I loved the pictures/figures of the fish ladders, the solar cooking in Chad, the charcoal sales and the geographic variation of solar (to name a few). These are all classic examples of things that other texts fail to address. I have these examples in my own PowerPoint's and class work in some fashion because they are undoubtedly important. Your chapter has very current, very relevant information that is unique... not the standard, basic APES info.
Tammy Keilman, Crown Point High School (IN)
As a long-time AP Exam Reader, I think it is important that the text is built from the ground up with APES in mind. As a long-time advocate for science literacy the Science Applied goal is extremely important to me.
Jeffery A. Schneider, State University of New York at Oswego (NY)
I like that it’s modeled after the APES framework. This makes the content more accessible to my high school students -- Even though they’re expected to do college-level work in this course, they are still high school students. The thematic approach would give them a better sense of the big picture more effectively than a collection of separate topics would. The Science Applied sections add relevant, current real-world examples – something the students always ask for more of.
Allison L. Winward, Kamiakin High School (WA)
This is the first AP Environmental Science Textbook that I have seen that truly focuses on the needs of high school students taking a rigorous university course and preparing for the challenging AP Exam.
Jay Kurima, Fort Worth Independent School District (TX)
This is a text that faithfully follows the mandated APES topic outline so using it will ensure that students taking the course will be exposed to all the necessary topics. The book is current (which is essential in a text like this) and easy to understand. It also offers some valuable extras such as the practice multiple choice and free-response questions. It also includes mathematical problem solving (another essential requirement for APES courses). Lastly, it is easy for students to understand and as the author states, “The text is comprehensive yet enables students to identify important concepts without being overwhelmed by excessive lists, boxes, or terminology.”
Frank Kuserk, Moravian College (PA)
I find these chapters less cumbersome, more cohesive, more readable, and better directed toward the intent of the AP ES curriculum.
Gary Osowick, Taunton High School (MA)
I like the way it is written, very appropriate for the high school AP student. It manages to present information at a level that is neither too simplistic or childish, nor overly complicated. I also like the fact that at several different points the authors make a concerted effort to teach both sides of an issue and recognize that while man has potential to cause environmental damage, we also have the potential to solve a lot of the problems. I also found the inclusion of math based questions and queries to be a potentially invaluable addition.
Jonathan D. Cole, Holmdel High School (NJ)
It is an engaging text filled with relevant and interesting examples. The end-of-chapter questions are good and there are excellent examples of the types of calculations that are required on the AP exam. The Science Applied sections make good use of the concepts discussed in the chapter.
Judith Perrella, Academy of the Holy Names (FL)
The character of the examples is what sets this book apart for me. The author enhances his discussions through example very effectively, more effectively than other texts I have reviewed. This makes for a very open, readable text, and is also an excellent strategy for targeting the high-school age market. For me, it is the author’s effective illumination of topic through example that is the book’s ‘value added’. The effectiveness of this prose style would probably be a primary reason for selecting this text over another.
J. Dirk Valk, McKeel Academy of Technology (FL)
The science applied would resonate favorably with high school students and would help very much in presenting arguments on various environmental issues on the free response question on the AP test.
Annetta Pasquarello, Triton Regional High School (NJ)
Well-written, teacher and student- friendly and great FRQs at the end of the chapter.
Pamela J. Shlachtman, Miami Palmetto High School (FL)
The ‘science applied’ add-ons to the chapters are a great idea. It gives an opportunity to introduce a new issue within the chapter’s context or framework.
Jason Y. Choi, Sleepy Hollow High School (NY)