Advanced Placement Environmental Science (APES)



Advanced Placement Environmental Science (APES)

2015 Summer Assignment

The first day of class for AP Environmental Science is August 27, 2015. When you come to class that day, it is important that you have had some background and experience with the subject already. This summer assignment is not meant to have you cover a few chapters in the textbook on your own. It is meant for you to broaden your horizons and experiences with environmental aspects of our world. Part of this comes from me as the teacher. These guidelines, though, are intended to leave you many options and your particular choices can make this a special learning experience for you. In addition to the assignment below, make sure you have contacted Miss Clark with your arrangement for a textbook before school ends.

The summer assignment comes in three parts.

1. First, you need to select a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that you will research. Although this may be a new term to you now, it will be very familiar to you as the course progresses. During the fourth marking period (yes, this is far away but it will reduce your work load later) you will be given a project assignment about an NGO of your choosing. Choosing your NGO now will allow you to pick an organization in which you have some interest and contact them for information. Here’s how to get started:

• Use any search engine or start at . (Follow these links: Environmental Resources> below Resource by Topic – Categories within…>Organizations). Click a topic of interest and then choose one of the many available organizations.

o Please check your NGO’s website to make sure this organization is still active.

• Another lead: Google terms like “environmental nongovernmental organizations” or specific topics of interest like “rain forest NGO’s.”

• Try to make contact with your organization and have them send you some information, and it is highly recommended that you consult their webpage. By the first day of school you need to select an organization. You may also let me know in school before the end of this school year if you have made a choice. Choices are on a first come/first served basis, so therefore there may be no duplicate NGOs.

2. You will need to watch the film/documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” by former Vice-President Al Gore released in 2006, and to write a 2-3 page (1” margins, double spaced, 2 page minimum) critical reaction paper in response to it. It is available from almost all libraries or DVD/video rental stores as well as Netflix. Your written essay is due the first day of class (August 27, 2015). If you use any information from outside sources, you will need to include a bibliography.

3. There is a great novel in paperback to introduce you to some basic concepts of APES. It is Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (ISBN#0553375407). You will also be required to write a 2 page (1” margins, double spaced, 1.5 page minimum) essay response to this book. This essay will also be due August 27, 2015.

All of this may sound like a lot of work, but it really is not. It is just meant to assist you in becoming academic and tuning in to your environment as parts of your lifestyle. Have a great summer. Keep in touch by e-mail with any questions or concerns, and always: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

Miss Jessica Clark

APES Teacher

Voorhees High School

256 Route 413

Glen Gardner, NJ 08826

June 4, 2015

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Your son/daughter has scheduled Advanced Placement Environmental Science (APES) as one of his/her courses for the 2015/2016 school year. AP courses are college level courses taught in high school. Therefore, the expectations placed on the students are somewhat greater than those of traditional high school courses. Included in those expectations is some academic work, as noted on the reverse side, that must be completed over the summer and, if you prefer, the purchasing of textbooks before class begins as is done in college.

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of the AP textbook procedure. It is highly recommended that you purchase the textbook. However, we are using a relatively new textbook this year which is slightly more expensive than the textbook used in previous years as there are few used copies available. The text we will be using is Friedland and Relyea’s Environmental Science for AP 1st Edition (ISBN-13: 978-0-7167-3849-7; ISBN-10: 0-7167-3849-X). This is one of the most widely respected texts in high schools and was written and advised by individuals who assist with the AP grading. It is not required, but it is highly recommended that you own your own book so your son or daughter may highlight the chapters directly, which is an assignment during the course of the school year; an alternative assignment will be given to students who borrow a class textbook. If your child chooses to borrow a textbook from the school, this assignment will be completed in an alternative manner.

We hope you can look at this as a worthy investment and perhaps the beginning of your son’s/daughter’s personal academic library. Used copies can be found on and other such sources; in addition, students can talk to the 2015 graduates who took the course to purchase the textbook off of them. Since we understand this is more expensive we do have enough textbooks for students to borrow.

If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Clark at 908-638-2199, extension 2240.

Sincerely,

Miss Clark, APES teacher

Mr. Shevalier, Science Department Chair

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