LABORATORY REQUIREMENT: Students who take DoDEA science courses spend a minimum of 30% of their time engaged in laboratory exercises.

The AP Environmental Science course is designed to be the equivalent of an introductory college course in environmental science. Environmental science is an interdisciplinary course that embraces a wide variety of topics from several areas of study. There are several unifying themes that exemplify and provide the foundation for Environmental Science. These themes include science as a process, energy conversions underlie all ecological processes, the Earth itself is one interconnected system, humans alter natural systems, environmental problems have cultural and social context and human survival depends upon developing practices that will achieve attainable systems.

The AP Environmental Science course is designed to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world. Students examine systems and models, the ecosystem, global cycles and physical systems, and specific ecosystems as well as the impacts of resource exploitation, conservation and biodiversity, and pollution. Students will also identify and analyze environmental problems, both natural and human-made to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and generate solutions for resolving or preventing them. The course is designed to stress scientific principles and analysis and includes a strong, college-level equivalent laboratory component. Because colleges often require students to present their laboratory materials from AP courses before granting college credit for laboratory, students are expected to retain their laboratory notebooks, reports, and other materials.

Last Revised: April 20, 2006