Peak Season Is Here, and We Built This for You, APES Teachers

January is peak season for AP Environmental Science, and Unit 6 is usually the turning point.

Energy Resources and Consumption is where everything ramps up. The content gets dense, students need more math and data practice, and FRQs start demanding clearer reasoning about trade-offs, systems, and real energy decisions.

If Unit 6 is on your calendar, this post is meant to save you time.

Quick Update: Switch Classroom Is Now Built for Teachers

If you used Switch Classroom in the past, here is the only change you need to know:

Switch Classroom is now built for teachers. Students should not create Switch Classroom accounts.
You download resources, edit them if you want, and post them inside your LMS or classroom workflow.

No extra logins.
No tech headaches.
No Day 1 password chaos.

Everything is still free and designed for classroom use. This shift was intentional. We wanted to reduce friction and give you more control during a busy unit.

Need to post it in Canvas? Here are step-by-step instructions.

Why Unit 6 Feels Hard (and What Students Actually Need)

Unit 6 challenges students because it is not just content. It is skill application.

Common Unit 6 friction points:

• Students confuse power, energy, and efficiency
• Unit conversions slow everything down
• Students read graphs but do not explain patterns with evidence
• FRQs need trade-off reasoning, not just facts
• Students struggle to connect energy choices to human needs

The goal is to build fluency with math and evidence before you expect strong FRQs.

A Simple Unit 6 Flow That Works in Most Classrooms

There is no single “right” pacing plan, but teachers tend to see success when the unit follows this sequence:

Step 1: Build the framework

Start with tools that help students organize content and track what matters.

• Unit 6 Note-Taking Guide
  Helps students organize energy sources by purpose, benefits, and costs.
• APES Objectives (Student-Friendly Guide)
  Supports independence and reduces reteaching as concepts stack.

Step 2: Practice data and calculations early

Before students write FRQs, they need repeated practice with:

• interpreting graphs and data sets
• doing unit conversions accurately
• comparing energy sources using quantitative evidence

Inside the collection, teachers most often pull:

• data sets and computational analysis practice
• short math review tools
• task verb practice for FRQ prompts

Explore the Unit 6 resources here.

Step 3: Teach trade-offs using real context

Unit 6 works best when students see that energy decisions are never one-size-fits-all.

• Switch On (Film + Discussion Guide)
  A strong way to connect energy systems to human needs and real-world trade-offs.

This is also a helpful anchor before FRQ writing because students have shared examples to pull from.

Step 4: Build FRQ confidence with targeted skill support

Once students have the vocabulary, math, and evidence practice, FRQs become far more manageable.

Inside the collection, teachers often prioritize:

• FRQ skill-building supports
• task verb practice
• quick checks that require evidence-based reasoning

Three Resources to Grab If You Are Teaching Unit 6 Next Week

If you want a fast starting point, these three are high-impact and easy to deploy:

1. Unit 6 Note-Taking Guide
2. A Unit 6 data set or computational analysis activity
3. Switch On (Film + Discussion Guide)

Teacher Favorites (Fast to Use, High Return)

These are the resources APES teachers consistently return to during Unit 6:

• Switch On (Film + Discussion Guide)
• Unit 6 Note-Taking Guide
• APES Objectives (Student-Friendly Guide)
• APES Alignment Guide (CED Map)
  Maps lessons to the CED to save planning time.

Looking for an Old Lesson Name?

If you taught with Switch Classroom previously, you might remember earlier lesson titles.

We mapped all previous titles to their updated versions inside the Resource Collection so you can find what you used without wasting time searching.

Find the lesson title map here.

Want to See How Other APES Teachers Run Unit 6?

A common teacher question is:
“I just want to see how other teachers are actually doing this.”

That is why we launched APES Unit 6, My Way, a series sharing real pacing decisions and resource combinations from:

• APES teachers
• SI Facilitators
• APES Readers

Need Extra Support? Join the Free Unit 6 Intensive

If you want a practical boost, join us for a free one-hour virtual session focused on Unit 6 strategies that work.

APES Unit 6 Intensive
January 7, 2026
7 to 8 PM CST
Virtual | Free

Your Simplest Next Step

If Unit 6 is on your calendar, here is the easiest plan:

1. Explore the AP Environmental Science Resource Collection
2. Download what fits your pacing and teaching style
3. Prioritize data, math fluency, and trade-off reasoning before FRQs
4. Teach energy well without adding tech stress