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There are many valuable sources of information on the Internet. The Web sites suggested below are general in nature and will be helpful to any AP Environmental Science teacher, particularly those who are new to the course.
The Environmental Protection Agency
This site includes news items, links to important environmental topics, and a variety of services. Of particular use to AP Environmental Science teachers are the Information Sources and Educational Resources sections. Information Sources includes links to over 40 newsletters and listservs®, more than 15 databases and software tools, publication lists, and information centers. Educational Resources offers one section for students and another for teachers. The student section covers many AP Environmental Science topics and includes suggestions for student projects. The Teacher section includes curriculum activities, background information, grants, workshops, etc. A Researcher section links to labs and research centers, on-going research programs, as well as data and testing methods. This site downloads quickly and is easy to navigate.
 The Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Literacy Council
The left navigation bar of the home page lists seven major environmental topics that link to brief explanations and then more extensive information on each topic. The right navigation bar links to Science in the News, Resources by Topic, Resources by State, and Publications. The center of the page has links for students and teachers and news items. The Teacher page should be of particular interest to AP Environmental Science teachers. The Teacher Exchange includes many useful labs and activities (organized by topic) that have been submitted by AP Environmental Science teachers. There also are links to vocabulary lists and an annotated suggested reading list of over one hundred books. Under Publications, there are slightly out-of-date AP Environmental Science textbook reviews that can help teachers decide which text to order. The site downloads quickly and the home page is clear and easy to use.
The Environmental Literacy Council
The Earth Observatory
This is a great site for images: they can be downloaded to place in handouts, made into overlays, or imported into Power Point presentations. The information located on the site is conveniently broken down into topics listed across the top of the page. The Data and Images section -- including Atmosphere, Ocean, Land, Life on Earth, and Heat Energy -- demonstrates how environmental data change over time. The user puts in dates and then can view how the variable changes over the given time period. The Features section is broken down the same as Data and Images, with the addition of Remote Sensing, and offers many examples of environmental effects. There is a Visible Earth section that is just images, broken down into categories that make it easy to find a particular picture. Lastly, there is a place to subscribe to a free e-mail service that sends weekly updates on interesting stories, data, and images.
The Earth Observatory
Resources for Earth Science and Geography Instruction
This site is very broad, but very useful for AP Environmental Science teachers. Although geared toward the earth sciences, there is a lot of overlap with environmental science. Each of the 40 main topic areas contain links that can be used by both students and teachers. The site is constantly being updated. If you e-mail the author, Dr. Mark Francek of Central Michigan University, he will place you on an e-mail list to receive weekly updates and reviews of Web sites that are, many times, pertinent to the APES course. A special note to those who like to use food to illustrate the science we teach. Be sure to click on the link at the top of the page for Edible Science. This is an extensive list of sites that use food products to demonstrate geology, space science, water science (oceanography and hydrology), and weather. Other sciences include environmental science, biology, chemistry, physics and math. Don¿t be afraid to check out all the areas. Many could be used to make AP Environmental Science more appetizing to our students. There is also a long list of other resources to search for additional activities.
Resources for Earth Science and Geography Instruction
SciDevNet
This site is sponsored by the journals Science and Nature. This site publishes the latest news on science, technology, and development. Not all the stories are pertinent to AP Environmental Science, but a lot of them are. There usually are three news articles and two feature articles, a commentary and an opinion. Each of these areas has links to additional stories. The articles are readable resources for issues-oriented projects and good for class discussion and reading assignments. It is another site that will send you weekly e-mail updates if you register on the home page.
SciDevNet
New York Times -- Science Section
Every Tuesday, the New York Times publishes a whole section on science-related stories. Many of these -- and more -- are available, for free, online. There usually are four to six features and a linked section that consists of about 10 to 12 headlines linked to additional stories. All of the stories are about science and many fit into the AP Environmental Science curriculum. (A Science Times article from April 16, 1999 may have been the basis for Question 2 on the 2001 AP Environmental Science Exam, the document-based question that asked about the relationship between acorns, gypsy moths, and Lyme Disease risk.)
New York Times -- Science Section
Ecological Footprint Calculator
This site, funded by ecologyfund.com, has a relatively simplistic calculator for estimating the amount of land needed to support varying patterns of consumption. The calculator is not very detailed and may not be not all that accurate either, but it is a good way to start discussion on a variety of environmental topics. You can easily change the variables to get comparisons for consumption patterns and then can use them to delve into possible explanations, scenarios, etc.
Ecological Footprint Calculator
Environmental News Network
The home page of this site has about four environmental headline stories and a main feature. The main feature links to a much more detailed page with many more links. For instance, if the main feature is global warming, the additional links will take you to information about signs of global warming, its international impact, and methods of preventing it. Across the top of the page are folder tabs for more news stories and in-depth reports that connect to sections that are useful for AP Environmental Science classes. The home page usually has two quizzes that are good for in-class discussions. There is also an opportunity to sign up for an e-mail newsletter.
Environmental News Network
Envirolink News
This site is a little more of an activist site, but the news headlines are again a useful source of discussion topics and information about current events. The sources range from Scientific American to Christian Science Monitor to The Economist to the news wire services. Along the left side margin are sections on Organizations, Educational Resources, Jobs and Careers, Government Resources, and Actions You Can Take. There are hundreds of archived news stories that relate to AP Environmental Science topics.
Envirolink News
World Resources Institute
As the name implies, the scope of this Web site is global in nature. The home page has a Spotlight column for large-scale issues, such as environmental profiles of Afghanistan and Central Asia. Along the right margin there are a few environmental news stories and among the left margin topics there are choices for Global Topics, Earth Trends, and Newsroom that apply well to the APES course. There is also an e-mail list that will send monthly updates of issues and activities.
World Resources Institute
Suggested Web Sites
The Teachers' Corner contains links to suggested Web sites. The College Board neither endorses, controls the content of, nor reviews the external Web sites included here. Please note that following links to external Web sites will open a new browser window. If you discover a link that does not work, please let us know by sending an e-mail to apctechsupport@collegeboard.org.
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