advanced study of topics in environmental science or, alternatively, to fulfill a basic requirement for a laboratory science and thus free time for taking other courses.

The goal of the course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and man-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, to examine alternative solutions for resolving and /or preventing them, and to make the students better informed voting global citizens.

AP Environmental Science is interdisciplinary. 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.

Ø Science is a process.

Ø Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.

Ø The earth itself is one interconnected system.

Ø Humans alter natural systems.

Ø Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.

Ø Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.

Class Description

The class meets for two 50 minute periods five days a week to facilitate lengthy labs. Those days when labs are not conducted will provide ample time for videos, research, and review. Lecture will be supplemented with PowerPoint presentations that follow the course outline.

§ Homework

1) Reading the current unit content and answering textbook questions

2) Reviewing lecture notes

3) Readings and case studies

4) Laboratory reports

5) Internet research

§ Tests

Tests will be given as indicated by the course outline. Tests will consist of multiple choice questions and free response questions to simulate the AP exam. Each test will have 60 multiple choice questions worth one point each with a 45 minute time limit, and 2 free response questions, one of which will be a synthesis and evaluation question, worth 20 points each with a 45 minute time limit for a total of 90 minutes for the entire 100 point test. As much as possible released items from AP Environmental Science Exams will be incorporated into the tests to ensure an AP Exam level of difficulty.

§ Lab

Laboratory investigations, especially inquiry based labs, are an integral part of each unit covered in the AP Environmental Science Course. Students will be required to maintain a laboratory notebook throughout the year. They will be given a laboratory report form to follow on the first day of school. Students will be encouraged to keep their notebooks because colleges often require presentation of laboratory materials from AP science courses before granting college credit for laboratory.

§ Videos

A variety of videos will be shown with each topic. Online up-to-date Discovery Videos will be used to supplement school videos.

Course Outline

Corresponding Living in the Environment Principles, Connections, & Solutions Chapters

Units

1, 15, 13, Supplement 11

19, 14, 5, & Supplements 10 & 18

7, 4, 3, 10, & 6

2, 4, 5, 3, & Supplement 7

8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, & Supplement 17

13, 10, 12, & Supplements 14 & 15

9, 10, 11, 12, 24, 25, 26, 15, 13, &

Supplements 5, 24, 19, & 16

2, 16, 17, & Supplements 20 & 21

16, 17, & Supplement 21

19, 20, 9, 21, & 22

20, 10, 11, &12

First Semester

First Quarter

I. Earth Systems & Resources (10-15% of AP Exam) (3 weeks)

A. Section 1

· Earth Science Concept

(Geologic time scale; plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanism; seasons; solar intensity & latitude

· Soil and Soil Dynamics

(Rock cycle; formation; composition; physical & chemical properties; main soil types; erosion & other soil problems; soil conservation)

Labs:

Ø Introduction to Environmental Problems (3 lab periods)

Ø United Nations Environmental Issues Project (A year long project)

Ø Graham Cracker Approach to Plate Tectonics (1 lab period)

Videos:

Ø Planet Earth: Living Machine

Ø Nova: Volcano Watchers

Ø Earthquake!

Test

B. Section 2

· The Atmosphere (Composition; structure; weather & climate; atmospheric circulation & the Coriolis Effect; atmosphere-ocean interactions; ENSO

· Global Water Resources and Use (Freshwater/saltwater; ocean circulation; agricultural, industrial, & domestic use; surface & groundwater issues; global problems; conservation)

Labs:

Ø Heat Transfer in the Earth (1 lab period)

Ø Mineral and Rock Identification Lab (1 lab period)

Ø Measuring Humidity & Dew Point Using Sling Psychrometers (1 lab period)

Videos:

Ø Planet Earth: Blue Planet

Ø Planet Earth: Climate Puzzle

Test

II. The Living World (10-15% of AP Exam) (3 weeks)

A. Section 1

· Ecosystem Structure (Biological populations & communities; ecological niches; interactions among species; keystone species; species diversity & edge effects; major terrestrial & aquatic biomes)

· Ecosystem Diversity (Biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem services)

· Natural Ecosystem Change (Climate shifts; species movement; ecological succession)

Labs:

Ø Using Detritus to Determine Arthropod Biodiversity in Relation to Ecosystem Type ( 3 lab periods)

Ø Evolution & Adaptation: Using Wooly Worms and other Creatures to Simulate Natural Selection (2 lab periods)

Ø Research Endangered Species in Arkansas (specifically the Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Its Correlation with Forest Management) (1 lab period & homework)

Videos:

Ø Great Barrier Reef

Ø National Geographic Rainforest

Test

B. Section 2

· Energy Flow (Photosynthesis & cellular respiration; food webs & trophic levels; ecological pyramids)

· Natural Biogeochemical Cycles(Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, water, conservation of matter)

Labs:

Ø Owl Pellets, Food Webs, & Pyramids (1 lab period)

Ø Primary Productivity Lab (2 weeks) (Will be started at the beginning of the unit.)

Second Quarter

III. Populations (10-15% of AP Exam) (3 weeks)

· Population Biology Concepts (Population ecology; carrying capacity; reproductive strategies; survivorship)

· Human Population

1. Human population dynamics (Historical population sizes; distribution; fertility rates; growth rates & doubling times; demographic transition; age-structure diagrams)

2. Population size (Strategies for sustainability; case studies; national policies)

3. Impacts of population growth (Hunger; disease; economic effects; resource use; habitat destruction)

Labs:

Ø Reintroduction of the Lynx to a Rocky Mountain Forest; How Age Structure Diagrams Can Be Used to Determine Habitat Sustainability (3 lab periods)

Ø Green City Design Project (2 lab periods)

Ø Population Growth Lab (1 week) (Lab will be started midway through the unit)

Ø Tent Caterpillar Lab (2 lab periods)

IV. Land & Water Use (10-15% of AP Exam) (3 weeks)

A. Section 1

· Agriculture

1. Feeding a growing population (Human nutritional requirements; types of agriculture; Green Revolution; genetic engineering & crop production; deforestation; irrigation; sustainable agriculture)

2. Controlling pests (Types of pesticides; costs & benefits of pesticide use; integrated pest management; relevant laws)

· Forestry (Tree plantations; old growth forests; forest fires; forest management; national forests:

· Rangelands (Overgrazing; deforestation; desertification; rangeland management; federal rangelands)

Labs:

Ø Research the increase in cowbird nest parasitism as a result of forest fragmentation. (1 lab period)

Ø Salinization Lab (1 week starting the first day of the unit)

Videos:

Ø Nova: Yellowstone’s Burning Question

Test

B. Section 2

· Other Land Use

1. Urban land development (Planned development; suburban sprawl; urbanization)

2. Transportation infrastructure (Federal highway system; canals & channels; roadless areas; ecosystem impacts)

3. Public and federal lands (Management; wilderness areas; national parks; wildlife refuges; forests; wetlands)

4. Land conservation options (Preservation; remediation; mitigation; restoration)

5. Sustainable land-use strategies

· Mining (Mineral formation; extraction; global reserves; relevant laws & treaties)

· Fishing (Fishing techniques; overfishing; aquaculture; relevant laws and treaties)

· Global Economics (Globalization; World Bank; Tragedy of the Commons; relevant laws & treaties

Labs:

Ø Tragedy of the Commons Lab (2 lab periods)

Ø Ecotourism Survey (2 weeks for part of the class period, starting at the beginning of the unit)

Ø Inventory of Plant & Animal Species along the walking trail of our business partner in education. Analyze the benefits to helath of the employees & the environment by the business’s provision. (3 lab periods)

Videos:

Ø Do We Really Need the Rockies? Shale Oil

Ø Planet Earth: Gifts from Earth

Test

Second Semester

Third Quarter

V. Energy Resources and Consumption (10-15% of AP Exam) (3 weeks)

A. Section 1

· Energy Concepts (Energy forms; power; units; conversions; Laws of Thermodynamics)

· Energy Consumption

1. History ( Industrial Revolution; exponential growth; energy crisis)

2. Present global energy use

3. Future energy needs

· Fossil Fuel Resources and Use

( Formation of coal, oil, & natural gas; extraction/purification methods; world reserves & global demand; synfuels; environmental advantages/disadvantages of sources)

Labs:

Ø Energy Audit Lab (2 lab periods & homework)

Videos:

Ø Planet Earth: Solar Sea

Test

B. Section 2

· Nuclear Energy (Nuclear fission process; nuclear fuel; electricity production; nuclear reactor types; environmental advantages/ disadvantages; safety issues; radiation & human health; radioactive wastes; nuclear fusion)

· Hydroelectric Power (Dams; flood control; salmon; silting; other impacts)

· Energy Conservation (Energy efficiency; CAFÉ standards; hybrid electric vehicles; mass transit)

· Renewable Energy (Solar energy; solar electricity; hydrogen fuel cells; biomass; wind energy; small-scale hydroelectric; ocean waves & tidal energy; geothermal; environmental advantages/disadvantages)

Labs:

Ø Solar Impact Project (1 lab period starting at the beginning of school and completed at the end of this unit)

Test

VI. Pollution (25-30% of the AP Exam) (8 weeks)

A. Section 1

· Pollution Types

1. Air pollution (Sources – primary & secondary; major air pollutants; measurement units; smog; acid deposition – causes & effects; heat islands & temperature inversions; indoor air pollution; remediation & reduction strategies; Clean Air Act & other relevant laws)

2. Noise pollution (Sources; effects; control measures)

3. Water pollution (Types; sources, causes, & effects; cultural eutrophication; groundwater pollution; maintaining water quality; water purification; sewage treatment/septic systems; Clean Water Act & other relevant laws)

4. Solid waste (Types; disposal; reduction)

Labs:

Ø Sewage Treatment (on going for 4 days)

Ø Personal Solid Waste Inventory (1 lab period on going for 1 week at home)

Ø pH Analysis of Local Rainfall (ongoing until the end of the school year)

Ø Water Quality Tests of a Local Body of Water (weekend assignment)

Ø Monitoring the school water feature for water quality and biodiversity (ongoing until the end of the school year)

Videos:

Ø Nova: Acid Rain New Bad News

Test

Fourth Quarter

B. Section 2

· Impacts on the Environment and Human Health

1. Hazards to human health (Environmental risk analysis; acute & chronic effects; dose-response relationships; air pollutants; smoking & other risks)

2. Hazardous chemicals in the environment (Types of hazardous waste; treatment/

Disposal of hazardous waste; cleanup of contaminated sites; biomagnification; relevant laws)

· Economic Impacts (Cost-benefit analysis; externalities; marginal costs; sustainability)

Labs:

Ø Dissolved Oxygen Lab – Biodegradable Materials & Their Effect on Dissolved Oxygen Levels (4 lab periods)

Ø Coastal Debate Lab (3 lab periods)

Ø Research on White-nose Fungal Disease Affecting Bat Colonies (bat species affected, effect on spelunkers due to cave closings & reasons for cave closings) (1 lab period with follow up at home)

Test

VII. Global Change (10-15% of the AP Exam) (3 weeks)

· Stratospheric Ozone (Formation of stratospheric ozone; ultraviolet radiation; causes of ozone depletion; effects of ozone depletion; strategies for reducing ozone depletion; relevant laws & treaties)

· Global Warming (Greenhouse gases & the greenhouse effect; impacts & consequences of global warming; reducing climate change; relevant laws & treaties)

· Loss of Biodiversity

1. Habitat loss; overuse; pollution; introduced species; endangered & extinct species)

2. Maintenance through conservation

3. Relevant laws and treaties

Labs:

Ø How Hot is It Here on Earth? (2 lab periods)

Ø Analysis of CBC data for the area to compare winter eruption species and average temperatures that year (1 lab period)

Ø Monitoring of Spring Bird Migration with Research of the Wintering & Nesting Grounds of the Birds Sighted to Show Earth as Global Community (3 lab periods)

Ø Determining their Ecological Footprint Internet Activity

Videos:

Ø The Infinite Voyage: Crisis In the Atmosphere (Ozone Depletion)

Ø Global Warming: What’s Up With the Weather

Ø The Sixth Extinction: The Human Role

Test

First Semester Assignment

With the aid of Supplement 26 in Environmental Science Principles, Connections and Solutions, students are to analyze 10 environmental science articles not older than two years each quarter.

Second Semester Assignment

Environmental Science Book Report assigned after the AP Exam. The report will be done in class.

Field Trips

1. Fort Smith Landfill

2. Janet Huckabee Nature Center