This is the supply list for the Labs in AP® Classroom for AP® Environmental Science. We call it a “Lab Manual”, but it is virtual and requires your login to access the teacher and student versions. Click for my post about labs #1-10.
No one has time for all these labs. I will provide estimates of costs and importance to do so you can choose what best fits your budget, time, equipment and other constraints. I personally do Labs 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,12,14,16, but I do my own version of Labs 5 and 10.
Pay attention as materials are listed “per class” or “per group” or “per person”. My groups are 3-4 students and I have 9 groups per class, but you could have smaller or larger groups.
Lab 11: Geothermal Heat Exchange (Unit 6)
Siphon Demonstration:
- 45 cm section of aquarium air tubing (3/16” diameter)
- Two 250 mL beakers or cups
- 30 mL Luer lock syringe without a need.
- Food coloring
Per Group:
- Polyacrylamide water-storing crystals (7g) dissolved in water or disposable diapers inside material. (Note: I have not done this lab, but others who have recommend the diapers)
- Resealable plastic bag (1 gal)
- Lunch tray to contain models and control spills
- Two 250 mL beakers
- 5m length of aquarium air tubing (3/16” diameter)
- Short box (5-10 cm tall)
- 30 mL Luer lock syringe without a needle.
- 2-3 twist ties or blue tape
- 2 thermometers or temperature probes
- Deep plastic pan or container to hold 5+ cups of water and at least 3 inches deep
- Food coloring
- Meter stick
- Ring stand or boxes to support height of upper beaker
- Wire gauze square for ring stand (if using ring stands)
- 100 mL graduated cylinder
- Hot pods or beaker tongs
- Hot water (hot plate, microwave, or electric kettle)
Estimated Cost: $50-60 initial costs if you already have basic lab supplies such as beakers, ring stands, and graduated cylinders.
Ongoing cost is $20 per year for replacement crystals and food coloring as needed.
Note: I also do a Solar Thermal Exploration Kit in Unit 6 which covers Active Solar and PV Cells.
Lab 12: Particulate Matter and Indoor Air Pollution (Unit 7)
Per Group:
- Particulate stickers – about 4-5 per group. Or, you can use index cards with a sticky substance such as petroleum jelly or lip balm. Carolina’s version of Particulate Stickers.
- Index cards – 1 index card per particulate sticker
- Blue tape
- Magnifier – phone, stereoscope, or magnifying glasses
- Sharpies
- Ziploc bags to hold a control card
Estimated Cost: $20 – $40 per year per class (initial and ongoing)
Note: The lab asks students to explore indoor air pollution in school buildings. I found this does not work as well as when students take the cards home or do outdoor pollution, because schools have good air filters and there are not as many particulates at school than at home or outside. If the weather is okay, placing the particulate stickers outside will also give better results. Students can compare indoor vs. outdoor, or outside, but distance from a major road etc. If done in Spring, a lot of pollen will stick on the cards outside which is nice. If you need to stay inside the school buildings, leave the stickers out for at least a week to get better results.
Lab 13: The Effects of Sulfur and Nitrogen Oxides on Plants (Unit 7)
Per Class:
- Labeled dropper bottles – about 9 to 18 depending on how many groups will share acid solutions.
- Concentrated nitric acid 500 mL- 68-70% solution in water – in labeled dropper bottles to be shared.
- 0.5M sodium sulfite – 500 mL – in labeled dropper bottles to be shared
- 2M sulfuric acid – 500 mL – in labeled dropper bottles to be shared
Per Group:
- Goggles
- Non Latex gloves (You will need various sizes for different students)
- Three plastic petri dishes.
- Plastic/reservoir for reactants such as milk or juice bottle lids
- Radish seeds – 75 per group
- pH paper – 3 to 4 strips per group
- Rulers
- Blue tape
- Cotton balls
Estimated Cost: $170 – $200 initial costs. $50 – $170 per year after that depending on how long the bottles of chemicals, seeds, gloves, and pH strips last (which is dependent on the number of students you have).
Note: I also do a virtual Tropospheric Ozone Picture lab in Unit 7. It is the wrong time of year in my area for any ozone pollution so I took pictures during summer one year and my students analyze the color pictures.
Lab 14: Water Quality (Unit 8)
This is a very valuable lab to do, but will cost some money. Many AP exam questions will have components of this lab in terms of water pollution and what water tests indicate.
It’s best to go to the field to a pond, steam or river for this lab, but if you are like me in a location where this is impossible, you or your students can bring water samples to the lab. I like to have a variety of samples from backyard ponds, shopping center “lakes”, creeks and our river (when not in a drought in Southern California), etc. You can also use tap water, bottled water, fish tank water etc.
The least expensive way for one year is to buy a water testing kit such as:
- LaMotte/Earth Force Low Cost Water Quality Monitoring Kit. Amazon also has the kit.
- This kit is for one class or 10 groups.
- The kit does not include total dissolved solids (TDS), but that can be skipped in the lab and just have the students read about it.
- The kit comes with 3 coliform bacteria tests so you will have to pick 3 samples to test, but the other tests can be used by 10 groups.
- It also does not come with macro-invertebrate tests/materials. See below for macroinvertebrate options.
Sensors/Probes/Meters/Test Strips:
- Sensors (probes) can be a cost saver over many years (and time saver as they are faster). The initial cost of these items is high, but you save money over several years of use as compared to buying kits each year. I use a combination of both sensors and test strips. I have been able to build my supply of sensors over the years with grant money, PTA money and sometimes funds from my principle. Here are good options for each test.
These items can be at stations in the room that students rotate through.
Macroinvertebrates options:
- Collection equipment for live specimens if you have a water source.
- (Dip net/ Kick net/ Kitchen strainer/ forceps/ ice trays)
- Macroinvertebrate cards to make a simulated pond in the classroom
Temperature options:
pH options:
- pH strips or
- pH sensors (Vernier, Pasco). I do not recommend cheap pH sensors on Amazon as they usually break within 1-2 years.
Nitrate Options:
- Nitrate strips
- Nitrate sensor (Vernier)
Phosphate Options:
- Phosphates kits (I use these)
Dissolved Oxygen Options:
- These are 3 good DO meters Milwaukee, Vernier, Pasco
- If using test kits, you need 2 tests per group (for dissolved oxygen and another for BOD).
BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) Options:
- 2 bottles with lids for BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand)
- Dissolved oxygen kits or sensors
Turbidity Options:
- Turbidity stream tube if at a stream or river
- Secchi disk if at a pond or lake
- Turbidity sensor (Vernier or Pasco)
- Mini Turbidity Column (what I use in lab)
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Options:
Coliform Bacteria:
- BioPaddles (also from Carolina Biological) – I like these and they give good, reliable results.
Estimated Cost: Greatly varies depending on whether you purchase probes, strips, kits etc. The low end is $80 per year per class for the kit and to purchase macroinvertebrate cards.
I have a lot of probes and equipment (funded through grant money, PTA funding, donors choose and principal funding over many years) so I spend $70 per year to purchase Biopaddles for coliform bacteria and nitrate strips for 3 classes.
Lab 15: Eutrophication (Unit 8)
Carolina Biological sells a kit that is similar to this lab, but I have not used it to give a review.
Per class:
- Plant lights – Shop lights, LED lights, grow lights – check to make sure they have 3000 – 10,000 lux with a light meter, probe or app.
- Light timers – one per set of plant lights
- 2 liters of freshwater algae growth media
- Spring water (not distilled)
Per group:
- Chlorella sp culture – 50ML
- 2 small (10 ml) dropper bottles
- 10 ml sodium nitrate solution
- 10 mL potassium phosphate solution
- 4 free-standing centrifuge tubes or clean test tubes (25 x 200 mm) 0r 45-50 mL transparent containers
- 1 test tube rack or beakers to hold test tubes
- 1 sharpie
- 1 Secchi stick – these are small
- 1 Luer lock syringe without needles (10-40 mL size)
- 6 cm aquarium air tubing (3/16” diameter) per group
- 50ml or 100 ml graduated cylinder
The Algae research and supply company has good products for many of these items.
Estimated Cost: $200 – $250 initial costs if you do not need to buy lights. $80 – $120 per year after that for replacement algae, growth media and chemicals.
Lab 16: Salt Toxicity (Unit 8)
Per group:
- Per group:
- Radish or pea seeds – 50 to 100 per group
- Petri dishes – 10 per group
- Distilled water
- Balance for the teacher to make a 3% salt solution.
- Volume- measuring devices that measure as small as 0.03mL of salt solution.
- Small graduated cylinders (10mL or less) and small graduated pipets – 2 of each per group, but it is difficult to measure very small mL of salt solution with these. I used Mohr pipettes in class this year for the lab.
- OR use the following pipettes:
- Serological/pasteur/Mohr pipettes (10 mL) – 2 per group (1 for salt concentration and the other for distilled water). You need these pumps for the pipettes (1 per group). They will say “disposable”, but can be reused every year.
- Serological/Pasteur/Mohr Pipets (1 mL) – 1 per group for very small volumes of NaCl solution. Need 2-3 per class as they can be shared. Also from Carolina Biological. They will say “disposable”, but can be reused every year.
- Micropipettes for one concentration of 0.01% NaCL in which you need 0.03ml – these are expensive, but your department may have a few.
- Here’s one from Amazon that will go down to 0.03mL (30uL). I’ve tried it and it works, but I don’t know how long it will last due to its cheap price. You also need tips.
- Small or medium beakers – 3 per group – 1 for salt solution, 1 for distilled water and 1 for mixing
- Dry/wet erase, vis-a-vis or blue tape for labeling petri dishes
Estimated Cost: $20-$30 per class if you already have volumetric measuring devices that can measure very small amounts. If you need to purchase volumetric measuring devices, estimate $20-40 per group for the initial costs of this lab. You can purchase just a few 1 mL Mohr pipettes or 10uL micropipettes for 3 dishes with very small volumes of salt solution and groups can share. Once items are purchased, the ongoing cost per year is for seeds and salt ($10-20)
Lab 17: Decomposition of Municipal Solid Waste in a Model Landfill (Unit 8)
Per group:
- 400 mL beakers or plastic cups
- 5-6 types of organic materials such as fruit, bark, cardboard, starch packing peanut (students bring in)
- 1 piece of inorganic material such as aluminum, plastic cap, paper clip etc.
- Topsoil (potting soil)
- Scissors/knife
- Modeling clay – one golf-ball sized
- Aluminum foil
- Plastic wrap
- Graduated cylinder
- Dry/wet-erase marker or blue tape for labeling beakers
- Ruler
Estimated Cost: $30-50 initial costs per class if you already have beakers or use plastic cups. $10-20 per year after that for potting soil and replacement clay, foil, plastic wrap.
Note: I also do a Biomagnification Lab in Unit 8. I do a hands-on one if I have time or a virtual one if I am short on time.
Lab 18: Ocean Acidification (Unit 9)
Per class:
- 5 – gallon bucket
- Aquarium air pump with tubing and airstone
- Instant ocean sea salt
Per group:
- 125 mL Erlenmeyer flask
- 1-hole rubber stopper size 5 (double check before ordering)
- Glass tube – 5mm (double check before ordering) 18-24 inches of tubing
- 1 small airstone
- 16 Alka Seltzer tablets
- pH meter or pH strips
- Stopwatch
- Balance – can be shared
- Sodium carbonate
Estimated Cost: $110 – $140 initial costs if you already have a balance, Erlenmeyer flasks, stoppers and glass tubes. $40 – $70 per year after that per class for replacement sea salt, Alka Seltzer, pH strips and Sodium carbonate.
Lab 19: Carbon Sequestration in Urban Trees (Unit 9)
Per group:
- Measuring tape
- Meter stick or wooden dowel
- Tree ID such as iNaturalist or Seek App
- Area with trees (school grounds, park or natural area)
- Calculator
Estimated Cost: $10 for measuring tapes. More if you need meters sticks or wooden dowels. $0 per year after that.
Note: I do an Active Solar Water Heater Lab wit kits from Vernier in Unit 9. I used grant money to purchase 10 of these several years ago. This lab would normally fit in Unit 6, but I cover Unit 6 in February and the angle of the sun and decreased solar radiation make it difficult in February. I wait and use in Unit 9 as a way to reduce burning natural gas in water heaters and therefore less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
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