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AP Environmental Science Syllabus
Personal Philosophy:
Many of my students have never been outside of an urban setting. They
can easily imagine themselves cut off from the rest of the world. One of
my main goals is to enable them to realize that everything and everybody
on this planet is interconnected and that decisions that we make can
have a global effect. I also hope that through this course, my students
will feel a sense of responsibility towards maintaining our biosphere.
This course is deeply rooted in the scientific analysis of the environment.
Students’ critical thinking skills will be sharpened to prepare them for
life’s decisions. Every aspect of this course is relevant to each student’s
life. Every decision that they will make from deciding what to wear to
where to live will involve the environment. Environmental issues will be
a part of almost every election. I believe that this is one of the most
important courses that a student can take and that every student could
highly benefit from an environmental science course.
School Profile:
Preparatory Academy for Writers is a 6-12 public school in Springfield
Gardens (Queens), NY. Its 370 students are approximately 87% African
American, 10% Latino, 2% Asian, and 1% White. Our first graduating
class will graduate this year.
Course Description:
APES (Advanced Placement Environmental Science) is a college-level
science course that studies that natural world and humanity’s impact on
it. We will also focus on possible solutions to environmental problems.
This is an interdisciplinary course, in part, because everything that we
do impacts the natural world from eating breakfast to buying an iPod to
traveling to school to going to the bathroom. The AP Environmental
Science Exam will be taken in May; this exam will determine who will
receive college credit. This exam is comprehensive and rigorous. So, this
course requires a dedicated learner.
Class Profile:
Each section of APES will have a maximum class size of 34 students.
The class will meet 10 periods per week.
Prerequisites:
All students taking AP Environmental science must have successfully
completed and passed both the course and regents exam for Living
Environment, Physical Setting: Earth Science, and Integrated Algebra.
Textbook and Other Resources:
 Cunningham, William & Cunningham, Mary Ann. Environmental
Science: A Global Concern 10th Edition.
 Carolina™ AP Environmental Science Laboratory Package
 Molnar, William. Laboratory Investigations: AP Environmental Science
 Wells, Edward. Lab Manual for Environmental Science
Web Pages:
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AP Environmental Science Syllabus
Class page: Found at http://www.prepacademyforwriters.org/home.aspx
Blog: http://apespaw.blogspot.com/
Wiki: http://apespaw.wikispaces.com/
Types of Assignments:
 Lab and Field Investigations: Approximately two periods per week will
be devoted to lab or field investigations.
 Quizzes and Exams: Quizzes will be given weekly, and exams will be
given at the end of each chapter.
 Blog: At the beginning of each week, I will pose a question on the class
blog. Each student will answer the question on the blog using an
acceptable source as evidence. Each student will also respond to
another student’s answer on the blog.
 Wiki: Students will make an APES version of Wikipedia.
 Current Events: At the beginning of each week, students will hand in a
current events article stapled to a reaction paper.
 Miscellaneous: various assignments to be done at home or in class.
Examples: textbook questions, webquests, assigned readings, research
project.
Grading:




Exams & Quizzes
Lab/field activities and projects
Participation
Homework, blog, weekly article
50%
20%
10%
20%
Standards:
I) Earth Systems and Resources
a) Earth Science Concepts
i) Geologic time scale
ii) Plate tectonics
iii) Earthquakes
iv) Volcanism
v) Seasons
vi) Solar Intensity and Latitude
b) The Atmosphere
i) Composition
ii) Structure
iii) Weather and Climate
iv) Atmospheric Circulation and the Coriolis Effect
v) Atmosphere-ocean interactions
vi) ENSO (El Niño)
c) Global water resources and use
i) Freshwater/saltwater
ii) Ocean circulation
iii) Agriculture
iv) Industrial use
v) Domestic use
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AP Environmental Science Syllabus
vi) Surface and groundwater issues
vii) Global problems
viii) Conservation
d) Soil and soil dynamics
i) Rock cycle
ii) Formation
iii) Composition
iv) Physical and chemical properties
v) Main soil types
vi) Erosion and other soil problems
vii) Soil conservation
II) The Living World
a) Ecosystem structure
i) Biological populations and communities
ii) Ecological niches
iii) Interactions among species
iv) Keystone species
v) Species diversity and edge effects
vi) Major terrestrial and aquatic biomes
b) Energy flow
i) Photosynthesis and cellular respiration
ii) Food webs and trophic levels
iii) Ecological pyramids
c) Ecosystem diversity
i) Biodiversity
ii) Natural selection
iii) Evolution
iv) Ecosystem services
d) Natural ecosystem change
i) Climate shifts
ii) Species movement
iii) Ecological succession
e) Natural biogeochemical cycles
i) Carbon cycle
ii) Nitrogen cycle
iii) Phosphorus cycle
iv) Sulfur cycle
v) Water cycle
vi) Conservation of matter
III) Population
a) Population biology concepts
i) Population ecology
ii) Carrying capacity
iii) Reproductive strategies
iv) Survivorship
b) Human population
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AP Environmental Science Syllabus
i) Human population dynamics
(1) Historical population sizes
(2) Distribution
(3) Fertility rates
(4) Growth rates and doubling times
(5) Demographic transition
(6) Age-structure diagrams
ii) Population size
(1) Strategies for sustainability
(2) Case studies
(3) National policies
iii) Impacts of population growth
(1) Hunger
(2) Disease
(3) Economic effects
(4) Resource use
(5) Habitat destruction
IV) Land and water use
a) Agriculture
i) Feeding a growing population
(1) Human nutritional requirements
(2) Types of agriculture
(3) Green revolution
(4) Genetic engineering and crop production
(5) Deforestation
(6) Irrigation
(7) Sustainable agriculture
ii) Controlling pests
(1) Types of pesticides
(2) Costs and benefits of pesticide use
(3) Integrated pest management
(4) Relevant laws
b) Forestry
i) Tree plantations
ii) Old growth forests
iii) Forest fires
iv) Forest management
v) National forests
c) Rangelands
i) Overgrazing
ii) Deforestation
iii) Desertification
iv) Rangeland management
v) Federal rangelands
d) Other land use
i) Urban land development
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AP Environmental Science Syllabus
(1) Planned development
(2) Suburban sprawl
(3) Urbanization
ii) Transportation infrastructure
(1) Federal highway system
(2) Canals and channels
(3) Roadless areas
(4) Ecosystem impacts
iii) Public and federal lands
(1) Management
(2) Wilderness areas
(3) National parks
(4) Wildlife refuges
(5) Forests
(6) Wetlands
iv) Land conservation options
(1) Preservation
(2) Remediation
(3) Mitigation
(4) Restoration
v) Sustainable land-use strategies
e) Mining
i) Mineral formation
ii) Extraction
iii) Global reserves
iv) Relevant laws and treaties
f) Fishing
i) Fishing techniques
ii) Overfishing
iii) Aquaculture
iv) Relevant laws and treaties
g) Global economics
i) Globalization
ii) World bank
iii) Tragedy of the commons
iv) Relevant laws and treaties
V) Energy resources and consumption
a) Energy concepts
i) Energy forms
ii) Power
iii) Units
iv) Conversions
v) Laws of thermodynamics
b) Energy consumption
i) History
(1) Industrial revolution
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AP Environmental Science Syllabus
(2) Exponential growth
(3) Energy crises
ii) Present global energy use
iii) Future energy needs
c) Fossil fuel resources and use
i) Formation of coal, oil, and natural gas
ii) Extraction/purification methods
iii) World reserves and global demand
iv) Synfuels
v) Environmental advantages/disadvantages of sources
d) Nuclear energy
i) Nuclear fission process
ii) Nuclear fuel
iii) Electricity production
iv) Nuclear reactor types
v) Environmental advantages/disadvantages
vi) Safety issues
vii) Radiation and human health
viii) Radioactive wastes
ix) Nuclear fission
e) Hydroelectric power
i) Dams
ii) Flood control
iii) Salmon
iv) Silting
v) Other impacts
f) Energy conservation
i) Energy efficiency
ii) CAFÉ standards
iii) Hybrid electric vehicles
iv) Mass transit
g) Renewable energy
i) Solar energy
ii) Solar electricity
iii) Hydrogen fuel cells
iv) Biomass
v) Wind energy
vi) Small-scale hydroelectric
vii) Ocean waves and tidal energy
viii) Geothermal
ix) Environmental advantages/disadvantages
VI) Pollution
a) Pollution types
i) Air pollution
(1) Primary and secondary sources
(2) Major air pollutants
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AP Environmental Science Syllabus
(3) Measurement units
(4) Smog
(5) Acid deposition: causes and effects
(6) Heat islands and temperature inversions
(7) Indoor air pollution
(8) Remediation and reduction strategies
(9) Clean Air Act and other relevant laws
ii) Noise pollution
(1) Sources
(2) Effects
(3) Control methods
iii) Water pollution
(1) Types
(2) Sources
(3) Causes
(4) Effects
(5) Cultural eutrophication
(6) Ground water pollution
(7) Maintaining water quality
(8) Water purification
(9) Sewage treatment/septic systems
(10)
Clean Water Act and other relevant laws
iv) Solid waste
(1) Types
(2) Disposal
(3) Reduction
b) Impacts on environment and human health
i) Hazards to human health
(1) Environmental risk analysis
(2) Acute and chronic effects
(3) Dose-response relationships
(4) Air pollutants
(5) Smoking and other risks
ii) Hazardous chemicals in the environment
(1) Types of hazardous waste
(2) Treatment/disposal of hazardous waste
(3) Cleanup of contaminated sites
(4) Biomagnifications
(5) Relevant laws
c) Economic impacts
i) Cost-benefit analysis
ii) Externalities
iii) Marginal costs
iv) Sustainability
VII) Global change
a) Stratospheric ozone
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AP Environmental Science Syllabus
b)
c)
VIII)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i) Formation of stratospheric ozone
ii) Ultraviolet radiation
iii) Causes of ozone depletion
iv) Effects of ozone depletion
v) Strategies for reducing ozone depletion
vi) Relevant laws and treaties
Global warming
i) Greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect
ii) Impacts and the consequences of global warming
iii) Reducing climate change
iv) Relevant laws and treaties
Loss of biodiversity
i) Causes and effects
(1) Habitat loss
(2) Overuse
(3) Pollution
(4) Introduced species
(5) Endangered and extinct species
ii) Maintenance through conservation
iii) Relevant laws and treaties
Laboratory and field activities
Critically observe environmental systems
Develop and conduct well-designed experiments
Utilize appropriate techniques and instrumentation
Analyze and interpret data, including appropriate statistical and
graphical presentations
Think analytically and apply concepts to the solution of
environmental problems
Make conclusions and evaluate their quality and validity
Propose further questions for study
Communicate accurately and meaningfully about observations and
conclusions
Curriculum Map:
1. Understanding our Environment (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Define environmental
III – VIII
Ecological footprint,
science, historical
tree diversity
overview, current
conditions
2. Science, Systems, and Ethics (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
What science is;
VIII, IVaii4, eiv, fiv, giv,
Introduction to
Systems, Ethics
VIai9, iii10, bii5, c,
Experimental design,
VIIavi, biv, ciii
Student designed labs,
SimEarth
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AP Environmental Science Syllabus
3. Matter, Energy, and Life (1.5 weeks)
Content
Standards
Activities
Atoms to molecules,
VIII, IIai, IIb, IIe
Energy flow, food
conservation of matter
webs, tree
and energy,
measurement and
Organization of Life,
carbon cycling, Alley
Trophic Levels,
Pond Park field trip,
Material Cycles
predator-prey using
owl pellets
4. Evolution, Communities, and Species Interactions (1.5 weeks)
Content
Standards
Activities
Evolution, niche, effect
VIII, IIa, c, d
Population biology,
of species interactions
ecosystem diversity,
on communities,
Jamaica Bay Wildlife
productivity, diversity,
refuge field trip, Forest
succession,
plot analysis
disturbance, invasive
(biodiversity), evolution
species
of pasta
5. Biomes (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Terrestrial biomes,
VIII, IIaiv
Climatographs,
marine biomes,
butcher the biomes
freshwater biomes
6. Population Biology (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Population growth
VIII, IIIa, IVgiii,IVfii
Tragedy of the
dynamics, factors that
commons, doubling
increase or decrease
time in exponential
populations, factors
growth, population
that regulate
estimation lab
population growth,
conservation biology
7. Human Populations (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
History of human
VIII, IIIb
World population
population growth,
growth, global
factors determining
population trends,
growth, demographics,
cemetery demography
planning for the future
8. Environmental Health and Toxicology (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Environmental health,
VIII, VIb
Human health risk
movement distribution
assessment, toxic sites
and fate of toxins, how
in your neighborhood,
to minimize toxic
lead lab, M. luteus
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AP Environmental Science Syllabus
effects, measuring
toxicology
toxicity, risk
assessment and
acceptance, health
policy
9. Food and Agriculture (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
World food and
VIII, Id, IVai, IIe, IVf
Natural vs. synthetic
nutrition, key food
fertilizers, soil
sources, farm policy,
productivity (done in
soil, soil use and
Oct.), soil salinization,
abuse, other ag
soil permeability, soil
resources, green
animals and plant
revolution, GMO,
decomposition (done in
sustainable
Sept. and Oct.), soil
agriculture, fishing
texture
10. Pest Control (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Pests and pesticide,
VIII, IVaii
Assessing health risks
pesticide benefits,
pesticide problems,
alternatives, reducing
exposure
11. Biodiversity (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Biodiversity, benefits,
VIII, IIci, VIIc
Biodiversity of cars,
threats, endangered
biodiversity of insects
species management,
(done in Sept. or Oct.),
captive breeding and
animal tracks (done
species survival plans
after snow), goldfish
tag & recapture
12. Preserving Habitats (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
World forests,
VIII, IVb, IVc, IVdiii,
Webquests, field trips
grasslands, parks &
VIIcii, iii
to parks
preserves
13. Restoration Ecology (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Helping nature heal,
VIII, IVbiv, IVciv, v,
Fieldtrip to restored
resilience of nature,
IVdiii, VIIcii, iii
ecosystem, webquest
benefits of
reforestation, restoring
grasslands, restoring
wetlands and streams
14. Geology and Earth Resources (2 weeks)
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AP Environmental Science Syllabus
Content
Standards
Activities
Dynamic Earth, rock
VIII, Iai-iv, Idi, Ive
Plate boundaries,
cycle, economic
earthquake patterns,
geology, environmental
weathering rates, field
effects of mining,
trip to a mine, mining
conserving geologic
for peanuts, copper
resources, geologic
extraction
hazards
15. Air, Weather, and Climate (2 weeks)
Content
Standards
Activities
Atmosphere, weather,
VIII, Iav, vi, Ib, IIb,
Why is it hotter at the
climate, ocean
VIIb
equator than at the
currents, global
poles? Data analysis
warming, attempts to
ENSO, global warming,
slow global warming
global climate change,
Coriolis effect &
atmosphere
16. Air Pollution (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Natural sources,
VIII, Via, VIIa, b, VIaii
Global warming &
human caused air
atmospheric CO2
pollution, effect of
correlation, acid
atmospheric
deposition, how does
processes, ozone
acid precipitation
depletion, effects of air
affect plants? Tailpipe
pollution, air pollution
lab
control, current
conditions and future,
noise pollution
17. Water Use and Management (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Water resources, major
VIII, Ic, IIev, Ve
Water diversions,
water compartments,
national and local
water availability and
water use, water
use, freshwater
diversions, water
shortages, dams and
usage comparison
diversions, increasing
water supplies
18. Water Pollution (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Types and effects of
VIII, Ic, VIaiii,
Water loss drop by
pollutants, water
drop, Exploring quality
quality, water pollution
of natural waters,
control, water laws
wastewater treatment
kit, field trip to sewage
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AP Environmental Science Syllabus
treatment plant, know
your neighborhood
19. Conventional Energy (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
From where do we get
VIII, IIei, Va-d
Fossil fuel combustion
energy? Coal, oil,
kit, acid rain lab,
natural gas, nuclear
particulate air
power, radioactive
pollution, personal
waste management,
energy use audit,
nuclear fusion
energy power labs,
field trip power plant
20. Sustainable Energy (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Conservation, solar
VIII, Ve-g
Solar absorption,
energy, fuel cells,
alternative
biomass, energy from
transportation fuels,
Earth’s forces
biodiesel, light bulb,
insulation, green
building field trip,
green building audit
21. Solid, Toxic, and Hazardous Waste (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Solid waste, disposal
VIII, VIaiv, VIb, IVdiv
Solid waste collection,
methods, reducing
Brooklyn botanical
waste stream,
gardens:
hazardous & toxic
environmental issues
wastes
workshop, auto &
truck tires & the
environment,
walkaround waste
management
22. Urbanization and Sustainable Cities (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Urbanization, why
VIII, IVdi-ii
Are we consuming our
cities grow, challenges
biosphere? Comparing
in the developing
NY 1600 to today,
world, challenges in
Stuytown field trip,
the developed world,
Webquest developing
smart growth
world
23. Ecological Economics (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Worldviews,
VIII, Vic, IVg
Applying and
population technology
analyzing cost-benefit
& scarcity, natural
analysis I, global
resource accounting,
climate change, green
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AP Environmental Science Syllabus
market mechanisms to
fund raising
reduce pollution, trade
development and jobs
24. Environmental Policy, Law, and Planning (1 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Environmental policy,
VIII, IVaii4, IVdiv,
Applying and
environmental law,
IVeiv, IVfiv, IVgiv,
analyzing cost-benefit
treaties and
VIai9, VIaii10, VIbii5,
analysis II, cap and
conventions, dispute
VIIavi, VIbiv, VIIciii
trade game, Kyoto II
resolution and
role playing game
planning
25. What Can We Do? (.5 week)
Content
Standards
Activities
Environmental
varies
Political activism
education, individuals,
letter, educate the
organizations, campus
school project
greening
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