AP Course:
AP Environmental Science
Courtney Mayer
CONSULTANT: Courtney Mayer
Courtney Mayer taught science courses for 27 years, including AP Environmental Science for 15 years at Churchill High School in San Antonio, Texas and currently at UT High School in Austin, Texas. She is a College Board Consultant for AP Environmental Science in the Southwestern Region. She has presented all over the United States and in China. Courtney is also a College Board consultant for Analytical Reading and Writing Strategies in Science, Designing Investigations and Experiments, Analyzing and Interpreting Quantitative Data, AP Course Skills and Practices, and is on the writing committee for the Pre-AP Biology Curriculum and a consultant for the College Board’s National Faculty and Cross-Curricular Instruction. Courtney is a reader and an early table leader at the AP Environmental Science reading where she scores free-response questions for thousands of students. She was honored in 2011 with the College Board's AP Award for helping to promote and continue the mission set by the College Board.
Courtney has published 13 books, all around science topics, particularly AP Environmental Science. Courtney graduated with a degree in Wildlife and Fishery Science from Texas A&M University in 1992 and she received her Master of Education in Administration from Lamar University.
Course Description:
The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide you with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them.
What You Will Learn
Develop an understanding of the Curriculum and Exam Description (CED) and how to integrate science practices and concepts
Review best practices and time management tips
Collaborate with fellow teachers
Prepare unit plans that incorporate lab activities
Develop a syllabus that will align your class to the CED and draft a course calendar that will help you implement your syllabus
How You Will Benefit
Gain insight into how to properly utilize AP Free Response Questions and Rubrics
Acquire new materials to teach every major aspect of the course
Use a variety of lab content/activities for every major area of the course
Gain contacts that can also provide you support to teach the course in the most effective way