Advanced Placement Environmental Science
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1. Course Description The A.P. Environmental Science course is designed to be the equivalent of a one semester, introductory college course in environmental science. Unlike most other college introductory-level science courses, environmental science is offered from a wide variety of departments, including biology, geology, 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 A.P. 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 to fulfill a requirement for a laboratory science course, which may apply to some high schools.) The A.P. Course description and A.P. EXAMINATION have been prepared by university and high school level environmental science faculty who serve as members of the Advanced Placement Environmental Science Development Committee. In both breadth and level of detail, the content of the course reflects what is -found in many introductory college courses in environmental science. The goal of the A. P. 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 and/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 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 A.P. Environmental Science course: 1. Science is a process; it is a method of learning more about the world and it constantly changes the way we understand the world. 2. Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes- energy cannot be created, it must come from somewhere; as energy flows through systems, at each step, more of it becomes unusable. 3. The Earth itself is one interconnected system; natural systems change over time and space,- biogeochemical systems vary in ability to recover from disturbances. 4. Humans alter natural systems; humans have had an impact on the environment for millions of years; technology and population growth have enabled humans to increase both the rate and scale of their impact on the environment. 5. Environmental problems have a cultural and social context; understanding the role of cultural, social and economic factors is vital to the development of solutions. 6. Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems. Back to Top

2. Who is taking A.P. Environmental Science? The course is designed for interested students who have completed two years of high school laboratory science -one year of biology and one year of chemistry. Given this, A. P. Environmental Science is usually taken in either the junior or senior year. In 1996-1997, 128 students took the class, with 106 of them being seniors, 20 juniors and 2 sophomores,- 1997-1998, 128 APES students, predominantly seniors; 19981999, 151 APES students, with slightly more seniors than juniors; 1999-2000, 143 students, slightly more 'juniors than seniors; each of the previous 4 years of the course have seen 1,2, or 3 sophomores in the class. For some APES students, this course marks the eighth, ninth, tenth, etc. AP course taken: for others, APES is the initial AP science course they have enrolled in and/or the first AP course in any discipline which they have taken. The diversity of students in this course is one of the unique, and in my opinion, truly outstanding aspects of the AP Environmental Science Course. Back to Top

3. Outline of Topics The following is an outline of major topics, which serves to define the scope of both the A.P. Environmental Science course and the A.P. Exam. The order of the topics in the outline holds no special significance, since there are many different sequences in which the topics can be appropriately addressed in the course. The percentage after each major topic heading shows the proximate proportion of questions on the examination that pertain to that heading; thus the percentage also indicates the relative emphasis that will be placed on the topics in the course. Below is the course outline and the covered topics. Back to Top

Topics I. Interdependence of Earth's Systems II. Human Population Dynamics III. Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources IV. Environmental Quality V. Global Changes and Their Consequences VI. Environment and Society: Trade -Offs and Decision Making I. Interdependence of Earth's Systems: Fundamental Principles and Concepts: (25%) Chapters: 4,5,6,7,8,11,12,19 A. The Flow of Energy 1. forms and quality of energy 2. energy units and measurements 3. sources and sinks, conversions B. The Cycling of Matter 1. water 2. carbon 3. major nutrients a. nitrogen b. phosphorus 4. differences between cycling of major and trace elements C. The Solid Earth 1. Earth history and the geologic time scale. 2. Earth dynamics: plate tectonics, volcanism, the rock cycle, soil formation  D. The Atmosphere. 1. atmospheric history: origin, evolution, composition, and structure 2. atmospheric dynamics: weather, climate E. The Biosphere 1. organisms: adaptations to their environments 2. populations and communities: exponential growth, carrying capacity 3. ecosystems and change: biomass, energy transfer, succession 4. evolution of life: natural selection, extinction II. Human Population Dynamics: (10%) Chapters: 1,2,9,10,25  A. History and Global Distribution 1. numbers 2. demographics, such as birth and death rates 3. patterns of resource utilization B. Carrying Capacity - Local, Regional, Global C. Cultural and Economic Influences   III. Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources: Distribution, ownership, use,and degradation: (15%) Chapters: 13,14,17,19,21,23,24   A. Water 1. fresh: agricultural, industrial, domestic 2. oceans: fisheries, industrial B. Minerals C. Soils 1. soil types 2. erosion and conservation   D. Biological 1. natural areas 2. genetic diversity 3. food and other agricultural products E. Energy 1. conventional sources 2. alternative sources F. Land 1. residential and commercial 2. agricultural and forestry 3. recreational and wilderness   IV. Environmental Quality: (20%-25%) Chapters: 15,16,18, 20,22  A. Air, Water, Soil 1. major pollutants a. types, such as SO2, NO, and pesticides b. thermal pollution c. measurement and units of measure, such as ppm, pH, ug/L d. point and nonpoint sources(domestic, industrial, agricultural) 2. effects of pollutants on: a. aquatic systems b. vegetation c. natural features, buildings and structures d. wildlife 3. pollution reduction, remediation, and control B. Solid Waste 1. types, sources, and amounts 2. current disposal methods and their limitations 3. alternative practices in solid waste management C. Impact on Human Health 1. agents: chemical and biological 2. effects: acute and chronic, dose-response relationships 3. relative risks: evaluation and response V. Global Changes and Their Consequences: (15%-20%) Chapters: 11,12,24 A. First-order Effects(changes): 1. atmosphere: CO2, CH4 stratospheric O3. 2. oceans: surface temperatures, currents. 3. biota: habitat destruction, introduced exotics, overharvesting. B. Higher-order Interactions(consequences): 1. atmosphere: global warming, increased ultraviolet radiation 2. oceans: increasing sea level, long-term climate change, impact on El Nino 3. biota: loss of biodiversity VI. Environment and Society: Trade -Offs and Decision Making (10%) All Chapters A. Economic Forces 1. Cost-benefit analysis 2. Marginal costs 3. Ownership and externalized costs B. Cultural and Aesthetic Considerations C. Environmental Ethics  D. Environmental Laws and Regulations(International, National, and regional)   E. Issues and Options(conservation, preservation, restoration, remediation, sustainability, mitigation). Back to Top

4. Laboratory Experiments and Field investigations Laboratory experiments and field investigations are designed to complement the "indoor classroom"/lecture-discussion portion of the course by providing opportunities to learn about our environment through firsthand observations, to test concepts and principles which have been introduced in class, to explore specific issues and problems in greater depth, and to gain an awareness of the importance of confounding variables which exist in the real world. Investigations will be diverse; examples include ecosystem dynamics, soil analysis, ecological succession, population studies, carrying capacity, energy consumption, field-testing for tropospheric ozone air pollution, toxicity testing, water-quality testing, raising and releasing rainbow trout, urban-planning, solid waste management, and the greenhouse effect, to name just a few. These labs and many others will invite students to think critically, to observe environmental systems, to develop and conduct well-designed experiments, to utilize appropriate techniques and instrumentation, to analyze and interpret data, including statistical and graphical presentations, to think analytically and apply concepts to the solution of environmental problems, to form conclusions and to evaluate their quality and validity, to propose further questions for study and to communicate accurately and meaningfully about observations and conclusions. Back to Top

 

5. Text Living in the Environment, ninth edition, G. Tyler Miller, Jr., Copyright 1996, Wadsworth Publishing Company/International Thomson Publishing Company. ISBN 0534-23898-X. Phone 1-800-354-9706, should you wish to purchase your own copy. Back to Top

6. The EXAM: Tuesday, May 15,2001: afternoon(1:00- 5:00 p.m.) The A.P. Environmental Science Exam created by The College Board and The Educational Testing Service, will be administered on May 15, 2001. This Exam is three hours in length and consists of two parts: a Multiple-choice section comprised of 100 questions and forming 60% of the grade, and a Free-Response section comprised of four questions and forming 40% of the grade. The multiple-choice section is designed to cover the breadth of your knowledge and understanding of environmental science and includes thought-provoking problems and questions based on fundamental ideas from environmental science as well as questions based on the recall of basic facts and major concepts. The number of multiple-choice questions taken from each major topic area is reflected in the percentage of the course as designated in the outline of topics. The free response section emphasizes the application of principles in greater depth; you will need to organize answers to broad questions, demonstrating reasoning and analytical skills, as well as the ability to synthesize material from several sources into cogent and coherent essays. There are three types of free-response questions; 1. data-analysis/calculation-based/lab-based, 2. document-based, and 3. synthesis and evaluation free-response questions. The data-analyst's/calculation-based/lab-based question provides you with one or more data sets, or calculation-based questions, or a laboratory-design type of scenario and you are asked to manipulate, analyze, and interpret data and or design an experiment; the document-based question presents you with a news article, a product advertisement, a pamphlet, or another similar document, and your task is to apply knowledge of environmental science to contexts that are timely, relevant, and authentic(information in the document must be used; the synthesis/evaluation questions are in-depth, often multipart essay questions that require you to synthesize and evaluate ideas by using concepts of environmental science. Back to Top

  

7. Grading Students will be evaluated through -performance on topic/chapter exams, quizzes (announced and unannounced), participation in laboratory and field investigations and the production of lab reports( a lab 3-ring folder is required and will be collected for periodic grading, writing assignments(such as guest essay responses, critiques of assigned articles and essays), and other individual as well as group projects. Exams generally will be given at the end of each chapter, sometimes after 2 or 3 chapters, with each 91 being worth approximately I 00 points( exams may be worth as many as 150 pts.); exams will generally have 40-70 multiple-choice questions(with each M/C question worth 2 pts.) and one free-response essay question(worth 30 pts.). You should take notes on class reading assignments, class discussions/lectures, and other sources, and you should keep these notes for the duration of the course to serve as a STUDY GUI]DE for the May 15'h APES Exam. You may also see matching and fill-in the blank questions on a few of the exams to add a bit of variety to our lives. Chapter exams and quizzes will comprise 65-70% of the total points, with the remaining points coming from class assignments(labs, homework, class projects,etc.). Letter grades are determined by a fairly traditional scale: 90-100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, 60-69=D, below 60=F. A tentative schedule of exam dates for the 2000-2001 academic year will be given to you shortly. When you receive this handout, please keep it with this course outline/ description information for your planning. Back to Top

 

8. Materials you should have for APES You should have a notebook for class notes, which you have taken both in class, during lecture discussion lessons and while reading the text; a three-ring binder is recommended, so that filing/organizing course handouts is that much easier. In addition, you will be asked periodically to bring specific items; examples include graph paper, clear plastic soda bottles, soil samples, a guppy or aquatic snail, fish food, plastic cups, an aquatic plant, terrestrial plants, cut gas, seeds, cardboard, a camera w/film, and various food items, to name a few things... Back to Top

9. Expectations/Noteworthy Qualities Be prompt, prepared, polite and courteous to those around you; "save the gum", granola, Powerbars, fresh fruit, bagels, Starbuck's coffee, Grape-nuts, etc. for a time and setting when more quality attention can be given to these and other food and drink items; no late work is accepted; give your penguin a jacket - preserve your book for future generations. "Other stuff" which you (already) should know:* be on time(worth repeating) walking in late without a really good reason(you might be able to think of a few really poor reasons) will mean the loss of 10 points per unexcused tardy and by the loss of pop-quiz points(should there be one on the day(s) that you decide to posse arrive late, have the materials needed for class with you in class, restroom requests are the exception, not the rule or the norm-thank you in advance for not making a habit of asking to go visit the restroom/drinking fountain/vendingland/counselors office/ lockers/car/truck/SUV/yak/student store/Hawthorne office/Etc. "What are we doing today in APES?" most of the time, you should not need to ask this question: you Will know from the preceding class, by reading the "plan" on the board, and/or from listening during the first few minutes of the period. Be in class on exam days; failure to do so may result in a zero on that exam. Help prevent the tragedy of the commons ... thank you for finding the recycle bins and the "trash" cans. Back to Top

 Hope the 2000-2001 school year is a superb one for you!

Climb onward,
Mr. Smith