Expectations for the AP Environmental Science Workshop

Welcome to the AP Environmental Science at Davidson College.  This course is designed to prepare teachers for the Advanced Placement Science Course. AP Environmental Science is a rigorous program focusing on the application of scientific concepts and principles to the understanding and solution of environmental problems and issues. It is an interdisciplinary course, which builds on scientific principles from chemistry, physics, biology, ecology and earth science.
Participants will be exposed to a variety of topics - curriculum, setting up the course, selections of students, field trips, planning of appropriate lab and field experiences etc. We are also going to do a number of labs throughout the week so that you can get an idea about the diversity of labs that are associated with this course. We will also discuss the content development and the grading of the AP exam.
Please come prepared to do a number of labs outside so jeans and T-shirts will be the order of the day. Bring calculators, color pencils and a white sock (toe tip should not be grey).
If you are already teaching, please bring your textbook. Please bring an activity to share (can be from a course you teach, not necessarily APES). We will have it copied for everyone.
Lastly, bring TWO questions that you would like answered and we will try and work through them together. Looking forward to meeting you.
Nita Ganguly
nganguly@utk.edu

Schedule for the Institute
Day 1
1. Overview of the AP environmental Science Course
2. Course Outlines and Objectives
3. The APES Course and the May Exam
4. Pre requisites and Equity Discussion
5. Students taking the Course
6. Text book options / selections
7. Planning the AP Course: Mapping out the time
a. Scheduling and Pacing
b. Sample syllabi
c. Techniques , Strategies, suggestions
8. Grading : exams, quizzes, homework, labs, reports, presentations, projects etc
9. Lab Investigations
Day 2
10. Major topic areas
11. Materials that are essential
12. Lab manual, other resources
13. Videos, software
14. Misconceptions
15. Computer Lab
16. Lab Investigations
Day 3
17. Exam handouts - Free Response Questions and rubrics
18. Grade Exam
19. Lab Investigations
Day 4
20. Common misconceptions and "problem areas"- how to prevent or overcome these errors
21. How to write your own syllabus or make adjustments to the one you already have
22. Lab Investigations
Day 5
23. Summarize all lab work and discuss
24. Presentations
25. Share-a -thon
26. Closure and Evaluations