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. Its 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 Profile
National Experimental High School (NEHS), situated in Taiwans 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 years senior class has 51 students. The bilingual department has 60 certified full-time teachers. Forty have masters 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 Overview
AP 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 freeresponse 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 I TOPIC CHAPTER DAYS

Environmental Science and Ecological Principle Understanding Our Environment Environmental Ethics and Philosophy 1 2

Lab/Activity: Science and the scientific method To practice gathering scientific information, testing ideas, and solving problems. Matter, Energy, and Life 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 citys energy flow. Biomes, Restoration, and Management 5 3

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 worlds 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

Test #3: Chapters 8 and 9 III Food, Land, and Biological Resources Environmental Policy, Law, and Planning Food and Agriculture 10 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. Test #4: Chapters 10 and 11 Pest Control Biodiversity 12 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 Test #5: Chapters 14 and 15 IV Physical Resources Environmental Geology Videos: Plate Tectonics Video: Earthquakes Air, Weather, and Climate 16 15

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.

Test #7: Chapters 21 and 22 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 Barrons review. APES Exam on May, scheduled by College Board. Post-AP Exam Project and Presentation

1. 2. 3. 4.

Read an article with a clear environmental theme in a journal or periodical. Do labs and field investigation and make a report. Case study and a report. A field trip

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

Teaching Strategies
Not 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 Component
The 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 WARDS 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 Activities
Student 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 Evaluation
Midterm 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, LLC, www.hubbardscientific.com 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, LLC, www.hubbardscientific.com Ecology symbiosis kit, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational products, LLC, www.hubbardscientific.com 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 products, LLC, www.hubbardscientific.com

Videos/Software Plate tectonics earth science videolab, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational products, LLC, www.hubbardscientific.com Plate tectonics viodeolab teachers guide, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational products, LLC, www.hubbardscientific.com Alternative energies Earth science videolab, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational products, LLC, www.hubbardscientific.com Acid rain earth science videolab, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational products, LLC, www.hubbardscientific.com Acid rain videolab Teachers guide, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational products, LLC, www.hubbardscientific.com Environmental series of 6 VHS, Scott Resource, Hubbard scientific, American educational products, LLC, www.hubbardscientific.com 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