Unit 0: Introduction to Environmental Science
Assign the student handout at the start of each unit so students can track objectives and flag gaps before review.
APES Energy Lessons Beyond Unit 6
Summary
Energy shows up in more than Unit 6. Land and water use, atmospheric pollution, aquatic and terrestrial pollution, and global change all involve decisions about how energy is produced, delivered, and used. This guide maps Switch Classroom lessons to APES topics in Units 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 so teachers can bring real energy systems into units where students usually meet these concepts in isolation.
Each resource lists its CED alignment and a suggested classroom use, so you can pull a single activity for one topic or build a short sequence.
Use this guide to:
- Add applied energy examples to units outside Unit 6
- Give students data analysis and computation practice across the year
- Reinforce the trade-off reasoning that FRQs require
Resources for Units 1, 2, and 3 are in development and will be added to this guide as they are released.
For Unit 6, see the APES Unit 6 Resource Collection. For course-wide exam prep tools, see the AP Environmental Science Quick-Start Guide.
Resources
Hydropower in Africa
Unit 4: Earth Systems and Resources
Use the episode to connect river systems and watershed development to regional electricity supply.
AI, Data Centers, and Energy
Unit 5: Land and Water Use
Analyze data center growth to connect land use, water use, and electricity demand.
Cleaning Up an Oil Spill: Investigative Lab
Unit 7: Atmospheric Pollution
Unit 8: Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution
Conduct the lab so students test different materials and methods for cleaning oil spills and evaluate their effectiveness.
Science of Coal - Economic Trade-Offs Simulation - Teacher
Unit 7: Atmospheric Pollution
Unit 8: Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution
Run the simulation so students weigh economic and environmental trade-offs in coal-based power generation.
Introduction to Indoor Air Pollution - Switch On
Unit 7: Atmospheric Pollution
Unit 8: Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution
Introduce indoor air pollutants and their health effects before students compare indoor and outdoor sources.
Recycling Waste Audit
Unit 7: Atmospheric Pollution
Unit 8: Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution
Have students audit classroom or school waste and analyze the results to evaluate waste reduction methods.
Powering the World
Unit 9: Global Change
Explore how the world generates electricity and how the mix differs across regions.
Energy Demand and Scale
Unit 9: Global Change
Practice scale and magnitude reasoning using data on global energy demand.
Introduction to Energy Access
Unit 9: Global Change
Examine how access to reliable energy shapes health, economic, and environmental outcomes.
APES Math Problems and Conversions Practice
Test Prep
Assign as a flexible bank of math practice for review days or for students who want more repetitions.
APES FRQ Score Builder
Test Prep
Have students build FRQ responses point by point using the scoring criteria.
FRQ Focus: APES Task Verbs
Test Prep
Practice decoding task verbs so students know what each prompt is actually asking them to do.