AP Environmental Science Syllabus

Transcription

1 AP Environmental Science Syllabus Textbook Environmental Science for AP* 2 nd Edition, Andrew Friedland & Rick Relyea Course Prerequisites The AP Environmental Science class is open to students who have taken biology, chemistry, and either integrated math 3 or advanced algebra. Students should have a good comprehension and understand on collecting data in the field. Methods Daily instruction will consist of lecture, discussion, collaborative group work, written research papers, demonstration, guest speakers, in-class assignments, computer simulations, and homework. A large portion of the class will consist of lab work. All lab work will require a written component. A minimum of one class period or its equivalent per week is spent engaged in laboratory and/or field work. Brief Description of Course Class size is limited to a maximum of 30 students due to state law. The class periods are 51 minutes long, 5 days a week. My course is organized around chapters from the Friedland and Relyea textbook. Exams mimic the AP exam by having released multiple choice questions and released FRQs. Exams consist of 70% of their grade with the remaining 30% being lab. AP Environmental Science is equivalent to an introductory college course in environmental science. The goal of this course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to analyze and identify environmental problems both natural and man-made, to evaluate the risks associated with problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them. The following themes provide a foundation for the structure of the AP Environmental Science class: 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, and human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems. Course Timeline General overview organized by topics/chapters. Unit 1 Chapter 1 Duration 2-3 weeks Topic: Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability, Population Dynamics Investigation of Major Environmental Problems o Group activity dealing with Population growth, greatest environmental problem facing the Earth? Population Dynamics

2 o o o Reaction paper on Tragedy of the Commons Lab activity: Exponential Growth, Using population data and plotting it on a semilog grid. Factors that are discussed include birthrates, deathrates, health care, population momentum and trends. Probability and statistics are discussed in relation to the Earth s natural resources (fossil fuels) and the strain of an increasing population. Hands on, Hours 1.5 to 2. Simulation activity: The tragedy of the commons fishing activity. Students will be able to comprehend how our natural resources (fish in the ocean) are not sustainable if we over-fish an ecosystem. Discussion questions include incentive programs, co-op fishing, degradation of common resources, public lands vs. private lands. Test: Chapter 1 and Tragedy of Commons Unit 2 Chapter 2 Duration 1 week Topic: Critical Thinking: Science, Models and Systems Science Models and Systems o Lab activity: The effect of habitat choices on the Meal Worm, Students will explore how meal worms react to different habitats, habitats include light vs. dark, acid vs. base, wet vs. dry, and course vs. fine sandy loam. Students will collect data in reference to time and migration of meal worms. Hands on, Hours 1.5 to 2 o The scientific method o Different forms of energy and how the environment relates Chapter 3 Duration 1 week Topic: Matter and Energy Resources Nature s Building Blocks o Lecture on Inorganic and Organic compounds o Laws of matter and energy o Lab Activity Specific Heat and Climate, Determine the specific heat and the rates of heating of a soil sample vs. water. Hands-on hours 1.5 to 2 hours Test: Chapter 2 and 3 Unit 3 Chapter 4 Duration 2 weeks Topic: Ecology, Ecosystems, Invasive Species and Food Webs Populations, communities, food chains-webs and abiotic and biotic factors o Ecosystem Concepts- Biomes (Power Point Project: Presentations on different biomes) o The Day they parachuted Cats into Borneo (Food Chain / Web Demo)

3 o Ecological Pyramids Pyramid of energy flow, Pyramid of Biomass o Lab Activity Owl Pellet Examining Owl Pellets!! What do they tell us? Hands-on 1.5 hours to 2 hours. o Guest Speaker Eric Maynard with the Arkansas Game and Fish commission Speaks on invasive species in Arkansas; Snakehead Fish, Flying Carp, Japanese Honeysuckle, and Zebra mussels, and Kudzu Plant. Chapter 5 Duration 2 weeks Topic: Nutrient Cycles, and Soils Nutrient Cycles Project Students will work in groups of 3 s and create a powerpoint presentation on one of the following nutrient cycles; nitrogen, carbon, sulfur, phosphorus, water, rock. o Lab Activity Soil Analysis; Student will analyze a soil sample, and remediate soil based on analysis. Comparing growth rates, taste and other factors in lettuce. Hands on data collection about 2-4 hours. o Soil Horizons Demo, Collect 5 local soil samples and separate the samples by their horizons. Test: Chapters 4 and 5 Unit 4 Chapter 6 Duration 2-3 weeks Topic: Evolution and biodiversity Origins, Niches, and adaptations o Micro and Macro evolution (Mutation, Natural Selection, Gene Flow, Genetic Drift) o Speciation, Extinction, and biodiversity o Niches, Where do they fit in??? o Lab Activity - Biological Hotspots: Reasons and Threats. Students will be able to understand and explain why certain locations on Earth are considered biological hotspots. Virtual and Hands on Lab; 2-3 hours Chapter 7: Duration 2 weeks Topic: Geographical Ecology, Climate, and Biomes Weather vs. Climate o Project: Global Climate Change Students will analyze and graphically depict interrelationships among a complex of effects of global warming. Students will then apply the analysis to environmental, economic, and sociopolitical events both locally and generally. o Lab Activity Tree Rings and Climate Change Students will analyze and measure tree ring width. Relationships between tree ring width and climate will be developed. o What are Biomes?

4 o Video: Biomes (Discovery) Test Chapter 6 and 7 Unit 5 Chapter 8: Duration 2 weeks Topic: Aquatic Ecology: Biodiversity in Aquatic Ecosystems Saltwater life zones Freshwater life zones, Eutrophication, Overturn, Streams, Rivers and Lakes o Lab Activity Stream Water Quality and Macroinvertebrate Population Comparison. Students will gather, collect and identify macroinvertebrate organisms from Cadron Creek. Semester Long Project, Hands on and Teacher led 8 to 12 hours. Chapter 9: Duration 2 weeks Topic: Community Processes: Species: Interactions and Succession Ecological Niches, Competition and Predation o Indicator species and keystone species o Succession o Video: Cane Toads o Lab Activity Predator-Prey Simulation, Students will simulate and analyze the interactions between a predator population of coyotes and a prey population of mice. Test Chapter 8 and 9 Unit 6 Chapter 14 Duration 1 week Topic: Minerals and Soil Resources Geological Processes and Mineral Resources o Lab Activity - Mineral Identification and how minerals are important to us, Students will investigate mineral uses and the six main ways we identify minerals. o Types of mining and oil, gas and extraction Chapter 15 Duration 1 week Topic: Nonrenewable Energy Resources Evaluating Energy Resources and Energy Efficiency o Fossil Fuels: Coal, Oil and Natural Gas o Excel Graphing Project: Comparing state of Arkansas with that of U.S. consumption. o Lab Activity Personal Energy Use Audit, Student will record and calculate approximate personal energy at home. Students will compare price, amounts, and by products. o Nuclear Energy and Video: Nightline Chernobyl Chapter 16 Duration 1 week Topic: Renewable Energy Resources

5 Importance of improving Energy Efficiency and Renewable Sources o Solar Energy, Wind, Hydroelectric and Geothermal o Lab Activity Students will design, calculate and compare different heat-absorbing capacities of various fluids. Students will calculate heat absorption rates for passive solar materials (passive solar heating). Test Chapters 14, 15, and 16 Unit 7 Chapter 17 Duration 1 week Topic: Risk, Toxicology, and Human Health Risk, Hazards, Toxicology, and Risk Analysis o Toxicology: Dose and Response Curve, Poison, LD 50, Bioaccumlation, Biomagnification and DDT. o In class Debate: Should the United Nations Ban the use of DDT? o Lab Activity Brine Shrimp and LD-50. o Transmissible and Non-transmissible Diseases Chapter 18 Duration 2 weeks Topic: Air Pollution Atmosphere, Smog, Acid Deposition, Indoor Air Pollution, Effects on living organisms. o Layers of Atmosphere o Smog City Web Quest o Lab Activity Air Pollution and Particulate Matter, Students will measure particulate matter locally and evaluate the data. o Guest Speaker Dr. Waggoner (paleontologist) from the University of Central Arkansas (Indoor air pollution) Test Chapters 17 and 18 Unit 8 Chapter 19 Duration 2 weeks Topic: Global Warming and Ozone Loss Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming o Lab Activity Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Fossil-Fuel Burning. Students will be able to track long-term energy production ( ) and correlate the data to emissions and atmospheric concentrations of Carbon Dioxide. Students will investigate the effects of Carbon Dioxide and other greenhouse gases on global temperatures. Chapter 20 Duration 2 weeks Topic: Water Pollution

6 Types and Sources of water pollution, freshwater, saltwater, solutions, o Prince William Sound and Exxon Valdez o Love Canal and the Great Lakes o Six types of water pollution and Clean Water Act o Lab Activity Acid Rain, Students will measure and compare ph levels in precipitation at several sites. Students will analyze varying concentration of oxides and ph readings in precipitation throughout the United States. Test Chapter 19 and 20 Unit 9 Chapter 22 Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste Topic: Solid waste, Recycling, Reuse, Land Disposal, Lead, and Hazardous Waste Solid Waste o Landfills, Reducing Waste, Recycling o Lab Activity Solid Waste and the Environment, Students will analyze household waste and develop a strategy to reduce and recycle solid waste materials. o Effects of landfills on the Environment o 4 R s, RCRA, Superfund Test Chapter 22 Research Project: Cadron Creek Students will go to the location a minimum of 4 times and collect water samples. Students will conduct ph, temperature, turbidity, and macroinvertebrate sampling. Student will create a water index in evaluate the health of the river. Equipment used will include but not limited to: Secci tubes, hip waders, D-frame nets, sorting trays, kick-sain nets, ph, turbidity, and temperature kits. Students will be required to conduct a formal write-up detailing and identifying macroinvertrabes and how they help determine the health of Cadron Creek. Resources Lab Manuals Molnar, William. AP Environmental Science Laboratory Investigations. Saddle Brook, NJ: Peoples Publishing 2005 Literature Horton, Tom. Turning the Tide. Revised and Expanded Edition. Island Press.