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AP Environmental Science Syllabus 2017-2018

Teacher Information Formatted: Font: 16 pt, Bold, Underline

Name: Mr. Jeff Rudisill Email: Jeffrey.rudisill@dmschools.org Formatted: Font: Bold


or Rudisillehs@gmail.com
Room: 3003C Phone: 515-242-7788 Formatted: Font: 12 pt, Not Bold

Course Description Formatted: Font: Bold

This AP Environmental Science class is intended to meet the same objectives as a first-year college
based course. However, this course is unique when compared to other similar courses in the
method of instruction as we have adopted a project based learning (PBL) approach. While PBL
takes many forms, our approach involves student investigations and simulations that require
students to think like scientists, policy-makers, farmers, and other adults in real-world settings.
Teachers engage students in collaborative problem solving, argumentation, and deep exploration
of the concepts and principles of the discipline. The goal for student learning is understanding
rather than only rote memory, meaningful learning rather than simple recollection, and
knowledge that is actionable, adaptive, and transferrable rather than inert.

Students will work collaboratively and individually on tasks and products that are designed to
help students succeed at complex, authentic challenges. They will alternate between two types of
learning: learning to act and acting to learn. Learning to act is when students are in a more
traditional mode of learning through textbooks and lectures. This is in contrast with when they
are acting to learn, or when they are engaged in the projects with real-world goals. This is their
opportunity to apply their understanding of topics and grapple with the implications of human
actions and responses.

Because challenges in the real world of environmental science rarely draw upon only one topic or
short list of objectives, the challenges in this course will require students to draw from a broader
knowledge base. This gives students the opportunity to learn about the same objectives multiple
times throughout the course through different contexts and perspectives. Our ultimate goal is that
students gain a deeper understanding of these objectives than they would have through a more
traditional lecture-based course.

Scientific Principles
In addition to addressing the content-based objectives outlined by College Board, this course will
also address several skill-based objectives. In addition to several supporting activities, most
cycles will include a scientific investigation where students will develop and refine the following
skills:
o Students will learn how to design, conduct, and refine scientific investigations using the
scientific method.
o Students will learn how to think critically and logically to analyze and interpret
experimental data, and revise and reflect on scientific explanations and models using logic
and evidence.
o Students will learn how to communicate and defend scientific arguments, explanations, and
procedures through oral, written, and visual means.
o Students will understand and be able to communicate the larger implications and
connections behind their explanations and conclusions.
o Students will learn how to identify and communicate sources of unavoidable experimental
error and levels of uncertainty about data and explanations.
Course Prerequisites and Requirements
We strongly recommend that students taking AP Environmental Science have successfully
completed a year each of biology and chemistry and an Algebra 2 course.

Textbook and Readings


Edit this as needed for your school. Three commonly used textbooks are listed below:
The following textbook will be used to support learning in this course:

Botkin, Daniel and Ed Keller. Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet, 6th Edition. New
Jersey: Wiley and Sons, 2010.
Miller, G. Tyler and Scott E. Spoolman. Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and
Solutions. 16th Edition. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, 2010.
Withgott, Jay and Scott Brennan. Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, 4th Edition. San
Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings, 2011.

We will also be using additional reading resources, including newspaper and magazine articles
and other online resources.

Class Schedule
You will want to adjust this for your schools schedule. In order to meet the audit requirements,
you must articulate that you will devote at least one period a week to a lab activity.

Class meets four times a week with three 50-minute periods and one 90-minute period. every
other day for 90-minute blocks. One period block each week will be devoted to a lab activity.
There will be multiple analytical labs and field trips throughout this course.

Assessments
Students will have periodic quizzes and a culminating test at the end of each cycle. These tests will
include both free response and multiple-choice questions. They will also have multiple
performance-based assessments in each project cycle that may take the form of debates,
negotiations, oral presentations, and presentation of authentic products (books, pamphlets, etc.)
among others.

Required Materials
Students are expected to be prepared to learn and actively participate every day. In order to
achieve this, students will be required to bring the following materials to each class:
Three-Ring Binder
Dividers: (5 Current Project; Project Vocab; Practice AP Questions; Quizzes/Exams;
Past Projects)
Loose-Leaf Paper
Spiral or composition notebook (for labs)
Pencils
Blue and/or black pens
Calculator

Grading Scale
We will be use the SRG grading method.
4.0-3.0 : A
2.9-2.5 : B
2.49-2.0: C
1.99-1.5: D
1.49 and below : F

Zeroes are not permitted per district policy. If a zero is received in any topic score, a meeting will
have to take place to determine our next steps.

Attendance Policy
Please attend class as regularly as possible
IF you know in advance that you will be absent please communicate that with me via e-mail
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of the block. If you come in late (with or without
a pass) please ensure that I change your attendance on infinite campus

Course Outline
Cycle 1: Eco Footprint
Project In this project cycle students begin with a case study of Easter Island as an example
description of Tragedy of the Commons. Then they calculate their personal ecological footprint
to get a sense of how their choices impact the environment. Following this activity,
they delve deeper into some of the components of their overall ecological footprint
by investigating the impacts of their family's transportation habits, waste
generation, and their home energy and water use habits. Each student decides
which component would contribute the most to minimizing their family's
ecological footprint with specific behavioral changes. They then develop a
persuasive oral presentation for their family to explain the motivation for making a
change, what kind of behavioral changes need to be made, and what the potential
impacts will be. Students also conduct a life cycle analysis on commonly used
products at home or at school to begin to understand how to use systems thinking
as an analytical tool for making sound environmental decisions and to learn
content related to hazardous waste disposal, mineral and fossil fuel formation, and
extraction techniques. Learning goals in this project cycle focus on collection and
analysis of data, the proper use and conversation of units, and supporting claims
with evidence.
Duration 5-7 weeks
Topics covered Earth Systems and Resources, including industrial and domestic use of global
water, water conservation, and rock cycle.

Land and Water Use, including mining and extraction, and Tragedy of the
Commons

Energy Resources and Consumption, including energy concepts, present and


future global energy needs, and energy conservation

Pollution, including solid waste, hazardous chemicals in the environment, relevant


laws, cost-benefit analysis

Labs and Easter Island Case Study


Activities Students do a case study of Easter Island in which they explore how the social and
economic decisions impacted environment. They then look at human population
growth over time to think about current issues of sustainability. The case study
helps them to begin to come to a beginning definition of the term sustainability and
introduces the concept of Tragedy of the Commons.

Ecological Footprint Calculation


Students will gather data on their lifestyle and consumption patterns to input into a
computer program that will calculate their ecological footprint in global acres of
land required. Students will analyze the results and identify solutions.

Waste Audit
Students will collect their trash (or their classrooms trash) for one day, measure
the total amount and extrapolate waste produced in one year. They will identify
environmental and human health problems associated with waste production and
develop resolutions to minimize the environmental impact of waste.

Transportation Audit
Students conduct a transportation audit for all members of their family for one
week. Students will calculate fuel economy of the familys vehicles and then
determine amount of fuel consumed in one year by the family. Additionally,
students will calculate fuel consumed for air travel. Ultimately, students will
investigate the ecological, economic, and societal implications of these habits and
propose a more sustainable alternative.

Water and Energy Audit


Students will conduct a water and electricity audit for their family. They use these
data to calculate the water and electricity use for one year, investigate the
ecological, economic, and societal implications of these results and propose a more
sustainable alternative.

Presentation/Proposal to Family
Students will analyze the information gathered from their goods, waste,
transportation, water and energy audits and determine a key area that will have an
impact on reducing the footprint of their family. Students will develop a persuasive
proposal to encourage their families to adopt lifestyle changes and determine
methods to quantify their success.

Life Cycle Analysis


Students conduct a life cycle analysis on a specific product, investigating the
sources of raw materials and the environmental impacts they have and the disposal
practices and their environmental impacts. They use the information from the LCA
to inform their proposal to their families. They display the life cycle analysis in a
poster that can be shared with students at their school.

Additional Field Trips


Resources Landfill and recycling center
Water treatment facility

Books
Mike Reeske and Shirley Watt Ireton. Lifecycle of Everyday Stuff
John C. Ryan and Alan Thien Durning. Story of Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday
Things
Jared Diamond. Collapse

Film
No Impact Man
The Last Mountain
Big Ideas for a Small Planet
Blue Vinyl
The Wasteland

Cycle 2: My Community Ecology


Project In this project cycle, students will learn about basic ecology and urban and rural
description land management by analyzing the site of proposed development (e.g., planned
housing, road creation, etc.) and creating a plan for sustainable development of the
sites natural resources. In order to create a realistic, informed plan students will
learn the basics of ecology through lab activities, guest speakers, conducting
research on local ecosystems, and participating in local field trips.
Duration 5-6 weeks
Topics covered The Living World, including ecosystem structure, energy flow, ecosystem
diversity, natural ecosystem change, and natural biogeochemical cycles.

Population, including population biology concepts.

Land and Water Use, including forestry, urban land use, public and federal lands,
land conservation options, and sustainable land use strategies

Pollution, including air pollution, water pollution, cost-benefit analysis, and


economic sustainability
Global Change, including loss of biodiversity

Labs and Water Quality Testing


Activities Students will use water quality test kits to determine the water quality of a local
body of water. Students will identify and analyze environmental problems and
determine possible resolutions to the problem and how the problems could have
been initially prevented.

Mark-Recapture Lab
Students will participate in a lab that simulates a population census technique
commonly used by ecologists in the field by collecting a random sample of
animals of a desired species, marking them and releasing them. They will then
sample once again and will calculate a population estimate using a simple ratio.

Field Trips to Site of Proposed Development-Bio & Ecosystem Services Maps


Students will create a bio-map of the proposed development site during a field trip
to understand the ecology of the site. On the second trip students collect data to
produce an ecosystem services map of the area. These data will inform the impact
report and sustainable development proposal.

Impact Report
Using data from their field trips, literature, and research, students will create an
impact report for local decision makers. The report details the impacts of the
proposed development on the natural and cultural resources of the site.

Sustainable Development Proposal


Using data from their field trips, literature, and research, students will create a
realistic proposal to make the development of the site, and thus their community,
more sustainable.
Additional Guest Speakers
Resources Ecology professor, Restoration ecologist, Community resource manger, urban
planner

Cycle 3: Food Systems


Project Students take on the role of farmers in this project cycle, designing and re-
Description designing a farm to meet an evolving set of constraints including ecological,
economic, and social factors. Students begin by designing a farm given basic
information on soil and climate. They refine or revise it when asked to also manage
potential pests for the particular crops they've chosen. To increase the complexity,
they are randomly assigned a client to whom they must sell their crops. Each client
has their own set of requirements for the produce or meat they will buy, so
students may have to revise their farm to ensure they can make a living off it by
selling to their particular client. Eventually they are asked to think about irrigation
and water issues when they find out there is a river running through or nearby
their land. Finally they are asked to consider how economic issues such as farm
subsidies and food safety and security laws may impact their farms. By the end of
the project cycle, students have a working farm that meets a complex set of real-
world constraints.
Duration 5 weeks
Topics covered Earth Systems and Resources, including agricultural use of global water, surface
and groundwater issues, global water problems, water conservation, and soil and
soil dynamics.

The Living World, including biological populations and communities, interactions


among species, photosynthesis and cellular respiration, food webs and trophic
levels, ecological pyramids, ecosystem diversity, and natural biogeochemical cycles.

Population, including population ecology

Land and Water Use, including agriculture, rangelands, sustainable land use
strategies, and Tragedy of the Commons.

Energy Resources and Consumption, including renewable energy (biofuels and


anaerobic methane digesters)

Global Change, including loss of biodiversity


Labs and Exploring My Foodshed
Activities Students will investigate the origin of three commonly eaten food items in their
home and calculate the fuel used to transport those foods. They will then
investigate the economic, societal, and ecological impacts of food transportation
and suggest more sustainable alternatives.

Soil Testing Lab


Students will conduct seven different soil tests on three soil samples in a wet lab.

Soil and Climate Farm Design


Students will design a farm given constraints on soil type and climate. They will be
required to identify and explain, using chemical equations, how the biogeochemical
cycles and soil food web support their farm design.

Pest Management Farm Revision


Students will revise their original farm design to include a pest management
system given information about native and non-native pests. They will be required
to consider the environmental and human health advantages and disadvantages of
their pest management system.

Soil Salinization Lab


Students will design and conduct a wet lab investigating the impacts of irrigation
on soil salinity and the impacts of salinity on seed germination. They will learn
methods for analyzing and interpreting the experimental data and suggest
alternatives to minimize impacts of salinization.

Food Production Methods Farm Revision


Students will revise their farm design to meet the demands of a specific client who
is buying food from them and to ensure that they can sustain their soil resources
over the long term. They will evaluate the environmental advantages and
disadvantages of the farming method they use and suggest more sustainable
alternatives.

Irrigation Plans Revision


Students will add to their original farm design plans by designing an irrigation
system to support their crops water needs. They will evaluate the pros and cons of
various irrigation methods including their impact on soil health, groundwater use,
and other aquatic ecosystems.

Additional Guest Speakers


Resources Farmers and scientists to speak on pest management, soil conservation, and
sustainable agriculture

Field Trips
Farm or Agro-ecology center

Books
Michael Pollan. Omnivores Dilemma
Rachel Carson. Silent Spring

Film
Food, Inc.
Running Dry
The Future of Food

Cycle 4: Ocean in Action


Project In this project cycle, students will take on various roles within a make-believe
Description coastal community who will likely be impacted by the proposed construction of an
offshore salmon farm, oilrig, or coastal gold mining operation. Students will write a
series of short papers from the perspective of their character that indicates how
the proposed fish farm, oilrig, or mine may impact the surrounding ocean
ecosystem and their community. Students will participate in small group
discussions to compare and contrast their perspective to others in preparation for
the culminating Town Hall or Town Council meeting. At this final performance,
students will present and debate their perspectives and suggest potential
alternatives. After the Town Hall/Council meeting, the students will develop
regulations or conditions under which aquaculture, ocean drilling, and coastal
mining may occur in their coastal community.
Duration 4 weeks
Topics covered Earth Systems and Resources, including earth science concepts, weather and
climate, atmospheric circulation and the Coriolis effect, atmosphere-ocean
interactions, ENSO, and ocean circulation.
The Living World, including ecosystem structure, food webs and trophic levels,
ecosystem diversity, and biogeochemical cycles.

Population, including population biology concepts

Land and Water Use, including fishing, mining, and Tragedy of the Commons

Energy Resources and Consumption, including fossil fuels resources and use.

Pollution, including water pollution, pollution impacts on human health,


hazardous chemicals in the environment, and economic impacts

Global Change, including loss of biodiversity and ocean acidification.

Labs and Density Investigation


Activities Students will investigate driving forces of ocean circulation patterns by making
predictions about how water with different densities will mix (as determined by
temperature or salinity) then carrying out their investigation. Students will then
analyze and interpret this information.

Eutrophication Investigation
Students will design, conduct, and interpret a lab on cultural eutrophication where
they will look at the impact of increased fertilizer concentration on algal growth in
closed aquatic systems. In their interpretation of their results, they will identify
resolutions, preventability, and sustainability of these solutions with respect to
eutrophication

Tragedy of the Commons Fishing Game


Students will participate in a small group simulation activity where they will
investigate the use/overuse of common ocean resources by fishermen. They will
then identify and develop possible solutions to the environmental problem of
overfishing.

Town Hall/Council Meeting


In this culminating activity, students will participate in a Town Hall meeting to
determine how their hypothetical community should react to the proposal of a fish
farm in their coastal waters. Students will be required to adopt a perspective that
they may or may not be familiar with prior to the start of the unit and argue from
that perspective. In the lead up to this activity as well as during the Town Hall
meeting itself, students will learn methods for analyzing and interpreting
information.
Additional Guest Speakers
Resources Fisheries or marine ecologist
Oceanographers
Fishermen
Government officials familiar with Town Hall style meetings

Books
Sylvia Earle. The World is Blue

Film
The End of the Line

Cycle 5: Global Climate Summit


Project This project cycle mimics the process and atmosphere of an international
Description environmental summit such as those of the Conference of Parties that are the basis
for Climate Convention Framework negotiations. Students will take on specific and
unique roles including a representative of a country or group of countries, non-
governmental organization representative, oil and energy lobby representative, or
a media representative. By meeting in various groupings, preparing presentations
and writing drafts, students will (a) rationalize the participation of their country or
group, (b) analyze environmental and economic consequences of climate change
and possible remedial actions and (c) organize and articulate their arguments for
the negotiations. Following the summit, students will compose an article for
inclusion in the final protocol document. Through this cycle students will learn
how Earths climate functions and how it responds to change. Additionally, they
will explore how societies and economies have contributed to climate change, can
adapt to such change and prevent additional harm through international economic
and legal means. (Modified from Catherine Gautier, UC Santa Barbara)
Duration 6 weeks
Topics covered Earth Systems and Resources, including solar intensity and latitude, the
atmosphere, and ocean circulation.

The Living World, including ecosystem diversity, natural ecosystem change, and
carbon cycles.

Population, including all human population concepts

Land and Water Use, including urban land development, and global economics

Energy Resources and Consumption, including energy consumption, fossil fuel


world reserves and global demand, environmental advantages/disadvantages of
fossil fuel sources, nuclear energy, hydroelectric power, energy conservation,
renewable energy.

Pollution, including air pollution and economic impacts.

Global Change, including stratospheric ozone, global warming, and loss of


biodiversity.
Labs and Power of the Pyramids
Activities Students will investigate population pyramid diagrams of developing and
developed countries and analyze demographic information. They will then use this
information to make inferences about the future of these countries.

Climate Data Analysis Exercise


Students will analyze and interpret several sets of data that may provide evidence
of climate change across a variety of scientific disciplines. Students will draw
conclusions from the data and communicate their results to their classmates.

Lichen Lab
Students will identify and measure lichens around their school grounds and
analyze and interpret their data to provide an indicator of local air quality.
Students will consider the implications of air quality on human health.

Energy Summit Prep


Students will take on the role of government representatives of various nations to
participate in a Conference of Parties-style mock summit on global energy use and
demand. To prepare for this summit, students will conduct lifecycle analyses of
various renewable and non-renewable energy resources and analyze and interpret
this information.

Energy Summit
Prior to participating in the summit, students will evaluate the advantages and
disadvantages of current energy use and resources for the nation they represent
and develop a proposal for more sustainable alternatives. They will participate in
negotiations with other representatives in order to come to agreement on a final
protocol for global energy use.

Additional Guest Speakers


Resources Population Demography Professor
Peace Corps Volunteer
Climate Scientists

Books
William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Elizabeth Kolbert. Field Notes from a Catastrophe

Films
World in the Balance
The Big Energy Gamble
The 11th Hour
An Inconvenient Truth
This information is kept confidential and is only intended for use by Mr. Rudisill

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