AP Environmental Science (APES) Course Syllabus Personal philosophy: In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught." (Baba Dioum) As the Oshkosh Student Association s director of environmental affairs, I truly agreed with Mr. Dioum s philosophy. Whether or not I ve lived it is yet to be determined. This course ties together economics and political science along with all science courses previously taken and places them in a practical, real-world perspective. Through this course, students critical thinking skills are developed and applied to real problems. I do not expect all of my APES students to become environmental scientists, but I do hope for them to become more environmentally literate citizens, similar to the old man: A young man is walking along the ocean and sees a beach on which thousands and thousands of starfish have washed ashore. Further along he sees an old man, walking slowly and stooping often, picking up one starfish after another and tossing each one gently into the ocean. Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?, he asks. Because the sun is up and the tide is going out and if I don t throw them further in they will die. But, old man, don t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it! You can t possibly save them all, you can t even save one-tenth of them. In fact, even if you work all day, your efforts won t make any difference at all. The old man listened calmly and then bent down to pick up another starfish and threw it into the sea. It made a difference to that one. Because it directly impacts daily decisions, this is the most important science course students will ever take. My contact info: wierzal@masd.k12.wi.us or 262-363-6200 x 25219 with free hours ( ) Course prerequisites: A or B in Biology and Chemistry, Algebra Course description: The course adheres to the description given by the College Board: APES is designed to be the equivalent of a one-semester, introductory college course in environmental science that include a laboratory and field investigation component. Emphasis is placed on the scientific principles, concepts and methodologies required 1) to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, 2) to identify and analyze natural and human-made environmental problems, 3) to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems and 4) to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them. Each class will contain a maximum of 26 students (to uphold lab safety) meeting for 52 minutes daily.
Course requirements: labs; unit tests; document based, data-set and synthesis/evaluation essays; individual and group projects; activities; reading with notes; discussion; cooperative group work; outdoor field work ( two large field trips and some short class trips) Text: A. Friedland, R. Relyea & D. Courard (2012). Environmental Science for AP. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company Text site: http://bcs.whfreeman.com/friedlandapes/#t_668210 with flashcards and practice quizzes with quiz tracking Other resources: Easton, Thomas A. (2013). Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Environmental Issues. New York: McGraw Hill Company Molnar, Richard. (2005). AP Environmental Science: Laboratory Investigations. New Jersey: Peoples Education Inc. Supplies: lab notebook (composition notebook or **Hayden McNeil Environmental Science lab notebook), black/blue ink pen, red pen, post-it notes, pencil, 2 3-ring binder with labeled tabs (assessments, labs, reference, notes), loose-leaf paper **preferred-see AP credit section Current events: To ensure success on the AP exam (which draws from current events), each week of the course every student will summarize and react to a current event of their choice from a teacher-created list of resources (newspaper, magazine and journal articles). Details are further outlined in a current events document. Class rules: Because this course is equivalent to a college level class, students are expected to act as adults at all times, whether in class, lab or in the field. Disruption of class activities in any way will not be tolerated and will be dealt with immediately. Cell phones are never permitted in class because they will never be used. Therefore, if out, they will be confiscated and kept until the end of class. Feel free to bring any other technology device to access the Internet. Hall passes are available to make essential trips to the restroom, but overuse of this privilege will result in its termination. I expect all students to follow the Mukwonago Way: be safe, respectful, responsible and on time. Grades: The grading scale is like any other science class at MHS. Also, like all classes at the high school, overall semester grades are determined as: 40% per quarter and 20% final exam. Those who take the AP exam in spring will be opted out of the second semester exam. Similar to a college level course, the grade per quarter is determined as follows: 80% tests/quizzes and 20% learning opportunities (colleges do not give credit for homework, labs, etc. These opportunities are assigned to help students understand material better for the mid-tem and final). Your attitude/effort grade will follow a rubric (separate document) as will your lab grade and test/quiz grades. The FRQs will at first be assigned as practice and will gradually be factored into the quarter grade with a maximum weight of 40% (like the AP exam, see assessment section of each unit below). The FRQs will receive a rubric score that is similar to the AP scores.
Learning opportunities: Scientists and environmental professionals are expected to present their work products in a timely, neat, accurate and well-organized manner. Therefore, the same is expected of students in this course. Work should be submitted the day it is due, or your class grade will be incomplete and you must come in after school to make up the assignment. Remember that every assignment is designed to prepare you to do well on the AP exam in May. Teaching strategies: class discussion, role-play, debate, online powerpoints, cooperative labs, projects and activities; independent research, Math Mondays (review math strategies/problems without a calculator for exam prep), Free Response Fridays (every other Friday, answer a free response to prep for the exam) Labs: Every week of the course there will be at least one lab, possibly of extended length (about one hour). The class will come to a consensus on when these longer lab sessions will be held. In order to prepare for the free response section of the AP exam and to seek college credit, all labs and activities should be handwritten neatly in an acceptable lab notebook (see supplies). All lab/fieldwork includes an analysis and interpretation component of: experimental data and/or mathematical calculations. Additionally, students will identify and analyze environmental problems, as well as critically examine various solutions for resolving or preventing these problems. The proposed resolution or prevention will show that associated ecological and/or human health risks have been evaluated. Labs noted as inquiry will have student-generated materials and procedures with little teacher guidance. Field Work: In the Fall, students will be going on a field trip to the local rivers to begin water quality testing using both high-tech and low-tech sampling techniques. Students will also visit a local bog and the Kettle Moraine Southern unit to do some biodiversity indexing and perform a forest ecosystem analysis. This will be an all-day field trip. There will be other brief in-class trips (leaf litter, soil analysis, cemetery population study, etc.) The Spring field trip is another all-day outing during which the students will conclude their pollution unit by visiting the local rivers again, as well as a tour of a recycling facility, a landfill, a farm and a wastewater treatment plant. Because of our limited time in class, the students will be conducting monthly testing of the class river tank ecosystem as opposed to monthly testing of outside waterways.
AP exam: The exam is three hours in length and consists of two parts: a 100-question multiple-choice section worth 60% and a four-question free response section worth 40%. The multiple choice section is designed to cover the breadth of your knowledge and understanding of environmental science and includes: thought-provoking problems, questions based on fundamental ideas, basic fact recall, and major concepts. The free response questions (FRQs) emphasize the application of principles in greater depth; you will need to organize answers to broad questions, demonstrating reasoning and analytical skills, as well as synthesize material from several sources into a coherent essay. There are three types of FRQs: data analysis, document based and two synthesis and evaluation. NO CALCULATORS WILL BE ALLOWED on the exam or in this class at any time. More details to follow. **AP credit: students should keep all materials of this class (especially a well-kept lab notebook) as they seek college credit. Per the APES teacher s guide: Although many introductory science courses in college do not include a lab, the inclusion of such information in a student portfolio will help to convince reviewers of the comprehensiveness of the APES course and assist evaluators in finding equivalencies in the college curriculum. Because most colleges do not have the luxury of devoting a full year, including lab, to introductory environmental science, students in a yearlong APES course will have had a richer experience than they would from a university s one-semester survey course with a large enrollment and no lab. Keeping good records of the APES experience will help (you) demonstrate this to college officials. In other words, because environmental science is a NEW and promising field, this course could potentially be worth a 4 credit college lab course (with enough evidence and a high enough AP score). AP Score Qualification 5 Extremely well qualified 4 Well qualified 3 Qualified 2 Possibly qualified 1 No recommendation
Essential Questions: (what students should know) 1. How can science be used to understand environmental issues? 2. How do energy conversions underlie all ecological processes? 3. How do biotic and abiotic cycles of Earth interact? 4. How have humans affected these cycles? What is the evidence? 5. How can humans help sustain a stable environment? 6. What are the economic, environmental and social ramifications of an issue? Skills: (what students should be able to do) A. Critically observe environmental systems B. Develop hypotheses and conduct well-designed experiments (constants, control, independent & dependent variables) C. Use the right tools and methods D. Analyze and interpret data, including statistical and graphical presentations as well as mathematical calculations E. Think analytically and apply concepts to the solution/prevention of environmental problems by evaluating associated risks (both ecological and human health-related) F. Make conclusions and evaluate the quality and validity of others conclusions G. Propose further questions for study H. Communicate accurately and constructively about observations and conclusions To meet the curricular demands for this course, the following skills pertain to these learning opportunities: Computer Simulations: A, F, H Math labs: D-F, H Inquiry Labs: A-H Other Labs: A, C, D, F-H Text Activities: E, F, H FRQs: D-F, Videos and current events: E-H Debates: E, F, H
*Unit/theme *Chapter 20 on sustainability has been woven throughout the curriculum 1-SCIENTIFIC METHOD & SYSTEMS environmental science, sustainability, scientific method, matter, energy, systems of nature 2-ECOLOGY & CYCLES ecosystem structure, energy flow, biogeochemical cycles, biomes, atmosphere (weather, climate, seasons) Essential Questions Chapters Duration Learning Opportunities: Labs/Activities/Audiovisual/Debates 1-6 1 Studying the 2 weeks environmentalist poster State of our Earth 2 current events environmental law powerpoint observation lab 2 Environmental scientific method inquiry lab Systems ecological footprint text activity The Story of Stuff Edens Lost and Found (PBS) Cane Toads bottled vs. tap water text activity work and power lab ozone and air particulate labs energy forms and changes simulation alpha decay simulation 1-3, 5, 6 3 Ecosystem 4 weeks river ecosystem lab setup Ecology 4 current events biogeochemical cycle group project Nitrogen cycle video 4 Global Climates Biomes: Assignment Discovery & Biomes % oxygen in air lab net primary productivity lab owl pellet lab paper use text activity lower trophic level math lab CO 2 exhaust lab field trip on water quality, biodiversity indexing, ecosystem analysis and biomes Assessment (% weight for FRQ to prepare for exam) 2008 AP pre-test evaluation FRQ on scientific method evaluation FRQ on nitrogen cycle (5%) Text document based FRQ
biome presentation formation of deserts analysis activity outdoor albedo lab atmospheric layers graph activity El Nino analysis activity convection currents inquiry lab climatogram activity specific heat & climate lab 3-ECOSYSTEM 1, 3-6 5 Evolution of 2 weeks Text document-based DIVERSITY & CHANGE Biodiversity 2 current events geologic time scale activity FRQ (10%) biodiversity, evolution, natural selection kit & lab conservation 18 Conservation of jellybean model of evolution Biodiversity biodiversity hotspot internet activity endangered & invasive species projects leaf litter lab Evolution Lost by EarthTouch ecotourism brochure project biodiversity index lab home size text activity cost of a green lawn text activity wanted poster activity Do Ecosystem Services Have Economic Value? 4-GEOLOGY 1, 3-6 8 Earth Systems 2 weeks copper extraction and reclamation inquiry lab Earth science concepts (rock 2 current events evaluation FRQ cycle, plate tectonics, soil soil labs (15%) dynamics Dirt chemical and mechanical weathering lab acidification and lake size activity plate tectonics project and computer simulation
mining town web quest diet and soil dynamics text activity cookie mining activity 5-POPULATION 1, 3-6 6 Population & 3 weeks population growth of Lemna minor inquiry lab organism/human population Community 3 current events cemetery tour and population distribution evaluation FRQ growth and resource Ecology island biogeography activity (20%) consumption interspecific and intraspecific lab Text data-set FRQ 7 Human mark and recapture lab Population study of succession on campus activity living planet index text activity GDP & footprint text activity national footprint text activity doubling time math lab Oh Deer carrying capacity activity Survival Island activity life expectancy calculation activity world population lab power of the pyramids activity The People Bomb World in the Balance (PBS) Do We Have a Population Problem? 6-WATER RESOURCES 1, 3-6 9 Water Resources 2 weeks water resources and human 2 current events groundwater model simulation evaluation FRQ management water in the USA activity (25%) water use diary Modern Marvels: Water conserving water activity national and local water use text activity
water diversions research project Should Waukesha Have Access to Lake Michigan? 7-LAND & WATER USE 1-6 10 Public & Private 3 weeks 2012 synthesis & land management, hunger, Land 3 current events tragedy of the commons activity evaluation FRQ on agriculture comparative land use lab pesticide use (30%) 11 Feeding the habitats-the choice is yours activity World ecological footprint of food consumption text activity fishing for the future activity cost of commuting text activity natural areas project hunger banquet/lab The DustBowl by American Experience Food Inc. End of the Line soil fertilizer inquiry lab mineral nutrition of plants inquiry lab Lorax and Truax scarcity lab Can Organic Farming Feed the World? SEMESTER ONE 18 WEEKS Review January 20-21, 2014 Final Exam January 24, 2014 8-ENERGY RESOURCES 1, 2, 4-6 12 Nonrenewable 3 weeks bitumen from oil sands inquiry lab 2012 document-based & CONSUMPTION Energy Sources 3 current events conventional vs. hybrid car text activity FRQ on natural gas advantages and disadvantages energy use audit from rock (35%) of renewable and 13 Achieving Gaslands 2012 data-set FRQ on nonrenewable Energy Fuel alternative energy Sustainability Petropolis and carbon emissions
nuclear waste activity fossil fuel activity biomass to biofuel inquiry lab pizza box solar oven activity choosing a light bulb text activity fuel cell car inquiry energy resource comparison project Is Renewable Energy Really Green? 9- POLLUTION & 1-6 14 Water Pollution 8 weeks design your own environmental experiment 2012 synthesis & GLOBAL CHANGE 8 current events evaluation FRQ on water pollutants, wastewater 15 Air Pollution & safe water text activity wetlands & treatment, indoor/outdoor air Stratospheric flushed away activity wastewater treatment pollutants, smog, ozone, waste Ozone Depletion Pollution field trip: water quality of more/less (40%) and its disposal, global polluted waterways, water treatment visit, farm, Text document-based warming, ozone depletion, 16 Waste landfill, recycling FRQ (15) human impact Generation & oil spill remediation lab Waste Disposal water salinization inquiry lab evaluation FRQ (16) effects of nitrate/phosphate pollution lab 19 Global Change ozone lab (to be compared with Fall lab) evaluation FRQ on local air pollution investigation global warming parts per million lab coal emissions text activity nitrogen air pollution activity acid rain lab air pollution lab Acid Rain: The Invisible Threat Ozone: The Hole Story Modern Marvels: Trash
Flush One Degree household waste activity solid waste text activity auto/truck tire waste math lab recycle city activity energy and recycling math lab landfill lab greenhouse gas lab carbon production by various vehicles text activity greenhouse effect computer simulation CO 2 graphing activity global climate change project Should the Superfund Tax be Reinstated? Is Global Warming a Catastrophe That Warrants Immediate Action? 10-HEALTH 1, 3-6 17 Human Health 2 weeks LD50 lab human health risks, infectious & Environmental 2 current events irradiated seeds lab evaluation FRQ on disease, toxic chemicals, risk Risks Contagion risk management analysis Chemical & Biological Weapons (History Channel) (40%) risk perception activity Virustown activity Trade Secrets (PBS) local environmental risk computer activity disease research project Do Environmental Hormone Mimics Pose a Potentially Serious Health Threat?
AP EXAM REVIEW 1 week April 28-May 2, AP Test is Monday, May 5th AFTER THE EXAM Possibilities include: trip to elementary school to teach about the environment butterfly garden school redesign for conservation community service (weed picking, tree planting, etc.) community garden political activism letter