AP Environmental Science SYLLABUS 2016-2017

Nicole Hamilton Rm 104

nicole.hamilton@tusd1.org
uhsapenviro.weebly.com
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY

Welcome to AP Environmental Science! The goal of this course is to prepare you for
the Advanced Placement Biology exam in May 2017. In order to ensure that you are
best prepared, it is important that you attend class regularly, use the textbook as a
reference, and keep up with class assignments. The amount of work you are willing
to commit to during the early months of the school year will go a long way toward
reducing your stress level in April and May. Through lecture, lab, and discussion, I
will do my best to prepare you for the exam. However, you must also take
responsibility for your education. This means it is up to you to keep up with
textbook readings, come in for make up work after you are absent, and ask
questions when you are confused.

INTRODUCTION

The AP Environmental Science course is designed to be the equivalent of a onesemester, introductory college course in environmental science. Unlike most other
introductory-level college science courses, environmental science is offered from a
wide variety of departments, including geology, biology, environmental studies,
environmental science, chemistry, and geography . Depending on the department
offering the course, different emphases are placed on various topics. Some courses
are rigorous science courses that stress scientific principles and analysis and that
often include a laboratory component; other courses emphasize the study of
environmental issues from a sociological or political perspective rather than a
scientific one. The AP Environmental Science course has been developed to be most
like the former; 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 .

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The goal of the AP Environmental Science 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 human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated
with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving or
preventing them. 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. Science is a process.
2. Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.
3. The Earth itself is one interconnected system.

4. Humans alter natural systems.

5. Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.
6. Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable
systems.

TOPIC OUTLINE
1. Earth Systems and Resources (1015%)
Earth Science Concepts (Geologic time scale;
plate tectonics, earthquakes,
volcanism; seasons; solar intensity and latitude)
- The Atmosphere (Composition; structure; weather and climate; atmospheric
circulation and the Coriolis Effect; atmosphereocean interactions; ENSO)
- Global Water Resources and Use (Freshwater/saltwater; ocean circulation;
agricultural, industrial, and domestic use; surface and groundwater issues;
global problems; conservation)
- Soil and Soil Dynamics (Rock cycle; formation; composition; physical and
chemical properties; main soil types; erosion and other soil problems; soil
conservation)
-

2. The Living World (1015%)

Ecosystem Structure (Biological populations and communities; ecological
niches; interactions among species; keystone species; species diversity and
edge effects; major terrestrial and aquatic biomes)
Energy Flow (Photosynthesis and cellular respiration; food webs and trophic
levels; ecological pyramids)
Ecosystem Diversity (Biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem
services)
Natural Ecosystem Change (Climate shifts; species movement; ecological
succession)
Natural Biogeochemical Cycles (Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, water,
conservation of matter

3. Population (1015%)
- Population Biology Concepts (Population ecology; carrying capacity;
reproductive strategies; survivorship)
- Human Population
o Human population dynamics (Historical population sizes; distribution; fertility
rates; growth rates and doubling times; demographic transition; agestructure diagrams)
o Population size (Strategies for sustainability; case studies; national policies)
o Impacts of population growth (Hunger; disease; economic effects; resource
use; habitat destruction)
4.

Land and Water Use (1015%)

- Agriculture
o Feeding a growing population (Human nutritional requirements; types of
agriculture; Green Revolution; genetic engineering and crop production;
deforestation; irrigation; sustainable agriculture)

Controlling pests (Types of pesticides; costs and 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)
- Other Land Use
o Urban land development (Planned development; suburban sprawl;
urbanization)
o Transportation infrastructure (Federal highway system; canals and channels;
roadless areas; ecosystem impacts)
o Public and federal lands (Management; wilderness areas; national parks;
wildlife refuges; forests; wetlands)
o Land conservation options (Preservation; remediation; mitigation;
restoration)
o Sustainable land-use strategies
- Mining (Mineral formation; extraction; global reserves; relevant laws and
treaties)
- Fishing (Fishing techniques; overfishing; aquaculture; relevant laws and
treaties)
- Global Economics (Globalization; World Bank; Tragedy of the Commons;
relevant laws and treaties)
5. Energy Resources and Consumption (1015%)
- Energy Concepts (Energy forms; power; units; conversions; Laws of
Thermodynamics)
- Energy Consumption
o History (Industrial Revolution; exponential growth; energy crisis)
o Present global energy use
o Future energy needs
- Fossil Fuel Resources and Use (Formation of coal, oil, and natural gas;
extraction/purification methods; world reserves and global demand; synfuels;
environmental advantages/disadvantages of sources)
- Nuclear Energy (Nuclear fission process; nuclear fuel; electricity production;
nuclear reactor types; environmental advantages/disadvantages; safety
issues; radiation and human health; radioactive wastes; nuclear fusion)
- Hydroelectric Power (Dams; flood control; salmon; silting; other impacts)
- Energy Conservation (Energy efficiency; CAFE standards; hybrid electric
vehicles; mass transit)
- Renewable Energy (Solar energy; solar electricity; hydrogen fuel cells;
biomass; wind energy; small-scale hydroelectric; ocean waves and tidal
energy; geothermal; environmental advantages/disadvantages)
o

6. Pollution (2530%)
- Pollution Types
o Air pollution (Sources primary and secondary; major air pollutants;
measurement units; smog; acid deposition causes and effects; heat
islands and temperature inversions; indoor air pollution; remediation and
reduction strategies; Clean Air Act and other relevant laws)

o Noise pollution (Sources; effects; control measures)

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

SCIENCE PRACTICES
1. The student can use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena
and solve scientific problems.
2. The student can use mathematics appropriately.
3. The student can engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide
investigations within the context of the AP course.
4. The student can plan and implement data collection strategies in relation to a
particular scientific question. [Note: data can be collected from many different sources,
e.g., investigations, scientific observations, the findings of others]
5. The student can perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.
6. The student can work with scientific explanations and theories.
7. The student is able to connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts,
and representations in and across domains.

T H E E X AM
The AP Environmental Science Exam is 3 hours long and is divided equally in time
between a multiple-choice section and a free-response section. The multiple-choice
section, which constitutes 60 percent of the final grade, consists of 100 multiplechoice questions that are designed to cover the breadth of the students knowledge
and understanding of environmental science. Thought-provoking problems and
questions based on fundamental ideas from environmental science are included
along with questions based on the science practices. The number of multiple-choice
questions taken from each major topic area is reflected in the percentage of the
course as designated in the topic outline. The free-response section emphasizes the
application of principles in greater depth. In this section, students must organize
answers to broad questions, thereby demonstrating reasoning and analytical skills,
as well as the ability to synthesize material from several sources into cogent and
coherent essays. Four free-response questions are included in this section, which
constitutes 40 percent of the final grade: 1 data-set question, 1 document-based
question, and 2 synthesis and evaluation questions.

In general, the AP composite score points are set so that the lowest raw score
needed to earn an AP Exam score of 5 is equivalent to the average score among
college students earning grades of A in the college course.
NOTE: No calculators are allowed on any section of the APES exam
AP Score Qualification
5 Extremely well qualified
4 Well qualified
3 Qualified
2 Possibly qualified
1 No recommendation

Required Materials
- 3 Ring Binder / loose paper
- # 2 pencil for all tests
- Blue/Black/Red pen
Textbook
Friedland and Relyea Environmental Science for AP
Grading
The following scale will be used to assign
grades:
A
89.50 100
B
79.50 - 89.49
C
69.50 - 79.49
D
59.50 - 69.49
F
59.49

Grading Categories
Tests ...30
Quizzes..10
Final Exam15
Homework.25
Lab 20

Tests: There will be 2-4 tests per quarter. Each test will be 100 points, consisting of 60% MC
and 40% Free Response.
Quizzes: There will approximately one quiz per week consisting of matching vocabulary and
short answer questions.
Final Exam: The final exam first semester will cover all material from the first semester. The
final exam second semester will cover material from throughout the entire year.
Homework: The homework category will include the problem sets for each unit, POGILS,
practice free response questions, and the notebook score.
Lab: The lab grade will consist of lab reports and in-class activities that contain a written portion.
Absence/Late Work Policy
Late work will be accepted up to one week late for a 50% penalty. If you are absent for a test or
quiz, you will have until the following Tuesday conference hour to make up the assessment. It is
up to the student to schedule a make up exam.
Code of Conduct
ANY student caught cheating, copying or plagiarizing will receive a zero for that assignment.
The students parent/guardian will be contacted and the student will be referred for disciplinary
action. This includes the student who lends homework or other assignments to another student
to copy.

AP Environmental Science 2016-2017

Please fill out the information below and sign to indicate that you have seen the
course syllabus.
Student Name: ____________________________________________________
Parent Contact Information
Parent/Guardian Name: _____________________________________________
Daytime Phone: __________________________ Evening Phone: __________________________
Email: ___________________________________________________________
Preferred method of contact: ____________________
Do you have access to the following resources?
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Parent/Guardian Signature: __________________________________ Date: __________

AP Environmental Science

Schedule: Quarter 1
Dates

Class Topic

Suggested
Reading/Viewing

Week 1
8/4

Introduction to APES

8/5

Environmental Indicators

Chapter 1
Module 1
Chapter 1
Module 3

Week 2
8/8

Tragedy of the Commons Lab

8/10
8/11

8/12
Week 3
8/15
8/17

8/18

8/19

Week 4
8/22
8/24

8/25
8/26
Week 5
8/29

Chapter 1
Module 2

Sustainability
Challenges of Environmental
Measurements
Quiz: Chapter 1
Structure of Matter
Importance of Water
Biological Molecules POGIL
Movement of Energy in a
System
Feedback Loops
Quiz: Chapter 2

Assignment Due

Signed Syllabus

Chapter 1 FRQ #1
page 29

Chapter 2
Module 4
Chapter 2
Module 5
Biological
Molecules POGIL
Chapter 2 FRQ #1
page 60

Cell Structure and Function

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic
POGIL
Cell Growth and Division
Mitosis POGIL
Review Unit 1

Unit 1 Test
Energy in Ecosystems
Bromothymol Demonstration

8/31

Trophic Levels
Cycling of Matter
Pond Water Lab
Response to Disturbances

9/1

Quiz: Chapter 3

9/2

Atmosphere and Air Currents

Prokaryotic and
Eukaryotic POGIL
Mitosis POGIL
Unit 1 FRQ #1
page 63
Chapter 3
Module 6
Chapter 3
Module 7
Chapter 3
Module 8
Chapter 3 FRQ #2
page 101
Nutrient POGIL
Chapter 4

Module 9 and 10
Week 6
9/6

Ocean Currents and Aquatic

Biomes

9/7

Terrestrial Biomes

9/8

Quiz: Chapter 4

9/9

Source of Biodiversity on Earth

Week 7
9/12
9/14
9/15
9/16
Week 8
9/19
9/21
9/22
9/23

Quiz: Chapter 5

Week 9
9/26
9/28
9/29

Recessive Lethal Allele Lab

Review Unit 2
Unit 2 Test

Population Dynamics in
Ecosystems

Week 10
10/3
Exponential and Logistic
Growth Models
Population Lab
10/4
Interaction between
populations
10/5
Succession
10/6

Quiz: Chapter 6

Pond Water Lab

Chapter 4 FRQ #1
page 145
Chapter 5
Module 14 and
15

Plant Genetics Lab

Molecular Basis of Heredity
Inheritance Patterns and
Meiosis
Quiz: DNA and Genetics
Half Day
Wooly Worm Lab
Mechanisms of Speciation
Pace of Evolution
Species Distribution

9/30

Chapter 4
Module 11 and
13
Chapter 4
Module 12

DNA POGIL
Chapter 5
Module 16

Meiosis POGIL

Chapter 5
Module 17
Chapter 5 FRQ #2
page 179

Evolution POGIL
Unit 2 FRQ #1
page 183
Chapter 6
Module 18
Chapter 6
Module 19
Chapter 6
Module 20
Chapter 6
Module 21
Chapter 6 FRQ #2
page 223
Population POGIL