More Than Just Reading the Textbook

By Nicole R.

Have you ever found yourself reading a textbook for homework, and it just goes in one ear and out the other? If you answered yes to this question, then you should stick around. When I first started my AP Environmental Science class I had to read about 25 textbook pages a night and it felt pointless because by the time I got to class the next morning, I had forgotten everything I read. On the first test I scored poorly because of this. Then a solution came! I will do an outline of every chapter. This really helped and brought my grade up 10 points on the next test.

There are many different ways to do an outline. I do mine the way my history teacher taught me, but you should find the way that works best for you.

Mine goes like this:

Chapter # and title

Section #-# and title

Header Title

a. List a point you think is important to remember
b. List a point you think is important to remember
c. List a point you think is important to remember
d. List a point you think is important to remember ( I would try not to list more than four points.)

Header Title

a.

b.

c.

d.

You should keep going until you finish the chapter

Here is an example of one I did in my AP Environmental Science class. This is just one section.

4-6 What roles do species play in an ecosystem?

Each species plays a role in its ecosystem

A. Ecological niche- the role a species plays in an ecosystem. It is a species way of life in a community.
B. Generalist species have broad niches. They can live in many different places, eat many different foods, and live in many different environmental conditions. ex. humans, deer, mice, and rats. Cockroaches are very general.
C. Specialist species occupy narrow niches. They can only eat certain types of food and live in one of two places. They are more prone to extinction.
D. When environmental conditions are the constant is better to be a specialist with few competition, but when conditions change it is better to be a generalist.

Species can play five major roles within ecosystems

A. Native species- normally live and thrive in a particular ecosystem.
B. Non-native species- migrate into an ecosystem. They are also called alien, invasive, and exotic species. They can compete with native species and reduce the amount of them. This is not good.

Indicator species serve as Biological Smoke Alarms

A. Indicator species provide early warnings of damage to a community or an ecosystem. Birds and butterflies are these.

Case Study: Why are amphibians vanishing?

A. They are indicator species. They are the first vertebrates. They are better at adapting to environmental changes through evolution than many other species.
B. The eggs of frogs can not protect themselves from pollution.
C. The population is declining because of human population impacts.

Keystone species play a critical role in their ecosystems

A. Keystone species are species whose roles have a large effect on the types and abundance of other species in an ecosystem. They exist in limited numbers
B. They pollinate plants and regulate the population of other species.
C. The loss of keystone species can lead to population crashes and extinctions of other species in a community that depend on them for certain ecological services.

Foundation species help to form the bases of ecosystems

A. Foundation species play a major role in shaping their communities by creating and enhancing their habitats in ways that benefit other species. For example; beavers
B. The difference between keystone and foundation species is that foundation species help to create habitats and ecosystems. Keystone species do this and more,; they play a role in foundation and an active role in maintaining the ecosystem and keeping it functioning.

This is most commonly beneficial in AP classes where the teachers are not so demanding in how you learn the material as long as you learn it. They give you more flexibility. The key is to not write down everything. You can write too much and it will not be beneficial at all. If you are unsure what to write it is good to start with bold words and italic words. Another suggestion is that I always make my chapter # and title, my section #-# and title and my header # and title different colors. Then before you take the test refer back to these notes to study. GOOD LUCK!