WELCOME TO THE PLANET OF THE APES
INTRODUCTION
The AP Environmental Science Course (APES) is designed to be the equivalent of a one-semester introductory college course in environmental science. Unlike most other college science courses, environmental science is offered from a wide variety of departments including geology, biology, chemistry, physics, geography and environmental studies. This AP course has been developed to provide you with an integrated approach to the numerous disciplines involved in environmental sciences, and to incorporate many lab components, as well as social and political themes.
Some words of advice: READ your assignments, WRITE your essays well. LISTEN and take notes in class, PARTICIPATE in all lab experiments. The pace will be fast in order to complete the course by the May 7th test date. BEST OF LUCK TO ALL OF YOU.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The APES course is to provide students with the scientific principle, concepts and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and man- made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, an to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them. There are several unifying constructs or themes that provide the foundation for this course.
1. Science is a process
2. Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes
3. The Earth itself is an interconnected system
4. Humans alter natural systems
5. Environmental problems have a social and cultural context
6. Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems
THE EXAM
100 Multiple Choice Questions in 90 minutes. Four essays in 90 minutes which include one data set question, one document based question (DBQ) and 2 synthesis and evaluation questions.
CLASS FORMAT
Most of your scheduled tests will be simulations of the final AP Exam with multiple choice and essay sections. Other assignments will include lab write-ups, group work, research and oral presentations and an on-line component consisting of discussion questions. You are expected to do all assignments and NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED unless there is an excused absence, and must be completed in 2 days at the latest.
Remember this is a college level class with very expectations.
Sara Tharp-McComas, P.G., M.Ed.
The AP Environmental Science Course (APES) is designed to be the equivalent of a one-semester introductory college course in environmental science. Unlike most other college science courses, environmental science is offered from a wide variety of departments including geology, biology, chemistry, physics, geography and environmental studies. This AP course has been developed to provide you with an integrated approach to the numerous disciplines involved in environmental sciences, and to incorporate many lab components, as well as social and political themes.
Some words of advice: READ your assignments, WRITE your essays well. LISTEN and take notes in class, PARTICIPATE in all lab experiments. The pace will be fast in order to complete the course by the May 7th test date. BEST OF LUCK TO ALL OF YOU.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The APES course is to provide students with the scientific principle, concepts and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and man- made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, an to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them. There are several unifying constructs or themes that provide the foundation for this course.
1. Science is a process
2. Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes
3. The Earth itself is an interconnected system
4. Humans alter natural systems
5. Environmental problems have a social and cultural context
6. Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems
THE EXAM
100 Multiple Choice Questions in 90 minutes. Four essays in 90 minutes which include one data set question, one document based question (DBQ) and 2 synthesis and evaluation questions.
CLASS FORMAT
Most of your scheduled tests will be simulations of the final AP Exam with multiple choice and essay sections. Other assignments will include lab write-ups, group work, research and oral presentations and an on-line component consisting of discussion questions. You are expected to do all assignments and NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED unless there is an excused absence, and must be completed in 2 days at the latest.
Remember this is a college level class with very expectations.
Sara Tharp-McComas, P.G., M.Ed.