The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand 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. The following themes provide a foundation for the structure of the AP environmental course: science is a process, energy conversions underlie all ecological processes, the Earth itself in one interconnected system, humans alter natural systems, environmental problems have a cultural and social context and human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems. Refer to the Advanced Placement section on page nine in the Program of Studies for information on exam requirements for this course.

Recommendation: Successful completion or concurrent enrollment in Biology.

Description:

The full year Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science course is equivalent to a one-semester introductory science course at the college level. The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to draw on prior knowledge of physical and biological sciences, as well as mathematics, to examine specific principles and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of our natural world. This course will examine how these interrelationships in the environment intersect with the expanding of the human population. One period every week is spent in laboratory or fieldwork investigation. This course is a field based course.

Each student is required to take the College Board® AP Environmental Science Exam.

The Seven Content Areas and percent covered:

Earth Systems and Resources (10-15%)

The Living World (10-15%)

Population (10-15%)

Land and Water Use (10-15%)

Energy Resources and Consumption (10-15%)

Pollution (25-30%)

Global Change (10-15%)

The Next Generation Science Standards have been adopted in Rhode Island and we are working to implement these standards into our courses

This is an interdisciplinary course. Students who wish to major in science in college are recommended to take this course; however, motivated students who do not wish to major in science or math, but have strong written skills, are also encouraged to enroll.

PHS Learning Expectations:

1. Access and critically analyze information to answer questions and explore ideas

2. Solve problems through prioritizing and planning for results

3. Write proficiently for a variety of purposes

4. Communicate effectively in a variety of formats

5. Interpret and design visual messages for specific purposes

6. Engage in work with integrity, both independently and collaboratively

7. Demonstrate knowledge and skills through the use of technology

NGSS Science and Engineering Practices

1. Asking questions and defining problems

2. Developing and using models

3. Planning and carrying out investigations

4. Analyzing and interpreting data

5. Using mathematics and computational thinking

6. Constructing explanations and designing solutions

7. Engaging in argument from evidence

8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating ideas

NGSS Crosscutting Concepts

1. Patterns

2. Cause and effect: Mechanism and explanation

3. Scale, proportion, and quantity

4. Systems and system models

5. Energy and matter: Flows, cycles, and conservation

6. Structure and function

7. Stability and change

Enduring Understandings AP Environmental Science:

Enduring Understanding 1

• The energy available for processes on Earth is derived largely from the Sun, with a small contribution from geothermal sources.

• Energy transformations drive the movement of water and air on global and local scales.

• Primary production requires biologically accessible energy inputs, which vary over time and space.

Enduring Understanding 2

• Climate is influenced by interactions of multiple physical, chemical and biological factors, including human actions.

• Ecosystems emerge from biotic and abiotic interactions among Earth’s atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and cryosphere.

• Earth’s landscapes emerge from the interactions among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, cryosphere and human activity.

Enduring Understanding 3

• Biogeochemical cycles are representations of the transport, transformation and storage of elements on a local, regional or global scale.

• Living things are composed of, and hence require, the elements and compounds that make up their biological components.

• The major biogeochemical cycles of elements and compounds (water, carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus) are composed of specific processes that occur over varying intervals of space and time based on their chemical and physical properties.

Enduring Understanding 4:

• Ecosystems supply humans with a multitude of resources and processes that are collectively known as ecosystem services.

• Ecosystem services have value.

• The value of ecosystem services is integral to decision-making processes.

• Sustainability is a guiding principle by which systems and resources are used in ways that they can be maintained at an acceptable level indefinitely.

Enduring Understanding 5:

• Human societies require Earth’s resources; the amounts required are a function of human population size, growth and affluence.

• Humans engineer systems in order to (1) maximize outcomes to meet societal needs, (2) moderate system extremes, and (3) control or change interactions. Engineered systems, as all systems, have many interactions with the rest of the environment.

• Human activities, including use of resources, have physical, chemical and biological consequences for watersheds and aquatic systems.

• Human activities have physical, chemical and biological consequences for the atmosphere.

• Human activities have physical, chemical and biological consequences for ecosystems; the magnitude of the impact depends in part on the sensitivity of the system to perturbation.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

HS-LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, energy, and dynamics

HS-LS4: Biological evolution: Unity and diversity

HS-ESS1: Earth's Place in the Universe

HS-ESS2: Earth's Systems

HS-ESS3: Earth and Human Activity

NGSS Science and Engineering Performance Expectations

HS-ETS1-2.

Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.

HS-ETS1-3.

Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.

HS-ETS1-4.

Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.