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AP Environmental Science 2013 / 2014Damonte Ranch High SchoolInstructor: Ms. Wendy JacksonSyllabus and Course OverviewThis AP Environmental Science course is designed to be the equivalent of a one-semester, introductory college course in environmental science. 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. The course will focus on the seven major themes from the AP Environmental Science Curriculum requirements. There will be several Saturday or weekend events will be required for the course. Families are encouraged to attend and very welcome. Major ThemesEarth Systems and Resources5. PopulationEarth Science Concepts * Population Biology ConceptsThe Atmosphere *Human PopulationsGlobal Water Resources and UseSoil and Soil DynamicsThe Living World6. PollutionEcosystem Structures *Pollution TypesEnergy Flow * Impacts on the Environment and Human HealthEcosystem Diversity * Economic ImpactsNatural Ecosystem ChangesNatural Biogeochemical Cycles.Land and Water Use7. Global ChangeAgriculture.*Stratospheric OzoneForestry*Global WarmingRangelands*Loss of BiodiversityOther Land UseMiningFishingGlobal EconomicsEnergy Resources and ConsumptionEnergy ConceptsEnergy ConsumptionFossil Fuel Resources and UseNuclear EnergyHydroelectric PowerEnergy ConservationRenewable EnergyTeaching StrategiesStudents are expected to read the assigned reading before class and come prepared with questions and or ready for the lab. I will cover the topics and concepts in lecture that are most difficult to grasp and/or necessary to understand to successfully complete this course and the exam. A wide variety of techniques will be used to address as many learning styles as possible and incorporate hands on activities in addition to the laboratory experiments as time permits. Weekly presentations of current articles, from credible sources, will be required to keep students abreast of the constantly changing information in science and to help students to grasp the modern environmental and social concerns associated with these events. These presentations will be followed by class discussions using “Socratic Questioning” methods to encourage critical thinking. In the spring semester students will be assigned a research paper on controversial issues such as geothermal mining, genetically modified foods (crops and livestock), or local water issues (the Newlands project, water rights for Southern California). Students will be required to research facts supporting arguments for one side of the issue, identify the human health risks associated with the issue, and critically examine various solutions for the issues assigned. A debate will then be performed with opposing positions for the class as a teaching strategy for these issues.Ongoing InvestigationsStudents will collect water samples from the Damonte Marsh, and Thomas Creek throughout the year. They will be analyzing the data for temperature, salinity, turbidity, pH, DO, nitrates, phosphates, and bacteria. Our data will be used to form a database which will be added to each year. The data will also be shared with the Nevada EPA. Field TripsStillwater Conservancy / Lahonton Basin Dessert Museum (Saturday) 8/11(Rescheduled)Truckee river tributary stream restoration or trail building with the Nevada Conservation Corps. Details to be worked out this summer. TBABerlin / Ichthyosaur State Park (over night trip) 7/26-28/13 (Rescheduled)Nevada State Senate for public hearing on public land use issues January 2014 sessionRound Mountain Gold 7/29-30/13 (Rescheduled)G Plant (South Reno) 9/11 or 9/18/13Community ServiceKeep Truckee Meadows Beautiful Day (Saturday) March 2014Snap Shot Day April 2014 at UNRCourse PlannerClass periods are 90 minutes long and on a rotating block schedule. Class will meet 10 times in a 3week period. The total teaching days before the AP test is 102 leaving 4 days for review. Approximately one class period per week is devoted to hands-on laboratory experiences or field work (90 min every 270 min which is 1 class every 3 classes) . All lab and fieldwork requires a written report kept in a bound notebook. The written lab reports will require students to use graphs and mathematical computations to analyze and interpret their data. Student EvaluationI will use tests/quizzes(20%), practice(10%), lab reports(30%), final(15%) projects/debates(25%). ResourcesTextbookEnironmental Science for AP, by Friedland and ReyleaStrive for a 5.Lab ManualsEnvironmental Science Laboratory Notebook, Hayden-McNeil ,2011. Materials NeededComposition Notebook JournalColored PencilsFlash Drive 4Gig minimumBlue, Black and Red Ink pensPencilsBasic CalculatorLecture and Lab Schedule for AP Environmental ScienceTime FrameLecture and Lab TitlesText book ReadingsWeeks 1 and 2Environmental Problems, Their causes, and Sustainability.History of Environmental Science Science, Systems, Matter, and Energy. Lab: First Stream water quality lab (chemical testing and probe) Lab: Salinization Chapters 1,2 Week 3Ecosystems: Components, Energy Flow, and Matter Cycling. Lab: Net Primary Productivity Quantitative paper Lab: Eating at a Lower Trophic Level.Chapter 3Week 4Evolution and Sustainability Lab: Natural selection Chapter 4Weeks 5 and 6Climate, Biomes, and Terrestrial BiodiversityAquatic BiodiversityLab: MacroinvertebratesLab: Ecosystem Columns (long term lab 5 weeks)Chapters 5 and 6 Week 7 Community Ecology: structure, species interactions, Succession, & Sustainability.Lab: Determining the dominate plant species using quadrats. Chapter 7Week 8Population Ecology: Carrying Capacity and Conservation BiologyLab: Modeling Predator- Prey Interactions.Chapter 8Week 9Due to our block scheduling and the 8 unit test we will have, this week is probably used up. Lab: Allelopathy or Mark RecaptureMidterm Chapters 1-8.End of First QuarterWeek 1Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: The Ecosystem ApproachLab: Habitat Island SimulationActivity: National Parks reportChapter 10Week 2Sustaining Biodiversity: the species approachActivity: Endangered Species projectChapter 11Week 3Sustaining Aquatic DiversityLab: Water quality monitoring Activity: Aquatic Invasive Species ProjectChapter 12Weeks 4-6Human PopulationSustainable Cities: Urban Land UseActivity: Global population projectLab: Population Distribution and SurvivorshiporLab: Demography and Our Local Cemetery Activity: Land- Use Planning ProjectQuantitative Lab: World Population GrowthChapters 9 and 23Week 7Food, Soil Conservation, and Pest ManagementField trip: Pyramid Lake Fish HatcheryChapter 13Week 8Environmental Hazards & Human HealthLab: BioassayChapter 18Week 9Finals End of Semester 1 Chapters 1-13, 18 and 23Second SemesterWeek 1-3Water ResourcesWater PollutionLab: Water monitoring at the Marina (on going)Lab: Nutrient Enrichment Lab, Investigating Cultural Eutrophication. Project: Design a Wastewater treatment deviceLab: The effect if biodegradable waste on dissolved oxygen: sewage laboratoryChapters 14, and 21Week 4 Solid and Hazardous WasteLab: copper extractionActivity: Solid waste inventory Chapter 22Week 5 Air PollutionLab: Testing for ParticulatesChapter 19Week 6Climate Change and Ozone LossLab: CO2 Emissions from Fossil-fuel Burning (quantitative)Activity: Personal Energy audit (quantitative)Chapter 20Week 7 -9 End of 3rd quarterMidterm chapters14, 16,19-22Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral ResourcesNonrenewable EnergyLab: ongoing water quality at the MarinaSoil Lab: Porosity and Permeability Activity: Mining with chocolate chip cookiesChapters 14 and 16 Week 1 and 2Energy efficiency and Renewable EnergyLab: Design a Solar Oven or WindmillChapter 17Week 3-5Economics, the environment and sustainabilityPolitics and the EnvironmentEthics and the EnvironmentLab: ongoing water quality at the MarinaActivity: Letter to a Government Official and PetitionLab: Nation ReportAnd Review for test!!!! Chapter 24-26Week6APES test All ChaptersWeeks 7-9Individual research projects ethical debatesPublic Safety Announcements ................
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