Resources By Kristi Schertz
These are practice problems to prepare for the math on the
AP® Environmental Science Exam.
For basic math information and formulas, read “What students need to know about the math for the AP Environmental Science Exam”
Read “Last minute tips and hints for the APES Exam” for advice taking the exam.
If you are stuck on some problems, watch math help videos. They are:
These are tidbits of important information and some common student errors that many students make on the AP Environmental Science exam.
Make sure you are studying your notes, textbook and/or a review book. Some favorite review books are: A Cartoon Guide to the Environment and ASAP and
Five Steps to a Five. But many others are good as well (Barrons, and ones by textbook publishers).
These are some basic guidelines for writing FRQs. For help with math, read “What students need to know about the math for the AP Environmental Science Exam”
This is the basic information you need about APES math on the AP® Exam.
Read this post for some practice problems.
I survey my students every year after the AP Exam, because I want to improve my practice and adjust for needs the following year. For review ideas, read this post. Remember, every school, teacher and students are different. What my students need or do not need is unique to them. As a professional, you will do trial and error and your own surveys to find out the best way to prep your own students for the exam. To see a copy of my survey click on this google doc.
I have a lot of students take my course and the exam (140+) and these numbers give me good insight. Overall, my students do well on the exam and have a good amount of self-reflection afterwards. Here are the major points from the past two years of survey data:
Please note: There are a lot of other review ideas and materials out there that are great. These are just the ones I pick for my students.
I do not spend class time on content review. Instead, my students take released exams (which cannot go home as homework according to the agreement you acknowledge with your AP audit). Most students thought these were valuable to do in class:
* AP® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this site.
I recently experimented using LED tap lights as an alternate to using stereoscopes in the Airborne Particulate Lab. You can read about the lab on this post. This is a great lab for kids to practice experimental design.
I purchased LED tap lights from Amazon but they can also be found at home improvement stores.
They work with a little finesse. Here is what the kids need to use:
Students need to focus on the vaseline above the grid. If they focus on the graph paper, they won’t see any particulates. They need to hold the hand lens about 3-4 centimeters above the petri dish. That way it focuses on the particulates.
This method does work, but it takes a little more practice from the kids to see the particulates.
One way to help students memorize the 3 atmospheric processes they need to know for the AP® Exam is to have them draw. Research indicates that sketching or drawing information helps students learn. From my own experience, drawing with chalk helps my students memorize better than drawing on paper. Its a fun activity in groups and the kids truly learn. The 3 processes are:
I use chalk, because it is the most economical (and eco-friendly) choice. The best chalk is from IKEA–seriously. A few boxes will last the entire year or more. Since I teach 170 students in APES, this is the best option for me.
Neon Expo Markers are another good option. You can write a mini-grant or a request on Donors Choose to fund them.
You can write on lab tables if you have the standard science black finish. If not, you can draw with chalk outside.
My students follow the instructions on this document. I do not have them look up information and make their own drawing, because I do not want them looking up and copying diagrams on the internet. I want them to draw out the processes with the details and specifics that have been asked on released AP® Exams. They will learn when they use their brains to make pictures.
We do the 3 drawings on separate days so that students keep the details separate in their brains. Each processes takes about 20 minutes to do and my students work in groups of 4.
I check the drawings when they are fineshed and then they erase with water and paper towels. It is an activity that truly helps students learn the complicated processes needed for the AP exam.
* AP® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this site.
In February, I like to plan the rest of the year up to the AP® Exam. Pacing is crucial and while kids may complain about going too fast through content, they will complain even more if you don’t make it through everything by the AP Exam. Here’s some advice for pacing.
A lot of content is “the easy stuff” and can be read and understood by students without you.
Focus on skills and difficult content during class time such as:
* AP® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this site.
Two important topics in APES are combined for this 5E–Serial dilution Lab and LC50 Lab. The lab papers needed for this lab can be found on these google doc links.
Engage, Explore, Explain
Elaborate, Evaluate
How Toxic is Toxic
LD50 of Substances
This Engage is a short case study about lead exposure for students. Most students have heard of Flint, Michigan and its water quality problems so this adds to previous knowledge (a key component of Engage). The video piques their interest and then we discuss our own drinking water and how this problem would not occur here, because we are a newer community that does not have lead pipes. We also discuss how older cities with lead pipes can prevent lead leaching by using an additive in the water. Click to read this article explaining more about how lead gets into drinking water.
Students in AP® Environmental Science need to understand how toxins can still be prevalent in very small amounts. The best way to do this is for students to do a serial dilution. (Note: This activity is courtesy of Dan Hyke from the APSI, I attended in 2006. I have altered it and combined with LD-50 for this 5E)
As students walk through the procedure, fill in their data charts and answer the guiding questions, they hopefully will come up with the concept on their own–toxins can still be present even in very small amounts such as parts per million (ppm), parts per billion (ppb) and parts per trillion (ppt). Materials needed are: (Click on an underlined item for a link to the product)
Students use 3-4 drops of the red dye solution in the first well. Then they fill the other wells with 9 drops of tap water. After that, they drop one drop from the previous well and stir.
Students are often concerned when their solution is clear by well 7. I tell them that’s normal and they are to still make the transfers. They need to move the molecules in order to understand the point of the lab.
Students creatively identify shades of red and pink and learn about ppm, ppb, and ppt on their data sheet. Some students will need help with these circles. I tell them that “their brains will hurt” today.
In a good 5E, students should be able to develop the concept you want them to on their own. Developing good guiding questions is your job as the teacher to lead them to it. For this lab, students should make a CLAIM or a STATEMENT that “Substances can be in water even if you cannot see it, smell it or taste it.
We use the results from the salinization Lab to do LC-50. Students bring their salinization labs back to class and we collect class data. (Students save all work in their APES binder) This time, however, we want “opposite” data–the number of seeds that DIED, instead of the number that germinated.
Students fill in the chart for their group’s data and then all students copy class data. I often make a chart on the board for groups to fill in.
From there, using a document camera or on the board, teach students how to find the LC-50 by drawing a line from 50% on the y axis to where it hits the dose-response curve and then down to the x axis. Read the concentration that kills 50% of seeds. If you need help with this, I made this video for absent kids that may help you understand how to do this lab:
This 5E does not have its own Evaluate–rather students are assessed for these skills and knowledge on their next exam.
* AP® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this site.
Take students outside to measure trees, discover ecosystem services of trees and forests, develop math skills, deforestation and sustainable forestry in the “I Love Trees 5E” Lab. If you are lucky enough to teach at a school next to a forested area, take the kids there. If not, trees on the school grounds, park or other area work just as well.
For this 5E, you need to make clinometers using cardboard, string/yard, a piece of metal (anything with a little weight) and a straw. You can have students make the clinometers if you would like, but I had my student lab assistant make 10 clinometers for me to save class time. They can be reused over and over. I made one clinometer for each group of 4 students.
You also need two sewing tape-measures for each group of students and a tree map. I identified the trees ahead of time in the study area and googled their density. You could teach students how to identify trees using the iNaturalist app or a field guide if you want.
An engage section of a 5E should be very short. For this 5E, I asked kids about the biggest tree they’ve ever seen. I find that personal questions where kids can share with their elbow partner and the rest of the class is very engaging. Another part of the Engage sections is review the photosynthesis equation–a good 5E builds on previous knowledge.
I show my own pictures with large trees (like Sequoias or Redwoods at the National Parks or large oak trees in town). Students like to see their teacher’s pictures.
Students head outside to take data in this Explore. Its helpful to demonstrate how to use the clinometer before heading outside. You or your students will choose a tree and measure the tree height using a homemade clinometer. They will also measure the tree circumference using the measuring tapes, the distance the tree to a building and the condition of the tree. After measurements, students will do math calculations using given formulas to help them determine the height, diameter, volume and mass (using the density), and the carbon sequestered by the tree.
Students head back to class to enter their tree’s data on iTreeTools.
Data chart for the results from iTree is below:
| Total benefits for this year | $ |
| Carbon Dioxide Sequestered | $ |
| Annual CO2 equivalent of carbon | kg |
| Storm Water runoff avoided | $ |
| Air Pollution Removed each year | $ |
| Carbon monoxide removed | g |
| Ozone removed | g |
| Nitrogen Dioxide removed | g |
| Sulfur dioxide removed | g |
| Particulate matter < 2.5 microns removed | g |
| CO2 Stored to date | $ |
| Life CO2 equivalent of carbon | kg |
Students work through a series of questions to help them discover the scientific concept on their own. Sample questions:
These and other questions help students discover the scientific concept/s and make a CLAIM. This is the place for formative assessment. Walk around and check student claims. Make sure they understand what you want them to understand.
| Question :: How can how trees provide ecosystem services regarding climate change, air pollution and water pollution: |
| Claim :: (Complete sentence answer to the question above.—Make sure you write about ALL THREE ecosystem services) |
This is the place for formal science instruction. in this E, students will watch a series of 3 mini videos that describe more ecosystem services of trees and why tree-sitters do what they do. Students record more ecosystem services of trees on their lab report. Its best to do this portion as a class so that you can stop and discuss. However, it can be done at home, if needed, to save time. One video is a lovely TedTalk about trees.
In this section, students learn about deforestation and then sustainable forest solutions. Students will watch a series of 6 mini videos and fill in a T-chart with facts about deforestation and facts about sustainable forestry. Two sample videos are:
While there are some counter-arguments to sustainable forestry, students need to understand some solutions for exams. You can discuss places you agree or disagree with sustainable forestry.
The evaluate section of this 5E is unique, engaging and fairly easy to grade. Students will fill in the branches of the tree drawing with 5 ecosystem services:
Students then describe problems with deforestation next to the stump:
And methods of sustainable forestry next to this drawing:
The Evaluate section can be done individually or with a partner–with or without notes. You decide which is best for your students.
Open
Access Picture credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stubb.jpg
http://www.ca-ilg.org/post/sustainable-forests
http://clipart-library.com/clipart/pc58xpdni.htm
