Advanced Placement Environmental Science (APES)



Mrs. Stacey Flieg

fliegs@troy.k12.mo.us

Phone: (636) 462-5148

Fax: (636) 462-5149

Plan: Purple 1st Block, Gold 4th Block

Advanced Placement Environmental Science (APES)

Brief Course Description: This is an introductory college level course in Environmental Science. Topic information for the class will be covered using scientific problem solving and principals to develop an understanding of environmental issues including the topics of environmental systems, the living world, populations, earth systems and resources, land use, energy, pollution, and global interactions. Students will conduct lab and field activities to support the textbook components of the course. Laboratory and field components will aid student development in the areas of personal interaction and communication, problem solving and development and support of critical thinking skills. The course will aid in the personal development of students ability to make informed decisions concerning human relations within the environment, examine global interactions and consequences, identify and analyze environmental problems, both natural and human-made, and examine and evaluate alternative solutions to existing problems.

Course Content: Unit Information

The course is divided into two semesters where the students need to be prepared by the end of the second semester for the APES exam.

Evaluation

Tests 50%

Labs 30%

Homework / Quizzes 20%

Grading Scale – As per the school grading scale

Semester Grade Determination:

Quarter Grades 80%

Semester Exam 20%

Text Book

Friedland, Andrew; Rick Relyea; David Courard-Hauri

Environmental Science for AP*

W.H. Freeman and Company / BFW

2012

Supplies

• Binder

• Tab Dividers with 8 Tabs (Journal, Test Prep, Homework, Notes, Labs, Projects/Activities, Research)

• Composition Notebook for Lab Reports

• Pens/Pencils

Semester One

Unit One: The Earth and Environmental systems (Introduction) [I. Earth Systems and Resources, II. The Living World, C8, C9, C11] – 4 Weeks

• Chapter 1: State of the Earth – Background Information in Environmental Science

o Science is a process, environmental science background,

▪ Activity – What is a hectare?

▪ Activity – Rate of forest clearing

▪ Activity – Topographic Maps

▪ Lab – Environmental Lab Skills

▪ Lab – Soil Analysis

▪ Lab – Water Analysis

• Chapter 2: Environmental Systems

o Earth’s interconnected systems, fundamentals of energy, energy flow in the environment

▪ Activity – Energy use conversions (Dimensional Analysis)

▪ Lab – Flow of Energy (Laws of Thermodynamics)

• Exam #1

Unit Two: The Living World [I. Earth Systems and Resources, II. The Living World, C9, C11] – 4 Weeks

• Chapter 3: Ecosystem Ecology

o Energy flow, cycles, ecosystem interactions, biotic and abiotic factors

▪ Video - The Rise of Ecology: 10 Disasters that Changed the World

▪ Project - Biogeochemical Cycles

▪ Activity – Biogeochemical Cycle Game

▪ Activity – The Science of Alleopathy

▪ Activity – Eating at a Lower Trophic Level

▪ Lab – Food Web

▪ Lab – Owl Pellets

• Chapter 4: Global Climates and Biomes

o Global weather and climate variations, terrestrial and aquatic biomes

▪ Project - Biomes

▪ Lab - (Virtual) Communities and Biomes

▪ Lab - The Coriolis Effect

• Chapter 5: Evolution of Biodiversity

o Evolution and biodiversity relationships, speciation and extinction, niches, species distribution

▪ Activity – Measuring species diversity

▪ Activity – Fish Classification

▪ Lab – Campus Biodiversity

▪ Lab – Natural Selection

• Exam #2

Unit Three: Biological and Human Populations [III. Population, C9, C11] – 4 Weeks

• Chapter 6: Populations and Community Ecology

o Levels of complexity, abundance, regulation, and distribution

▪ Activity – The Moose and Wolves of Isle Royale

▪ Activity – Biotic Potential in Rabbits

▪ Activity – Carrying Capacity

▪ Activity – Keystone Species

▪ Lab – Population size (mark and recapture)

▪ Lab – Measuring Population Density

• Chapter 7: Human Population

o Population growth, factors, demographics, consumption of resources, influence

▪ Activity – Exponential Growth

▪ Activity - Famine

▪ Lab – Risk Assessment

▪ Lab – Demographics, Population Profile

• Exam #3

Unit Four: Earth Systems and Resources [I. Earth Systems and Resources, IV. Land and Water Use, C9, C11] – 4 Weeks

• Chapter 8: Earth Systems

o Geology, cycles, mineral resources, relationships to the environment and environmental consequences

▪ Activity – Platetectonics

▪ Lab – Soil Science and Weathering (Salinization)

▪ Lab – Mining in a Bottle

• Chapter 9: Water Resources

o Abundance, agriculture, industry, human need

▪ Activity – Household Water Use

▪ Activity – Follow a Drip

▪ Lab – Build an Ecosystem (Ecobottle)

▪ Lab – Analysis of Drinking Water

• Exam #4

• Semester One Final Exam

Semester Two

Unit Five: Land Use [IV. Land and Water Use, C11] – 3 Weeks

• Chapter 10: Land, Public and Private

o Land classification, management, general land use

▪ Activity – The Lorax

▪ Lab – Tragedy of the commons

▪ Lab – Mining in a Bottle

• Chapter 11: Feeding the World

o Farming methods, genetic engineering for food, modern agribusiness, industrial farming and alternatives

▪ Activity – How much land is needed for farming?

▪ Activity – Video “Food, Inc.”

▪ Lab – Ecological Impacts of Rice Farming

▪ Lab – The Cost of Hunger

• Exam #5

Unit Six: Energy, Resources and Consumption [V. Energy Resources and Consumption, C9, C11] – 4 Weeks

• Chapter 12: Nonrenewable Energy

o Fossil fuels

▪ Activity – Energy Audit

▪ Lab – Cookie Mining: Profit, Reserves, Gangue, and Reclamation

▪ Lab – Half-Life of an Element

• Chapter 13: Achieving Energy Sustainability

o Energy sources- water, solar, geothermal, wind, fuel cells

▪ Project – Renewable Energy

▪ Activity – Video “Garbage Warrior”

▪ Activity – College Board Special Focus: Energy and Climate Change – “Electric Power from Sun and Wind”

▪ Virtual Lab – Alternate Energy Sources

• Exam #6

Unit Seven: Pollution [VI. Pollution, C9, C10, C11] – 5 Weeks

• Chapter 14: Water Pollution

o Human wastewater, water treatment, types of pollution

▪ Video - Silent Spring

▪ Activity – “A Grave Mistake” Water Pollution

▪ Lab – Serial Dilution

▪ Lab – Water Pollution

▪ Lab – Waste (Yeast Respiration)

• Chapter 15: Air Pollution and Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

o Natural and human sources, smog, chemical, prevention – technology and innovation

▪ Activity – Sulfur reduction

▪ Activity – Video “Car of the Future: Engineering for the Environment”

▪ Lab – Ozone Sampling

• Chapter 16: Waste Generation and Waste Disposal

o Human waste, composting, landfill and incineration, hazardous waste

▪ Activity – Personal Solid Waste Inventory

▪ Activity – “Eew it Leaks”

▪ Lab – School Lunchroom Waste

• Chapter 17: Human Health and Environmental Risk

o Risk factors, disease, chemical risks

▪ Activity – LD50 Analysis

▪ Lab – LD50 Toxicology Lab

• Exam # 7

Unit Eight: Global Change and a Sustainable Future [VI. Pollution, VII. Global Change, C9, C10, C11] – 4 Weeks

• Chapter 18: Conservation of Biodiversity

o Declining biodiversity, species, mass extinction, ecosystem relationships

▪ Video - TED - Charles Moore and Boyan Slat

▪ Activity – Habitat Loss

▪ Activity – Video “Cane Toads – Invasive Species”

▪ Virtual Lab – Invasive Species

• Chapter 19: Global Change

o Climate change and global warming, greenhouse effects, natural and human influence, feedback mechanisms, consequences

▪ Activity – Measuring CO2 – the Kyoto Protocol

▪ Activity – Video “What’s Up with the Weather”

▪ Activity – Energy and Climate Change (College Board: Special Focus)

▪ Lab – Climate Change (Greenhouse Effect)

▪ Virtual Lab – Vanishing Fish

• Chapter 20: Sustainability, Economics, and Equity

o Economics and resources, human welfare, governance, approaches to sustainability

▪ Activity – Video “An Inconvenient Truth”

▪ Research Project: An Ecological Solution

▪ Lab – Ecological footprint

▪ Lab – Sustainable Island

• Exam #8

• Semester Two Final Exam

*This Assignment Schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. In the event of a change, you will be clearly notified in class.

APES Exam – Tentative: May 2, 2016

I. Multiple Choice

• 1.5 Hours Long

• 60% of Final Grade

• 100 Questions

Types of questions:

1. Options First – glorified matching, definition, easiest

Questions 12-14 refer to the following processes.

(A) Nitrification (D) Ammonification

(B) Denitrification (E) Nitrogen Fixation

(C) Assimilation

12. Ammonia is converted to nitrite, then to nitrate. 13. Plant root absorb ammonium ions and nitrate ion s for use in making molecules such as DNA, amino acids, and proteins 14. Nitrate ions and nitrite ions are converted into nitrous oxide gas and nitrogen gas.

2. Negative Stem – all of answers are right except one

Factors contributing to the rise in world hunger include all of the following EXCEPT

(A) Unequal distribution of available food supplies

(B) Loss or decline in arable land

(C) Increasing rate of population growth

(D) Increasing poverty in developing countries

(E) Increasing consumption of vegetable protein in place of meat protein

3. Roman Numeral Questions

Reasons that the population size of an exotic species often grows rapidly when the species is introduced in a new environment include which of the following?

I. The exotic species is resistant to pesticides.

II. There is a large, underutilized food source in the new environment.

III. The exotic species has few natural predators in the new environment.

(A) I only

(B) II o n l y

(C) I & II only

(D) II & III only

(E) I, II, & III

4. Least/Most Likely – not just one right answer, pick the best

Which of the following is LEAST likely to be an effect of global warming?

(A) Loss of fertile delta regions for agriculture

(B) Changing global patterns of precipitation

(C) Extinction of some species that have narrow temperature requirements

(D) Decreased rate of photosynthesis in vegetation

(E) Increased frequency of hurricanes

5. Data Interpretation and Analysis

A country currently has a population of 100 million and an annual growth rate of 3.5%. If the growth rate remains constant, what will be the population of this country in 40 years.

(A) 150 million

(B) 200 million

(C) 300 million

(D) 400 million

II. Free Response Questions (FRQ)

• 1.5 Hours long

• 40% of Final Grad

• 4 Questions

Types of questions:

1. Data Set Question (1) – mathematical calculations

2. Synthesis and Evaluation (2) – possible simple calculations

3. Document Based Question (1) – article introduction, must demonstrate knowledge gained from course.

Lab Activities – Field Exercise

At least once per week students will be involved in a lab activity in support of the current content material: lab activities will include both classroom activities, outside school activities and field trips. Student sites include Quiver River State Park, August A. Busch Wildlife Conservation area, and the school grounds. Students will complete lab activities using class handouts and guidelines for collection and interpretation of data and for data analysis. Student information will be collected and stored in a binder with the purpose of review for the APES exam. Colleges often require students to present their laboratory materials from AP science courses before granting college credit for laboratory, so students should retain their laboratory notebooks, reports, and other materials.

Long Term Projects

Acid Rain – Measurements over the Year

Soil Analysis

Water Monitoring

Field Trips - *List is Subject to Change

Water reclamation district

Water purification plant

Recycling Facility

Quiver River State Park

August A. Busch Wildlife Conservation area

Additional Resources

Strive for a 5 – Preparing for the AP* Environmental Science Exam

Environmental Science for AP* Lab Notebook

Nature Unbound – The Impact of Ecology on Missouri and the World

Various outside reading

Videos

“Cane Toads – Invasive Species” (an unnatural history)

“Food, Inc.”

“What’s Up with the Weather”

“An Inconvenient Truth”

“Gasland 1 and 2”

“Car of the Future: Engineering for the Environment”

“Garbage Warrior”

“The People Bomb”*

“The Human Footprint”*

“The Rise of Ecology: 10 Disasters that Changed the World”

“American Experience: Rachel Carson's Silent Spring”

“The Story of Bottled Water” – Annie Leonard

TED Video “Nature, Beauty, Gratitude” – Louie Schwartzberg

TED Video “The Magic Washing Machine” – Hans Rosling

“World Population” – Bob Gumbrecht

Web Pages

• AP Environmental Science College Board Course Overview:

• AP Environmental Science: Exam Practice -

• Maryland Sea Grant Biofilms:

• Biomes –

• Nova – wgbh/nova/worldbalance

• World population – ipc/www/idb/.

• Ecological Footprint – en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/

• Ecological Footprint – en/index.php/GFN/page/personal_footprint/

• Ecological Footprint –

• National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science -

• National Science Digital Library -

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association -

• Yale Environment 360: Reporting, Analysis, Opinion and Debate -

• Yellowstone Association - whatsNew/

• NASA: Scientific Visualization Studio -

• NASA: Visualization Explorer -

• Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) -

• Virtual Lab: Communities and Biomes -

• The Coriolis Effect -

• Alternate Energy Sources:

• Landfill Lab: “Eew it Leaks” -

• Vanishing Fish:

• Virtual Lab: Invasive Species -

College Board APES Themes

1. Science is a process

• Science is a method of learning more about the world.

• Science 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 recovery 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 thir 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 of developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.

• A suitable combination of conservation and development is required.

• Management of common resources is essential.

College Board APES Topic Outline

I. Earth Systems and Resources (10-15%)

A. Systems and Models

B. Earth Science Concepts - (Geologic time scale; plate tectonics; earthquakes; volcanism; seasons; solar

intensity; latitude)

C. The Atmosphere - (Composition; structure; weather and climate; atmospheric circulation and the Coriolis

Effect; atmosphere-ocean interactions; ENSO)

D. Global Water Resources and Use - (Freshwater/saltwater; ocean circulation; agricultural; industrial and

domestic use; surface and groundwater issues; global problems; conservation)

E. Soil and Soil Dynamics - (Rock cycle; formation; composition; physical and chemical properties; main soil

types; erosion and other soil problems; soil conservation)

II. The Living World (10-15%)

A. Ecosystem Structure - (Biological populations and communities; ecological niches; interactions among species; keystone species; species diversity and edge effects; major terrestrial and aquatic biomes)

B. Energy Flow - (Photosynthesis and cellular respiration; food webs and trophic levels; ecological pyramids)

C. Ecosystem Diversity - (Biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem services)

D. Natural Ecosystem Change - (Climate shifts; species movement; ecological succession)

E. Natural Biogeochemical Cycles - (Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur, water, conservation of matter)

III. Population (10-15%)

A. Population Biology Concepts - (Population ecology; carrying capacity; reproductive strategies; survivorship)

B. Human Population

1. Human population dynamics - (Historical population sizes; distribution; fertility rates; growth rates and doubling times; demographic transition; age-structure diagrams)

2. Population size - (Strategies for sustainability; case studies; national policies)

3. Impacts of population growth - (Hunger; disease; economic effects; resource use; habitat destruction)

IV. Land and Water Use (10-15%)

A. Agriculture

1. Feeding a growing population - (Human nutritional requirements; types of agriculture; Green

Revolution; genetic engineering and crop production; deforestation; irrigation; sustainable agriculture)

2. Controlling pests - (Types of pesticides; costs and benefits of pesticide use; integrated pest

management; federal rangelands)

B. Forestry - (Tree plantations; old growth forests; forest fires; forest management; national forests)

C. Rangelands - (Overgrazing; deforestation; desertification; rangeland management; federal rangelands)

D. Other Land Use

1. Urban land management - (Planned development; suburban sprawl; urbanization)

2. Transportation infrastructure - (Federal highway system; canals and channels; road-less areas; ecosystem impacts)

3. Public and federal lands - (Management; wilderness areas; national parks; wildlife refuges; forests; wetlands)

4. Land conservation - (Preservation; remediation; mitigation; restoration)

5. Sustainable land-use strategies

E. Mining - (Mineral formation; extraction; global reserves; relevant laws and treaties)

F. Fishing - (Fishing techniques; overfishing; aquaculture; relevant laws and treaties)

G. Global Economics - (Globalization; World Bank; Tragedy of the Commons; relevant laws and treaties)

V. Energy Resources and Consumption (10-15%)

A. Energy Concepts - (Energy forms; power; units; conversions; Laws of Thermodynamics)

B. Energy Consumption

1. History - (Industrial Revolution; exponential growth; energy crisis)

2. Present global energy use

3. Future energy needs

C. Fossil Fuel Resources and Use - (Formation of coal, oil and natural gas; extraction/purification methods; world

reserves and global demand; synfuels; environmental advantages/disadvantages of sources)

D. Nuclear Energy - (Nuclear fission process; nuclear fuel; electricity production; nuclear reactor

types; environmental advantages/disadvantages; safety issues; radiation and

human health; radioactive wastes; nuclear fusion)

E. Hydroelectric Power - (Dams; flood control; salmon; silting; other impacts)

F. Energy Conservation - (Energy efficiency; CAFÉ standards; hybrid electric vehicles; mass transit)

G. Renewable Energy - (Solar energy; solar electricity; hydrogen fuel cells; biomass; wind energy; small-

scale hydroelectric; ocean waves and tidal energy; geothermal; environmental

advantages/disadvantages)

VI. Pollution (25-30%)

A. Pollution Types

1. Air Pollution - (Sources – primary and secondary; major air pollutants; measurement units; measurement units; smog; acid deposition – causes and effects; heat islands and temperature inversions; indoor air pollution; remediation and reduction strategies; Clean Air Act and other relevant laws)

2. Noise Pollution - (Sources; effects; control measures)

3. Water Pollution - (Types; sources, causes and effects; cultural eutrophication; groundwater pollution; maintaining water quality; water purification; sewage treatment/ septic systems; Clean Water Act and other relevant laws)

4. Solid Waste - (Types; disposal; reduction)

B. Impacts on the Environment and Human Health

1. Hazards to human health - (Environmental risk analysis; acute and chronic effects; dose-response relationships; air pollutants; smoking and other risks)

2. Hazardous chemicals in the environment - (Types of hazardous waste; treatment/disposal of hazardous waste; cleanup of contaminated sites; biomagnification; relevant laws)

C. Economic Impacts - (Cost-benefit analysis; externalities; marginal costs; sustainability)

VII. Global Change (10-15%)

A. Stratospheric Ozone - (Formation of stratospheric ozone; ultraviolet radiation; causes of ozone depletion; effects of ozone depletion; strategies for reducing ozone depletion; relevant laws and treaties)

B. Global Warming - (Greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect; impacts and consequences of global warming; reducing climate change; relevant laws and treaties)

C. Loss of Biodiversity

1. Habitat loss; overuse; pollution; introduced species; endangered and extinct species

2. Maintenance through conservation

3. Relevant laws and treaties

C8—This course provides students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world. This curriculum draws upon various scientific disciplines.

C9—This course includes methods for analyzing and interpreting information and experimental data, including mathematical calculations.

C10—This course teaches students how to identify and analyze environmental problems, to evaluate the ecological and human health risks associated with these problems, and to critically examine various solutions for resolving them or preventing them.

C11—This course includes a laboratory and/or field investigation component. A minimum of one class period or its equivalent per week is spent in laboratory and/or field work. Colleges often require students to present their laboratory materials from AP science courses before granting college credit for laboratory, so students should retain their laboratory notebooks, reports, and other materials.

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I have read and understand the above syllabus.

Student Name: (print) _________________________________________ Date: _______

Student Signature: _______________________________________________________

I have also read and understand this syllabus and will help my student abide by it.

Parent/Guardian Signature: _____________________________________ Date:_______

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