AP ES - Syllabus

AP Environmental Science Course Syllabus

Name of School: Johns Creek High School

Name of Teacher: Corrine Williams

Contact: Rm: 322 Email: williamsc1@fultonschools.org

Academic Year: 2019

Course goals and overview

The AP Environmental Science course is designed to provide students with a learning experience equivalent to a one-semester college environmental science course taken by the first year of college. The course is designed for students wanting to major in a variety of science and science-related disciplines including geology, biology, environmental studies, environmental science, chemistry, and geography. The course emphasizes the principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of natural world, identify and analyze environmental problems, evaluate relative risks associated with these problems, and examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them. The course also includes laboratory components constituting a minimum of 20% of instructional time. Students are encouraged to keep copies of their laboratory work for use in determining college credit and/or placement (http://apcentral.collegeboard.com)

Prerequisites

For a student to be registered to take AP environmental science, the student must have completed (unweighted 85 or above), at a minimum, Biology and Chemistry courses at the high school level. Students should have completed a high school algebra course (unweighted 85 or above). Physical Science is acceptable if the student achieved an unweighted 90 or higher. The student must be willing to accept the challenge of a very rigorous academic curriculum.

Time requirement

Class content requires 250 minutes or equivalent per week, a minimum of one period or equivalent per week for serious laboratory work (not including demonstrations). Students should spend at least 5 hours a week in individual study outside of the classroom.

Content requirement emphasizes:

1 Science as a process

2 Energy conservations as the basis of ecological processes

3 The earth as one interconnected system

4 Humans effect on natural systems

5 Environmental problems in cultural and social contexts

6 Human survival and sustainability

Grading scale:

90-100 A

80-89 B

70-79 C

0-69 F

Grading rules/Policies for course:

Major Category [50%]

Test / Exam: Multiple choice section ( 60); Free response section (40)

Projects

Class participants

Outings (5 needed)

Minor Category [40%]

Daily grades : Problem sets, quizzes, free- response homework sets

Lab reports Labs should ALWAYS include: Date, purpose, procedure, hypothesis if applicable, data section, analysis,

results, conclusion, safety.

Final Exam [ 20%]

A summer reading assignment is a requirement of this course and will be credited as a project grade.

Opportunities for extra help or study sessions:

I am available after school Monday - Friday. I am also available during 4A or 4B lunch. Please make an appointment via email or Remind message. I arrive on campus at 8:00 a.m.

Honor code/Plagiarism policy

Integrity is a Johns Creek High School core value. Johns Creek students are expected to demonstrate honesty and integrity in all work submitted to a teacher. The honor code ensures the validity of student work which guides instruction. All JCHS students are bound by the Johns Creek Honor Code. (See pages 19-21 in the Student Handbook for more detailed explanation.)

Course Design and Objectives

Topic

Suggested Time

Introduction

1 week

Earth Science Concepts – geologic time scale; plate tectonics; earthquakes; volcanism; seasons; solar intensity; and latitude

1 week

The Atmosphere – composition, structure; weather and climate; atmospheric circulation and the Coriolis effect; atmosphere-ocean interactions; ENSO

0.5 week

Global Water Resources and Use – freshwater/saltwater; ocean circulation; agricultural, industrial, and domestic use; surface and groundwater issues; global problems; soil conservation

1 week

Soil and Soil Dynamics – rock cycle; formation; composition; physical and chemical proper ties; main soil types; erosion and other soil problems; soil conservation

1 week

Ecosystem Structure – biological populations and communities; ecological niches; interactions among species; keystone species; species diversity and edge effects; major terrestrial and aquatic biomes

1 week

Energy Flow – photosynthesis and cellular respiration; food webs and trophic levels; ecological pyramids

0.5 week

Ecosystem Diversity – biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem services

1 week

Natural Ecosystem Change – climate shifts; species movement; ecological succession

0.5 week

Study Guide Format for Students:

Students Should:

1 Read Assigned Text Pages

2 Complete thorough notes

3 Construct Questions and Answers using cue cards

4 Participate in Group Study

5 Read and review additional resources to supplement course

6 Ask questions

7 Attend Review Sessions

8 Complete all study guides, note the following sample:

Textbook & Resources

· Barron’ s Study Guide for AP-ES

· Textbook: Bedford, Freeman & Worth - AP Environmental Science (Friedland & Relyea, 2019), 3e digital access in August

Supplemental activities

Projects: Students are required to complete PowerPoint presentations, videos, pamphlets and projects throughout the year.

Current Events: Throughout each semester APES students will visit current topics in the news

that relate to current topics of study or topics of historical significance for discussion

Long Term Water Quality Testing: Over the year students will visit a local stream for sampling in DO, Nitrates, Phosphates, pH, Sediment Loading and Macro invertebrates in order to see seasonal changes.

Trout project: Students will engage in the growth and release of trout in to the Chattahoochee River

Outings: Suggested outings include wastewater treatment plant: landfill, aquarium, hiking, camping, fishing

Warning on plagiarism

Plagiarism is a crime. All directives ordered by Fulton County Board of Education will followed. Penalties may include, and may not be limited to, a “zero” on a assignment and a report sent to administration and assigned counselor.

Absences/ Tardiness

It is the responsibility of the student to request assignments upon excused absences. Don’t be late, it is rude. If you are, have a pass from someone of authority.

Recovery

Recovery is for students who, despite a conscientious effort and communication with their teachers, have failed to demonstrate satisfactory understanding of course goals as measured by a summative assessment or project. Students may initiate recovery on summative assessments or projects when their cumulative average is a 75 or below any time after the 6 week progress report and they have made a legitimate effort to meet all course requirements including attendance. All assignments must be completed before a student takes a recovery assessment. Students will be required to complete relevant assignments for the unit and required to attend help session or complete re-teaching activities before the recovery assessment is given. The format of the recovery assessment may be different from the format of the original assessment. After successful completion of the recovery assessment, the teacher may replace the original assessment grade with the recovery assessment grade up to an 80. The replacement grade may not be lower than the original assessment grade. Students must initiate recovery on a summative assessment or project within 5 school days of being informed of the grade on that assessment. All recovery work should be completed 10 days before the end of the semester. In the case of an honor code violation on a summative assessment or project, the teacher may issue a grade of zero for the assignment. This assignment may not be made up nor will the student be eligible for recovery.

Make up work policy

Students may make up all work missed on an excused and pre-approved absence. Work assigned during the absence must be returned to the teacher within the same number of days as the absence which was excused. Unexcused absences may result in grade reduction.

Late work

Late work will not be accepted for minor daily grades. There will be a penalty for late lab assignments. There will be a penalty for late projects.

Technology/Cell Phones at JCHS

Johns Creek High School supports the use of technology for academic pursuits. This includes cell phones, tablets, and laptops. The use and type of technology in a classroom is at the sole discretion of the teacher. All technology must be turned off and put away upon entering each classroom. Permission to use technology in a classroom will be explicitly stated by the teacher. Students may possess technology for personal use outside of classrooms in common areas. All devices must remain in silent mode, and students should use headphones when listening to sound. Students are responsible for the safety and security of their own devices and are not required to possess personal technology for instruction. In the case of an emergency, all technology should be turned off and put away as not to interfere with administrative emergency procedures.

Cellphone courtesy

First Offense - Warning to student

Second Offense - Teacher notification to parents

Third Offense - Teacher issued public detention

Fourth Offense -Administrative referral

Media guidelines (optional)

Within the curriculum there poses the opportunity for teachers to incorporate different forms of technology into the classroom. One of these forms of technology is the showing of clips of related movies or related movies in their entirety. These films will be rated G, PG, PG-13 or, in some cases, R. News programming and other television/internet broadcasts related to the curriculum may also be viewed. If you have any concerns about video viewing, please contact the instructor at 678-778-7700. Please see below the list of possible selections and ratings:

Teacher availability

Office hours: Afternoon hours (3:50 – 4:30). Email communication is also available.