Graphing Guidelines for Environmental Science



INFORMATION SHEET

Please tear this sheet off and give to me in room 242 or ask the ladies in the front office to place it in my mailbox before June 9

I would like some information about you to get to know you better and help me plan my lessons around things that interest the class.

Name: _____________________________________

Email (that you will actually use over the summer): ______________________________

Previous Science courses and grades (approximately)

• ___________________________________

• ___________________________________

• ___________________________________

• ___________________________________

Why did you sign up for AP Environmental Science (APES)?

What do you hope to learn next year?

What is the best way you learn? (listening, watching, hands on…)

Do you have a job? Where?

What interests/hobbies do you have?

What are your plans for after high school? (it’s ok to say you don’t know yet)

I have set up a remind101 account for our class to keep in touch over the summer and through next year if you have any questions about your summer assignment or in general.

Text @a6db86 to 81010 for text reminders.

You can also contact me this way or email me at msnyder@ (I only check email about once a week in the summer)

I also have set up a Canvas course with information to help prepare you for the first unit. I have to ‘invite’ you to be part of this to please check you school email for that. It will come out the week of June 6

Please keep in mind as you go through this packet, it is mostly review information and introduction of what we will cover during the first month of school. AP courses move quickly since testing is in the middle of May, it helps to have some of the work done before school starts.

Please contact me with any questions/concerns you have this summer.

NAME ___________________________________

AP Environmental Science Summer Packet

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills

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 year, your success in the class is also dependent upon what you bring to it at the onset. Over the summer, review these scientific concepts. We will be building upon and referencing them throughout the year.

This packet is made of up of information as well as some practice questions throughout. This will be checked and graded during the first week of school. There will be a quiz and unit test within the first 4 weeks of school. Be Prepared! Helpful information can be found on our APES Canvas Page through

Prerequisite Basic Scientific Concepts: You should be familiar with the following terms/concepts from Biology, Chemistry, and 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 & products)

• Cellular Respiration (reactants & 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

You will also need to know the full name of each of these chemical abbreviations: CO2, CO, C6H12O6, CH4,

H2, H2O, N2, NOX,NH4, O2,O3, P, PO4, S, SO2, Cl, K, NaCl, Pb, Hg, U

Prerequisite Basic Mathematical Skills

You should also be prepared to perform mathematical calculation WITHOUT USING A CALCULATOR. You won’t be allowed to use one on the APES Examination, so unless we are crunching data from a lab, we won’t be using one in class, either. Sometimes these calculations are fairly simple and you can complete the problems in your head. However, the APES exam requires that you SHOW ALL WORK for credit for the calculations on the free-response questions.

• Percentage

• Rates

• Scientific Notation

• Dimensional Analysis

Scientific Method and Graphing Practice Problem

The Chesapeake Bay is home to many different species of fish and other aquatic organisms. The food web is very reliant on the Bay’s sea grasses which get energy from photosynthesis. Clear water is critical to bay grasses. The sun’s rays must be able to pass through the water to reach these underwater plants growing in the Bay’s shallows. Sunlight is the single most important factor determining bay grass survival. Fish also need clear water to see their prey and avoid being eaten by predators. Water clarity is the percent of light that passes through the water

Nutrient and sediment pollution are the main causes of the Bay’s poor water clarity. When excess nutrients run off into the Bay, they can fuel the growth of water-clouding algae. Similarly, when soil erodes and washes into the Bay, particles of sediment can become suspended in the water.

|Year |% Clarity |

|1985 |38 |

|1986 |41 |

|1987 |35 |

|1988 |36 |

|1989 |29 |

|1990 |28 |

|1991 |37 |

|1992 |38 |

|1993 |19 |

|1994 |22 |

|1995 |35 |

|1996 |14 |

|1997 |22 |

|1998 |21 |

|1999 |23 |

|2000 |15 |

|2001 |29 |

|2002 |36 |

|2003 |10 |

|2004 |12 |

|2005 |11 |

|2006 |9 |

|2007 |13 |

Weather plays a large role in water clarity. Rain storms wash dirt and pollutants into the Bay, which causes the water to look muddy. During drier conditions, the water tends to be clearer. Water clarity will always fluctuate naturally depending on weather conditions.

Questions:

1. Write a problem statement for the above scenario.

2. Come up with a hypothesis for your problem statement.

3. Using the data set, list the dependent and independent variables.

4. On the next page, create a graph for the data set (be sure to include all parts of a graph)

5. Write a statement summarizing the meaning of your graph. (NOT what the graph says)

The following are review questions about material from previous science classes that will be built upon during the first month of school. Since we do not have textbooks yet, you can use any source to answer the following. I have included some information on our Canvas page through .

Answer your questions in complete sentences on a separate sheet of paper- TYPED!

Evolution Review Questions

1. How does the fossil record give evidence to support the theory of Evolution?

2. What was Darwin’s main idea?

3. How does looking at the development of multiple organisms give scientists information about evolution?

4. What is the difference between adaptation and variation?

5. What is the main difference between homologous and analogous structures? Use examples.

6. How does changing the environment affect evolution?

Ecology Review Questions

1. What are some examples of abiotic and biotic factors in?

2. What is a biome? List the 7 major biomes of the world.

3. Why is biodiversity a key factor in environmental science?

4. What provides energy for life and how do matter and energy flow through an ecosystem?

5. What is the difference between a habitat and a niche?

6. How much energy is passed on from one trophic level to the next in a food chain? Include a tropic pyramid

7. Describe the main biogeochemical cycles with key terms (diagrams can be included)

a. Carbon, nitrogen, hydrologic, mineral

b. How do humans impact the major biogeochemical cycles?

8. Can energy be recycled through food chains? Explain your answer.

9. What factors affect population growth? What is the difference between density dependent and density independent factors?

10. Describe and find examples of population curves.

a. J- curve (exponential)

b. S-curve (logistic)

11. Define and give examples of the population interactions listed:

• Predation

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

• Commensalism

A main focus of this class will be sustainability as well as human impact, for that reason, I want you to take time during the summer to spend more time outdoors (if you don’t already do so)

ASSIGNMENT Nature Walk: BE AWARE OF AND ENJOY NATURE 20 points

Visit a natural area, go for a walk, sit in your backyard, go to a park or the beach or anywhere outside (get the point?) and make some observations!

Record the date, time, duration, and location of your outings (at least 4)

• You can do this in a notebook, homemade nature journal, GoogleDoc (there may even be an app for this, who knows?)

Record observations on the following things:

• Flora (plants)

• Fauna (animals, fungi, etc.)

• Geology (rocks, soil, etc.)

• Weather (today)/Climate (throughout the seasons)

You don’t need to know specific species names for all of the plants and animals and types of rocks and soil that you see, but describe them. This part of the assignment can just be a running list of things you see can use bullet points, and doesn’t need to be in complete sentences. You can also include drawings of what you see if you are so inclined

• What color are they?

• How big are they?

• What are they doing?

• How are they interacting with each other, with other types of organisms?

Write a paragraph (complete sentences, etc.) reflecting on the following questions:

• What did you encounter?

• What questions did you wonder as you observed everything?

• How much and what kinds of human impacts did you notice in that area?

• How did you enjoy the activity?

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To measure water clarity:

•The Secchi disc is lowered into the water until it disappears, then pulled up until it can just barely be seen.

•Scientists mark the water line on the rope and measure the distance between the Secchi disc and the water line.

•The measurement is the water’s clarity: the depth that sunlight is able to penetrate through the water

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