AP® Environmental Science

Course Essential Questions:

• How does energy move through Earth's systems? What is the significance of this energy flow and the importance of energy conservation?
• How do Earth's systems change over time and how do they recover from any natural or human caused disturbances?
• What impacts, due to human population and technological applications, do humans have on natural systems and, in looking to the future, what measures can be taken to reduce negative impacts?
• Why is achieving sustainability critical to the wellbeing of humans and the environment? What role do cultural, social, and economic factors have on sustainability and why is it vital that those factors be considered in developing sustainable solutions?

Objectives:

• Use representations and models to communicate phenomena and solve problems.
• Use mathematics appropriately to calculate unknown values and support principles.
• Engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigations within the context of the AP Environmental Science curriculum.
• Plan and implement data collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific question and perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.
• Articulate scientific principles, laws or concepts and justify claims with evidence.
• Connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts and representations in and across domains of environmental science.

Unit 1: The Living World: Ecosystems (Weeks 1-3)

Week 1: Introduction to AP Environmental Science

• Understand the rules and policies of the course, and expectations of a contributing member of the class.
• Begin to build community by sharing important and interesting information with the teacher and classmates.
• Develop skills for navigating the course environment and using the various course tools.

Week 2: Introduction to Ecosystems

• Explain how the availability of resources influences species interactions.
• Describe the global distribution and principal environmental aspects of terrestrial biomes.
• Describe global distribution and principal environmental aspects of aquatic biomes.

Week 3: Cycling of Matter and Movement of Energy in Ecosystems

• Explain the steps and reservoir interactions in the carbon cycle. 2.
• Explain the steps and reservoir interactions in the nitrogen cycle. 3.
• Explain the steps and reservoir interactions in the phosphorus cycle.
• Explain the steps and reservoir interactions in the hydrologic cycle.
• Explain how solar energy is acquired and transferred by living organisms.
• Explain how energy flows and matter cycles through trophic levels.
• Determine how the energy decreases as it flows through ecosystems.
• Describe food chains and food webs, and their constituent members by trophic level.

Unit 2: The Living World: Biodiversity (Weeks 4-5)

Week 4: Introduction to Biodiversity and Ecosystems

• Explain the levels of biodiversity and their importance to ecosystems.
• Describe Ecosystem Service 3. ERT-2.C Describe the results of human disruptions to ecosystem services.
• Describe island biogeography.
• Describe the role of island biogeography in evolution.

Week 5: Ecological Tolerance and Evolution

• Describe ecological tolerance.
• Explain how natural disruptions, both short and long term, impact an ecosystem.
• Describe how organisms adapt to their environment.
• Describe ecological succession.
• Describe the effect of ecological succession in ecosystems.

Unit 3: Populations (Weeks 6-8)

Week 6: Population Ecology

• Identify differences between generalist and specialist species.
• Identify differences between K-selected and r-selected species.
• Explain survivorship curves.
• Describe carrying capacity.
• Describe the impact of carrying capacity on ecosystems.
• Explain how resource availability affects population growth.

Week 7: Review, Reflection, and Assessment

• Reflect on progress from Units 1 and 2.
• Demonstrate satisfactory understanding of Unit 1 and 2 concepts.
• Demonstrate satisfactory skill in science practices related to Units 1 and 2.

Week 8: The Human Population

• Explain age structure diagrams.
• Explain factors that affect total fertility rate in human populations.
• Explain how human populations experience growth and decline.
• Define the demographic transition model.

Unit 4: Earth Systems and Resources (Weeks 9-10)

Week 9: Earth’s Surface and Soil

• Describe the physical structure of the earth.
• Describe the forces that shape the surface of the earth.
• Describe the geological changes and events that occur at convergent, divergent, and transform plate boundaries.
• Describe the characteristics and formation of soil.
• Describe and differences between properties of different types of soil.

Week 10:

• Describe the structure and composition of the Earth's atmosphere.
• Explain how environmental factors can result in atmospheric circulation.
• Explain how the sun's energy affects the Earth's surface.
• Describe how the Earth's geography affects weather and climate.
• Describe the environmental changes and effects that result from El Nino or La Nina events. (El Nino - Southern Oscillation)

Unit 5: Land and Water Use (Weeks 11-15)

Week 11: The Tragedy of the Commons

• Explain the concept of the tragedy of the commons.
• Describe the effect of clear cutting on forests.
• Describe changes in agricultural practices.
• Describe agricultural practices that cause environmental damage.
• Describe different methods of irrigation.
• Describe the benefits and drawbacks of different methods of irrigation.
• Describe the benefits and drawbacks of different methods of pest control.

Week 12: Review, Reflection, and Assessment

• Complete Multiple Choice and Free Response Progress checks using My AP Classroom.
• Reflect on progress from Units 3 and 4.

Week 13: Agriculture

• Explain the concept of sustainability.
• Describe integrated pest management.
• Describe the benefits and drawbacks of integrated pest management.
• Describe sustainable agricultural and food production practices.
• Describe the benefits and drawbacks of aquaculture.

Week 14: Urbanization and Ecological Footprints

• Explain the variables measured in an ecological footprint.
• Explain the concept of sustainability
• Describe methods for mitigating problems related to urban runoff.
• Describe natural resource extraction through mining.
• Describe ecological and economic impacts of natural resource extraction through mining.
• Describe the effects of urbanization on the environment.

Week 15: Review, Reflect, and Assess

• Complete Multiple Choice and Free Response Progress checks using My AP Classroom.
• Reflect on progress from Unit 5.

Unit 6: Energy Resources and Consumption (Week 16-18)

Week 16: Global Energy Consumption

• A Identify differences between non-renewable and renewable energy sources.
• Describe trends in energy consumption
• Identify types of fuel and their uses.
• Identify where natural energy resources occur.

Week 17: Fossil Fuels and Nuclear Power

• Describe the use and methods of fossil fuels in power generation.
• Describe the effects of fossil fuels on the environment.
• Describe the use of nuclear energy in power generation.
• Describe the effects of the use of nuclear energy on the environment.

Week 18: Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Conservation

• Describe the effects of the use of biomass in the power generation on the environment
• Describe the use of solar energy in power generation
• Describe the use of hydroelectricity in power generation and effects on the environment.
• Describe the use of geothermal energy in power generation and effects on the environment.
• Describe the use of hydrogen fuel cells in power generation and effects on the environment.
• Describe the use of wind energy in power generation.
• Describe methods for conserving energy.

Unit 7: Atmospheric Pollution (Weeks 19-22)

Week 19: Atmospheric Pollution

• Identify the sources and effects of air pollutants.
• Explain the causes and effects of photochemical smog and methods to reduce it.
• Describe thermal inversion and its relationship with pollution.
• Describe natural sources of carbon dioxide and particulates.
• Describe acid deposition.
• Describe the effects of acid deposition on the environment.

Week 20: Indoor Air Pollution and Reductio

• Identify indoor air pollutants
• Describe the effects of indoor air pollutants.
• Explain how air pollutants can be reduced at the source
• Describe human activities that result in noise pollution and its effects

Week 21: Pollutants in the Environment: Aquatic Pollution

• Identify differences between point and non-point sources of pollution.
• Describe the impacts of human activities on aquatic ecosystems.
• Describe the impacts of human activity on wetlands and mangroves.
• Explain the environmental effects of excessive use of fertilizers and detergents on aquatic ecosystems.
• Describe the effects of thermal pollution on aquatic ecosystems.
• Describe bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
• Describe the effects of bioaccumulation and biomagnification.

Week 22: Review and Reflect

• Complete Multiple Choice and Free Response Progress checks using My AP Classroom.
• Reflect on progress from Unit 6.

Unit 8: Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution (Weeks 23-26)

Week 23: Pollutants in the Environment: Terrestrial Pollution

• Describe solid waste disposal methods.
• Describe the effects of solid waste disposal methods.
• Describe changes to current practices that could reduce the amount of generated waste and their associated benefits and drawbacks.

Week 24: Pollution and Human Health

• Define lethal dose 50% (LD50).
• Evaluate dose response curves.
• Identify sources of human health issues that are linked to pollution.
• Explain human pathogens and their cycling through the environment

Week 25: Ozone

• Explain the importance of stratospheric ozone to life on Earth.
• Describe chemicals used to substitute for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
• Describe best practices in sewage treatment.

Week 26: Review, Reflection, and Assessment

• Complete Multiple Choice and Free Response Progress checks using My AP Classroom.
• Reflect on progress from Unit 8.

Unit 9: Global Change (Weeks 27-30)

Week 27: Greenhouse Gases and the Greenhouse Effect

• Identify the greenhouse gases.
• Identify the sources and potency of greenhouse gases.
• Identify the threats to human health and the environment posed by an increase in greenhouse gases.

Week 28: Global Climate Change and Earth’s Oceans

• Explain how changes in climate, both short and long term, impact ecosystems.
• Explain the causes and effects of ocean warming.
• Explain the causes and effects of ocean acidification.

Week 29: Human Impacts on Earth’s Biodiversity: Working Toward Sustainability

• Explain the environmental problems associated with invasive species and strategies to control them.
• Explain how species become endangered and strategies to combat the problem.
• Explain how human activities affect biodiversity and strategies to combat the problem.

Week 30: Review, Reflection, and Assessment

Review Weeks (Weeks 31-33)

Week 31 AP Practice Exam

• Review content from the year
• Take an AP Practice Exam

Week 32: AP Practice Exam Review

• Study for the AP Exam
• Reflect on AP Practice Exam results
• Continue to practice and get ready for the exam

Week 33: Wrap Up