Download Academic_Syllabus_APES_ 201415

Academic Syllabus
Academic Syllabus 2014-2015
Course: APES
Teacher: Garrison
Teacher e-mail: [email protected]
Teacher webpage: http://mglascience.cmswiki.wikispaces.net/
Welcome to MGLA: Hello! I am Andrea Garrison and I will be teaching your child in his/her Biology course this year.
Let’s get off to a great start! The purpose of this course is to provide exploratory experiences, laboratory and real-life
applications in the biological sciences. This class is partially FLIPPED and will call for internet and computer access at all
times.
The AP Environmental Science course is designed to be the equivalent of a one-semester, introductory college course in
environmental science. Unlike most other introductory-level college science courses, environmental science is offered
from a wide variety of departments, including geology, biology, environmental studies, environmental science, chemistry,
and geography. AP Environmental Science course has been developed to be most like the former; as such, it is intended
to enable students to undertake, as first-year college students, a more advanced study of topics in environmental science
or, alternatively, to fulfill a basic requirement for a laboratory science and thus free time for taking other courses. The goal
of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies
required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both
natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative
solutions for resolving or preventing them. Environmental science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of
topics from different areas of study. Yet there are several major unifying constructs, or themes, that cut across the many
topics included in the study of environmental science.
This class is a minimally FLIPPED and will call for internet and computer access at all times.
Class content:
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
Academic Syllabus
(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.
IV.
Human Population
1. Human population dynamics
(Historical population 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)
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)
3. Transportation infrastructure
(Federal highway system; canals and channels; roadless areas; ecosystem impacts)
4. Public and federal lands
(Management; wilderness areas; national parks; wildlife refuges; forests; wetlands)
5. Land conservation options
(Preservation; remediation; mitigation; restoration)
6. Sustainable land-use strategies
F. Mining
(Mineral formation; extraction; global reserves; relevant laws and treaties)
F. Fishing
(Fishing techniques; overfishing; aquaculture; relevant laws and treaties)
Academic Syllabus
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; CAFE 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;
biomagnification; relevant laws)
Academic Syllabus
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
4.
© 2013 The College Board. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.org.
Global connections:
We will be actively growing our global influence through projects with foreign countries, universities, museums, libraries,
hospitals, and other public and private entities around the world, but more so in Greater Charlotte, North Carolina and the
United States. We will strive to create positive and productive learning environments, builds meaningful and collaborative
networks, and work with students and our other stakeholders to understand and address our shared specific goals and
projects that we seek to complete to better the community-at-large. We will seek to understand how science and
technology are advancing the world and inspiring new ideas that will save lives, shape governments, create new leaders
and ultimately reshape the way we think about and treat ourselves as the human race!
*Special thanks to www.explorium.edu
Required materials:
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7 dividers
Blue and black pens ONLY (work written in other colors will not be accepted)
Loose leaf paper (college rule); paper “torn out” will not be graded
Composition (bound) notebook
Sharpened pencils
Index cards on hand
Highlighter
Ruler
Glue stick
Scissors
USB Flash Drive (at least 1 GB) for this class specifically
o Scientific calculator (provided in school)
o compass
o protractor
Daily preparation and communication:
Academic Syllabus
Flipped learning is a concept that is not new but has statistically been proven to be a best practice in the science
field. Entire high schools and parts of entire districts around the United States are shifting towards this idea that
the student will complete homework and rigorous labs in class with the teacher and watch the lessons online at
home.
This class is minimally flipped, yet it is expected that the students watch any videos assigned in class before
their next meeting to be prepared to participate fully during lab/class time. The students will have access to the
library and computers to make sure that the lesson is accessed. The required videos are mostly preloaded onto
the website. It is expected that each available video be viewed before the corresponding class; homework will
usually be completed at home at will be due at the end of the week.
The students will have DAILY reading, sometimes reading two chapters per week. There will be weekly
quizzes and free response questions. In addition to class quizzes, there will be online quizzes that are to be
taken at home.
Grading:
If you are absent the day of a test, your make-up test will be given the day of your return UNLESS otherwise
scheduled by the instructor. It is the responsibility of each student to acquire, complete and return any missed
assignments due to absences.
A:
93 – 100
B: 85 – 92
C: 75 – 84
D: 70 – 74
F: 0 – 69
Tutoring schedule:
Tuesday mornings from 8:00am-8:45 am
Please arrange for your children’s transportation.
Please sign below indicating you have read and understand the expectations of this course. Please do not detach
signature from page. Thank you.
Student Signature: __________________________________________Date:_________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature: ____________________________________Date:________________________
Parent/Guardian contact information: _________________________________________________________