APES First Month Activities: Week 1 Plans, Unit 6 Resources, and FRQ Practice

A simple way to plan your first month, introduce Unit 6, and build an FRQ routine without starting from scratch.

Once the APES exam wraps up, it’s tempting to close the laptop and not think about next year for a while.

But when planning season comes back around, most AP Environmental Science teachers hit the same thought: 

“I don’t want to start from scratch again.”

This APES first-month guide gives you a simple place to begin: a Week 1 outline, lesson ideas for AP Environmental Science, a Unit 6 energy resource connection, and an early FRQ practice option.

We’ll also be expanding on all of this during the free Environmental Science Intensive with Colorado School of Mines, where we’ll walk through first-month APES pacing, energy resources, and ways to build FRQ practice into your routine without adding a ton of extra prep.

Week 1: Start with Skills, Sources, and Big Ideas

Here’s one way to structure your first week of APES:

Day 1: Measurements and Conversions
Start with a hands-on activity that gets students moving, talking, and working with classmates they may not know yet. This is also a great way to see where their math and conversion skills are before you get too far into the course.

Day 2: Media Literacy in Environmental Science
Students come into APES with opinions, headlines, and assumptions about environmental issues. A media literacy activity helps them slow down, evaluate sources, and practice asking better questions.

Day 3: Introduction to Energy
Energy and matter show up all year in APES. Starting with energy early gives students a foundation they will return to in units on ecosystems, electricity, climate, and resource use.

Day 4: Connect the Week to APES Themes
Have students reflect on how measurement, media literacy, and energy all connect to environmental decision-making.

Day 5: Try a Short FRQ Practice
Give students an early look at the kind of thinking APES requires. Keep the focus on process, not perfection.

Plan Ahead with Unit 6

Unit 6 is the area APES teachers ask us about most often, and it makes sense why. The Energy Resources and Consumption unit asks students to compare energy sources, interpret data, think through tradeoffs, and connect science concepts to real-world decisions.

That’s a lot to build from scratch in the middle of the year.

Starting small in the first month helps. When students practice measurements and conversions, source evaluation, and basic energy concepts early, they’re already building the skills they’ll need for Unit 6 later.

Use the Unit 6 guide as a planning checkpoint, not a full jump ahead. It can help you think about:

• Which energy concepts students need early exposure to
• Where calculations and data analysis will show up later
• How to connect energy choices to environmental impacts
• What routines from the first month can carry into a full APES unit

Try an Early FRQ

You don’t have to wait until later in the year to introduce FRQ-style thinking. A short practice FRQ can help students see what APES asks them to do: explain, apply, calculate, and justify.

Keep this first practice low-stakes. The goal is to help students understand that APES writing is not about memorizing perfect answers. It’s about using evidence, writing clearly, showing work when needed, and supporting explanations with specific examples.

If you want to build FRQ confidence early, pairing this practice with the FRQ Focus: APES Task Verbs activity can help students learn how to break down AP-style prompts before they start writing full responses. 

Start APES with a Strong Foundation

The first month doesn’t need to be packed with everything. A few well-chosen lessons can help students build the skills they’ll use again and again: measuring, questioning sources, explaining energy, and writing like environmental scientists.

Want help planning this out?

Join our free Summer Environmental Science Workshop with Colorado School of Mines. In three short sessions, you’ll map your first month, tackle Unit 6, and set up an FRQ routine you can use all year.