AP Biology Syllabus
Westside High School
Instructor: Lauren Taylor
Contact Email:
Course Overview (College Board)
The AP Biology course is designed to enable you to develop advanced inquiry and reasoning skills, such as designing a plan for collecting data, analyzing data, applying mathematical routines, and connecting concepts in and across domains. The result will be readiness for the study of advanced topics in subsequent college courses—a goal of every AP course. This AP Biology course is equivalent to a two-semester college introductory biology course and has been endorsed enthusiastically by higher education officials.
A practice is a way to coordinate knowledge and skills in order to accomplish a goal or task. The science practices enable you to establish lines of evidence and use them to develop and refine testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena. Because content, inquiry, and reasoning are equally important in AP Biology, each learning objective combines content with inquiry and reasoning skills described in the science practices. The science practices capture important aspects of the work that scientists engage in, at the level of competence expected of you, an AP Biology student.
The key concepts and related content that define the revised AP Biology course and exam are organized around a few underlying principles called the big ideas, which encompass the core scientific principles, theories and processes governing living organisms and biological systems.
Big Idea 1: Evolution
The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life.
Big Idea 2: Cellular Processes: Energy and Communication
Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain dynamic homeostasis.
Big Idea 3: Genetics and Information Transfer
Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life processes.
Big Idea 4: Interactions
Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties.
Policies and Procedures
Grading Policy for AP Science Students:
Percentages
Tests / Projects / Lab Reports 70%
Daily work/ Quizzes / homework 30%
Points break down
Tests/Projects – 100pts
Formal Lab Reports – 60pts
Quizzes- 100pts
Daily Work- 50pts
Homework- 50pts
Course Structure
Homework:
AP Biology requires a substantial amount of reading to remain prepared and on track for the AP Exam in May. Reading assignments will be made weekly. Notes should be taken while reading for use during in class discussion. I will also assign videos to supplement the homework assignment to help with understanding of topics.
Quizzes:
AP Biology quizzes can be unannounced and will typically follow reading homework assignments. Lecture over covered topics may not come until after the quiz. Quizzes are used to assess student understanding after completing assigned readings and will be used to guide discussion. I will also quiz before a test to give students extra practice with AP style questions over covered topics. Quizzes cannot be made up. 2 daily grades or quizzes can be excused each grading period as long as the student does not have any missing assignments.
Laboratory:
The AP Biology Lab Manual will serve as the source for many of the labs. Some of these laboratory investigations are modified to meet the time restrictions of the course or modified to allow the incorporation of probe ware. The course devotes 25% of the instructional time to laboratory exercises. The majority of the laboratory investigations are inquiry based at a variety of levels, from guided to open inquiry. Students will be engaged in a number of additional investigations that supplement the curriculum for this course.
An emphasis is placed on integrating the use of mathematical analysis into the course. Basic, yet essential statistical tools will be utilized to analyze the data collected as laboratory investigations are performed. Example calculations include but are not limited to Chi-square, standard deviation, standard error and the T-test. Additionally, students need to understand the importance of identifying mathematic trends such as generating a line of best fit for appropriate data collected.
A variety of modes are used throughout the course that allows students to present the results of laboratory investigations. These include constructing and presenting mini-posters, developing PowerPoint presentations, conducting peer reviews, and developing traditional laboratory reports. Complete laboratory reports include an introduction, hypothesis, procedure, organized data, a complete statistical analysis of the data, a conclusion with both limitations and recommendations for further investigations.
The seven science practices are incorporated into varying laboratory investigations throughout the course.
The seven science practices are outlined below:
1. The student can use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific problems.
2. The student can use mathematics appropriately.
3. The student can engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or guide investigations within the context of the AP course.
4. The student can plant and implement data collection strategies appropriate to a particular scientific question.
5. The student can perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.
6. The student can work with scientific explanations and theories.
7. The student is able to connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts and representations in and across domains.
Tests:
Tests are modeled after the actual AP exam in all ways possible. The student has 50 minutes for the 20 multiple-choice questions and 4 free response questions. In addition, actual AP free response questions from past tests (courtesy of www.collegeboard.com) are given and are graded with the actual College Board rubrics. Released multiple choice in conjunction with equally rigorous multiple-choice questions are complied to create the multiple-choice section of the test. The tests also cover lab exercises, as does the real AP exam. This mirrors the actual test as closely as possible in that students are required to answer appropriately rigorously and comprehensive questions at the same rate as the actual exam. Tests may also cover material from other units already covered in the course to enhance comprehension of all material.
Projects:
Projects will be assigned approximately one per cycle. These may include presentation of the project to the class as part of the grade. A project grade is a major grade. Most project work will be done outside of the class period. Projects are subject to the late policy.
Absences:
If you are absent for any reason, you will have three days to make up the work at which time it will become a zero if not turned in. Makeup tests will be arranged with the instructor. Projects cannot be turned in late. If a student is absent, arrangements should be made to have the project brought to the school.
Retakes:
The maximum grade that can be earned on a retake test is 75 percent. To qualify for a retake, have completed and corrected your test questions during my tutorials time and show up at the designated time and place for the retake test. Retake tests will typically be in free response format. No other assignments are eligible for a retake grade.
Late Work:
Projects, lab reports, and homework may be turned in ONE class day late at the beginning of the period. Late daily work will receive a maximum score of 75%. Late major assignments will be subject to a 10 point deduction for each day it is late up to 3 days.
Beginning of Class:
If you are not seated in your assigned seat and beginning the ‘do now’ when the bell rings, you are subject to receive a tardy. If you are late, you must report to the office, and may only return with a tardy pass. You will need to first take out your homework and supplies, then write out the warm-up, and formulate answers to the related questions during the first 10 minutes of class. During this time, I will take attendance, check off homework and/or collect any assignments. If you fail to have your homework out when I come by you will have to turn it in the next day for a late grade.
Academic Dishonesty:
Academic dishonesty takes many forms and can sometimes be confusing for students and parents. Some forms of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to: Plagiarism, falsification of data, providing false information to an instructor including excuses for late work or falsely claiming to have submitted work, any form of cheating in which a student has an unfair advantage on an assessment by using notes or other materials not allowed by the instructor, providing unauthorized assistance or information to others on homework, projects, tests, quizzes, etc., intentionally preventing other students from completing their work, impersonating another student to give them unauthorized assistance. This is not a comprehensive list and teacher and administrator discretion will ultimately decide whether a student has committed an offense. There are many reasons student choose to engage in academic dishonesty. When students have an unfair advantage over other students, this presents a situation in which students who are doing everything right are punished for not cheating when they receive lower scores than those who did cheat. The instructor will constantly try to prevent academic dishonesty so that all students have the opportunity to excel academically and for the instructor to know where additional assistance is needed.
Academic dishonesty will be reported to the administration and action will be taken according to the school’s policy.
Rules:
- Respect everyone and everything in this school.
- You are here to learn. Effort is required.
- You are expected to do your own work.
- You may not interfere with anyone else’s right to follow Rules 1, 2 and 3.
Specific school policies about cell phones, mp3 players, hats, clothing etc. are enforced in this class.
Tutoring and Conferences:
I am available for classroom tutoring either during scheduled tutorials, or by appointment. To request tutoring, please see me to make arrangements for a convenient time to meet. If at any time you or your parent would like to discuss your progress, please request an individual conference with me by E-mail () at least one day in advance. Students failing the class are responsible for attending tutorials.
Personal Supply List:
1. Pencil or Pen. (All written assignments/labs must be in ink to receive full credit)
2. Lab Notebook (bound composition book) –graph paper is best
3. Loose Graph paper (you will not need a whole package just a handful of loose pages)
4. Calculator with Square Root function, graphing calculators are acceptable.
Classroom supplies:
- Distilled Water
- Paper Towels
- Hand soap
- Clorox Wipes
Course Sequence
Unit 1 Microevolution
Essential Knowledge
· 1.A.1-4; 1.B.2; 1.C.3; 1.D1-2
· 3.D.1
Topics
· Gene pool and allele frequency
· Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
· Changes in allele frequency, impact of environment, adaptations, selection pressure
· Genetic drift, founder effect, bottle neck populations
· Sexual selection, directional selection, disruptive selection and stabilizing selections (natural selection)
· Maintaining genetic variability, balanced polymorphism and heterozygote advantage
· Evolution sources of mutation; point mutations substitutions (neutral mutations), frame shift mutations (deletions and additions), chromosomal mutations deletions, translocation, transductions, replications, meiosis recombination, crossing over, random fertilization, mate selection.
Labs and Activities
· AP Lab 1 Artificial Selection: Modified using brine shrimp and selecting for a variable.
(SP 1.5, SP 2.2, SP 5.3, SP 7.1)
· AP Lab 2 Mathematical Modeling: Using a spreadsheet to analyze data
(SP 2.1-3; SP 5.1-3; SP 6.1-5)
· Rock Pocket Mouse & Human Evolution HHMI activities.
· Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium simulation (Radford.edu) and problem set
· Analyzing amino acid sequences to determine relatedness (uniProt.org)
Connecting Big Ideas
· A discussion of how microevolution is impacted by the environment (Big Idea#1).
· A discussion of how molecular changes (DNA and protein) is ultimately the basis for evolution (Big Idea #2)
· A discussion of how DNA is the blue print for life and provides for the continuity of life through the process of transcription and translation. Changes in the DNA results in changes in phenotypic expression upon which natural selection can act. (Big Idea #3)
Macroevolution Unit 2
Essential Knowledge
· 1.A.1-4; 1.B1-2; C.1-3; 1.D1-2
· 2.E.3
· 3.D.1
Topics
· Definition of a species
· Allopatric speciation and geographic isolation (3 reasons why speciation occurs)
· How speciation occurs on a temporal versus spatial scale
· Sympatric speciation
· Rate of evolution gradual versus punctuated
· Origin of life
· Classification and relatedness
· Comparison of three domains of life
· Construction and analysis of cladograms and phylogenetic trees
· Trends in evolution
Labs and Activities
· AP Lab 3 Comparing DNA sequences to understand evolutionary relationships utilizing the BLAST lab to compare genomes and to determine evolutionary history (SP 4.1-4; SP 5.1-3) (uniprot.org)
· Cladogram pipecleaners
· The Great Clade Race-Used to aid in the understanding of cladograms and phylogenetic trees (SP 1.1, 1.5, SP 6.2, 6.4)
· Cladogram Problem set for analysis of cladograms and data tables
(SP 1.1, 1.5, SP 6.2, 6.4)
· Origin of life activity/case study
Connecting Big Ideas
· A discussion of how the environment impacts evolution (Big Idea#1)
· A discussion of how timing and coordination of behavior are regulated by various mechanisms and are important in natural selection (Big Idea #2)
· A discussion of how interactions between and within populations influence patterns of species distribution and abundance (Big Idea #4)
Unit 3 Ecology
Essential Knowledge
· 1.A.1-4; 1.B1
· 2.A.1-3; 2.C.2;2.D1-4
· 3.E.1-2
· 4.A.5-6; 4.B.2-4; 4.C.3-4
Topics
· Population structure and growth, human population and growth, K-strategies versus r-strategies
· Energy and the environment, energy pyramids, population pyramids, food webs
· Community ecology, concept of a niche, intra-and interspecific competition resource partitioning
· Biogeochemical cycles: carbon cycle, water cycle, nitrogen cycle, phosphorous cycle, and eutrophication
· Investigation of behavior, learned behavior, innate behavior and other pertinent examples
Labs and Activities
· AP Lab 12: Animal behavior: Open inquiry lab to investigate the behavior of pill bugs (SP 3.1-3; SP 4.1-4; SP 5.1-3)