AP Biology Course Outline

AP
Biology

Advanced Placement Biology

Course Description:
AP Biology is equivalent to a two-semester introductory college biology course taken by students majoring in a biological science. AP Biology differs from regular high school biology through the use of a college-level text, a greater range and depth of topics covered, a faster pace of instruction, more sophisticated lab work, and more time and effort required of students in order to succeed in the course. This course has been authorized by the College Board as meeting the requirements for AP Biology.

Students who are genuinely interested in pursuing a career in the biological sciences or medical fields are especially advised to take AP Biology in high school. AP Biology provides students a significant advantage in college by allowing them to acquire the foundation in concepts and skills prerequisite to many college biological science courses. The ability to succeed in AP Biology gives students confidence and a knowledge base to be successful in future science classes.

Course Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, students will:

Develop a conceptual framework for modern biology;

Develop an appreciation of science as a process;

Demonstrate the ability to apply scientific skills and follow scientific processes;

Develop collaborative relationships with other AP Biology students;

Pass the AP Biology exam with a score of 3 or better; and,

Enjoy the challenges, opportunities and successes offered by the course.

Course Prerequisites:

Successful completion (a grade of A recommended) of at least two years of high school laboratory science, including biology and chemistry; and,

Successful completion (a grade of A recommended) of one year of Algebra; at least two years of high school math is recommended.

Course Text:
Campbell, Neil and Jane Reece, Biology [AP Edition], 7th edition. San Francisco: Pearson Education, Inc. 2005.

The AP Test:
The AP Biology Exam is three hours in length and includes an 80-minute, 100-item multiple-choice section that tests students’ understanding of course content and concepts, a 10-minute reading period, and a 90-minute free-response section with four questions. The multiple-choice section counts for 60% of the students’ exam score, and the free-response section counts for 40%. General areas covered by the test are as follows (the percentages represent the approximate percentage of each area that is tested and the goals for coverage):

Molecules and Cells 25%

Chemistry of Life 7%

Cells 10%

Cellular Energetics 8%

Heredity and Evolution 25%

Heredity 8%

Molecular Genetics 9%

Evolutionary Biology 8%

Organisms and Populations 50%

Diversity of Organisms 8%

Structure & Function of Plants & Animals 32%

Ecology 10%

The course content has been designed to cover these topics in the requisite depth and in a sequence that will engage students’ interests. A number of opportunities to practice sample AP Biology exams (both multiple-choice and free response) will be provided during the course. AP exam scores of 3 or better may provide students with several units of college credit. The amount of credit, area of study and AP score required varies from college to college.

Teaching Strategies:

Approximately 30-40% of instructional time is spent on laboratory activities. There are twelve “recommended” labs for AP Biology, all of which will be done in this class; each of these labs has multiple parts and extends over several class periods. Additional lab activities will be added as time allows. Labs are done in groups of two to four students. Students are expected to have technology skills that will allow them to conduct Internet research, process Word documents, develop Excel spreadsheets and graphs, and communicate via e-mail. Students without these skills or access to these programs should talk to me to work out solutions as soon as possible.

It is important for students to come to class prepared to learn, with their materials and completed assignments. It is also important for students to see me as soon as possible if they have questions or need to make up work missed from an excused absence. Science courses are not easy to miss because lab activities often must be made up timely, if they can be made up at all, along with any other homework or classwork, and, of course, students do not receive the benefit of class discussion and explanations when they are absent.

Since a significant part of class time is spent on hands-on activities, students are expected to read the text and take significant notes for homework on a regular basis. All the content in the textbook cannot be fully discussed during class: there is simply too much material. The pace of AP Biology will be rapid. Students are expected to read all of the text assigned, take effective notes and ask questions as they arise. (One of the major causes of student failure in classes, other than simply not being in class or doing the work assigned, is not asking questions about things they don’t understand.) We will discuss major concepts and any questions/concerns or misunderstandings students have about the information they have read.

Students will improve academic skills (notetaking, time management), apply math skills, and further develop their scientific skills through the numerous labs.

Note: there is a summer assignment that will be given to students to complete prior to the beginning of school in the fall. This is not optional; students are expected to do the assignment and come to school prepared to discuss the material and be tested on the content.

Laboratory Activities:
Lab work is required in AP Biology to encourage development of scientific skills such as detailed observation, accurate recording, experimental design, manual manipulation, data interpretation, statistical analysis, operation of technical equipment, problem solving, and scientific research. Lab activities also enhance students' understanding of, and provide opportunity to apply, course concepts. The course includes twelve multi-part labs recommended by the College Board that are referenced below with an asterisk (*), along with additional labs as indicated.

Course Outline:
Listed below are major assignments and labs included in the AP Biology course:

Summer Assignment and Introduction to AP Biology
	Objectives: Students will demonstrate and understanding for safe lab practices and prereqisite math skills required for successful completion of the course. Students will explain the major themes and concepts involved in the study of biology. Students will demonstrate basic lab and study skills required for successful completion of the course.
	Activities include: Lab safety Intro lab to develop lab skills and documentation Animal behavior*
Biochemistry
	Objectives: Students will demonstrate an understanding of basic biochemistry and its application to living organisms. Students will describe (possibly model) organic molecules and/or functional carbon groups and explain their relevance to living organisms.
	Activities include: Diffusion and Osmosis*
Cell Structure & Function
	Objectives: Students will demonstrate an understanding of basic cell structures and their functions, including the cell theory, cell junctions, extracellular components and comparisons between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Students will explain the structure and function of the plasma membrane and its associated components, including the fluid mosiac model, and passive and active transport processes. Students will be able to relate osmotic potential to solute concentration and water potential. Students will describe the various mechanisms cells have for signaling and receiving signals from other cells or molecules.
	Activities include: Enzyme Catalysis*
Cellular Energetics
	Objectives: Students will demonstrat an understanding of basic energy principles and laws, free energy and energy transformations. Students will measure and explain how environmental factors affect the rate of enzyme-catalyzed reactions. Students will explain each part of aerobic cellular respiration, and compare it to the two types of fermentation. Students will calculate the rate of cellular respiration and test the effects of variables on respiration in a controlled experiment. Students will explain each part of the process of photosynthesis, and variations some plants make to adapt to their environments. Students will separate plant pigments, calculate and explain their Rf values, compare photosynthetic rates under different environmental conditions and explain why the rate of photosynthesis varies.
	Activities include: Cellular respiration* Plant pigments and photosynthesis*
Heredity
	Objectives: Students will describe the cells cycle, including mitosis, and its regulation. Students will calculate the relative duration of several cell cycle stages. They will model, observe, and explain the process of meiosis. Students will describe how independent assortment and crossing over can generate genetic variation among the products of meiosis. Students will compare and contrast mitosis and meiosis in plants and in animals. Students will understand the principles of Mendelian genetics, perform and analyze genetic crosses (on paper and with living organisms), and make and interpret probable genotypes and phenotypes for various crosses. Students will construct and calculate the map distance of a particlar gene from a chromosome's center, or between two genes, using a model organism. Students will describe chromosomal inheritance and genetic disorders and mutations. Students will relate chromosome activity to Mendelian laws
	Activities include: Mitosis & meiosis* Protein synthesis model
Molecular Genetics
	Objectives: Students will describe (and/or model) the structure and replication of DNA, the structure and transcription of RNA, and the structure and translation of proteins. They will analyze the molecular genetics of viruses and bacteria, and compare these to that of eukaryotes. Students will use, and explain the process for using, plasmids as vectors to transform bacteria. They will use and explain the application of restriction enzymes in genetic engineering. Students wll explain how genes are expressed and cells are differentiated. They will describe several methods of DNA technology and its applications. Students will describe various genetic disorders and issues concerning the ethics of genetic engineering.
	Activities include: Molecular biology: transformation*
Evolution, Diversity & Classification
	Objectives: Students will describe Darwinian evolutionary theory, modern evolutionary theory, evidence therefor, and the Hardy-Weinberg Law. Students will describe the Geologic Time Scale, especially as it reflects the evolution of life on Earth, genome evolution and molecular clocks. Students will calculate the frequencies of alleles and genotypes in a population's gene pool using the Hardy-Weinberg formula, and discuss potential deviations from the conditions set forth by the formula. They will explain phylogeny and systematics and how these strategies apply and support the evolution of life. Students will demonstrate an understanding for biological classification and design a classification key for insects they collect.
	Activities include: Population genetics and evolution* Chi Square
Prokaryotes, Protists & Fungi
	Objectives: Students will describe the general structures, functions, major adaptations, phylogeny, roles and impacts of prokaryotes. Students will describe the general structures, functions, major adaptations, phylogeny, roles and impacts of protists. Students will describe the general structures, functions, major adaptations, phylogeny, roles and impacts of fungi.. Students will classify and ID protists they can find in various samples of water. Students wll use gel electrophoresis to separate DNA fragments and determne unknown DNA fragment sizes.
	Activities include: Genetics of organisms* Molecular biology: gel electrophoresis* View and ID protists
Plants
	Objectives: Students will chart and describe the evolution, major adaptations, life cycles and classification of nonvascular plants, seedless vascular plants, gymnosperms and angiosperms For seed plants: Students will describe plant growth, morphogenesis and differentiation; vascular transport, the role of stomata, transpiration. Students will test the effect of environmental conditions on the rate of transpiration. Stdents will describe general nutritional needs of plants, angiosperm reproduction (sexual, asexual), functions of plant hormones, plant defense mechanisms, and how plants are used in genetic engineering.
	Activities include: Transpiration* Tropisms lab
Animals
	Objectives: Students will describe major animal adaptations and evolution, body symmetry and cavities. Students will be able to describe the major structures and functions (including organization, metabolism, thermoregulation and body systems) for invertebrate animlas, including sponges, cnidarians, flatworms, mollusks, annelids, nematodes, arthropods and echinoderms Students will be able to describe the major structures and functions (including organization, metabolism, thermoregulation and body systems) for vertebrate animlas, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals. Students will be able to measure human blood pressure and heart rate, and describe how activity and changing position affect these values. Students will determine their fitness index. They will also analyze class cardiovascular data and explain relationships between several physiological processes they measure. Students will also explain genetic and environmental influences on behavior and behavioral adaptations.
	Activities include: Physiology of the circulatory system* Nervous system lab
Ecology
	Objectives: Students will describe ecosystem structure, biotic and abiotic factors, interactions between species, energy flow, productivity, succession, biogeochemical cycles. Students will measure primary productivity and investigate the impact changes in environmental conditions have on primary productivity. Students will demonstrate an understanding for population dynamics, population growth, human population data, biodiversity, human influences on ecosystems and biodiversity, and sustainability. Students will demonstrate an understanding of environmental issues, on individual, local, country and global levels.
	Activities include: Dissolved oxygen and aquatic primary productivity* Global population and demographic transition
AP Biology Test!	mid-May
After the Test
	Objectives: Students will research, debate and present to the class their findings on various issues in biology, especially controversial issues in bioethics and/or environmental science. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of the issues and the problems related to their resolution, as well as propose action to be taken toward mediating and/or resolving their dilemmas.
	Activities include: Research and debate issues in biology Research and conduct PPT presentations on biology