AP Biology – Course Syllabus

Personal Philosophy
The energetic world of living things is all around us as well as in us- there’s no escaping it. I enjoy sharing my passion of biology with students as they discover how biology affects their daily lives. I organize my teaching to enable students to see biology as a way to better care for and understand ourselves, other living things, and the world around us. Using my background as a research and clinical nurse, I establish relevant and rigorous coursework such as case studies, current events, and ethical dilemmas that challenge students to critically evaluate environmental and social concerns. [C7]
Course Overview
Classes meet every other day for 90 minutes on block scheduling. A minimum of one block of lab time has been allotted for a 2-week alternating-block schedule. This will not only allow for completion of the 12 labs from the AP Lab Manual for Students, but also many other labs that will create a rich laboratory experience. [C8]
The course has been organized around the eight themes from the AP Biology Curricular requirements. [C6] Students are expected to read the textbook chapters listed on the syllabus, and they take an assessment at the end of each unit. The course textbook is the eight edition of Neil A. Campbell and Jane B. Reese’s Biology – AP Edition.
All students who take the AP Biology course are expected to complete a research project. During the first semester, students will choose a biological topic for their research project. Time will be allotted in class on how to read and interpret scientific research as well as critically evaluate scientific methods. Students will then bear the majority of responsibility outside of class for completion of this project. Towards the end of the second semester, students will then present their findings to the class. [C4]
The AP exam format and content are discussed at the beginning of the year. Students are then responsible to complete practice exam questions and essays outside of class. After students turn them in, they are graded using the scoring guidelines and returned corrected. Students are responsible to look at missed questions and determine why they missed them. All practice exam questions and essay will be collected at the end of the year as an evaluation portfolio to measure improvement over the course of the year.
Course Planner
The course is organized into 11 units and students receive the following syllabus the first day of class, informing them it is their homework for the year. We spend on average about 3-4 weeks a unit.
These include biochemistry, cell structure and function, metabolism, genetics, molecular basis of inheritance, evolution, microbiology, classification, plants, animals, and ecology. Also, all of the previous stated topics are integrated throughout the course using the eight major themes from the AP Biology Curriculum Requirements. [C6]
} Science as process
} Evolution
} Energy Transfer
} Continuity and Change / } Relationship of structure and function
} Regulation
} Interdependence in nature
} Science, technology and Society

AP Biology Syllabus

First Semester, First Term

Weeks / Unit / Topics / Chapter Readings
2 / 1 / Chemistry of Life:
Atoms and Molecules, Chemical Bonds, Water, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, Nucleic Acids, Free Energy Changes, Enzymes [C1] / 2,3,4,5,8
4 / 2 / Cells:
Prokaryotic Cells, Eukaryotic Cells, Membranes, Subcellular Organization, Cell Communication, Cell Cycle [C1] / 6,7,11,12
3 / 3 / Cellular Energy:
Coupled Reactions, Fermentation, Cellular Respiration, Photosynthesis [C1] / 8,9,10

First Semester, Second Term

Weeks / Unit / Topics / Chapter Readings
3 / 4 / Heredity:
Meiosis, Gametogenesis, Inheritance Patterns, Eukaryotic Chromosomes [C2] / 13,14,15
3 / 5 / Molecular Genetics:
DNA & RNA Structure and Function, Gene Regulation, Mutations, Viral Structure & Function, DNA Technology & Applications [C2] / 16,17,18, 20
3 / 6 / Evolutionary Biology:
Mechanisms of Evolution, Evidence for Evolution, Microevolution, Macroevolution, Early Evolution of Life, Phylogenetic Classification
[C2] / 22,23,24,25,
26

Second Semester, Third Term

Weeks / Unit / Topics / Chapter Readings
3 / 7 / Microbiology: Viruses, Bacteria and Archaea, Protists, Fungi [C3] / 19,27,28,31
6 / 8 / Plants:
Evolutionary Patterns and Relationships; Diversity; Structure, Growth, & Development; Resource Acquisition & Transport; Nutrition; Reproduction; Response to the Environment [C3] / 29,30,35,36,37,38,39

Second Semester, Fourth Term

Weeks / Unit / Topics / Chapter Readings
3 / 9 / Animals-Part I:
Evolutionary Patterns and Relationships; Diversity; Form & Function; Digestive System; Circulatory System; Respiratory System; Immune System; Osmoregulation & Excretion [C3] / 32,33,34,40,41,42,43,44,
3 / 10 / Animals-Part II:
Endocrine System; Nervous System; Muscular System; Behavior
[C3] / 45,46,47,48,49,50,51
3 / 11 / Ecology:
Biosphere, Populations, Communities, Ecosystems, Conservation Biology [C3] / 52-56

Lab Schedule [C8]

Unit 1- Chemistry of Life
§ Water Properties
§ Macromolecule Modeling.
§ Enzyme Catalysis- AP Lab 2
Unit 2- Cells
§ Characteristics of Plant and Animal Cells
§ Diffusion and Osmosis- AP Lab 1
§ Staining Chromosomes by the Squash Method
Unit 3- Cellular Energy
§ Interpreting Labels: Stored Food Energy
§ Cellular Respiration- AP Lab 5
§ Plant Pigment Chromatography- AP Lab 4
Unit 4- Heredity
§ Mitosis & Meiosis- AP Lab 3
§ Fruit Fly Lab- AP Lab 7
Unit 5- Molecular Genetics
§ Berry Full of DNA
§ Gel Electrophoresis- AP Lab 6
/ Unit 6- Evolutionary Biology
§ Hardy-Weinburg Law of Genetic Equilibrium- AP Lab 8
§ Examining Different Kinds of Fossils
Unit 7- Microbiology
§ Controlling Bacterial Growth
§ A Swell Lab
Unit 8- Plants
§ Transpiration- AP Lab 9
§ Bees, Birds, and Botanists
§ What is the structure of common fruits?
Unit 9 – Animals: Part 1
§ Animal Diversity
§ Physiology of the Circulatory System- AP Lab 10
Unit 10 – Animals: Part 2
§ Vertebrate Anatomy
§ Choice Chambers- AP Lab 11
Unit 11- Ecology
§Investigating Populations of Dandelions
§ Dissolved Oxygen- AP Lab 12
Teaching Strategies
In general, when students are not engaged in labs and activities described in this syllabus, I am lecturing. Students will have access to specific outlines that align to the topics covered in the textbook and each item on the topic outline in the Course Description. Students will receive these at the end of each unit and will have access to them on my web site. Students will be responsible to supplement these outlines during lecture and from assigned readings to promote synthesis of biology content.
Students will be responsible to read assigned readings each week. The course expectation is to spend 4-5 hours a week reading and studying the material. Readings will be supplemented with research articles, current events, and excerpts from classic nonfiction, science literature.
In order to help foster greater synthesis and analysis of biology content I teach around the eight themes from the AP Biology requirements. [C6]
I attempt to include a discussion of evolution during lectures and in student coursework throughout each unit. When we do biochemistry, we discuss how comparison of amino acid sequences may indicate evolutionary divergence of related species. Or during the molecular genetics unit, the fact the genetic code is universal (the same genetic code in all three domains) for all life is also powerful evidence for evolution. [C5]
Students will be challenged to think beyond the classroom through both case studies and bioethical dilemmas to engage students in critical thinking about environmental, medical and social concerns. For example, during the ecology unit students will examine child-limiting policies as a means for population control and the ethical concerns that arise from such a policy. Or during the biochemistry unit, students will discuss the ramification of anabolic steroid use as a means to enhance athletic performance. [C7]
Lab Component
While working with a lab partner, students usually do every lab exercise in the AP Biology Lab Manual for Students. They also do a variety of labs from other sources which are listed in the lab references section. [C8]
Students do approximately one lab every other week, and are required to turn in some kind of write-up for each one. The write-ups vary depending on the lab. For many labs, like model building, I simply check off that the students have completed the lab. Some labs require only a well-organized data summary and brief conclusion. Others, such as dissections and microscope labs, merely consist of well-drawn diagrams of what students saw. For labs that come from the AP Lab Manual, students must complete the graphs and answer the questions from the manual. Independent research projects require full lab reports. Students have two days from the completion of a lab to turn in their reports. I stress excellent presentation of data and discussion of results over length. I also try to avoid busy work by not requiring students to write out detailed methods for a lab for which I have provided a detailed procedure.

Student Evaluation

Students are evaluated on their performance on the unit tests, labs, quizzes, homework, projects, and final exam they complete. I assign a certain number of points for each assignment students complete for credit. Their percentage breakdown by assignment is listed below.

Homework / 5%
Quizzes / 5%
Projects / 15%
Labs / 20%
Tests / 40%
Final Exam / 15%
Student Activities - Term Projects
Each semester students complete a project that requires them to do independent work and turn in a report. [C4]
} First-Semester: Acid Rain and Plant Growth (Units 1,8,&11).
Students will design and carry out an experiment at home during the summer to test the effect of acid rain on plant life. The research question students will test is “What is the effect of acid rain on plant growth?” Students will explore the effects of different concentrations of acetic acid (vinegar) to simulate acid rain. This project allows students a chance to learn the elements of experimental design as well as how to makes graphs and tables for data presentation. Students will then submit a written lab report that will be graded on experimental design, presentation and discussion of their data.
} Second-Semester: Animal Conservation Plan (Units 9,10,&11).
Students will choose an animal as the topic of their research and will determine what current issues challenge the survival of their organism. Students will then analyze the methods and results of scientific investigations from primary research. After drawing conclusions from their research, students will create a conservation plan. Students will submit their research, analysis, and conservation plan in written form. Finally, students will present their findings to the class using technology and defend their conservation proposal.

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