Enrolling Now for 2026-27 School Year.
Enrolling Now for 2026-27 School Year.
AP® Environmental Science Learning Coach Guide Contents Part C Unit Information12 How Ecosystems Work Unit13 Biodiversity: The Organization of Life Unit14 Understanding Populations Unit15 Earth: An Integrated System Unit16 Land and Water Resources: Use and Management Unit17 Energy Resources: Use and Management Unit18 Air Pollution Unit19 Water and Land Pollution Unit20 Global Changes: Major Concerns Unit21 Part AWelcome to AP® Environmental Science Welcome Letter Dear Learning Coach, Thank you for partnering with CCA and investing in your learner’s education. This Learning Coach Guide is intended to help you support your learner in their AP® Environmental Science course. Within this guide, you will find the goals, components, and features of the online course. Please take time to read and review this information so you understand how to help your learner interact with all the course’s elements. The Learning Coach Guide also includes information about each of the units in this course. On each page of unit information, you will discover the following. The Unit Overview will tell you what the focus, content, and skills of the unit will be. The Unit Assessment section is a place for you and your learner to preview the graded work in the course. At the start of each unit, work with your learner to look at the unit in edio and find out which types of graded work are in this unit. These assessment types are provided as a checklist. You can check off each one as your learner completes it. The Unit Materials section tells you the materials your learner will need to complete the activities in this unit. You will also find the materials list repeated within each lesson so that your learner has exactly what they need at the right time. The Unit Discussion Questions are optional questions that you may want to ask your learner during the unit to increase home and school connections about what your learner is studying. In the Unit Notables section, you may find optional activities, career connections, technology tips, ideas to help your learner if they get stuck, or safety tips. CCA wishes you and your learner a terrific school year! Supporting Your Learner Your role as a Learning Coach is very important. Here are a few ways you can help your learner do their very best in the course. Help your learner know what time guided or live class instruction is scheduled for and prompt them to attend sessions or watch recordings. Remember, it is okay for your learner to get stuck. Learning new material takes time. Encourage them to take breaks, keep trying, and even ask the teacher for help. Help your learner navigate technology. That may mean helping them type information or upload work into edio. Always encourage your learner to do their very best. Review the course syllabus for your learner’s course. Maintain communication with your learner’s teacher. Advanced Placement® (AP) courses require more from the learners than other courses. You may find that your learner needs more practice, more review, and more support to be successful when compared to non-AP® courses. Excellent AP® learners should strive for mastery. Think of athletes and musicians. They practice until they are excellent. AP® learners should follow that kind of work ethic. Part BCourse Information Course Goals In AP® Environmental Science, your learner will explore the interaction among the human population and its overall effects on the environment. Your learner will focus on concepts such as energy, relationships between species and their environment, Earth’s systems, and sustainability. They will actively engage in inquiry-based laboratory investigations and fieldwork. Your learner will be prepared for the AP® Environmental Science exam. By the end of the year, your learner will be able to: explore scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies to understand the interrelationships within the natural world; examine the concepts of energy transfer, interactions between Earth systems, interactions between different species and the environment, and sustainability; analyze natural and human-made environmental problems; evaluate the risks associated with these problems, and determine appropriate remedies for resolution and prevention; assess visual representations, text sources, research studies, and data; and examine how biological principles and information can be applied to conserving natural resources, ecosystems, and species. Course Format This section will help you to understand how your learner’s course is structured in edio. Lesson Components: Each day, your learner will spend approximately 50–60 minutes completing an AP® Environmental Science, lesson. Some days may take less time, while other days may take a little more time. It is common for learners taking AP® courses to spend time outside of the scheduled class time completing course reading or studying. Lesson Bundling: In AP® Environmental Science, your learner will engage in lessons, assignments, projects, labs, quizzes, tests, and exams. Within some lessons, there are lesson bundles. Within the lesson bundles, there are different components your learner will interact with. These components will not be used every day. Getting Started Lesson: There is one Getting Started lesson in this course. It can be found on Day 1 of Unit 1. This lesson includes important information about the course and contact information for your teacher. Unit Overview: Each unit will include a unit overview. This describes what your learner will learn in the unit and how many assessments the unit will have. Prep for Success: At the beginning of each unit, your learner will find a Prep for Success. This component offers learners tips to be successful in the course, such as study tips, important software information, safety reminders, and more. Knowledge Check: There will be one Knowledge Check in each unit. The Knowledge Check is designed to check prior learning and understanding about key skills and concepts that will be taught in the unit. The Knowledge Check is not a graded assessment. Lesson Components Each lesson has its own components to help guide your learner through the lesson. Lesson Overview: At the beginning of every lesson, your learner will see the lesson overview. This section contains lesson objectives, lesson vocabulary, materials your learner will need for the lesson, and the suggested lesson length. Engage: The first section of the lesson is Engage. In this section, learners will be introduced to the lesson by making a connection to past and present knowledge and will get ready for the lesson’s instruction. Discover: New content and instruction is presented in the Discover section. Your learner will interact with the lesson content through defined vocabulary terms, videos, audio, and Pause and Think activities. Your learner will be able to practice and answer questions as they work through the lesson. Show: Learners will demonstrate what they have learned in the lesson through a series of practice questions. Optional: More to Explore: At the end of some lessons, an Optional: More to Explore Activity will appear. The activity will introduce your learner to an extension that includes more information about the day’s lesson topic. Your learner may skip the activity and move directly to the lesson summary. Summary: This section recaps the day’s objectives and prepares learners for a future lesson or assessment. Assignments and Projects Components: The course includes assignments, projects, and labs. These graded assignments allow your learner to show what they have learned and apply their new skills and knowledge learned during the lessons. All CCA assignments, projects, and labs include these components. Assessment Overview: At the beginning of each assessment, your learner will review the Assessment Overview. This section contains the goals of the assessment, materials your learner will need, the length of the assessment, and directions for completion. Plan: In the Plan section, learners will be introduced to the assignment or project. Learners may be provided with a review of content from the previous lessons, strategies for completing the activity, graphic organizers, and grading rubrics. Do: Learners will put their plan into action and work to complete the assignment, project, or lab successfully. This section also provides the grading expectations and/or rubric the teacher will use to grade the work. Reflect: In Reflect, learners will think about the work they completed. They will reflect upon the experience and analyze how well they completed the task. These moments of reflection are important and allow learners to think about their learning and work habits. In addition to assignments and projects, this course also includes quizzes, tests, and exams. Quiz: A quiz may be given at the end of a topic or in a lesson bundle. Test Review: Before a test, learners will have the opportunity to review the content they will be assessed on in the test. Test: A test will assess learning across topics or at the end of a unit. Exam Review: Before an exam, learners will have the opportunity to review the content they will be assessed on in the exam. Exam: An exam assesses learning over multiple units. Exams are seen as midterm and final exams in Advanced Placement® (AP) courses. Course Features To best engage your learner, AP® Environmental Science uses some additional features that are unique to this course. This course includes and uses the following unique features: Complete Unit Vocabulary Lists: In each unit review lesson, your learner will receive a full list of unit vocabulary words and definitions. Your learner can use the vocabulary list to complete the review lesson as well as to review vocabulary for the unit test. They can choose to save the document to their desktop or print the document for reference. AP® Environmental Science Materials Kit: Your learner should have received a box that contains the supplies they will use during this course. The AP Environmental Science Materials Kit contains most of the materials your learner will need to complete the activities in Environmental Science. Take a few minutes to verify that your learner’s AP® Environmental Science Materials Kit contains all of the materials they need. The list can be found under the Syllabus tab on the left of the course homepage screen. Virtual Labs: In some units, your learner will engage in virtual labs. These labs were designed to broaden your learner’s AP® Environmental Science experience by giving them an opportunity to see and learn about laboratory equipment that is not often available in a traditional secondary education classroom setting. art C: Unit Information How Ecosystems Work Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will be introduced to ecosystems with a focus on concepts such as biomes, cycles of matter, and energy flow within ecosystems. Your learner will also learn about the impact of human activities on the ecosystem. Unit Assessments Have your learner identify the assessments they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Unit Discussion Questions What did you find most challenging regarding ecosystems? What did you find most interesting in this unit? Why? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will see that AP® Environmental Science is a concept-heavy course. As your learner begins working on assignments, encourage them to focus on each big idea and important concept. It is important to set up good habits early and take each assignment seriously. Also, encourage your learner to keep a notebook and take notes as they complete each unit lesson. Kit Materials bone identification chart, disposable gloves, dissection tray, dissection tweezers, highlighters, owl pellet, ruler Household Materials calculator, erasers, notebook, pencils, pen, paper plate or paper towel Quiz _____________________________ Test ___________________________ Assignment ____________________ Project _______________________ Exam _________________________ Biodiversity: The Organization of Life Unit Quiz _________________________ Test _______________________ Assignment ________________ Project ___________________ Exam _____________________ Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will study biodiversity and its contribution to various human industries, such as medicine, agriculture, and ecotourism. This unit will also introduce your learner to the threats to biodiversity and the efforts to protect it. Unit Discussion Questions How do human activities negatively impact ecosystem services? What types of threats to biodiversity are you aware of in your own environment? What did you find the most interesting in this unit? Unit Notables In this unit, and moving forward through this course, your learner will accumulate new vocabulary terms. Studying vocabulary is essential to learning key concepts in AP® Environmental Science. Encourage your learner to begin making flashcards for each new vocabulary term. This will prepare them for reviewing all vocabulary before the AP exam. Household Materials erasers, notebook, pencils, pens Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Kit Materials colored pencils, highlighters Quiz ___________________________ Test _________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _____________________ Exam _______________________ Understanding Populations Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will study the various characteristics of a population, how populations respond to environmental changes, and the interaction between populations of different species. They will also explore the methods for predicting and managing human populations. Unit Discussion Questions How do population sizes change and grow? What problems have you seen associated with rapid population growth? Are any of the careers mentioned in the unit of interest to you? Why or why not? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will study age structure diagrams of different human populations. This tool is valuable for social researchers, community health specialists, and local, state, and federal policymakers. Encourage your learner to investigate some of these careers. Ask them to consider how people working in these career fields might use age structure analysis. Kit Materials colored pencils, highlighters, ruler Household Materials calculator, erasers, notebook, pencils, pens Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Quiz ___________________________ Test _________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _____________________ Exam _______________________ Earth: An Integrated System Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will study Earth as an integrated system. They will learn that Earth’s system comprises the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. Your learner will also explore the effects of these systems on each other. Unit Discussion Questions What did you learn from studying tree rings? What did you find interesting or surprising in this unit? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will complete an El Niño and La Niña lab by studying tree rings. Tell your learner that some careers in climate science use this special skill. The ring widths of tree cross-sections can be used to estimate past temperature or precipitation over the lifetime of the tree. Encourage your learners to investigate careers in climate science. Kit Materials colored map pins, highlighters, ruler, tree cross-section samples Household Materials erasers, notebook, pencils, pens Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Quiz ___________________________ Test _________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _____________________ Exam _______________________ Land and Water Resources: Use and Management Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will study the impact of human activities on the environment, specifically on land and water resources. They will learn about efforts toward achieving a more sustainable world, as well as solutions to challenges to sustainability. Your learner will also review the concepts covered in the first half of the course, and then complete a midterm exam. Unit Discussion Questions What have been the impacts of agricultural practices on the environment over time? How does overfishing affect the marine environment? What do you need to do in order to prepare for your AP® Environmental Science Midterm Exam? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will complete their AP® Environmental Science Midterm Exam. To reduce your learner’s exam stress, encourage them to plan time to study. They can write a study plan or checklist and use flashcards (print-based or digital) to review important vocabulary. In the exam review lesson, they will try some practice multiple-choice and free-response questions. Kit Materials clear tape, colored pencils, four drinking straws, highlighters, ruler Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Household Materials 50cm x 50cm cardboard piece, colored mini marshmallows, erasers, notebook, paper, pencils, pens, scissors, timer Quiz ___________________________ Test _________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _____________________ Exam _______________________ Energy Resources: Use and Management Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will study the use and management of different energy resources. They will focus their investigations on the management of different energy resources with respect to industrial, residential, and recreational purposes. Unit Discussion Questions What are the environmental impacts of mining? What did you find interesting about the use and management of different energy resources? Why? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will start the second half of AP® Environmental Science. While the course’s final exam may not include questions from content learned in the first half of the course, the AP® Environmental Science Exam will. Encourage your learner to save their notes and flashcards from all previous units until they take the AP® exam. Kit Materials highlighters, ruler Household Materials erasers, five household objects, notebook, pencils, pens Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Quiz ___________________________ Test _________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _____________________ Exam _______________________ Air Pollution Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will study various air pollutants. Examples include chemical, noise, and light pollution. They will learn how each pollutant impacts air quality and human health. They will learn how various air pollution control devices are used to reduce air pollution. Your learner will also study the connection between air pollution and the potential for climate change. Unit Discussion Questions What are the effects of vehicle and industrial air pollution? What did you find surprising about the various air pollutants learned in this unit? Why? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will complete the Indoor Air Quality Lab. This lab will require the use of petroleum jelly if you have it available at your home. Two alternatives that can be used in place of petroleum jelly are lip balm or lip gloss. Note that the lip balm or lip gloss will have to be disposed of after use in the lab. Kit Materials hand lens, highlighters, masking tape, two petri dishes, ruler Household Materials marker, notebook, petroleum jelly Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Quiz ___________________________ Test _________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _____________________ Exam _______________________ Water and Land Pollution Unit Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will study sources of water and land pollution. They will investigate human activities as sources of water and land pollution. They will study thermal pollution and sources of thermal pollution. Your learner will also study solid waste, solid waste management, and sewage treatment. They will focus on management efforts to prevent water and land pollution due to solid waste. Unit Discussion Questions What are the natural and artificial sources of land and water pollutants? What has been the most interesting thing you have learned so far in the course? Why? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner is approaching the end of the AP® Environmental Science course. This means that the AP® exam is near. Encourage your learner to set up a study schedule. They can begin reviewing topics in preparation for the exam one to two months in advance. Tell your learner to schedule a short study session each weeknight. They can start by reviewing topics from the first half of the course. Kit Materials highlighters Household Materials erasers, notebook, pencils, pens Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Quiz ___________________________ Test _________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _____________________ Exam _______________________ Unit Overview In this unit, your learner will study the Earth’s climate patterns and how society contributes to climate change. They will also study major global concerns such as ozone depletion, the greenhouse effect, ocean warming and acidification, and invasive and endangered species. In this unit, your learner will review concepts covered throughout semester two of the course, and then complete a final exam. Unit Discussion Questions What is the difference between the greenhouse effect and global warming? What did you find interesting about the Earth’s climate patterns? Why? What do you need to work on in order to prepare for the final exam? What is your plan? Unit Notables In this unit, your learner will complete the Ocean Acidification Lab. This lab requires the most additional household materials of any lab in the course. Take some time to review those materials and ensure they are available to your learner. This is the final unit in the course. Your learner is preparing for the AP® exam and the final exam. Encourage your learner to compile their vocabulary flashcards to prepare for a study session. Kit Materials Highlighters, four plastic cups, two plastic pipettes, two graduated cylinders four mollusk shells, pH testing paper, pocket scale Household Materials erasers, notebook, pencils, pens, vinegar Unit Assessments Have your learner identify which assessment type they see in their unit. Check all that apply. Quiz ___________________________ Test _________________________ Assignment __________________ Project _____________________ Exam _______________________
Enrolling Now for 2026-27 School Year.
