AP Environmental Science
Summer Assignment
2013-2014
Ms. Hale
Room 260
Part 1 – Introductory Email (Due by Monday, July 29th)
Please email me the following information at [email protected]
A. A brief introduction about yourself and why you signed up for AP Environmental Science
B. Why you will be successful on the AP exam
C. Your grade in biology, chemistry, last math class (include course name), and any AP courses you
have completed (include AP test scores if available). It is highly recommended that you have
already completed biology and chemistry however, it is acceptable if you are taking APES and
chemistry concurrently.
D. In one to two paragraphs please explain what nature means to you. You will refer back to your
definition of nature during Part 2
*Please email at any time if you have any questions on the summer assignment. Please allow some time
for a response because I will traveling.
Part 2 – Reading and Reflection (Due via email by Monday, August 5th)
Read the assigned excerpts from American Environmentalism: Readings in Conservation History edited by
Roderick Frazier Nash – 3rd Ed. Photocopies of the excerpts can be obtained before you leave for the summer.
Excerpts from Part 1
Reading 1 – Native Americans Define the Natural Community – Black Elk (1931)
Reading 5 – The Value of Wildness – Henry David Thoreau (1851)
Reading 7 – The Value and Care of Parks – Frederick Law Olmsted (1865)
Complete the following analysis:
1. What did nature mean to each of the three authors?
2. What does nature mean to you? (Refer back to your response in Part 1)
3. What do you need or what do you have to do to have nature?
4. How would a lack of access to nature affect individuals? How would it affect you?
2-3 pages typed, 12-point Times New Roman, double spaced. Attach to email as a .doc or .pdf file only
Continued on next page
Lafayette High School - APES Summer Assignment - Hale
Part 3 – Nature Hike Report and Presentation (Due first day of class)
Take a hike! That’s right, get outside and take a stroll. Your hike can take many forms: go to the Red River
Gorge near Slade, KY and hike a trail to one of the natural rock arches, take a stroll in a nearby park, or explore
a park/beach/trail/etc. near your house or family’s vacation destination, etc. Use this as an opportunity to
experience a new location or to experience a familiar location in a new way.
On the first day of class you will submit a report of your findings to Ms. Hale and present your
experience to the class (using a medium of your choice: PowerPoint, Prezi, video, poster, etc. – you have 3-5
minutes to present). Your report must be typed – 12-point Times New Roman and doubled spaced.
Your report and presentation about the area you visited must include the following:
A. Geographic location and name – include weather, time of day, and other general observations
B. Sufficient visual aids representing the area – maps, pictures, etc. – if pictures are
from the web you must cite the source – give credit where credit is due!!!)
For the report you can either include pictures with captions or describe the area.
C. Identification of at least 2 plant and 2 animal species - You must include the species name, for
example, eastern hemlock (just recording “pine tree” is not correct). Are you having trouble
determining the species? Take a picture of the specimen and search the internet for a match. Are
you having difficulty finding plants and animals? Take a closer look - look up, look down, even
look under your feet, and please be patient. (PLEASE do not disturb plants/animals)
D. Observations and inferences – include things that: stood out to you, you found to be very
memorable, and/or interesting. Example observation and inference: The grass was wet,
so I inferred that it rained last night. This finding prompted you to research average, annual
precipitation for the region.
E. Three ways your experience made you think, “Hey, I learned about that in
biology/chemistry/earth & space/human geography!” Topics you can include, but are not limited to,
ecology - succession, ecosystems, human impact, evolution, classification, plant, and animal
parts/systems, rocks types, weathering/erosion, etc.)
Good-to-know-ahead-of-time information
Here is a list of books about various environmental topics. Each semester students can earn extra credit by reading a book
and completing a report and presentation. You are only eligible to earn extra credit for one report and presentation per
semester. Criteria for the report and presentation will be available when school starts. If you start reading any of the
books listed below this summer, take thorough notes.
Cadillac Desert: the American West and its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner
Cod by Mark Kurlansky
The Future of Life by E.O. Wilson
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
No Impact Man by Colin Beavan (I have many copies – feel free to sign one out)
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
The Organic Machine: The Remaking of the Columbia River by Richard White
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Lafayette High School - APES Summer Assignment - Hale