Download aDVANCED pLACEMENT Environmental Science

APES 2015/2016
ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Mrs. Miller
Office: McCaughan Science Center Rm S117
Email: [email protected] Website: http://faculty.musowls.org/miller/
Office Hours: available 1ST, 2nd, and 5th periods daily
Textbook: Miller, G. Tyler, and Scott E. Spoolman. Living in the Environment, AP Edition. 17th ed. Belmont, C.A.:
Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
Quarter grade percentages:
Tests & Papers
75%
Labs/Hwk/Cwk
25%
Final semester grade percentages:
1st quarter grade
37.5%
nd
2 quarter grade
37.5%
Semester exam
25.0%
Course Organization:
AP Environmental Science is a college level course, and is taught as such. The class is divided into thirteen units of
varying lengths. Each unit includes both lecture and lab activities, and culminates with a unit test. The tests and research
papers (three) make up the bulk of the grades. The remaining 25% of the grades will consist primarily of lab reports, with
occasional homework or other assignments. A minimal number of homework assignments are checked and graded.
Students are expected to keep up with the reading and studying as assigned on their own.
Class Supplies:
Students will need the text, as well as a 1-inch binder with notebook paper and pockets, and a composition notebook for
lab.
Tardy Policy:
You are expected to arrive to class on time and to be in your assigned seat when the bell rings to start class. If you have
more than two tardies during a quarter, you will be assigned early school for each subsequent tardy. If you have a
legitimate reason for being tardy, you must speak with me AFTER class on the day that you are tardy.
Tests:
Tests are designed to prepare students for the AP exam, and therefore are formatted and graded like the AP exam. Tests
will be administered across two days. The first day’s portion consists of all multiple choice questions with two minutes
allotted per question, and the second day includes one or two Free Response Questions with twenty-two minutes allotted
per question. There will be occasions when students will need to use their study hall or free period to complete one of the
portions of their test. I will work out special test-scheduling arrangements for any students who have no SH or free period
on that day. ALL TEST GRADES COUNT.
Since the tests are formatted like the AP exam, the following rules will apply on all unit tests: students will not be allowed
calculators, students must show ALL work on math questions including units throughout the problem, I will not answer
any questions during the test, and extended time will not be given (unless a student shows that the College Board has
granted him extended time on the exam). Expect LOW test grades, especially first semester! Your lab grades and research
papers will make up for the test grades, as you learn how to succeed on the tests.
Labs:
Students will use their lab notebooks to record data, and observations, as well as to take notes, and diagram set-ups.
Formal lab reports are also required on many of the labs.
Wait, there’s math????
Math in APES is primarily on an Algebra I level (some Alg II). Students are expected to know how to: convert units
(within the metric system, and between the English and metric system), use and calculate with scientific notation, use
dimensional analysis, and use standard formulas associated with APES (we will go over these).
Senior Skips
Senior skip days are a privilege, not a right. The following requirements must be met: ALL seniors must agree on the skip
day, request for the skip day must be made at least one day prior to the skip day and in writing, and there cannot be any
labs or tests scheduled for that day.
Field Trips and Field Work:
We will have at least one field trip, and at least one field lab during the course of the year.
4th Quarter
3rd Quarter
2nd Quarter
1st Quarter
Qtr Unit Chapter(s)
Topic(s)
1
1&2
Environmental Problems, Causes,
& Sustainability
Science, Matter, Energy, & Systems
2
3&7
3
8&4
4
Labs/Activities/Videos/Research Papers
The Lorax (original)
The Tragedy of the Commons
Biodiversity of Ants @ MUS
Half-life Property of a Radioactive Element
Ecosystems
Climate & Biodiversity
Aquatic Biodiversity
Biodiversity, & Evolution
Owl Pellet Analysis
Hurricane Strike!
Predator-Prey Relationships EcoKit
Carrying Capacity Lab
Natural Selection: Peppered Moth
5&6
Biodiversity, Species Interactions,
& Population Control
Human Population & Its Impact
How Will Our Population Grow?
Age Structure Diagrams
5
22 & 9
Cities & Sustainability
Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach
The Hash Rock Fire
6
10 & 11
Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity:
The Ecosystem Approach
Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity
Habitat: The Choice is Yours
Endangered Species Research Paper
7
12 & 14
Food, Soil, & Pest Managment
Geology & Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
Food Inc
Soil Analysis Lab
Cookie Mining
Mine Pollution & Reclamation
8
15 & 16
Nonrenewable Energy
Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
Switch
Electricity Use and Efficiency
Energy Practice Problems
20/20 Fracking Video
9
13 & 20
Water Resources
Water Pollution
Bacterial Examination of Drinking Water
Exploring Deposition of Sediments
Groundwater Pollution lab
10
17 & 18
11
12
Environmental Hazards & Human Health
Air Pollution
19 & 21 Climate Disruption & Ozone Depletion
Solid & Hazardous Waste
23, 24, & 25 Solid & Hazardous Waste
Economics, Environment, & Sustainability
Worldviews, Ethics, & Sustainability
How Much is too Much? (LD50 or LC50)
Water Pollutants in the Living Organism
How Hot is it here on Earth?
Soylent Green
Community Planning: Not in My Backyard