Welcome to AP Environmental Science (or as it is more affectionately called, APES)! This course is designed to be the equivalent of an introductory college environmental science course. Therefore the range and depth of the material covered, the kind of laboratory work performed, and the time and effort required of you parallels that of a typical college environmental science course. The goal of this course is to provide you 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 and/or preventing them. APES is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from different areas of study, including Earth systems and resources, the living world, populations, land and water use, energy resources and consumption, pollution, and global change. It cannot be overemphasized that each of you needs to put in a great deal of individual effort to be successful in this course. Successful completion of this course may allow you to enroll in an upper-level biology/environmental science class, it may fulfill a graduation requirement for non-majors, or it may prepare you for other science courses if your school does not accept AP scores.
Expectations
You are also expected to be on your best behavior. You are some of the top students in your class and will be trusted with equipment and supplies that most other students will never get the opportunity to use. Please do not take advantage of this trust.
You are expected to read and review each chapter, complete all homework and laboratories assigned to you, and to put in significant time studying for your unit tests. Failure to do so will result in poor grades and a low score on the APES examination.
You are expected to come to class prepared. You should have your textbook, your notebook, any assigned homework, a pen and a pencil with you for each class. Please note that a calculator is not required for this course. I cannot waste time giving everyone passes to their lockers because they forgot something they needed in class. Although it may seem like we have a lot of time, you must still come to class prepared and be ready to work.
Notebooks
All of your lecture notes will be provided to you through Google Classroom. However, you should still purchase a three-ring binder with ample room for lecture notes (if you choose to print them out), handouts, laboratories, homework, quizzes and tests. Your notebook should not be just a dumping ground for old assignments or a place to doodle. It should be neat, well organized and easy to use as a review for exams.
Book
We will be using the AP Edition of Environmental Science, 2nd edition, by Friedland and Relyea as our textbook for this course. This is considered by many as one of the best college-level introductory environmental science textbooks available. You will be using this textbook a great deal, so it is imperative that you have access to this book at all times. Your classroom discussions, practice math problems, and homework will all come from this book.
At the end of the year you may also want to purchase a review book for this course. This is not a requirement for the course, but it can help you a great a deal. I can help you with your decision, but you should choose the one you are most comfortable with. These books can be purchased online through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.
Homework
You will always have homework in this class. This can involve a written assignment, reading a case study or chapter in the textbook, pre-reading or completing a lab, practicing a math problem, or studying for a test. You can expect approximately five hours of homework per week in one form or another. Remember, due to time constraints it is your responsibility to read and review a significant portion of the coursework outside of class. All assigned homework is due the following class unless otherwise noted. Failure to hand in your homework on time will result in a grade of zero.
Testing
This course culminates in the AP Environmental Science examination on Monday, May 2nd. Everyone who takes this course is expected to take the APES examination. After all, that is what this course is all about. I will give you more information on this exam as the time approaches.
You will also be given a number of unit tests at various times throughout the year. Each of these tests will cover a major topic discussed in the textbook. The format for each of these tests will be similar to the APES exam. There will be approximately 50 multiple choice questions and one free response question (which may be a document-based question, a data set question in which you’ll analyze and interpret a given set of data, and/or an essay). You will also be required to take a mid-term exam and a final exam, each of which will be cumulative. The final exam is tentatively scheduled be held in class the day following the APES exam (this is negotiable).
All of the tests given in class will be graded on a curve. In addition, for the first quarter only, I will be giving you the possible essay questions on the unit tests beforehand. This will allow you to write the essays ahead of time and bring them in for me to look over. This sounds like a good deal, and it is if you take advantage of it, but please do not be mislead by this generosity. We are departing from the typical school grading scale because the examinations will be very challenging.
You may also be given a number of quizzes throughout the year. Unlike tests, quizzes will not be graded on a curve. Quizzes may be on assigned readings, important topics discussed in class, environmental science math problems, or laboratories.
Laboratories
We will perform a number of laboratories throughout the year. These labs include (but are not limited to) examining owl pellets to learn about predator/prey relationships, studying and analyzing soil properties, creating an alternative energy source from vegetable oil, water testing and analysis, using bacteria for the bioremediation of oil spills, testing for various types of air pollution, and a local inventory of biodiversity. Please note, some of these laboratories will involve going outside to collect data. It will be up to you to assure you come to class prepared for these laboratories! I will let you know well in advance of these laboratories so that you have time to prepare for them. This may include applying sunscreen, insect repellent, and assuring you are wearing the appropriate clothing and/or footwear. In instances where wading in water is required, I will supply you with waders.
It is essential that you perform these laboratories. The material covered by these labs, as well as the techniques and science practices that you use, will be part of the APES examination. Therefore it is very important that you keep every lab once they have been returned to you. Each lab will be evaluated by a lab write-up. You may also be required to come in throughout the day to check on an experiment, or if necessary, come in after school to complete a lab. We have two periods scheduled back-to-back to try and eliminate this from happening very often (or at all).
Since this is a college course, you will be performing college-level laboratories. With this comes the use of expensive and sometimes dangerous equipment and supplies. Therefore it is expected that you follow the safety procedures at all times! If you are asked to wear gloves, goggles and/or an apron please do so. It is also imperative that you listen carefully to instructions.
Grading
Your final grade for this course will be an average of your four quarter grades and a fifth “exam” grade, of which your midterm counts 1/3 and your final exam 2/3. The AP examination will not figure into your final grade.
Attendance
Although this is considered a college-level course, you are still subject to the school's attendance policy. You are expected to attend and be on time to each class. If you are absent it is your responsibility to make up the work you missed. You have one week from the time you return to make up the work. Failure to do so will result in a grade of zero. If you are forced to be absent for an extended period of time, please see me. All work that needs to be made up must be done on your own time. If you are caught skipping the class, all work done and due that day will be counted as a zero and you will forfeit any chance of making it up.
Extra Credit
At various times throughout the year I will offer an extra-credit assignment. This may consist of bringing in newspaper articles, Internet projects, making a collection, etc.
Extra Help
I am very committed to your success in this course. I realize that at times we may cover the material too quickly or that you may not fully understand a certain topic. Therefore I am always available to you for extra help. Please seek additional help if you need it! I can meet with you during study hall, during a free period in which I do not have a class, or I can meet with you after school. You are welcome to stop in at any time, but I recommend that you make an appointment with me ahead of time to assure that I will be there.
Academic Honesty
Under no circumstances will plagiarism be tolerated. If you are found to have copied work from another student, both students will receive a grade of zero on that assignment. If you are found to have copied work from the Internet, you will receive a grade of zero and may be subject to a meeting involving your parents and school administration. Each of you is a very bright student. There is no reason to submit work that is not your own.
Year-end Project
The introduction and review of new material for this course ends the day of the APES examination. That leaves us with over a month of class time remaining. Therefore, the majority of your fourth quarter grade will be based upon a year-end project. You can choose from a variety of options, including teaching an ecology class, working at a zoo or botanical garden, developing a research project, presenting an elaborate research presentation, volunteering with a local environmental group, or almost anything you can come up with. In order to give you ample time to prepare, your year-end project must be approved by me before Christmas break.
A Day in the Life of the Hudson River
Each year our class will be participating in A Day in the Life of the Hudson River at Lasher Memorial Park in Germantown. At this event teams of students and environmental educators will use seine nets to capture and inventory aquatic life and various laboratory equipment to study water chemistry, tides, and weather. We will also collect core samples of river bottom mud for analysis. This trip is a requirement for APES because your data will be incorporated into an activity later in the year and much of what we do is part of the APES curriculum.
Envirothon
APES students are invited to be a part of the Hudson High School Envirothon Team. The Envirothon is a hands-on environmental education competition where a team of five high school students work together in hopes of winning scholarships and awards. The teams compete in five different environmental categories (soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife and a current environmental issue).The goal of the competition is to stimulate students' interests in environmental concerns and motivate them to further develop their skills and grow into environmentally-aware, action-oriented adults. Envirothon activities begin with teams of students competing for the county Envirothon title at the Hudson Valley Regional Envirothon in Fishkill, NY. County winners then move on to the NY State Envirothon to compete for the State title. State winners then advance to the North American Envirothon. HHS has a history of success in this competition, having won three Columbia County titles and a Regional Envirothon Championship. The team typically meets twice a week from September until the regional competition in April. If you're interested, please see me!
Course Outline
1.Introduction. 2.The Living World. 3.Biological and Human Populations. 4.Earth Systems and Resources. 5.Land Use. 6.Energy Resources and Consumption. 7.Pollution. 8.Global Change and a Sustainable Future.