Add to List

In Investigation 1, students construct a soda can calorimeter and use it to quantify the energy contained in 3 different food items and calculate the number of kilocalories contained in 1 gram of each type of food. In Investigation 2, student groups develop and test a question based on what they learned in Investigation 1, then relate all their results to agriculture, the environment, and feeding the human population. Kit provides materials for 8 groups of students.

Product Details
Engage students with activities that allow them to evaluate the trade-offs between agricultural production and the environment. In Investigation 1, students construct a soda can calorimeter and use it to quantify the energy contained in 3 different food items. The students burn a popped corn kernel, an almond, and a piece of beef jerky and calculate the number of kilocalories contained in 1 gram of each type of food. In Investigation 2, student groups develop and test a question based on what they learned in Investigation 1. Students relate the results of their investigations to agriculture, the environment, and feeding the human population. This kit provides materials for 8 groups of students.

Unit Connections
This laboratory investigation correlates to Unit 5: Land and Water Use, topics 5.11: Ecological Footprints, 5.12: Introduction to Sustainability, and 5.15: Sustainable Agriculture in the AP® Environmental Science Course and Exam Description.

Standards
This kit addresses the following AP® Environmental Science concepts:
Big Idea 3: Interactions Between Different Species and the Environment (EIN) Humans alter natural systems and have had an impact on the environment for millions of years. Technology and population growth have enabled humans to increase both the rate and scale of their impact on the environment.

• EIN-2 When humans use natural resources, they alter natural systems.
• EIN-2.N Explain the variables measured in an ecological footprint.
• EIN-2.N.1 Ecological footprints compare resource demands and waste production required for an individual or a society.

Big Idea 4: Sustainability (STB) Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems. A suitable combination of conservation and development is required. The management of resources is essential. Understanding the role of cultural, social, and economic factors is vital to the development of solutions.

• STB-1 Humans can mitigate their impact on land and water resources through sustainable use.
• STB-1.A Explain the concept of sustainability.
• STB-1.A.1 Sustainability refers to humans living on Earth and their use of resources without depletion of the resources for future generations. Environmental indicators that can guide humans to sustainability include biological diversity, food production, average global surface temperatures and CO₂ concentrations, human population, and resource depletion.
• STB-1.A.2 Sustainable yield is the amount of a renewable resource that can be taken without reducing the available supply.
• STB-1.E Describe sustainable agricultural and food production practices.
• STB-1.E.1 The goal of soil conservation is to prevent soil erosion. Different methods of soil conservation include contour plowing, windbreaks, perennial crops, terracing, no-till agriculture, and strip cropping.

Time Requirements
Teacher Preparation (before class):

• Prelab: 60 minutes
• Investigation 1: 40 minutes
• Investigation 2: 40 minutes

• Prelab: 45 minutes
• Investigation 1: 45 minutes
• Investigation 2: Planning the Investigation, 30 minutes; Performing the Investigation, 45 minutes
• Student Presentations: 60 minutes
• Free-Response Questions: 45 minutes

Digital Resources
Includes 1-year access to digital resources that support instruction. Digital resources may include teacher manual and student guide, prelab activities and setup videos, simulations, and postlab analysis and assessments.

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills
Students should be familiar with:

• Specific heat capacity and calorimetry
• Energy flow and the 10% ecological efficiency rule
• Food production systems

AP® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board®, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.