Course Requirements

Teacher contact info:
Mrs. Cotter
Room 403H Upper H.S.
Phone: 215-453-2741

Mrs. Michener
Room 26 Lower H.S.
Phone: 215-453-2740

A successful AP Environmental Science student should:
1. Follow all Pennridge School Rules as printed in the student handbook.
2. Be in class; any student that has 18 unexcused absences for the year will be denied credit.
3. Be prepared for class each day, especially if the day includes an activity out of doors. Remember to stay on task.
4. Be respectful to the teacher, your peers, and yourself. Much of our work involves the cooperation of others and exchange of opinions.
5. DO NOT BRING FOOD OR DRINKS TO CLASS!!! This is for your safety.

Assignments:
Many times what we begin in class must also be completed at home. The majority of work will be entirely on your own. You will have additional projects throughout the marking periods. These will be collected and graded as announced. A late assignment or project will be decreased by 10% each day that it is late. On the fifth day, you receive a zero!

Be sure to keep up with your reading assignments; pages should be read prior to or during the topic that is being covered. Some of the material in the textbook will not seem new; however, I will help with the more difficult applications of science and the environment.

I seriously suggest that you spend time each day on Environmental Science. Study and review as you go along. When it is time for a quiz or test, you will be better prepared. The AP exam requires mastery of the many topics covered in this course.

Laboratory Work:
To insure complete coverage of the course concepts, experiments will be done approximately every other cycle. The other double periods will be used for lecture, quizzes, and tests. Please make every effort to be present on lab days. Lab work must be made up after school or during a mutually convenient time during the school day. Missed laboratory experiments must be made up within one cycle. You must bring a partner when you make up a lab.

A separate notebook should be dedicated to your environmental lab work. A lab report will be due one cycle after the completion of the lab experiment. It is due by the end of the day (2:30 pm). The lab reports will be worth between
20-100 points. The grade on a late report will be reduced by 10% for each school day that it is late. On the fifth day, you receive a zero!

Test and Quizzes:
All chapter tests will be announced. Most quizzes will be announced in class. Tests will be approximately one to two periods in length and will consist of a multiple choice and a “free response” section. The tests are patterned after the actual AP exam. There will be 3 quarterly exams.

Tests will range in value from 100 to 200 points. Quizzes will generally range in value from 10 to 50 points. The point value will depend on the amount of material covered.A final exam will occur at the end of the course. To be exempted from the final exam, you must have a B average or better for each of the marking periods and take the College Board’s AP Environmental Science exam in May. The final exam will consist of objective questions, a free response section, and a lab practical. All parts of the final exam must be completed to pass the course.

Community Service Component:
As part of your environmental experience, you will be involved in your choice of two out-of-class activities. The choices are listed on the summer assignment and are required to be completed and a fourth quarter grade will be generated based on participation and effort.

E.A.R.T.H. Club:
As a student enrolled in APES, you are automatically a member of the school’s E.A.R.T.H. club. You need to attend the after school meetings. If there is a after school conflict, then it is your responsibility to arrange with club advisor to make up the missed time.

Make-up Work:
When you are absent from school it is YOUR responsibility to find out what you have missed and make up that work in a timely fashion. We are on a tight time schedule and we will be covering a lot of material every day.
If you are absent on the day that an assignment is due, you must turn it in the day you return. If you are absent on a test or quiz day, you may make up the test or quiz the day you return; you must make up a test or quiz within one week of your absence. If you are absent on the day of a lab, you have one cycle to make up the experiment. Extended illnesses and other circumstances will be handled on an individual basis.

HELP!! I don’t understand….
I will make myself available to you for extra help. You may schedule a time to come in during study hall, lunch, or after school. Please come to see me if you have any questions, problems, or concerns.

Print and sign acknowledgement form

Print and sign permission slip form