Download ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE15

ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(APES)
Course Syllabus 2016-2017
Mrs. Dawn R. Curtsinger
Washington County High School
Introduction:
AP Environmental Science (APES) is designed to be the equivalent of a one-semester, introductory
college course in environmental science. Unlike most other college science courses, environmental
science is offered from a wide variety of departments including geology, biology, chemistry, physics,
geography and environmental studies. This AP course has been developed to provide you with an
integrated approach to the numerous disciplines involved in environmental sciences, and to incorporate
many lab and field components, as well as social and political themes. “This is not a class for tree
huggers, it is a course for SERIOUS tree huggers!”(Dr. Charles Lytle, NC State University).
About your Instructor:
Dawn R. Curtsinger B.A. in Geology; concentration in Earth/Space, minor in broadcast news
M.A. in Science Education
School phone- 859-336-5475 EXT. 226
Cell Phone: 859-805-0912 (Only to be used in emergency or if you have a question on homework or an
assignment)
[email protected]
Teacher website: You will be able to access my webpage with important documents and missing work
on the district webpage. We will discuss how to access this page. You will also have a missing work
folder located at the front of the class.
If you need extra tutoring/review time with me, please make arrangements. I will be available MondayThursday from 3 to 4 pm unless otherwise noted. Morning review time may also be arranged staring at
7:30 am.
NOTE: All make up testing and re-testing will be exclusively on Monday and Tuesday, unless there is an
extenuating circumstance. Either before or after school.
This is my 3rd year teaching APES, so please bear with me as we learn and grow together. I will do my
best to help you succeed in this class but you must give it your all and be willing to work and study hard.
Freshman have and can pass the AP exam, however it is very difficult.
Course Description:
The APES course is designed to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts and
methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and
analyze the environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks
associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and preventing them.
There are several unifying constructs of themes that provide the foundations for the structure of the
APES course:
1.
Science is a process
2.
Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes
3.
The Earth itself is one interconnected system
4.
Humans alter natural systems
5.
Environmental problems have a cultural and social context
6.
Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems
The Exams:
The AP Exam is 100 Multiple Choice questions in 90 minutes and four essays in 90 minutes. The essays
include one document-based question (DBQ), one data set (quantitative) question, and two more
general synthesis and evaluation questions. Test date: Monday, May 1st , 2017 @8am. 
Course Prerequisites:
Students should have completed the following courses or are completing these courses before or as
they are taking this class: Algebra, Geometry, Biology Honors, and Chemistry Honors. It is
recommended that AP students in general score 1200 SAT/PSAT, and strong writing and analytical skills
are necessary for this course. It is highly recommended that you have taken or are taking these classes
before taking this one. Most important for success in this course is a willingness to work hard!
Class Format:
This course will meet MWF for 72 minutes for the entire year and will count as one AP credit. We will
strive to stay on the same topic. Tests will be around the same time. (Some test dates will need to be
revised on the pacing guide.) It may be necessary to stay after class or come in on the day you don’t
have APES to finish a lab. The class will be delivered in several ways including but not limited to: lecture,
powerpoints, handouts, projects, labs, demos, etc. Many of the documents used in class will be
available to you on our online group. Be prepared to take notes and be an active participant in class
discussions and all activities.
All of your scheduled tests in class will be simulations of the final AP exam, with multiple choice and
essay (FRQ) portions. Other assignments will include essay sets, laboratory pre-labs and write ups, group
work, computer simulations and possible webquests, quantitative analysis and data sets, research and
oral presentations by individuals and teams. The lab group or team will be an integral part of field and
lab work, and cooperation and participation is essential. You are expected to do all assignments on
time and late will only be accepted if there is an excused absence or at 10% off each day and must be
completed within a reasonable time. According to school policy you are allowed to turn late work in
however many days you were out plus one. We will adhere to this rule, only if it was an excused
absence. You will be required to keep an organized binder, which should include a tab for notes,
handouts/worksheets, homework, labwork/reports, essays and tests/quizzes. Remember this is a
COLLEGE level course with very high expectations.
You will have an option to RE-TAKE your objective portion of any test! This means every student has the
opportunity to re-test on the multiple choice section on the Monday or Tuesday following a test but not
the free response section. This will be done before or after school; NOT DURING! Essays will not be rescored. I will only count the re-test if you decide to take it, NOT the higher of the two grades! If you
are absent, please plan to take your make up test on the Monday or Tuesday after the test. No
exceptions will be made for this policy. Occasionally you may have a take-home exam to complete if our
time becomes exhausted during the unit. These will be open-note, open-book exams.
You will not have homework every night, but you will find the required reading and overall work load
while difficult, is manageable. Again, no late assignments will be accepted without excused absences.
It is important to stay motivated all year, especially towards the exam date when many people have
lots of AP exams to prepare for. While my level of expectations for each of you is high, I do realize most
of you are young and new to AP classes. I will do everything I can to help you succeed but my efforts
can only go so far…. You must meet me in the middle. Once you are in college remember that you will
be responsible for most of your own learning. Expect to do quite a bit of reading on your own outside of
class. We are on a time crunch from the start and while I will try to cover everything in detail there may
be things that we briefly cover in class that will require you to do deeper reading on your own at home.
With that being said I do plan on celebrating important scientific dates (such as “mole day”). Try to
enjoy the learning process and each other!
Textbooks, Lab books & Prep books
Matthews, Carol, and N. Kathryn Weatherhead. Advanced Environmental Science.
Teaching Point: USA. 2014. (We will be using several labs from this book.)
Miller, G. Tyler. Living in the Environment AP Edition. Cengage Learning. Stamford, CT. 2015, 18th
Edition. (We will use this book extensively. Also these textbooks will be fairly new, therefore they need
to be cared for and maintained.) You will be charged $100 at the end of the year if it is not returned.
Also I would like you to have Barron’s AP Environmental Science Test Preparation book. We will be using
those throughout the year. They run around $20.00 directly from Barron’s website. I have a little over 20
that I will be passing out, or you are welcome to buy your own. These will have to be returned at the
end of the year as well, or you will be fined $10.
Grading:
I adhere to the school-wide grading AP scale, and do not curve grades. You will have tests over many
chapters at a time (refer to the pacing guide), formal and informal lab reports, problem solving and data
analysis, multiple choice question sets, essays, computer simulations, independent research projects,
current events and Internet based assignments. On some occasions homework will be graded on
participation, however don’t expect that to be the norm. Expect to get graded on correctness. You are
expected to keep all papers when returned. As previously mentioned, you will maintain an organized
binder. Your grade will be determined by cumulative point totals converted to a percent grade each
marking period.
Grades will be weighted as follows: Exams & Quizzes 50% of your grade. Labs & Projects 25% and
homework/class activities 25%
While you are expected to do your own work, there may be exceptions for group lab reports, and you
will be clearly notified when that occurs. If you are given the task of completing a group activity, you
may turn in one for the group however you may not each receive the same grade. I will observe the
exercises so I will know if someone is not pulling their weight. I will also ask group members to assign
what grade they think each member should receive. I will take these into consideration before I assign a
final grade.
Late Work: Late work will be taken with an excused absence. Each day the assignment is late 10% will be
taken off the grade. If you miss a lab an alternative assignment may be given to you or you may be
required to come in after school and complete the lab.
Academic Fraud:
Students are expected to write their own lab reports (unless otherwise noted), research and other
writing assignments. Absolutely no plagiarism of any kind will be tolerated. While I understand that
students will have similar lab data when in the same groups, it is expected that your data analysis,
conclusions and research will be written in your own words. Homework assignments will be handwritten
to avoid cheating. Expect me to be vigilant in checking your references and online sources!
Field Trips:
This course will require you to work in lab as well as outdoors in areas around the school. I will notify
you before, so please dress appropriately. Additionally, I plan on us taking several class trips to various
places. Possible field trips include trips to the local water company, sewage Company, Etown’s landfill
recycling center, local nature preserves/farms, Soil Day at the University of Kentucky and Hidden River
Cave, etc. Possibly the Louisville Zoo. If you have a special interest in exploring a location or place, please
let me know and we can discuss the possibilities.
Online Platform: We will be utilizing the online platform, Mind tap, that goes along with our books.
Most of your homework will come from there. You will get a code to access this. You will also be using
the New American Notebook note technique as well as a vocabulary knowledge rating paper for each
chapter. There is a detailed reading schedule located on the pacing guide, as to what you should read
each night. Although I won’t be grading your notes/vocab, you will have weekly reading/vocab quizzes
to determine if you are staying on track.
Also sign up for the REMIND texts to let you know of upcoming events in our class. Text @ge932 to
81010. There is also a Facebook group, called Mrs. Curtsinger’s APES Class. It is a closed group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/727801067364001/ I may have to add you as a friend or you may
have to request to get into the group.
Stewardship:
As a member of the APES class you are expected to take an interest in local environmental stewardship
activities, some of which will occur as part of your class assignments and others that may be extra credit.
Recycling efforts at our school will be a priority. I look forward to challenging you to become not just a
student in my class, but a student who makes a difference in your community and globally!
Extra Credit:
There may be opportunities for extra credit throughout the year. This may include additional essays,
book reports or projects. I will let you know when the opportunity arises.
APES Course Outline 2016-2017
(We will follow this as best as we can, but I do know events come up and life happens. However, don’t
expect many adjustments to this pacing guide.)
Unit 1: Introduction to Scientific Analysis and Environmental
Science
Topics:
•
Scientific Analysis
•
Observing, hypothesizing
•
Data collection, basic statistics
•
Critical interpretation of data
•
Economic forces, cost-benefit analysis, ownership
•
Environmental ethics, cultural and aesthetic considerations
•
Environmental laws, regulations
•
Overview of environmental history
•
Worldviews

APES Math Review
Chapters 1, 2, 23 and some from 24
Labs and Activities:
Scientific Methods with graphing and T tests?
Broken Squares
Termite Study-Experimental Design and research
Old Field/ New Field-Experimental Design
Environmental Science Journaling
Spotted Owl Controversy/ Class Debate and position paper
Tragedy of the Commons Discussion/Activity
Ecosystem in a Jar- 30-day Experimental Design-Maybe
Feedback loops
Legislation Project
Suggested Reading Schedule Unit 1:
Days
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Pages
2-12
13-24
28-40
41-47
632-644
644-652
658-669
669-678
No school -Labor Day
Date: September 5 2016
Test 1: September 9, 2016
Unit 2: The Water Environment: Resources, Pollution & Biodiversity
Topics:
•
Water: fresh, marine, fisheries, industrial, agricultural, domestic
•
Aquatic biodiversity
•
Water resources
•
Aquatic Ecology
•
Sustaining Aquatic biodiversity
•
Oceans, surface temperatures, sea level, currents
•
Water pollution
Chapters: 8, 11, 13, 20
Labs and Activities:
Water Quality Testing Labs
Dissolved Oxygen and Primary Productivity
DO Freshwater vs. Saltwater
Field Testing of Water
Wastewater Treatment Lab
Springfield Water Treatment Plant Tour
Hidden River Cave Trip
Macroinvertebrate testing of waterway health- Creek near school?
Suggested Reading Schedule for Unit 2:
Day
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Pages
318-328
329-344
544-558
558-570
168-178
178-185
248-263
263-272
October 3rd-7th Fall Break (You will have a take home test during this week for Unit 2)
Unit 3: Interdependence of Earth’s Systems/ The Living World
Topics:
•
Flow of energy: forms, units, sources, biomass, energy transfer
•
Cycling of matter: water, carbon, major and minor nutrients
•
Evolution and Biodiversity-origins, niches
•
The Biosphere: populations, communities, ecosystems, succession, extinction
•
Biogeography, biomes and diversity
•
Community Ecology, structure and interactions
•
Habitat destruction, loss of biodiversity, introduced exotics
Chapters: 3, 4, 5
Labs and Activities:
Flow of Energy and calculations
Shannon Weiner Index of Biodiversity
Species Diversity lab modules
Geodesy and Phenology
Weather simulation of Southeastern US
Ecosystem comparisons in lab and field
Owl Pellet Energy Lab
Nitrogen Cycling Game
Biogeochemical Cycling Activity
Predator-prey simulation; Experimental design and Chi Square
Exotic Species “Wanted” Poster project
Island Biogeography
Suggested Reading for Unit 3:
Day
1
2
3
4
5
6
Pages
52-61
62-73
78-87
87-96
102-111
111-116
Nov. 8th Election Day – NO school
Test 3: November 11th 2016
Unit 4: Biodiversity
Topics:
•
Populations and communities: exponential growth, carrying capacity
•
Biodiversity revisited

Endangered Species
•
Patterns of resource utilization
•
Cultural and economic influences
Chapters: 7, 9, 10
Labs and Activities:
Tag and Recapture Field Activity-Experimental Design
Environmental Influences on Population Distribution of Artemia
Population Growth of Lemma (30 days)
Carrying Capacity of an Ecosystem
“Oh Deer”
Suggested Reading for Unit 4:
Day
1
2
3
4
5
6
Page
144-159
159-163
190-197
197-213
218-231
231-243
Exam: December 2nd 2016
Unit 5: Human Populations Dynamics/ Agriculture
Topics:
•
Populations and communities: exponential growth, carrying capacity
•
Biodiversity revisited
•
Population dynamics
•
Human Populations: history, distribution, demographics
•
Patterns of resource utilization
•
Cultural and economic influences
•
The question of food resources

Biological: genetic diversity, food, forestry, agricultural products
Chapters: 6 & 12
Labs and Activities:
Tag and Recapture Field Activity-Experimental Design
Human Population Demographics
Power of the Pyramids
Carrying Capacity
“Graveyard Smash”- Human Survivorship
World in Balance
Agriculture & Feeding a Growing Human Population Lab
Suggested Reading for Unit 5:
Day
Pages
1
122131
131139
278287
287295
296312
2
3
4
5
Exam Dec. 20th 2016
Winter Break: You will receive a vocabulary review to complete over winter break.
Unit 6: The Solid Earth/Renewable Nonrenewable/ Energy
Usage
Topics:
•
Earth history and geologic time scale
•
Earth dynamics, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanism
•
Rock cycle, soil formation
•
Minerals: soils, erosion, conservation, land use management
•
Geologic Resources-renewable and non-renewable
•
Laws of Thermodynamics revisited
•
Energy: conventional sources, alternative sources
•
Energy efficiency and renewable energy
•
Hazards
Chapters: 14, 15 & 16
Labs and activities:
Dynamics of Plate Tectonics
Sand and “Squand”
The rock cycle and soil formation-Physical and Chemical Weathering
Layers of the Earth Lab- Density Column
Porosity and Permeability and other modules
Soil Analysis and Soil Formation Lab
Contour mapping and GPS training
Topographic profiling
Energy Consumption (2 labs)
Owl pellets and energy-review energy flow in ecosystems
Virtual Powerplant tours of coal-fired and nuclear facilities
Energy Resources research project
Effects of Radiation: Gaussmeter sampling?
Effects of Radiation on Brassica
Take Home assignment: Energy Audit in Home
Suggested Reading for Unit 6:
Day
Pages
1
350361
2
361369
3
374382
4
382389
5
389397
6
402413
7
414423
8
424436
Exam Date: February 10th 2017
Unit 8: Environmental Quality and Pollution
Topics:
•
Review Air/Water/Soil, major types of pollution
•
Measurements, point and non-point pollutants
•
Effects of pollutants: aquatic systems, vegetation, wildlife, buildings
•
Reduction and control
•
Global Changes and Their Consequences
•
Risk, toxicology and human health
•
First and Higher Order effects
•
Pesticides and pest control


Solid & Hazardous Wastes
E-waste
Chapters: 17 & 21
Labs and Activities:
Toxicology Tutor 1
Toxicity Bioassays-individual labs designs
Water toxicology “Blue Gold”
LC 50 Lab with Daphnia
Water Pollutants & Living Organisms Lab
Trash Inc.
Visit to Landfill?
Suggested Reading Schedule for Unit 8:
Day
Page
1
442-452
2
453-469
3
576-586
4
587-600
Exam Date: March 10th 2017
Unit 8: The Atmosphere/Climate Change/Air Pollution
Topics:
•
Formation of the atmosphere
•
Air circulation patterns
•
Atmospheric conditions and biomes
•
Atmospheric gases, photosynthesis
•
Air pollution
•
Climate Change and ozone depletion
Chapters: 18 & 19
Labs and activities:
Air Pollution & Vehicle Exhaust lab stations (3 stations)
Analysis of Worldwatch CO2 and Temperature data using Excel modeling
Acid Deposition Lab
Wet Scrubbers Lab
Ecoquests 3 and 4-Global Warming Newspaper article, El Nino/La Nina
Suggested Reading Schedule for Unit 8:
Day
Pages
1
474-484
2
485-501
3
506-516
4
516-524
5
525-538
Exam Date: March 31st, 2017
Unit 9: Urbanization and Choices for the Future
Topics:
•
Urban Sprawl
•
Sustainable cities-urban land use and management
•
Economics, environment and sustainability
•
Politics, environment and sustainability
•
Environmental worldview and sustainability
Chapters: 22
Labs and Activities:
Sustainable Land
Suggested Reading Schedule for Unit 9:
Days
Pages
1
606-615
2
615-627
Exam Date: April 21st, 2017
Practice Exam & Review the week of April 24th – April 28tth
2017
AP Exam:
Date: May 1st, 2017 @ 8am
Unit 10: Post exam projects
Experiments of student choice or extra credit book reports.
Some words of advice to be successful in my class: READ your assignments,
WRITE your essays well, LISTEN, and take notes in class, PARTICIPATE in all lab
experiments and field work. The pace will be fast and furious in order to
complete the course by the May test date. Best of luck to all of you!
LAB RULES & PROCEDURES
Labs include working with equipment, chemicals and/or heating devices; as a result, it is
imperative that you follow all safety rules at all times. Anyone not adhering to the rules will not
complete the lab & will be given an alternative written or book assignment. If you have missing
assignments prior to conducting a lab, you may not be able to participate in the lab.
LAB RULES:
1. Always wear safety glasses and aprons when working with chemicals or heat.
2. Do not smell anything unless told to do so. If you are asked to smell something, hold the
container 6 inches from your nose and wave your hand over the opening of the
container toward your nose.
3. If you spill a chemical on your skin, tell someone immediately to get the teacher, and
flush the area with water for 15 minutes. If an irritation develops, contact a physician.
Make sure chemicals are disposed of properly. If the instructions do not clarify how to
dispose of the chemicals, ask the teacher before pouring anything down the drain.
4. No eating or drinking in the lab (expect for the ice cream lab)
5. No flames allowed without permission and without an adult in the room.
6. No horseplay at any time.
7. Long hair must be put up in a ponytail during most labs.
8. Open-toed shoes must not be worn during many of the labs.
9. If something is broken, notify me immediately before cleaning it up.
10. Do not touch any lab equipment or material without permission. We are not the only
ones who use this lab.
11. Clean up your work area when the lab is completed & put all materials where you are
instructed.
12. Only work with the people in your group. Stay at your station.
LAB CONSEQUENCES: If it is your first offense & it is a minor offense, you will be pulled
from the lab & will either copy the lab sheet (multiple times) or complete a book
assignment. For more severe or multiple minor offenses, you may lose the privilege to
conduct any labs the remainder of the year. In such cases, your lab grade will come
from written assignments.