AP® Environmental Science Syllabus

Instructor: Zane Hoover Room: 328 e-mail: [email protected]

Text: A.P.E.S. G. Tyler Miller. Living in the Environment 15th Edition, (Belmont, Ca.: Thomson/Brooks/Cole, Inc., 2007) Replacement cost: $100.00

Friedland and Relyea. Environmental Science for AP, (New York, N.Y. : Freeman, 2012)

Thomas A. Easton, ed. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Environmental Issues, 11th ed. (Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill Contemporary Learning Series, 2006). (E Text below)

Lab Manual: William Molnar. Laboratory Investigations for AP® Environmental Science, (Saddle Brook, NJ: Peoples Publishing Group, 2005) Replacement cost: $

Supplies: o A notebook for class work (You decide what kind you want, but there will be hand-outs and charts that you will want to be able to keep.) o A lab notebook(w/ carbon and quadrille lined). (You can buy one from me) o Black &/or Blue Pens & pencils o Colored pencils --Do not bring a calculator to APES – all mathematical equations must be done long-hand

Teacher Expectations: 1. Be on time, ready for class. Look at the board when you enter class for directions to begin. 2. No food or drinks in class except water. 3. Disruptions during class will not be tolerated! 4. Be respectful of other people, especially while working in group settings. 5. Do your AP Environmental work!!! Do not do work for other classes while in this class. 6. This is a college-level course. You will be expected to take responsibility for your own learning.

Grading: Tests/Quizzes 50% Labs/Test Prep 40% Midterm 10%

Grades: 1. The tests will have both multiple choice & free response questions, just as the AP exam will be. 2. Typically you will be in groups of three for each lab, depending on supplies available & work load. Some lab reports will be done as a group while others require individual work. 3. There will be many assignments that will be done as a group. To ensure everyone gets the grades they deserve on these assignments there will be a group evaluation which will be explained at a later date. 4. You will be allowed to re-take the multiple choice section of your tests, twice per semester. However, there are going to be specific rules & expectations that go along with this. More information will be provided in the future. 5. Homework will be counted the same as classwork. There will be very few “homework” assignments, however you will do a great deal of work at home in preparation for classwork assignments & quizzes including reading chapters and reviewing classwork materials. 6. The tests will be announced & will consist of multiple choice, matching & open-ended questions. 7. There will be at least one “special project” each semester that will require you to work outside of class & present information to the other students. These projects are to be computer generated unless told otherwise. 8. Some assignments will be graded by other students (such as free responses) in order for you all to become more familiar with the way the College Board follows a rubric when grading your exam. If you believe your grade is erroneous, do not hesitate to let me know. You will be allowed to contest your grade on those assignments. 9. Cheating will not be tolerated. Any student that is caught cheating will receive a grade of zero for that assignment and their parents will be notified. Cheating includes but is not limited to cheat sheets, copying another student’s paper, allowing a student to copy your paper or plagiarism. Students are not to look up answers to old versions of the AP exams. Cheating also includes turning in lab work that is the same. Data may be the same, the answers to questions, and the conclusion should be in your own words

Classroom Policies: 1. It is YOUR responsibility to find out about & turn in any assignments missed due to absences – I will not remind you. You have 3 days from the date of your return to school to turn in make-up work. In order to not fall behind, you can email me or check my webpage to see what you missed. 2. There is a notebook in the front of the room that tells briefly what we do each day & includes copies of any handouts. If you need help, let me know immediately. 3. Grades will be available for you and your parents to check online, however, due to the few number of grades that will be given, updates may not occur very frequently. 4. I will be posting assignments & calendars on my webpage (which will include worksheets when possible). Check the webpage if you have questions.

Objective of Course

The goal of the AP Environmental Science Course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, & methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, solutions for resolving and / or preventing them.

This course was designed to be the equivalent of a one-semester, introductory college course in Environmental Science. Unlike most other college introductory level science courses, environmental science is offered from a wide variety of departments, including geology, biology, environmental studies, environmental science, chemistry and geography.

The following themes provide a foundation for the structure of the AP Environmental Science course: 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 recover 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 their 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 on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems”

The following is based on the course outline set up by the College Board and outlines the concepts that may be tested on the AP Environmental Science Exam. Topic Outline I. Earth Systems and Resources (10 – 15%) A. Earth Science Concepts (geologic time scale; plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanism; seasons; solar intensity and latitude) B. The Atmosphere (Composition; structure; weather and climate; atmospheric circulation and the Coriolis Effect; atmosphere – ocean interactions; ENSO) C. Global Water Resources and Use (Freshwater/saltwater; ocean circulation; agricultural, industrial, and domestic use; surface and groundwater issues; global problems; conservation) D. 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, phosphorus, 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 populations 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; relevant laws) 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 development (Planned development; suburban sprawl; urbanization) 2. Transportation infrastructure (Federal highway system; canals and channels; roadless areas; ecosystem impacts) 3. Public and federal lands (Management; wilderness areas; national parks; wildlife refuges; forests; wetlands) 4. Land conservation options (Preservation; remediation; mitigation; restoration) 5. Sustainable land-use strategies E. Mining (Mineral formation; extraction; global reserves; relevant laws and treaties) F. Fishing (Fishing techniques; over-fishing; 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; 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; ground-water 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; biomagnifications; 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

Environmental Science Unit Unit Title Chapters standards approx. time 1 Introduction 1. Studying the State of Our Earth V. A 2. Environmental Systems V. D 3 weeks 20. Sustainability, Economics, and Equity  Easton Text – Issue 2 IV.G  Tragedy of the Commons VI.C 2 Ecosystems 3. Ecosystems Ecology II.A  Primary Productivity II.B 2 weeks  Wolves reintroduced II.C II.E 3 Biodiversity in Ecosystems 4. Global Climates and Biomes I.B 5. Evolution of Biodiversity II.A 3 weeks  National Parks / Resource brochure II.D 4 Sustaining Biodiversity 18. Conservation of Biodiversity III.A Endangered species brochure/ wanted poster invasive species 2 weeks III.B 5 Human Population Growth 6. Population and Community Ecology IV.B 7. The Human Population IV.C 3 weeks Eyes on Africa IV.D 6 Water Resources 9. Water Resources I.C 14. Water Pollution VI.A3 3 weeks  Water Testing  Groundwater brochure End First Semester 7 Food and Health Resources 11. Feeding the World I.D 17. Human Health and Environmental Risks IV.A 3 weeks  Easton Text – Issue 15  Emerging Diseases wanted poster IV.F  Chemicals in the Home – what it does to you 8 Mineral Resources, Mining 8. Earth Systems I.A 10. Land, Public and Private IV.E and Solid waste 16. Waste Generation and Disposal 3 weeks  Cookie Mining 9 Energy Resources 12. Nonrenewable Energy Sources V.A – G 13. Achieving Energy Sustainability 4 weeks  Easton Text – Issue 19  Alternative Fuel (power point)  Home Energy use (molner energy resource comparison)  Solar oven 10 Atmospheric Resource (Air) 15. Air Pollution and Stratospheric Ozone Depletion VI.A1 19. Global Change VII.A 4 weeks  Easton Text – Issue 11  Ozone monitoring VII.B  CO2 Fossil Fuels (molner) Review and AP Exam