Rivera Early College High School

AP Environmental Systems

Mrs. Edna Cervantes

(956) 831-8700
E-mail#1:[[email protected]]
E-mail#2:[[email protected]]
Weebly: rechs-apes-bio.weebly.com
Introduction & Course description: Welcome to the Advanced Placement
Environmental Systems course at Simon Rivera Early College High School.
The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide students 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 or preventing them.
Environmental science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from
different areas of study. Yet there are several major unifying constructs, or themes, that
cut across the many topics included in the study of environmental science. The
following themes provide a foundation for the structure of the AP Environmental Science
course.
Prerequisites The AP Environmental Science course is an excellent option for any
interested student who has completed two years of high school laboratory science
one year of life science and one year of physical science (for example, a year of biology
and a year of chemistry). Due to the quantitative analysis that is required in the course,
students should also have taken at least one year of algebra. Also desirable (but not
necessary) is a course in earth science. Because of the prerequisites, AP
Environmental Science will usually be taken in either the junior or senior year.
Required Course Materials
1.Three ring binder (RED) with dividers, 2.lined loose leaf paper, 3.composition
notebook (200 pages, 9 x 7 ) 4.Pen, 5.Pencils, 6.highlighters, 7.colored pencils (8
pkg), & 9. a calculator (your cell phone does not count).

BOOK to be used

Rivera Early College High School

AP Environmental Systems
Miller, G. Tyler and Scott Spoolman. Living in the Environmental. Boston, MA: Cengage
Learning.
Homework & Reading
Homework will take many forms and is designed to help with student understanding of
the current unit being studied. Homework assignments for each unit include, but are not
limited to the following; completion of Core Case Study, answering the free responses
on the Chapter Review section at the end of each assigned chapter, complete the
Critical Thinking questions at the end of each assigned chapter, as well as the Data
Analysis section, which are related to the unit.
Readings for each unit include chapters from the textbook, which contain information
that will be covered as well as reading/ video pertaining to each chapter on our Weebly
website. Scientific abstracts and papers are assigned with the purpose of showing how
discoveries are made and demonstrate that science is the process. Articles found in
science magazines and online news sources are also assigned to promote discussion
about social and environmental concerns.
Daily work
Daily work includes but is not limited to quizzes, worksheets over the online lectures
and other activities completed in class. The lowest grade in this category will be
dropped at the end of the six weeks.
Free Response TESTs
Free responses can be taken from previous AP tests, APES prep books or made up by
the course instructor. The format of AP free responses will be discussed in class and
used on throughout the year. Instructor guided group grading will be included to expose
and familiarize students with College Board Rubrics. All free responses will completed
individually.

Multiple Choice Tests

Multiple choice tests will consist of questions that are consistent with the types found
on the AP exam written by the College Board. Questions will come from a variety of

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AP Environmental Systems
sources including old tests, textbook test banks and other APES test preparation
sources. Sample multiple choice questions can be found in the AP Environmental
Science Course Description available from the College Board.
Lab & Lab Reports
Lab reports are required for each of the recommended Inquiry-Based AP Environmental
Systems Labs. These reports may include: title, introduction/background information,
purpose, hypothesis, procedure, data/results, analysis, question, and conclusion.
Students work in pairs to complete lab procedures, but are responsible for turning in
individual lab reports. Students are encouraged to produce a high quality report and are
given a week from the conclusion of the lab to submit their report. A formal lab write-up
for the remaining additional labs are not required. In these cases, students lab papers
will include pre-lab questions, data/results, analysis, and post-lab questions, which are
geared to emphasize the key concepts of the lab. The following is an outline of the
labs that will take place on this course, additional labs (not listed) may be added
throughout the course.
Investigation 1:

Solar House Lab

Investigation 2:

Tragedy of the Commons Lab

Investigation 3:

Dissolved Oxygen Lab

Investigation 4:

Gypsy Moth Lab

Investigation 5:

Primary Productivity Lab

Investigation 6:

Home Energy Audit Lab

Investigation 7:

Monitoring Air Quality Lab

Investigation 8:

Salinization Lab

Investigation 9:

Watershed Assessment Lab

For more information on student AP Testing: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html. For

sample questions and a detailed course description see the College Boards AP Environmental Systems
website:https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/ap-environmental-science

Students may be asked to design an experiment, which they will implement at home.
The student will propose, in writing, the scientific question they wish to investigate to the
instructor. After question approval, students formulate a hypothesis and design an
experiment to test their hypothesis. Experimental designs are then peer-reviewed,
redesigned if needed, and conducted by the student out of class. This project gives

Rivera Early College High School

AP Environmental Systems
students a chance to be creative and apply the scientific method to a question they wish
to investigate. Students work individually and have four weeks to implement their
approved experimental design and write their formal lab report.
Colleges often require students to present their laboratory materials from AP
science courses before granting college credit for laboratory, so students should
be encouraged to retain their laboratory notebooks, reports, and other materials.
Grading Policy
Major Grades (Unit tests, research, lab reports, major projects): 67%
Minor Grades (Formative assessments):
33%
Late Work Policy:
When absent, a student with an excused absence will have one day for every day
absent in which to submit missed work. Students with an unexcused absence will not be
able to submit work for credit. During the absence, student is solely responsible to
browse the weebly website for the class and be informed of what is covered in class
and expected upon his/her return.
If a student simply does not have an assignment, the student will receive an NG (factors
as a 0) for the grade. This prepares the student for a college course, as professors do
not accept late work.
If a student is absent on a test day, the student will take the missed test upon his/her
return during after school tutorial, before school or during conference times. If student
needs to retest, this will also need to be scheduled during same times.
Honor System:
Students are expected to develop their own work. In the event that the student is found
copying all/portions of another students assignment or plagiarizing research or reports
will receive a 0 as a grade.

Course Outline for the Year

TOPIC
1. Introduction of Environmental

DURATION
3 weeks

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AP Environmental Systems
Problems Where are we now, and where
do we want to go?
2. Matter and Energy Resources

1 week

3. Living World: [SC3] Ecosystems

and Ecosystem Processes Dynamics,
food chains and webs, and flow of energy,
biomes

2 weeks

4. Population Studies [SC4]

Population Biology and Population
Dynamics
What causes changes in ecosystems
Human Population
Demography and population distribution

4 weeks

5. Earth Systems [SC1] and Resources

[SC2]
Earth Science
Plate tectonics, the rock cycle, weathering
and erosion, volcanoes and earthquakes,
natural disasters, mining and minerals
Soil
Structure of soil, erosion, desertification,
and conservation
Climate and Weather
Global air circulation, ocean currents

4 Weeks

6. Global Changes [SC10]

Loss of Biodiversity
Endangered plants and animals
Global Warming and Ozone
Depletion Causes and solutions

3 Weeks

End of First Semester

7. Energy Resources [SC7] and
Consumption [SC8]
Renewable Energy
Alternative sources of energy;
Nonrenewable Energy, Energy
consumption and conservation issues

3 weeks

8. Pollution [SC9]
Human Health

7 Weeks

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AP Environmental Systems
Toxic and hazardous substances,
diseases and risk analysis
Air Pollution
Outdoor and indoor air pollution
Water Pollution
Water sources and types of pollution
Toxic and Solid Waste
Disposal, regulations, prevention
Pesticides
History, problems, and alternatives
9. Land and Water Use [SC5] & [SC6]

3 Weeks

10. Land and Water Management

Use, conservation, problems, and
wilderness

1 Week

11. Preserving Animal Diversity

Human encroachment and sustainable
management

1 Week

12. Food Production

Biological, physical, and social
boundaries

1 Week

13. Economics, Politics, Ethics and the

Environment
Dealing with environmental policy,
problem solving, and environmental
education

1 Week

***Expanding on concepts, additional

labs, projects and/or presentations.

Semester Final Exam

All students are expected to complete an exam at the end of the semester.
The exam will consist of 100 multiple choice questions and one college
board free response over any of the material covered in the semester.

Wish you the Best on this course!

Rivera Early College High School

AP Environmental Systems
Please sign, remove this portion from the packet, and return it to Mrs. Cervantes (room E215)
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AP Environmental Systems ~ 2016-2017

Statement of Understanding
By signing this contract, the parent and the student acknowledge that they have
read the preceding documentation (AP Environmental Systems Syllabus) for Mrs.
Cervantes AP Environmental Systems class and they understand and agree to the
commitment necessary to be successful in this course.
________________________________________
Printed student name
_________________________________________/__________
Signature of student
date
___________________________________________/____________
Signature of parent or guardian
date
Please return completed STATEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING to Mrs.Cervantes
to (room E215) to be eligible for enrollment in AP Environmental Systems Course.
AP Environmental Systems Syllabus 2016-2017