Advanced Placement Environmental Science

APES is a course that is designed to examine ecological, biological, chemical, physical and
governmental (local and international) concepts and interactions. Here at Harmony School of
Advancement APES is taught in a modified flipped class setting. This means that the majority of the
new knowledge and understanding will be directed by the teacher, but must be pursued by YOU at
home. At school you will utilize and reinforce that freshly learned material through laboratory
experiments, reports, presentations, reading quizzes, essays and tests.
To prepare you for this rigorous course of facilitation and self-study, a summer assignment is
required to be submitted by 4:00 on August 23th. This deadline is concrete and there are no
exceptions. These assignments will be graded and tested. If the work is submitted on time but is later
found to be lacking in rigor (receives less than a "70"), you will immediately be recommended for a
schedule revision.
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Please assemble all materials in a report cover with dividers

-12 point font
-Times New Roman
-1" margins
*emailed work will not be accepted*
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The Sixth Extinction

Short Answer Analysis
1. The hallmark of evolutionary biology is adaptability. Is the main challenge facing our era the speed with which we are forcing
things to adapt? Explain.
2. Describe the causes and effects of ocean acidification.
3. Which of Kolbert's examples seems most compelling/troubling to you, and why?
4. If humans have a place in the natural balance, should we expect the planet itself and other organisms to adapt and evolve in
response to our impact?
5. How has "the new Pangea," as Kolbert calls it, accelerated certain threats to various species' future around the globe?
6. "The Thing with Feathers" alludes to Emily Dickinson's poem "Hope is the thing with feathers". After reading Kolbert's book,
where do you see some hopeful possibilities?

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The Sixth Extinction

The following assignment is based off of the novel The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert. It is a 2014 environmental
science book that shows how homo sapiens have been "reassembling our biosphere". You must first read the novel! The
answer to the prompt is going to be 750 - 1000 words (min/max). For complete credit use quoted and cited examples from
The Sixth Extinction, and other outside material such as web pages or newspapers. At least 2 scientific sources must be
cited. Both scientific sources must be recent (2007-2017) and attached to this section of your summer assignment. Your
grade will be based on a well thought out and supported argument. Please voice your own opinion on these environmental
issues.

If you were an instructor of an environmental course, would you require your students to read The Sixth Extinction? Why or
why not? Be specific in your reasoning. Try to find out if some of the behaviors of humans mentioned in the book are still used
today. Is this book relevant to today's environmental situation in the U.S.? Do you believe that Kolbert's prediction of an
anthropogenic extinction is too extreme, rightfully justified, or not extreme enough? Remember to support your arguments.

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 On this day, we lost ___x____

The following assignment is based off of the novel. The assignment will have an appropriate picture of the organism and is
going to be 400-700 words (min/max). For complete credit, an article along with The Sixth Extinction, must be quoted and
cited in your response. Attach the article to this section of your summer assignment. There is no date restriction on the
supporting journal/newspaper/magazine. Your grade will be based on a well thought out and supported obituary.

Imagine you are an environmentalist working at the local newspaper. There has been a tragic death on the Earth and no one is
around to write the obituary. Your task is to write a thoughtful, scientifically accurate obituary for one of the organisms
described in The Sixth Extinction. You must also find an article from a scientific source that can be related to the demise of the
organism, preferably about that organism.

*need inspiration? go here https://www.outsideonline.com/2112086/obituary-great-barrier-reef-25-million-bc-2016

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