AP Audit Syllabus Environmental Science 1

Syllabus of AP Environmental Science Ray Chin,Bilingual Department, National Experimental High School, Hsinchu, Taiwan Personal Philosophy

I have some motivations to teach AP environmental science: to equip students with a

solid knowledge background of environmental science, to show the students how much

damages have been done on the environment due to human activities, to make students

practice some actions to protect environment, and to inspire students critical thinking for a

sustainable management for the future.

As a teacher, I feel lucky and pleasure to teach the subject. It fulfills my sincere desire to

protect the environment. It gives me a chance to alert the young people the environmental

degradation and to welcome them to join the protection practice.

I encourage the students to express their ideas and commands in my classes. To

communicate and listen to different groups is the way to approach a solution to an

environmental problem. It’s really constructive if a conclusion could be made after hearing all

different opinions. Students experience the processes to solve an environmental problem.

Some hand-on activities are a key role in my science classes. A small lab, a case study,

and a short essay are all necessary parts in my classes. Students still learn from the activities.

After the AP test, all students enjoy activities like beach cleaning, trash recycling, and tree

planting.

School ProfileNational Experimental High School (NEHS), situated in Taiwan’s “Silicon Valley”, the

high-tech science-based industrial park, is a public, coeducational school (preprimary-12).

The school is multi-cultural in that four departments are for local Chinese and adopt the

Taiwan national curriculum, while bilingual department (1-12) serves students in the English-

speaking community who seek an American college-preparatory education. Students come

from business, professional, government and diplomatic families. Forty-seven percent of the

bilingual department parents have Ph.D.’s. Of a total school enrollment of 3007, the bilingual

department has 565 students, of whom 299 carry US passports. This year’s senior class has 51

students.

The bilingual department has 60 certified full-time teachers. Forty have master’s

degrees; two have Ph.D.’s. Nationalities include Chinese (38), American (19), and Canadian

(3). The average teaching experience of the faculty is fourteen years. The ratio of certified

faculty to students is 1:10.

Thirteen AP courses are offered in NEHS and the average result of all AP tests in the

year of 2006 is 3.37. Class of 2007, the seniors’ SAT average is Verbal 654, Math 696, and

writing 640. Ninety-nine percent of the graduates from 2000-2006 have been enrolled in four-

year colleges or universities.

Grades: 1-12

Type: Public school

Total Enrollment: 565

College Record: Ninety-nine percent of the graduates from 2000-2006 have been

enrolled in four-year colleges or universities.

Overview of AP Environmental Science

AP Program

National experimental high school offers 13 AP subjects. There are 146 students, taking 276

exams in the year 2006. In my school, students who enroll the AP courses should take AP

exams.

Class Profile

Most AP courses are put in elective blocks, which students meet their teachers two times a

week. Each class time lasts 120 minutes with a 10 minutes break. There are two semesters in a

school year in my school. Each semester has 19-20 weeks of school days. A maximum class

size of 20 peoples is set. Environmental science class shares a same lab with physical science.

Course Prerequisites

AP environmental science is open for all juniors and seniors. Ideally, students would have

finished biology, chemistry and algebra II, with two years’ lab experience and algebra

calculation ability.

Course OverviewAP environmental science class contains lecture, case studies, video watching, lab and

activities. A power point slides lecture is used to accompany the text in the main textbook.

Discussion, commends, and arguments are always welcome. Sometimes, students read an

article from current newspapers or journals and answer some questions. Homework like used

free-response questions of AP exams is usually assigned. Every time we meet in the 120

minutes, the class pattern is like one hour lecture and one hour activity. The activity includes

video watching, a lab, field investigation, or case study. A project is required after the AP

exam. Students need to make a presentation and hand in a report by the end of the second

semester. All students still need to take the final exam in school, since you do not know the

AP score until the midst of July.

Primary textbook

Cunningham, W., Cunningham, M., and Saigo, B., Environmental Science, A Global Concern.

7th ed., McGraw Hill, 2003.

Laboratory Manual

Chiras, D., Environmental Science, High School Edition, Addison-Wesley, 1989.

Course Planner

UNIT TOPIC CHAPTER DAYS

I Environmental Science and

Ecological Principle

Understanding Our Environment 1

Environmental Ethics and Philosophy 2

Lab/Activity: Science and the scientific method

To practice gathering scientific information, testing ideas, and solving

problems.

Matter, Energy, and Life 3

Test #1: Chapters, 1, 2, and 3

Biological Communities and Species Interactions 4

Lab/Activity: Investigating the biological community of a city

To study a city as a biological community by identifying the plants and animals

of the city; determining their relationships to each other and to human beings,

and tracing the city’s energy flow.

Biomes, Restoration, and Management 5

Lab/Activity: Ecology Field Trip

Students will take a short hike in a neighboring field, forest, or part (preferably

not a city park). In the field, they review biomes, food webs, niche, habitats,

ecological pyramids, energy flow, nutrient cycling and limiting factors.

Lab/Activity: Climatograms

To relate climate to the plant and animal communities of different areas by

plotting climatograms of biomes.

Videos: Biomes

Test #2: Chapters 4 and 5

II Population, Economics, Policy, and Health

Population Dynamics 6

Lab/Activity: Understanding population growth

To learn how the world’s population grows and to explore how this growth

affects the environment.

Human Populations 7

Lab/Activity: Family Size and Population Growth

Students will observe the effect of family size on population growth in the U.S. by

comparing growth rates based on 2- and 3-child families.

Videos: Human Population

End of First Quarter: 1st Quarter Exam

Ecological Economics 8

Lab/Activity: Ecological Debate

To consider how humans fit into the ecological world. Select 2 5-member

debate teams. Team A will argue the case for humans being apart from nature

and here to dominate over other living things. Team B will take the opposite

case – the humans are a part of nature and must learn to live in harmony.

Environmental Health and Toxicology 9


III Food, Land, and Biological Resources

Environmental Policy, Law, and Planning 10

Food and Agriculture 11

Lab/Activity: The Roots of Hunger

To research the 8 contributing factors to world hunger and how each can

possibly be overcome.

Lab/Activity: Growing Plants

Students will choose a kind of crop and determine the best growing conditions

for that particular plant. Experimental variables could be soil composition,

exposure to sunlight, water temperature, air quality, etc.

Lab/Activity: Some Properties of Soils

To analyze and classify soil types, and to make some prediction about the

behavior of soils. Students measure soil particle size, check soil texture, and

time soil percolation rate.

Lab/Activity: Food Additives

To identify food additives and their functions.


Pest Control 12

Biodiversity 13

End of Second Quarter (First Semester): 2nd Quarter Exam

Land Use: Forests and Rangelands 14

Lab/Activity: Land Use

To identify school and community open spaces and consider the consequences

of developing them.

Videos: Deforestation

Preserving Nature 15


IV Physical Resources

Environmental Geology 16

Videos: Plate Tectonics

Video: Earthquakes

Air, Weather, and Climate 17

Lab/Activity: The Greenhouse Effect

To demonstrate the green house effect. Students will use a glass to built a solar

greenhouse. The heat is trapping by the glass and can be used for space heating

or for heating water.

Videos: Global Warming

Air Pollution 18

Lab/Activity: Demonstrating Air Pollution

Students will see first hand the kind of damage a common air pollution – sulfur

dioxide (SO2)-can have on plants. They will expose squash and marigold

seedling to a SO2 environment of approximately 5 ppm.

Videos: Acid Rain

Test #6: Chapters 16, 17, and 18

Water Use and Management 19

Lab/Activity: Water Quality Test

To learn to perform water-quality tests and to interpret their results. A water

quality test kit is used. Water sample is from natural source. Students are going

to test pH value, hardness, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, phosphate, dissolved

solids, and coliform bacteria.

Videos: Water shortage

Water Pollution 20

Lab/Activity: The Effect of Pollution on Seeds

Students’ goal is to determine the effects of water pollution on seed

germination.

End of Third Quarter: Third Quarter Exam

Lab/Activity: Thermal Pollution

To determine the effects of thermal pollution on goldfish and other fish.

Conventional Energy 21

Lab/Activity: Electrical Energy in the Home

To determine how much electrical energy is used at home, and to devise and

test a plan for reducing our electrical energy use.

Lab/Activity: Learning About Energy Quality

To determine whether wood or paraffin has more energy per unit weight.

Lab/Activity: Nuclear Energy Viewpoints

To consider the pros and cons of the use of nuclear power.

Videos: Alternative energy

Sustainable Energy 22

Lab/Activity: Solar Water Heater

To demonstrate how water can be heated and circulated by solar power using a

model system.

Lab/Activity: Does insulation really help to conserve heat?

To determine how well different types of insulation reduce heat loss in a model

system.


V Society and the Environment

Solid, Toxic, and Hazardous Waste 23

Lab/Activity: Recycling Waste Materials

To identify the variety of items that we throw away that might be reusable.

Lab/Activity: Biodegradability of solid in a mini-landfill

To determine the rates of decomposition of various substances in a model

landfill. To consider the effectiveness of landfills for waste disposal.

Lab/Activity: The effect of toxics on living organisms

To investigate the effect of a toxic substance on an aquatic organism.

Field Trip: A city incinerator visit

Urbanization and Sustainable Cities 24

Lab/Activity: Temperature Inversions and Air Pollution

To model temperature inversions and to demonstrate how temperature

inversions trap air pollutants.

Lab/Activity: Popularizing Environmentally Favorable Lifestyles

Devise ways to make environmentally favorable lifestyles more popular.

What Then Shall We Do? 25

APES Review –2 to 3 weeks

Students practice all of the released multiple-choice and free-response questions. They also

review each scientific term in the part of glossary of the textbook. If time is allowed, they are

encouraged to read the APES books of Princeton or Barron’s review.

APES Exam on May, scheduled by College Board.

Post-AP Exam Project and Presentation

1. Read an article with a clear environmental theme in a journal or periodical.

2. Do labs and field investigation and make a report.

3. Case study and a report.

4. A field trip

End of Fourth Quarter (Second Semester): Fourth Quarter Exam

Teaching StrategiesNot only fact recite, environmental science can be taught in the way of debating,

critical thinking, and solution approaching. Students are trained to use their background

knowledge to find key problems in an environmental issue, to communicate with related

people and to try to reach a sustainable solution. I encourage students to input their thought in

a class discussion. I even count that as good class participation, no matter their ideas are

positive or just for fun. A debate for a controversial issue is even critical, since the students

can experience the argument from different points of view. It might happen once in a while in

their life. Not like a correct answer to a math problem, environmental issues are more like

changeling. All kinds of solutions are possible, depends on how much people understand the

problem, and how much tools they have. No body might satisfy the final decision. However, it

just happens. During the discussion, I hope that the students can be open, listen to others,

express their thought, however, and ready to take an unsatisfactory result.

Labs and activities are another important roles in my classes. Some hands-on activities

inspire students to understand the pollution problems. Pollution process always takes a slow

step, almost no one notices the pollution problem at its beginning. By observing its effects to

plants gradually, students know how mach damage the pollution has been put in the

environment. If we do not do anything about the air, water and soil degradation, our future

will be with no hope.

Case study is the part I really like. Students in a 2-4 people group, investigate an event

deeply. They need to describe the situation, to know where the problems are, and to search a

possible solution. Students practice the real problem in their class. They understand what

happens in our planet environment, and what actions human activities have done to pollute or

to save the environment.

Field trip is a welcome part in my class. Students like it. Not only to take a whole day

outside the school, but to take water test and visit a city forest park and incinerator. We also

do some trash recycling and beach cleaning. It fits requirement of community service, and

also save the natural resources.

Lab ComponentThe lab components can be broken down into indoor labs, outdoor labs, and field

investigations. Goggles and safety rules are required and posted in the lab.

Students are divided in a 2-4 people group to do labs and activities. In its second year to

offer environmental science in my school, the lab has been equipped with basic facility. I

already ask school to order the WARD’S and Carolina goods, including water, soil and air test

kits. With those test kits, my environmental science lab will be more complete.

Students will get a lab menu in a lab class. The lab menu contains objective, materials

needed, procedures, data sheet, and questions. Some sometimes, students need to create their

own procedures to fit the lab goal. I list all labs I might ask the students to do in the parts of

course planer and student activity. Some of them are demonstrating labs, since the equipment

is expensive, or it needs more adults’ care during the steps.

Student ActivitiesStudent activities accompany the chapter texture. It enforces the student learning ability.

Activities play a large portion in semester grade since I think that students still learn in

activities. Safety guidelines should be got attention in the activities. I announce and post the

guidelines at the beginning when the class starts.

Here lists all activities so far my environmental class can do:

1. Science and the scientific method

2. Investigating the biological community of a city

3. Ecology field trip

4. Climatograms

5. Understanding population growth

6. Family size and population growth

7. Ecological debate

8. The roots of hunger

9. Growing plants

10. Properties of soils

11. Food Additives

12. Land use

13. The greenhouse effect

14. Demonstrating air pollution

15. Water quality test

16. The effects of pollution on seeds

17. Thermal pollution

18. Electrical energy in the home

19. Learning about energy quality

20. Nuclear energy view points

21. Solar water heater

22. Does insulation really help to conserve heat?

23. Recycling waste materials

24. Biodegradability of soil in a mini-landfill

25. The effect of toxics on living organisms

26. A city incinerator visit

27. Temperature inversions and air pollution

28. Popularizing environmentally favorable lifestyles

Student EvaluationMidterm and final exams 30%

Unit tests and Quizzes 15%

Activities, labs and field investigations 15%

Homework 15%

Class participation, class work and case study 10%

One project and its oral presentation 10%

Community service 5%

Grading Scale: A=100-90 percent

B=89-80 percent

C=79-70 percent

D=69-60 percent

F=below 60 percent

Teacher Resources

Textbooks

Cunningham, W., Cunningham, M., and Saigo, B., Environmental Science, A Global Concern.

7th ed., McGraw Hill, 2003.

Reference Textbooks

Millar, Living in the environment, 14 ed., Thomson, 2005

Botkin, Keller, Environmental Science, Earth as a Living Planet, 5th ed., Wiley, 2005

Lab Manuals

Chiras, D., Environmental Science, High School Edition, Addison-Wesley, 1989.

Holt Environmental Science, 2006/Arms

Eldon Enger, Bradley F. Smith , Field and Laboratory Activities

(Accompanies the textbook Environmental Science : A study of Interrelationships) 7th, 1999

Reference Materials

1998 AP Environmental Science Released Examination, College Board

2003 AP Environmental Science Released Examination, College Board

Holt Environmental Science Student Edition, 2006/Arms, Holt, Rinehart and Winston

Lab Equipment and Supplies

Soil profile kit, set/10, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational products,

LLC, www.hubbardscientific.com

Soil layers kit, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational products, LLC,

www.hubbardscientific.com

Air mass generation kit, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational products,


Air pollution kit, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational products, LLC,

www.hubbardscientific.com

Quality of water test kit, 10 students, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American

educational products, LLC, www.hubbardscientific.com

Earthquake watch kit, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational products,


Ecology symbiosis kit, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational products,


Environmental Ecology seed kit, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational

products, LLC, www.hubbardscientific.com

Variation/evolution fossil kit, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational


http://www.hubbardscientific.com/









Videos/Software

Plate tectonics earth science videolab, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American


Plate tectonics viodeolab teacher’s guide, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American


Alternative energies Earth science videolab, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American


Acid rain earth science videolab, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational


Acid rain videolab Teacher’s guide, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational


Environmental series of 6 VHS, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational


Internet Sites

AP Central: www.collegeboard.com

Textbook texture web exercise: www.mhhe.com/environmentalscience

US Environmental Protection Agency: www.epa.gov

World population data: www.populationconnection.org

US census bureau: www.census.gov

US geological survey: www.usgs.gov

http://www.usgs.gov/

http://www.census.gov/

http://www.populationconnection.org/

http://www.epa.gov/

http://www.collegeboard.com/







AP Audit Syllabus Environmental Science 1

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