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Environmental Science for the AP® Course
Fifth Edition| ©2027 Andrew Friedland; Rick Relyea
Prepare students for success in the AP® Environmental Science course and exam with a program purpose-built for today's classroom.
Environmental Science for the AP® Course is fully aligned to the College Board's Course and Exam Description (CED), seam...
Prepare students for success in the AP® Environmental Science course and exam with a program purpose-built for today's classroom.
Environmental Science for the AP® Course is fully aligned to the College Board's Course and Exam Description (CED), seamlessly integrating the four Big Ideas and seven Science Practices throughout every unit. This intentional alignment helps teachers confidently cover every required topic while building the analytical and scientific reasoning skills students need to excel on the AP Exam.
Students engage with authentic environmental issues through compelling case studies, real-world data, quantitative reasoning, and inquiry-based investigations. They interpret graphs, analyze evidence, evaluate environmental solutions, design experiments, and apply mathematical routines using scaffolded Do the Math and Math Tutorial features. Frequent AP-style multiple-choice and free-response practice, including targeted instruction on task verbs and scientific reasoning, develops exam confidence throughout the year.
Designed by leading environmental scientists Andrew Friedland and Rick Relyea and supported by experienced AP educators, the program combines accessible, student-friendly reading with robust teacher resources, digital tools in Achieve, labs, projects, and flexible instructional support. The result is a comprehensive course solution that helps teachers engage diverse learners, build enduring environmental literacy, and prepare students for success in college-level science and beyond.
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ISBN:9781319634483
Read and study old-school with our bound texts.
AP® Environmental Science, supporting success from day one to exam day.
Prepare students for success in the AP® Environmental Science course and exam with a program purpose-built for today's classroom.
Environmental Science for the AP® Course is fully aligned to the College Board's Course and Exam Description (CED), seamlessly integrating the four Big Ideas and seven Science Practices throughout every unit. This intentional alignment helps teachers confidently cover every required topic while building the analytical and scientific reasoning skills students need to excel on the AP Exam.
Students engage with authentic environmental issues through compelling case studies, real-world data, quantitative reasoning, and inquiry-based investigations. They interpret graphs, analyze evidence, evaluate environmental solutions, design experiments, and apply mathematical routines using scaffolded Do the Math and Math Tutorial features. Frequent AP-style multiple-choice and free-response practice, including targeted instruction on task verbs and scientific reasoning, develops exam confidence throughout the year.
Designed by leading environmental scientists Andrew Friedland and Rick Relyea and supported by experienced AP educators, the program combines accessible, student-friendly reading with robust teacher resources, digital tools in Achieve, labs, projects, and flexible instructional support. The result is a comprehensive course solution that helps teachers engage diverse learners, build enduring environmental literacy, and prepare students for success in college-level science and beyond.
Features
Environmental Science for the AP® Course is designed to help students build conceptual understanding and AP® skills through a consistent, engaging instructional framework.
- Phenomenon-Driven Learning anchors each unit with a contemporary case study grounded in authentic environmental research, giving students a real-world context for exploring concepts and applications throughout the unit.
- Clear Module Learning Progressions pair focused Learning Goals with concise AP® Reviews, making it easier for students to understand what they’re learning, reinforce essential concepts, and prepare students for cumulative learning.
- Purposeful AP® Skill Development embeds AP® Exam Tips throughout the text, helping students understand common misconceptions, apply task verbs correctly, and develop the reasoning skills assessed on the AP® Exam.
- Integrated Mathematical Reasoning combines "Do the Math" features, dedicated Math Tutorials, and Practice Math & Graphing activities to scaffold dimensional analysis, population calculations, graph interpretation, and quantitative reasoning using authentic environmental data.
- Rich Data Visualizations give students designed graphs, maps, tables, age-structure diagrams, and infographics that help them analyze evidence, identify trends, and strengthen data-analysis skills.
- Authentic Scientific Connections bring real research studies, historical experiments, and contemporary environmental investigations to demonstrate how scientists collect evidence, test hypotheses, and solve environmental problems.
- Comprehensive AP® Practice provides AP®-style multiple-choice questions, free-response questions, and cumulative practice at the end of each module that mirrors the style, rigor, and task verbs of the AP Exam.
- Preparing for the AP® Exam Features combine dedicated review sections, Practice Your Science Skills activities, Visual Representations, Science Applied features, and full unit practice exams to help you build AP® preparation into instruction throughout the course.
- Concept Application & Environmental Solutions come together in "Science Applied" and "Pursuing Environmental Solutions"where students apply course concepts to current environmental challenges, evaluate evidence, and compare potential solutions.
- Student-Friendly Design combines accessible writing, abundant visuals, clearly defined vocabulary, and consistent organization reduce cognitive load while maintaining the rigor expected in a college-level AP® course.
New to This Edition
The Fifth Edition has been extensively updated to reflect the latest AP® Environmental Science Course and Exam Description, including updates released in June 2026, as well as current environmental science and the needs of today’s classrooms. New content, assessment, and instructional resources give you more ways to keep students engaged, reinforce essential skills, and build AP® Exam preparation into your course.
- Current Content and AP® Alignment bring new contemporary case studies, current research, environmental issues, and refreshed data and examples into the course, helping students connect key concepts to environmental science in the world around them.
- Expanded Math Support introduces new Math Tutorials with step-by-step instruction and practice, giving students additional support with the quantitative reasoning skills they apply throughout the course and on the AP® Exam.
- Updated AP® Exam Practice includes revised AP®-style multiple-choice and free-response questions, new cumulative FRQs that reinforce connections across topics, and a completely new full-length AP® Practice Exam. Together, these resources give students ongoing opportunities to interpret task verbs, apply scientific reasoning, and practice for exam day.
- More Teacher Support adds new differentiation strategies and formative exit tickets, along with expanded support for AP® Exam Tips and Math Tutorials. New FRQ teaching strategies also help you guide students as they interpret prompts, respond to task verbs, and construct well-supported responses.
- Personalized Practice in Achieve adds LearningCurve adaptive quizzing to help students identify knowledge gaps and reinforce key concepts. Use it before class, during review, or as students prepare for the AP® Exam to provide additional practice based on individual learning needs.
Environmental Science for the AP® Course
Fifth Edition| ©2027
Andrew Friedland; Rick Relyea
Digital Options
Achieve
Achieve is a comprehensive set of interconnected teaching and assessment tools that incorporate the most effective elements from Macmillan Learning's market leading solutions in a single, easy-to-use platform.
Environmental Science for the AP® Course
Fifth Edition| 2027
Andrew Friedland; Rick Relyea
Table of Contents
MODULE 0 What Is Environmental Science?
UNIT 1 The Living World: Ecosystems
MODULE 1 Introduction to Ecosystems
MODULE 2 Terrestrial Biomes
MODULE 3 Aquatic Biomes
MODULE 4 The Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles
MODULE 5 The Phosphorus and Hydrologic (Water) Cycles
MODULE 6 Primary Productivity
MODULE 7 Trophic Levels, Energy Flow and the 10% Rule, Food Chains, and Food Webs
Unit 1 Practice Your Science Skills
Unit 1 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam
UNIT 2 The Living World: Biodiversity
MODULE 8 Introduction to Biodiversity
MODULE 9 Ecosystem Services
MODULE 10 Island Biogeography
MODULE 11 Ecological Tolerance
MODULE 12 Natural Disruptions to Ecosystems
MODULE 13 Adaptations
MODULE 14 Ecological Succession
Unit 2 Practice Your Science Skills
Unit 2 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam
UNIT 3 Populations
MODULE 15 Generalist and Specialist Species, K- and r-selected Species, and Survivorship Curves
MODULE 16 Carrying Capacity, Population Growth, and Resource Availability
MODULE 17 Age Structure Diagrams and Total Fertility Rates
MODULE 18 Human Population Dynamics and the Demographic Transition
Unit 3 Practice Your Science Skills
Unit 3 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam
UNIT 4 Earth Systems and Resources
MODULE 19 Plate Tectonics
MODULE 20 Soil Formation, Erosion, Composition, and Its Properties
MODULE 21 Watersheds
MODULE 22 Earth’s Atmosphere, Global Wind Patterns, Solar Radiation, and Earth’s Seasons
MODULE 23 Earth’s Geography and Climate, El Niño, and La Niña
Unit 4 Practice Your Science Skills
Unit 4 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam
UNIT 5 Land and Water Use
MODULE 24 The Tragedy of the Commons; Clear-cutting
MODULE 25 The Green Revolution
MODULE 26 Impacts of Agricultural Practices
MODULE 27 Irrigation and Pest Control Methods
MODULE 28 Meat Production Methods and the Impacts of Overfishing
MODULE 29 Impacts of Mining
MODULE 30 Impacts of Urbanization and the Methods to Reduce Urban Runoff
MODULE 31 Ecological Footprints
MODULE 32 Introduction to Sustainability
MODULE 33 Integrated Pest Management and Sustainable Agriculture
MODULE 34 Aquaculture and Sustainable Forestry
Unit 5 Practice Your Science Skills
Unit 5 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam
UNIT 6 Energy Resources and Consumption
MODULE 35 Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources and Global Energy Consumption
MODULE 36 Fuel Types and Uses
MODULE 37 Distribution of Natural Energy Resources: Fossil Fuels
MODULE 38 Nuclear Power
MODULE 39 Biomass and Solar Energies and Hydroelectric Power
MODULE 40 Geothermal Energy and Hydrogen Fuel Cells
MODULE 41 Wind Energy and Energy Conservation
Unit 6 Practice Your Science Skills
Unit 6 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam
UNIT 7 Atmospheric Pollution
MODULE 42 Introduction to Air Pollution
MODULE 43 Photochemical Smog, Thermal Inversions, Atmospheric CO₂, and Particulates
MODULE 44 Indoor Air Pollutants
MODULE 45 Reduction of Air Pollutants
MODULE 46 Acid Rain and Noise Pollution
Unit 7 Practice Your Science Skills
Unit 7 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam
UNIT 8 Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution
MODULE 47 Sources of Pollution, Human Impacts on Ecosystems, and Endocrine Disruptors
MODULE 48 Human Impacts on Wetlands and Mangroves, Eutrophication, and Thermal Pollution
MODULE 49 Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), Bioaccumulation, and Biomagnification
MODULE 50 Solid Waste Disposal
MODULE 51 Waste Reduction Methods
MODULE 52 Sewage Treatment
MODULE 53 Lethal Dose 50% (LD₅₀) and Dose-Response Curves
MODULE 54 Pollution, Human Health, Pathogens, and Infectious Diseases
Unit 8 Practice Your Science Skills
Unit 8 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam
UNIT 9 Global Change
MODULE 55 Stratospheric Ozone Depletion and Its Reduction
MODULE 56 The Greenhouse Effect
MODULE 57 Increases in the Greenhouse Gases and Global Climate Change
MODULE 58 Ocean Warming and Ocean Acidification
MODULE 59 Invasive Species, Endangered Species, and Human Impacts on Biodiversity
Unit 9 Practice Your Science Skills
Unit 9 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam
Cumulative AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam Exam-1
Appendix: Reading Graphs App-1
Glossary/Glosario Glos-1
Index Ind-1
Periodic Table of the Elements
Metric Conversions
Math Review
Environmental Science for the AP® Course
Fifth Edition| 2027
Andrew Friedland; Rick Relyea
Authors
Andrew Friedland
Andrew Friedland is the Richard and Jane Pearl Professor Emeritus in Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College. He received a BA degree in both biology and environmental studies, and a PhD in earth and environmental science, from the University of Pennsylvania. He has authored or coauthored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and one other book, Writing Successful Science Proposals, Third Edition (Yale University Press). Andy is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was the founding chair of the AP® Test Development Committee (College Board®) for Environmental Science and served on the College Board AP® Environmental Science Curriculum Development and Assessment Committee. He has been a guest lecturer at various Advanced Placement® Institutes for Secondary Teachers and in high school AP Environmental Science classrooms. Andy has researched forested ecosystems in montane regions of New England and has taught introductory environmental science and energy courses at Dartmouth College as well as courses in forest ecosystems, global change, and soil science.
Rick Relyea
Rick Relyea is the William J. Rucker Professor in Fisheries and Wildlife at the University of Missouri–Columbia (Mizzou). He received a BS in environmental forest biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, an MS in wildlife management from Texas Tech University, and a PhD in ecology and evolution from the University of Michigan. He has authored more than 200 scientific articles, presented research seminars throughout the world, and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Rick was a professor at the University of Pittsburgh for 15 years, where he was named the Chancellor’s Distinguished Researcher and received the Tina and David Bellet Teaching Excellence Award. In 2014, he moved to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to direct the Darrin Fresh Water Institute. In 2025, Rick moved to Mizzou to be the founding director of the Johnny Morris Institute of Fisheries, Wetlands, and Aquatic Systems. Rick has a strong interest in high school education, including hosting high school science teachers who conduct research in his laboratory. He is the author of the college textbook Ecology: The Economy of Nature, and co-author of Biology for the AP® Course, which are also published by BFW and MacMillan Publishers.
Environmental Science for the AP® Course
Fifth Edition| 2027
Andrew Friedland; Rick Relyea
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