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One Month AP Environmental Science Study GuideIt’s that time of year. You’re probably starting to feel?the pressure of your upcoming?AP exams. Don’t worry, we are here to help. We have created this 30-day study routine so you don’t have to worry too much about where to focus your time and energy. The AP Environmental Science exam will be no walk in the park, but let us guide you through your studying.Key Things to Remember While Using this AP Study Guide– From The College Board: “The AP Environmental Science course is designed to be the equivalent of a one-semester, introductory college course in environmental science, through which students engage with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world. The course requires that students identify and analyze natural and human-made environmental problems, evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them. Environmental Science is interdisciplinary, embracing topics from geology, biology, environmental studies, environmental science, chemistry, and geography.”– The exam itself consists of 100 multiple choice questions, for which you have 90 minutes to complete. This will make up 60 percent of your exam score. There will also be a longer response question that relates to Data Sets, one Document-Based Questions, and 2 Synthesis and Evaluation Questions that will make up the Free Response section of the exam. These questions must be completed within 90 minutes and account for 40 percent of your overall score.– Remember, this is just a guide! Not every study plan can be a perfect fit for every student out there. If you find yourself getting stuck on certain recommendations, or certain activities just aren’t clicking, feel free to move things around. Make this plan work for you! We want you to succeed and get that 5 too.– Also, you are going to want to keep on top of your work, but try to make this AP study guide as enjoyable as possible. If you find yourself dragging a little, go outside and do something else for a few minutes so you can recharge.What You Will Need– A flashcard site such as?Quizlet. Or you can just use regular notecards. Whichever version you like better. You can also access this site on your phone, so you can carry your notecards with you at any time.– Note-taking materials. These can be done on your computer, tablet, etc. or you can use a physical notepad and pen. You will be taking notes daily, so make sure you are comfortable with whichever you choose.– The CollegeBoard?homepage for AP Environmental Studies. It’s always a good idea to read through this a couple of times, so you fully understand what the College Board’s expectations are.– Access to?Bozeman Science’s Environmental Studies YouTube?Playlist page. We will be turning to this quite a bit, so you might as well bookmark it now in your browser.– Your own AP Environmental Studies Textbook or an online source of equal quality. When studying for the AP exams, the more the better, so get your hands on whatever you can.Optional (but helpful) Stuff:– Any AP-style workbooks or study guides your teacher provides, or any supplemental material you find helps your study of the main materials. It never hurts to pad your options for learning and practicing the material!How to Use the Study Plan– We have designed this AP study guide to revolve around the specific expectations laid out by the College Board for the topic of Environmental Science. The College Board has laid out 7 key themes that you will need to understand before taking the exam:– Earth Systems and Resources– The Living World– Population– Land and Water Use– Energy Resources and Consumption– Pollution– Global ChangeDay 1For each and every day you are reading material or watching a video, you are going to want to make flashcards on all of the buzzwords you come across (either with note cards, a folded piece of paper, or online on a site such as Quizlet). Choose a term of importance, writing it down on one side of the card, while putting the definition and a helpful hint down on the other side.For Example,Right off the bat, you may not know what a vector function is. So, make a flashcard that looks like this:(Side A) Vector Function(Side B) caused or produced by humansHelpful Hint/Example: Smog is produced by anthropogenic circumstances.– Sometimes it helps to leave some room in the significance section, so you can add more info as you learn.– Let’s end our?first day by thinking about the main components of this course. The College Board states that all AP Environmental Science students need to fully understand that:– Science is a process.– Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.– The Earth itself is one interconnected system.– Humans alter natural systems.– Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.– Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.– Take these six concepts and write a short paragraph on what you think this means. If you can think of real-life examples that explain your thoughts, add those in, but at this point it’s ok if your ideas are a little bare-bones. When you’ve finished, hold onto this paper, you’ll be revisiting it throughout this 30-day study guide.– OK, now get some rest and we will begin again tomorrow!Day 2– It is going to be absolutely important that you take notes on the information you are gathering right not only today, but in the weeks that follow. Your notepad should become your best friend and really should never leave your side as you study with us. Make sure that you’re taking notes on key concepts, ideas that you might find confusing and need to come back to later, and tips on how to become a better studier.– Take a look at the first video from?Bozeman Science’s YouTube ?Don’t forget to take notes on all of the key concepts that are being covered here.Day 3– Since we are already familiar with the basics, we are going to dive right into the material today. The more and more we go through this stuff, the more the schedule should become a routine. It is essential that you stay on top of this study plan and if you start having trouble finding the desire to continue, get a friend in on the action. You can both keep each other in line and keep the study plan going.– We are going to start today off with these videos: “Environmental Systems” and “Geology.”– Keep on top of your flashcard terms and your note taking. It’s important that you not only think about the definitions, but also the meanings behind the concepts we are running across. AP Environmental Science is a little unique from the other APs since you will need to memorize, analyze, create data sets, etc., so pay attention to all of it.– Make sure that you have these concepts, in particular:– Environment– Ecology– Organisms– Ecosystems– Sustainability– Natural Capital– Natural ResourcesDay 4– Now we are going to want to click on and watch the “Geology” video. Remember to watch these alongside a solid textbook (or two, if you are brave enough). The more the better should be your mantra.– Keep on top of your flashcard terms and your note taking.– Now, take a look at one of the example?Free Response Questions?from any of the previous exams from the College Board’s database. You don’t need to answer these, just look through a couple and get a feel for what it is they are expecting from you.Day 5– Today you’re going to want to take a look at?Video #4?from the Bozeman Science Playlist. When you have finished watching this, make a list of the ways that you believe humans have had an impact on the atmosphere. Add real-life examples whenever you can.– It’s time to work on your flashcard terms. Make sure that you have these terms filled out:– Biotic– Abiotic– Sustainability– Environmental Indicators– Speciation– Development– If you can, try to get a family member or a friend in on this action. Have them quiz you on all of the flashcard terms that you have come up with thus far. Most importantly, don’t just define the concepts; provide examples of how they work in our world today. Ask them if your explanations were clear. Also, have them ask you questions of their own. This will help you understand the concepts in your own way.Day 6– Let’s go ahead and watch?Video?#5?from the Bozeman Science Playlist.– Remember, your flashcards are your best friend. Keep working on them and they won’t let you down.– Let’s go ahead and finish up the?Earth Systems and Resources?Since this is the end of the first week, you shouldn’t really be relying on notes anymore. You need to start treating these practice tests more like the real deal from this point forward.– Now is the time to tackle an FRQ. Go ahead and select the one from the year?2002. Answer these to the best of your ability. It’s ok to struggle at first and to look up some answers. Don’t worry, the more we work on these, the better you will get at them.Day 7– Take it easy, catch up on your rest and we’ll begin again tomorrow.– If you absolutely must do something today, review the videos we have matched thus far and glance through your flashcards. Day 8– We are going to start off today by going back to the core concepts that the College Board wants you to get a good hold on. Remember these?– Science is a process.– Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.– The Earth itself is one interconnected system.– Humans alter natural systems.– Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.– Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.– Now, go back over your responses and add at least one new paragraph to each of these central themes. Use the information that we learned throughout last week and provide real, concrete examples to all of the ideas and theories you are mentioning.– Let’s get back to another video. Take a look at the?Water Resources and Soil Dynamics?Make sure that you are adding to your ever-growing flashcard collection.– Take a look at the FRQ from the year?2003?and answer it to your best ability. Try and note the kinds of questions that are being asked, so you can focus your studying on this later.Day 9– Go to the?Bozeman Science?playlist and watch video number 7. Make sure that you are adding at least 15 new flashcards to your growing pile as you are watching these videos.– On the topic of flashcards, you should have these terms down?(Note: these are just terms that you absolutely must know, but don’t limit yourself to just what we recommend):– Salination– Phytoremediation– Upwelling Relative Dating– Precambrian– Paleozoic– Tertiary Consumer– Thermocline– Commensalism– Now go ahead and get to work on the FRQs from year?2004. You are going to want to start having someone read your work from this point on. Get a friend or parent to look over your responses and ask them for honest feedback. Ask them if the information is not only correct, but if the essay structure is smooth and flows logically.Day 10– OK, video time. Take a look at the?Bozeman Science?playlist and watch video number 8.– As you watch these videos and read along in your textbook, you need to start making connections between real-life experiences and the theories you are learning. A good practice would be to think of three real-life examples for each flashcard term you write down.– With this in mind, let’s do a little flashcard quiz. Randomly select 30 flashcards and quiz yourself. Keep in mind that you are also thinking about three examples for each term.– Let’s finish off the day with FRQs from the year?2005.Day 11– If you can get a family member or a friend in on your studying, you should ask them to help you for the beginning of your study session today. If you can, explain to them everything you have covered up to this point. Try to treat this as if you were the teacher giving a class to a new student. Encourage them to ask questions ad try your best to answer them.– After you’ve done this, watch the next two videos from the?Bozeman Science– Keep on top of your flashcard terms and your note taking. Keep in mind that you need to be adding concepts from the readings and the videos we are watching. You should have these in your growing list by now, as well:– Organic Compounds– Tragedy of the Commons– Triple Bottom Line– Holistic– Closed System– Overshoot– Environmental Justice– Go ahead and complete the FRQs from year?2006. Read through your answers this time and check for any spelling or grammatical errors. From now on, you need to make sure you are writing properly—you don’t want to be dinged for sloppy wording.Day 12– After you’ve done this, let’s go ahead and jump back into the videos. Go to the playlist and watch?Videos #10 and #11.– Now, go through and do another flashcard quiz with yourself (or a friend, if you can). Spend a solid thirty minutes going through your cards at random. Make small marks on those that you’re having a hard time with. This may help to spark a reminder to remember the term for later.– Instead of working on a new FRQ, go back and read through those you have already worked on. Read them as if you were grading a real AP exam. What grade would you give yourself? What advice would you give the person writing the paper?Day 13– Let’s get right into watching a video for today’s study session. Watch and take notes on?Videos #12 and #13.– Make sure you have these terms in your flashcard pile:– Intrinsic Value– Inbreeding Depression– Genetic Diversity– Ecotourism– Instrumental Value– Biological Wealth– Invasive Species– Let’s get back to working on the FRQs again. Select and work on those from the year?2007. Have someone read your essays and ask them for comments on whether or not you answered the question, if the grammar is correct, and if the ideas are flowing well.Day 14– Get a good night’s sleep; we begin a new day of this study guide tomorrow.Day 15– We are right in the middle of our 30-day study guide. So, let’s use today as a day for review.– The first thing you are going to want to do is quickly glance through all of the videos we’ve watched and review any textbook material you covered as well. Don’t read them fully—just a quick glance.– After this, go back to those central themes laid out by the College Board. Again, you are going to want to add another paragraph for each of the topics. You should be looking back over your notes, allowing you to add everything you learned from the last two weeks. Make sure that you are real places and events to these lists.– After you’ve done all of this, go through and quiz yourself once more on all of your flashcards. This should take a while since you’ve probably got a big fat stack at this point. Keep going until you have covered every term.– Now, go through all of your multiple choice questions that you’ve answered thus far. Catch up on any questions that you may not have finished yet. Once you are all caught up. Work on all of those questions that you may have gotten wrong. Keep in mind all of the notes that you have taken on how to improve. Keep doing this until you are at 100 percent correct.– Now let’s move onto the FRQs. Read through all of the answers that you have provided. Take a big marker/pen and circle repeating problems. For example, if you are struggling with the graphs or data sets, mark these, so you can go back over them again during our review sessions.Day 16– Reminder, you have 90 minutes to complete the multiple choice section and 90 minutes to complete the FRQs section.– And now we begin with the multiple choice questions. To get a sense of this go to my web page and under the AP Exam Tab find the “APES Practice Exam”. Go through the multiple choice section – there is an answer key near the end.Day 17– All right, ready for day two of practice exams. Make sure your learning area is free of distractions and you are ready to go. Day 18– Hopefully, you got a lot out of those two practice exam days, and are becoming a little bit more comfortable with how they are set up. – Now, back to our videos. Watch and take notes on?Videos #14 and #15.– Review your flashcards once more. Make sure you have these terms/concepts:– Umbrella Species– Keystone Species– Resource Partitioning– Floodplain– Drift Net Fishing– Trickle Irrigation– Xeriscape– Now, go ahead and work on the FRQ from the year?2008.Day 19– Glance over your notebook, dedicating at least twenty minutes to the areas that you are having the most trouble.– After you’ve done this, watch and take notes on?Videos #16 and #17.– Flashcard terms:– In Situ– Lacey Act– Species Diversity– Remediation– Nitrification– Niche– Ecotone– Select and work on those from the year?2008. At this point, you are going to want to have one of your teachers take a look at your FRQs. Ask them nicely for whatever comments they can provide.Day 20– Before we get fully into our normal routine, go ahead and quiz yourself on your ever-expanding flashcard pile. Go through all of them, marking those you are struggling with. You should have a nice fat stack, so this should take at least thirty minutes.– Video time again! Take a look at?Videos #18 and #1? After you’ve watched these, take out your notebook and make a list that covers the ten most important bits of information from each video. If you have to go back and rewatch one, that’s ok. Making lists like these are going to help you retain the information shown, so you may want to do this with every video you watch.– One you’re done with your lists, go ahead and work through the questions under the?Nuclear Energy– As per usual, let’s end with an FRQ. Finish those from the year?2009.Day 21– The end of another week!– Get a good night’s sleep; we begin anew tomorrow.Day 22– Before we begin with any new information for the week, go back to your?checklist. If you are still struggling with any topics, now is the time to go back and review any material that you are still hung up on. Spend at least thirty minutes reviewing.– When you are finished with your review, go back to the themes of Environmental Science and add a brand new paragraph to each topic, like we’ve done before. Here’s the list, in case you forgot:– Science is a process.– Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.– The Earth itself is one interconnected system.– Humans alter natural systems.– Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.– Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.– After you’ve worked on this, let’s get back to our videos. We are going to watch 4 videos today,?20 through 24. When you’ve finished with these, go to your notebook and write down how the concepts and themes that were covered relate to one another. What are the central ideas that connect these topics? Why do they matter?– Work on the FRQs from the year?2003. Keep having others read and critique your work. The more eyes, the better.Day 23– It’s time to finish off the College Board’s?AP Environmental Science Course and Exam Description. When you’ve finished reading this, you should have a pretty good idea of the entire structure of the AP Environmental Science course. As a thought experiment, ask yourself: what would you change about this course? What kinds of info would you add to make it stronger?– Let’s get back to our YouTube video selection and watch another 4 videos. These are going to be numbers?25 through 29. Just like yesterday, you should spend a few minutes writing out the central themes and ideas that connect each of the topics that are covered in these videos.– When you have completed these, give your fat flashcard stack a looking through. Make sure that you’ve taken notes on these concepts:– Crude Death Rate– Graying– Generation Time– Igneous Rock– Sedimentary Rock– Metamorphic Rock– Asthenosphere– Work on the FRQs from the year?2010. Are you noticing any patterns on how many of these FRQs are being phrased, or the types of questions they are asking? If so, write these patterns down and remember to study them when you review.Day 24– Before we start working on any new ideas, take out your notebook and work on this thought exercise: Explain what Environmental Science is in less four sentences or less.– Let’s go ahead and slow down on the videos here. We are only watching one today (don’t worry, you’ll still have plenty to do). Watch the one titled?Water Pollution.– So, today we are going to work on the FRQs from the years?2011 and 2012. Day 25– Before we begin with any new material, read through all of your notes. What have you been struggling with the most? Pinpoint your weakest spots and go over them once more.– Watch?videos 31 and 32.Don’t stop connecting these to the rest of your notes. I know we are almost done, but don’t slack now.– Do one last flashcard quiz.– Now work on the FRQs from?2013.– Make sure that you are all caught up on your FRQs and example questions. Now is the time to complete everything you have missed. Also, make sure that you are caught up on all of your reading, online videos, and flashcards.– Now is also the time to retake all of the example questions that you may have gotten wrong over the last several weeks. Keep taking them until you get the right answer, reading through Albert.io’s recommendations after each attempt. Do this again with each of the FRQs.Day 26– Today will be the last day we are going to add one last set of paragraphs to the central themes information we’ve been working on since the first week of this study guide. Read through everything you have written and work through any learning knots you might still be stuck on.– Today is going to be a day of “finishing things off,” so let’s start by finishing off the?Bozeman Science?videos we’ve been watching all month long.– Do the same for the remaining multiple choice example questions for the?AP Environmental Science– Finally, let’s finish off with the FRQ from?2014?from the CollegeBoard website. Now that you are almost done with these, have you noticed a pattern in the types of question they are asking? Try to think about how the questions are being asked and the topics that are being covered. Day 27– Today is going to be your final day of review. You should be feeling very confident about your future exam. Now’s the time to work out the final kinks and get you read for the exam itself.– If you can get a friend or family member to help you out today, that would be fantastic. If not, just make sure you don’t burn out—you’ve come so close!– First off, take a look over all of your notes, including all of the outlines you have created, the FRQ answers you have come up with, and all of the responses to the questions that have been posed over the last several weeks. Read your notes thoroughly and double-check your familiarity with all of the concepts and ideas.– Next, you are going to want to review all of your flashcards and notes. Polish up those final weak spots you see and be proud that you’re getting better at the terms. It may seem repetitive to do this now, but one last time can’t hurt, right?– Review all of the FRQ you have answered. Ask yourself: Which ones were the strongest? Weakest? Can you see yourself getting progressively better? Take notes in your notebook on where you need to do better. Be as specific as possible.– The last thing that you will want to do today is to do a final?checklist?look through. Spend as much time as you need reviewing all materials until you can be 100 percent confident in your ability to check these off.Day 28– This is our last rest day, so use it wisely. Make sure you get your rest today.– The rest of this 30-day study guide will consist mostly of review, so stay on top of your rest and healthy eating. Don’t lack off now!Day 29– All right, today is going to consist of one last practice exam and one last review. Go ahead and get all your stuff ready for another practice exam.– Once you are done with that, go ahead and try to answer the very last FRQ we have left from the year?2015?from the College Board Website. By the way, awesome job for finishing all of these off!– When you’ve finished with all of this, do a once over of all of the material. Skim the readings and the videos, slowing down on those topics you may still be struggling with. Do the same with your flashcards, FRQ answers, etc.Day 30– You did it! You made it to the last day. A big KUDOS to you.– Today is a day that you relax and get everything prepared for the exam. Don’t bother reviewing very much. If you stuck with this study guide, then you will have retained the info for the long term. You’re a pro now!– Today, you’re really going to want to focus on being prepared for the exam itself. Get your stuff ready. Water? Check. Pen/Pencil? Check. Get everything in order.– Again, stay healthy! Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and eat healthy foods, so your body is thinking only about the upcoming exam. And especially get a good night’s sleep. This is probably the most important thing you can do.– You’ve worked really hard to get to this point, so congratulations on staying on top of this 30-day study plan—you’ll do great!– If you have kept up with this daily study guide, you will have:– Notes, key terms, and flashcards (which you are probably very tired of seeing your fat stack of Environmental Science flashcards) on every section of the course.– A deep and thorough understanding of how the models and ideas of the Environmental Sciences work both in theory and the world we live in today.– Observed dozens of visual examples of cultural, physical, economic, and political variations of environmental science through expansive informational videos and real-life scenarios raised by the texts.– Completed a broad range of example Free Response Questions and practiced with over a thousand multiple choice questions!For however much time you still have after completing this AP study,? ................
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