Advanced Placement Biology Syllabus, 2009-2010
Mrs. Choi and Mrs. Willis
Downtown Magnets High School
Course Overview:
Hello AP Biology students! This course is a year-long course that focuses on studying the different forms of life. We will also engage in learning about cellular biology, molecular genetics, evolutionary relationships, and ecological relationships. The ten core themes of the course are:
-Science as Process -Evolution -Energy Transfer
-Continuity and Change -Relationship of structure to function
-Regulation -Interdependence in nature
-Science, Technology and society
And, in order to explore these themes, we will be engaging in many hand-on laboratory experiments. If the AP exam is passed in May, you will receive college credit for 2 semesters of introductory biology.
Textbook and Lab Manual:
The course uses:
1. Campbell, Neil A. and Jane B. Reece. Biology. 7th edition. Cummings Publishing.
2. Morgan, Judith. Investigating Biology Lab Manual. 5th edition. Cummings Publishing.
3. Taylor, Martha. Study Guide for Biology. 7th edition. Cummings Publishing.
Course State Standards:
1. The fundamental life processes of plants and animals depend on a variety of chemical reactions that occur in specialized areas of the organism’s cells.
2. Mutation and sexual reproduction lead to genetic variation in a population.
3. A multicellular organism develops from a single zygote, and its phenotype depends on its genotype, which is established at fertilization.
4. Genes are a set of instructions encoded in the DNA sequence of each organism that specify the sequence of amino acids in proteins characteristic of that organism.
5. The genetic composition of cells can be altered by incorporation of exogenous DNA into the cells.
6. Ecology: Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects.
7. Evolution: The frequency of an allele in a gene pool of a population depends upon many factors and may be stable or unstable over time.
8. Evolution: Evolution is the result of genetic changes that occur in constantly changing environments.
9. Physiology: As a result of the coordinated structures and functions of organ systems, the internal environment of the human body remains relatively stable (homeostasis) despite changes in the outside environment.
10. Physiology: Organisms have a variety of mechanisms to combat disease.
Course Prerequisites:
AP Environmental Science is open to students who have taken 1 year of biology and 1 year of chemistry. Students must also have passed Algebra II.
Grade Assessment:
Tests and Quizzes: 33 %
Homework: 33 %
Class work and Labs: 33 %
Grade Ranges:
90-100 % = A 80-89 % = B 70-79 % = C 60-69 % = D 59% or below = F
Classroom Policies:
-Please, keep all food and drinks, except for water, outside the classroom.
-You will need a lab folder for this class. In this folder, the class syllabus will be stored, as well as all lecture notes, homework assignments and laboratory activities.
-Please remain in your seats unless given permission to move out of them. We will be working in lab stations, and movement causes accidents.
-Bathroom breaks will be permitted. However, ask to go during appropriate times, such as during break or when you are done with your activity. Inappropriate times would be during lecture or when lab instruction is occurring. You only receive 2 bathroom breaks per semester. If you have breaks left at the end of the semester, you will receive extra credit.
-No electronic devices in class. They will be confiscated and given to the dean of discipline.
-Try to attend as many classes as possible. The more you attend and participate, the more you will succeed in AP Biology. Also, quizzes will be given every week.
-If you miss a class, the assignment or make up work will be due the following day you return. You can always find out what you missed by asking a friend in the class, asking me before or after class, or checking the class website. Please, try to refrain from asking me during class. Late work is not accepted.
-Any cheating in the class will be reported to the dean as well as receiving a zero on the assignment.
-Last but not least, be respectful to all members of the class, including myself.
Class Website and Tutoring:
-Our class website is www.geocities.com/hotspur311 . At this website you can access:
· Homework assignments and Class Activities
· Grades (updated bi-monthly)
· Supplemental Material and Reviews
· Class Syllabus
· State Standards
-Please, take advantage of this website. If you are sick, finding out what you missed is a click away! If you need to contact me, my email is .
-Tutoring is available! I am free anytime during lunch or nutrition in A9. To ensure that I will be there, tell me before you come.
Laboratory Experiments:
1) Osmosis and Diffusion (110 minutes): The processes of diffusion and osmosis account for much of the passive movement of molecules at the cellular level. In this laboratory, students will study some of the basic principles of molecular movement in solution and perform a series of activities to investigate these processes.
2) Enzyme Catalysis (110 minutes): Enzymes catalyze reactions by lowering the activation energy necessary for a reaction to occur. In this laboratory, students will study some of the basic principles of molecular movement in solution and perform a series of activities to investigate these processes.
3) Mitosis and Meiosis (110 Minutes): In this lab, students will study the process of mitosis in plant and/or animal cells using slides of onion root tips or whitefish blastulae and review the process of meiosis in a simulation activity with beads, and then investigate crossing over during meiosis in a fungus
4) Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis (110 minutes): This laboratory has two separate activities: I. Plant Pigment Chromatography, and II. Measuring the Rate of Photosynthesis.
5) Cell Respiration (110 minutes): In this laboratory, students will observe evidence for respiration in pea seeds and investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of respiration.
6) Molecular Biology (110 minutes): In this laboratory, students will use some basic tools of molecular biology to gain an understanding of some of the principles and techniques of genetic engineering. In the first part of the lab, students will use antibiotic-resistance plasmids to transform Escherichia coli. In the second part, you will use gel electrophoresis to separate fragments of DNA for further analysis.
7) Genetics of Organisms (110 minutes): In this laboratory students will study the patterns by which physical characteristics are transmitted from generation to generation. By breeding fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) of unknown genetic composition and studying the traits and ratios seen in their offspring, you will determine whether a trait follows a monohybrid or dihybrid pattern of inheritance and whether it is sex-linked or autosomal. Students will use statistical analysis to support your conclusions.
8) Population Genetics (60 minutes): The Hardy-Weinberg law of genetic equilibrium provides a mathematical model for studying evolutionary changes in allelic frequency within a population. In this laboratory, you will apply this model by using your class as a sample population.
9) Transpiration (110 minutes): Transpiration is the major mechanism that drives the movement of water through a plant. In the first section of this laboratory you will investigate factors that influence the rate of transpiration. In the second section you will study plant anatomy as it relates to transport. To do this laboratory, you should understand the basic concepts of water potential.
10) Circulatory Physiology (70 minutes): In this lab, students will learn to take pulse and blood pressure in a human subject and gather data for a fitness index and measure the effect of temperature on the heart rate of a small invertebrate, Daphnia magna.
11) Animal Behavior (70 minutes): In this lab, students will make detailed observations of an organism's behavior and Design and execute a controlled experiment to test a hypothesis about a specific case of animal behavior
12) Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary Productivity: In this lab, students will measure the amount of dissolved oxygen in water samples at different temperatures and analyze the effect of varying amounts of light on primary productivity
Course Overview
Semester One:
1) Survey of Animals/Protists: Ch. 1, 24-26, 28, 31-34
2) Evolution: Ch. 22-25, Lab 8
3) Cell and Cell Functions: Ch. 7, 27, 18, Lab 3 and 5
4) Biochemistry: Ch. 2-5, Lab 1 and 2
5) Biotechnology: Ch. 7, 27, 18, Lab 6
6) Reproduction: Mitosis and Meiosis: Ch. 12-13, Lab 7
7) Genetics: Ch. 14-15, Lab 6
Semester Two:
8) Ecology: Ch. 50, 52-55, Lab 12
9) Animal Behavior: Ch. 51, Lab 11
10) Reproduction and Embryology: Ch. 45-46, Lab 10
11) Photosynthesis and Respiration: Ch. 9-10, Lab 4
12) The Plants: Ch. 29, 30, 35, 36, 27, 38, 39, Lab 9
13) Animal Structure and Function: Ch. 40-49, Lab 10
14) Evolutionary Relationships and Phylogeny: Ch 22-25, 31-34, Lab 8
15) AP Review
Mrs. Willis and Mrs. Choi Lab Write-Up Information
-Labs will be given on a regular basis in AP Biology. They will be stored inside your little black lab notebooks.
· Title Section-includes your name, the title of the lab, the date, and your class period. (1 pt)
· Purpose: A written statement of what the purpose is (may copy from the lab) (1 pt)
· Hypothesis: Write down what you think will happen in the lab. (Ex: if I do this, then I believe this will happen). (1 pt)
· Procedure: Summarize and include a diagram of the set up (1 pt)
· Data: All of the data and observations from each step of the experiment. Data tables and graphs should be included in this section. Data graphs and tables can be glued into the lab report. (2 pts)
· Conclusion: Discuss your data and results in this section. What conclusions can be drawn from the experiment? What can you say about what happened in the lab? This is your chance to briefly summarize the results of the lab in YOUR OWN WORDS, and discuss any implications of your results. (3 pts)
· Analysis/Extension: Often, in a lab, I add a couple questions to see if you can go beyond what was asked. Answer these questions in complete sentences. You do not need to write down the question. (1 pt)
-The completed lab will be turned in to me at the end of the experiment. The lab will be graded on a 10-point lab rubric attached to this handbook.
Conclusion Prompt
1st Paragraph: Analyze your data.
Some questions to answer:
-Restate briefly what you did.
-What did you observe?
-What does your observations and data mean?
-Are you observations valid? Any errors?
2nd Paragraph: Comparison.
Some questions to answer:
-How did your data compare within your group?
-How did your data compare within the class? (This might require asking a neighboring group what they observed.)
3rd Paragraph: Knowledge Learned.
-What did you learn from this lab? Please, make sure to tie in the knowledge gained in the lab to previous knowledge acquired in the classroom lecture setting.
Chapter ID Rules
1) Write down the ID word and then highlight it (or underline if you do not have a highlighter).
2) Write only the important information about the ID.
3) DO NOT COPY DIRECTLY FROM THE BOOK! Every piece of information from the book should be in YOUR OWN WORDS. You will receive a zero if you do any copying from the book!
4) Leave a space on your paper between each ID word!
5) When the ID says, for example, Figure 3-5, look for Figure 3-5. Then, describe everything that is going on in that figure.
6) If you ever have any questions or are confused about an ID, please come see ME for help! I am more than willing to help during lunch, nutrition, or before school!!!
Downtown Magnets High School
Homework/Classwork Rubric
Mrs. Willis
5 (Exemplary) / 4 (Competent) / 3 (Satisfactory) / 2 (Inadequate) / 1(Poor)
Assignment Completeness / All items attempted and are complete / All items attempted and are complete / Most of Items Attempted / At least ½ of the items attempted / Less than ½ of all items attempted
Accuracy / All items are correct / All items are correct / Most of the items are correct / Between ½ and 3/4 of items are correct / Less than ½ of items are correct
Demonstrated Knowledge / Shows a complete understanding of the questions, mathematical ideas, and processes. / Shows substantial understanding of the problem, ideas, and processes. / Shows substantial understanding of the problem, ideas, and processes. / Response shows some understanding of the problem. / Response shows a complete lack of understanding of the problem
Requirements / Goes beyond the requirements of the problem / Meets the requirements of the problem / Meets the requirements of the problem / Does not meet the requirements of the problem / Does not meet the requirements of the problem
Legibility / Legible handwriting, typing, or printing / Legible handwriting, typing, or printing / Marginally legible handwriting, typing, or printing / Writing is not legible in places / Writing is not legible