Course Description s51

AP Biology

Mrs. Sprouse

Plato High School

Course Description

AP Biology is designed to be equivalent to a two-semester college biology course usually taken by biology majors as a freshman. Major topics of study include biochemistry, cells, cellular energetics, genetics, evolution, classification, organism structure/ function and ecology. As in a college biology course, the AP Biology course is designed to have both a lecture and a lab component. Labs conducted by AP Biology students are the equivalent of those experienced by college biology students. At the completion of this course, students are expected to take the College Board’s scheduled AP Biology Exam in May. Some students may earn college credit if they achieve high enough marks on this exam. To assist students in their preparation for this test, the format of the assessments used throughout this course are similar the AP Biology exam’s assessments. This course is fast-paced, intensive, and requires more at-home study time than the standard college-prep courses offered at PHS. The College Board determines AP course content and pacing. Please feel free to visit the College Board website at www.collegeboard.com.

The key concepts and related content that define the AP Biology course and exam are organized around four underlying principles call “big ideas”, which are as follows:

·  Big Idea 1: The process of evolution drives the diversity of life.

·  Big Idea 2: Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, reproduce, and maintain dynamic homeostasis.

·  Big Idea 3: Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life processes.

·  Big Idea 4: Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties.

These four big ideas will be referred to as evolution, cellular processes: energy and communication, genetics and information transfer, and interactions.

Required Materials

3 Ring Binder

#2 pencils

Ink pens (blue, black, red)

Access to Internet

Thumb drive

1 package of manila folders

Labs

The laboratory experience will be student-directed experimentation and inquiry. Students will identify questions they want to answer, design experiements to test hypotheses, conduct investigations, analyze data and communicate results. The required amount of labs to be completed will be a minimum of eight total throughout the year. A total of 25% (or greater) of class time will be directed to laboratory exercises. Due to the large amount of time required for laboratory set-up, it is essential that you are always present for labs. Please be prepared to stay after school to finish long labs that you are unable to complete in the allotted lab time. Within one week of completing a lab, students will turn in professional quality lab reports in the format provided by the instructor.

Abstracts

Students will be responsible for completing two scientific article abstracts per grading period from scientific journals. The students will locate the scientific, scholarly articles for this assignment. A hard copy of the article will be attached to the abstracts submitted. All abstracts will be due one week prior to the end of the quarter. Abstracts will need to completed according to teacher guidelines.

Course Outline

Late Work

Late work will be accepted until the unit being covered is complete. As an AP student, it is imperative to understand the importance of all assignments being turned in on time. Assignments are due at the beginning of the class hour, unless otherwise directed by the teacher.

Assessments

AP Biology tests will resemble the actual AP exam. Students will have multiple –choice and short answer questions. Tests will cover one unit at a time (multiple chapters). Quizzes will be used to ensure reading assignments are being completed.

Internet

Our class textbook is available online! We will have multiple assignments from the resources accompanying the textbook. You will also be using an online testing site for your exams. Students will be responsible for creating and maintaining a website used to turn in assignments throughout the year. Students will create accounts for these sites within the first week of school. (Get your computer/Internet agreement turned in)