AP Environmental Science Syllabus

Transcription

1 AP Environmental Science Syllabus Course Description This course is designed to prepare students for College Board AP Environmental science exam or an Environmental Science major course of study following high school. The course meets 12 periods per 6 day cycle for an entire school year. Students taking this course are required to have earned at least an 88% in one year of a laboratory biology course and at least an 88% in one year of a laboratory chemistry course. They must have completed at least one year of Algebra. The text for this course is Living in the Environment: Concepts, Connections and Solutions by G. Tyler Miller and Scott E. Spoolman 16 th edition published by Brooks/ Cole Cengage Learning in The book will be supplemented with laboratory and fieldwork from the laboratory manual for Living in the Environment: Concepts, Connections and Solutions by G. Tyler Miller and Scott E. Spoolman and Carolina s AP Environmental Science Resource Manual. Students have access to laptop computers with Internet connections. Graphing and statistics will be preformed using Excel. Standard laboratory equipment as well environmental fieldwork equipment is available. Students will have access to a wetland, a stream, and a mixed hardwood old growth temperate deciduous forest. Students will be assessed through quizzes, exams, laboratory studies, fieldwork, projects, class work and homework. They will be required to maintain a laboratory and fieldwork notebook journaling those experiences. Laboratories and Activities Laboratories and activities are listed by chapter along with applicable themes and topics in the course outline section of the syllabus. The following is a brief description of these laboratories and activities that will enhance learning as well as reinforce the scientific process. Introduction to environmental problems lab: Students will research the consumptive use of a product, research the resources required to produce the product and calculate the environmental impact of a product. Analyzing ecological footprints lab: students will calculate their ecological footprints, compare their footprints to the average footprint of people in various countries and analyze ways to reduce their footprint. Long-term solar input lab: Students will determine weekly changes in solar angle and intensity and explain the impact of those changes on the environment. Capturing the wind lab: Students will create efficient models of windmills to convert mechanical energy into electricity. Owl pellets lab: Students will dissect owl pellets in order to construct food webs, biomass pyramids, and numbers pyramids. Exploring biodiversity lab: Students will calculate diversity for sampled habitats using three indices, understand the role of biodiversity and conduct a cost-benefit analysis of maintaining biodiversity. Succession lab: Students will gain an understanding of succession by identifying common tree species in a temperate deciduous forest and identifying areas in various stages of succession.

2 Evolution and adaptation lab: Students will analyze adaptation and explain the impact of changes in gene frequency on a population. They will explain the role of natural selection in evolution, describe environmental condition that may contribute to changes in gene frequencies, and collect and process data. Solar insolation and heat transfer lab: Students will understand the impact of the angle of light on the Earth affects heating and cooling of the Earth. Coriolis Effect lab: Students will analyze the global effect of the Coriolis Effect on atmospheric circulation patterns. Water quality field testing lab: Students will conduct a field monitoring research project, operate a variety of field equipment, and assess the health of a local stream. Soil formation lab: Students will calculate weathering rate of various rocks, determine soil types, model soil structure and relate the slope of the land to soil structure and erosion. Soil productivity lab: Students will determine the macronutrients and ion-exchange capacity of various soil types, and relate these qualities to plant growth. Plate tectonics lab: Students will evaluate the role of tectonic plates and their interactions in shaping the Earth. They will relate seismic activity to plate tectonics and they will identify locations of plate boundaries globally. Acid deposition lab: Students will explain the formation of acid deposition and predict where acid deposition will occur. They will test solutions to determine ph. Global warming lab: Students will design an experiment to test the effect of atmospheric CO 2 concentration on the atmosphere. They will identify sources of CO 2 and evaluate methods to reduce CO 2 emissions. Sewage treatment lab: Students will create model sewage treatment plants and conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the treatment process while not sacrificing effectiveness. Solid waste inventory project: Students will inventory their solid waste production, and analyze ways to reduce their contribution to the waste stream.

3 Course Outline Time Summer assignment 1 week Themes Topics Text Chapter(s) Activities and Assessments - Energy conversions underlie all 2 weeks - Science is a process. - Energy conversions underlie all 1 Environmental Problems, Their Causes and Sustainability 2 Science, Matter, Energy and Systems 3 Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They Work? 1. Read and take notes on pp Complete review q on p. 25, critical thinking q on pp , and ecological footprint analysis chart and q. 1-3 on pp Introduction to environmental problems lab. 4. Analyzing ecological footprints lab. 1. Read pp Define chapter 2 vocabulary Begin long-term solar input lab. 6. Capturing the wind lab. 7. Chapter 1 and 2 Exam 1. Read pp Define chapter 3 vocabulary. analysis on pp Owl pellets lab

4 2 weeks - Energy conversions underlie all 4 Biodiversity and Evolution 1. Read pp Define chapter 4 vocabulary Exploring biodiversity lab 6. Chapter 3 and 4 exam. 2 weeks 1 week 5 Biodiversity, Species Interaction and Control. 6 The Human and Its Impact 7 Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity 1. Read pp Define chapter 5 vocabulary Succession lab 6. Evolution and adaptation lab 1. Read pp Define chapter 6 vocabulary. analysis on pp Chapter 5 and 6 exam. 1. Read pp Define chapter 7 vocabulary Solar insolation and heat transfer lab

5 8 Aquatic Biodiversity 1. Read pp Define chapter 8 vocabulary Coriolis effect lab 6. Chapter 7 and 8 exam. 1 week 9 Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach 1 week 2 weeks 2 weeks - Energy conversions underlie all 10 Sustaining Biodiversity: The Ecosystem Approach 11 Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity 12 Food, Soil, and Pest Management 1. Read pp Define chapter 9 vocabulary Read pp Define chapter 10 vocabulary. analysis on pp Read pp Define chapter 11 vocabulary. analysis on pp Water quality field testing lab 6. Chapters 9, 10 and 11 exam. 1. Read pp Define chapter 12 vocabulary Soil formation lab 6. Soil productivity lab

6 1 week 13 Water Resources 1. Read pp Define chapter 13 vocabulary. analysis on pp Chapters 12 and 13 exam. 14 Geology and Nonrenewable Minerals 1. Read pp Define chapter 14 vocabulary Plate tectonics lab 15 Nonrenewable Energy 16 Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 1. Read pp Define chapter 15 vocabulary. analysis on pp Read pp Define chapter 16 vocabulary. analysis on pp Chapters 14, 15 and 16 exam.

7 1 week 17 Environmental Hazards and Human Health 1. Read pp Define chapter 17 vocabulary Acid deposition lab 1 week 18 Air 1. Read pp Define chapter 18 vocabulary week 2 weeks 1 week 19- Climate Change and Ozone Depletion 20 Water 21 Solid and Hazardous Waste 5. Chapters 17 and 18 exam. 1. Read pp Define chapter 19 vocabulary. analysis on pp Global warming lab 1. Read pp Define chapter 20 vocabulary Sewage treatment lab 6. Chapters 19 and 20 exam. 1. Read pp Define chapter 21 vocabulary. analysis on pp Solid waste inventory project

8 1 week 22 Sustainable Cities 1. Read pp Define chapter 22 vocabulary. analysis on pp Chapters 20 and 21 exam. 1 week 23 Economics, Environment and Sustainability 1. Read pp Define chapter 23 vocabulary. 1 week 1 week 24 Politics, Environment, and Sustainability 25 Environment, Worldviews, Ethics, and Sustainability Read pp Define chapter 24 vocabulary Read pp Define chapter 25 vocabulary. analysis on pp Chapters 23, 24 and 25 exam.

9 5 weeks - Science is a process. - Energy conversions underlie all Review for final exam and/ or AP exam. 2. Final exam 3. Reevaluate ecological footprint 4. Conclude year-long solar insolation project. 5. Completion of laboratory and fieldwork journal.