AP Biology Syllabus
2015-2016
Instructor: Ms. Samantha Weeks
Room: 4-323
E-mail: weekssa@pcsb.org
Tutoring: Blue Days- Lunch or After School- see me to schedule another time 
Textbook: Campbell, Neil and Reece, Jane B. 2008. AP Edition Biology, Eighth Edition, San Francisco, CA:
Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Materials:
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Textbook- Campbell AP Biology 8th Edition
Lab Notebook
5 Subject notebook or Binder- you will be required to keep an interactive notebook/portfolio through the
year- this is in addition to your Lab Notebook
Pen, Pencil, Paper , Highlighters
USB Flash drive (easiest way to turn in work)
Course Content:
In AP Biology, the emphasis is on the students making connections between the big ideas within the AP
Biology Curriculum Framework. AP Biology is a rigorous and demanding course, which is the equivalent of an
introductory college Biology course and it is designed to prepare the students for the AP Biology Exam at the
end of the course.
Content will be covered in more depth and greater expectations will be placed on interpretation and analysis of
information than previous biology courses. In addition, statistical analysis of data and modeling of concepts will
be expected. A significant amount of studying must be completed at home to allow time for discussion, labs,
and inquiry during class time. The College Board has redesigned the curriculum starting in the 2013 school
year, and although the amount of material has been reduced, the emphasis on scientific thinking and analytical
thinking has increased. The new AP Biology curriculum encompasses 4 ‘Big Ideas’, with Essential Knowledge
and Process Skills that support each one. The 4 ‘Big Ideas’ are list below and will be studied and discussed as
they relate to one another, meaning they will not be studied or focused on in isolation. Although we will cover
all topics over the course of the year, ideas may not be presented in this exact order.
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.
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.
A more in depth look at course curriculum and break down of the 4 ‘Big Ideas’ will be presented and discussed
over the first week of class.
Class Format:
Lectures/Presentations/Videos: Lectures and presentations are crucial for understanding of scientific concepts,
but they will NOT be the focus of this course. Large concepts, processes and ideas will be covered during
lecture and will likely contain multiple chapters. Students will be responsible for reviewing these
chapters/topics prior to the class lecture in order to make the most of our time in class. Lectures will also be
followed by videos or simulations to deeper student understanding. Lectures and presentations will often lead
into class discussion or group discussion to clarify understanding and scientific thinking.
Labs: Labs will constitute at least 25% of the course work. We will complete 8-12 inquiry based labs aligned
with the AP curriculum. To harness the full experience of an inquiry based lab, students will often be asked to
design their own experimental procedures. Pre/Post lab work will be completed outside of class as most labs
will require a significant amount of class time. Students will keep a laboratory notebook, just as they would in a
college lab course, and be responsible for pre-lab questions and write ups followed by a formal lab report.
Formal lab reports will be turned in following each lab for an independent grade and lab notebooks will be
graded throughout the year.
Homework: It can be expected that students will have homework following each class meeting. If there is not a
specific task or assignment, it is understood that students need to spend time outside of class reviewing material.
As BCHS is on block scheduling, it simulates the typical college schedule- meaning students have more than
one evening to accomplish this work. It is also understood that AP Biology is not the only course that students
need to spend time and focus on, however constant review of material and time management are key to success
in any advanced course.
Assignments and Grades:
All work will fall into two categories. Assignments will be given a point value based on the type of assignment.
Supporting work (45%)
-Homework
-Classwork
-Participation
-Lab Reports
-Projects
Assessments (55%)
-Quizzes
-Pop Quizzes
-Unit Tests
Grading Scale
90-100
80-89.5
70-79.5
A
B
C
60-69.5
0-59.5
D
F
Classroom Expectations and Behavior:
All EXPECTATIONS will be thoroughly presented and discussed on the first day of class. These expectations
are set in place to ensure we have a productive, exciting, and collaborative year with each other while
accomplishing classroom and personal goals.
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Be present both physically and mentally. Committing to an AP course means committing to putting forth
your best effort in order to ensure you get as much out of this experience as possible, preparing yourself
for higher education in the following years. You must be in class in order to accomplish this task.
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Be prepared. As a college level course, we must make the most out of our class time together. Tasks and
assignments assigned outside of the class must be completed outside of the class. In order to facilitate
class discussions and reduce lecture time in favor of labs and knowledge enhancing activities, you must
complete homework and remaining classwork prior to coming to class.
Study on your own in addition to class. College courses are intended for students to spend 3 hours of
independent work in addition to each hour spent in the classroom. Often you will be asked to review
material prior to class to ensure a more meaningful and beneficial lecture/discussion/activity.
Be thorough. You will always be required to communicate your ideas, thoughts, and answers as adult,
college level students. This means complete sentences and paragraphs. We will not cut corners.
Give your best, always. Although success on the AP exam is a goal of this course, our biggest goal is to
prepare you for life after high school, higher education, success in the real world, as well as knowledge
and understanding in the fields of science and biology.
RESPECT everyone around you as well as his or her belongings. Anything less will NOT be accepted.
Electronics are to be on silent and kept away at all times. (Unless warranted and permitted by
instructor) Charging of electronics is not permitted in class- I will not be responsible for these materials
being left unattended.
Participate and be engaged. Science is collaborative- enjoy working with each other and sharing ideas
while maintaining appropriate behavior.
Stay in your area when directed AND take care of your area and equipment.
** School wide Tardy Policy is in place.
Absent/Late Work:
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Late work will NOT be accepted.
AP Biology Labs often cannot be made up or duplicated outside of the classroom. Missing a lab
will result in a zero for any unexcused absence.
Take responsibility for yourself and your absence. You are responsible for retrieving all make up
work and completing it in a timely fashion. If you are aware of an absence ahead of time, plan
accordingly.
Per school board policy: students have the same number of days that they were absent to make up
the work.
***Additional Materials:
The BCHS has worked to provide students will as much material, in addition to a textbook, as possible.
However some of test prep/practice/review books may only be a class set, meaning they cannot be taken home
or written in. Below is a list of books we are likely to reference and use for practice for the AP exam. Some
students may want to purchase their own copies so they can use/mark/highlight/review with them as they like.
Biozone AP Bio 1 & 2 (yellow and green covers)
~$29 each on Amazon
Barrons AP Bio 5th Ed.
~ $13 on Amazon
McGraw Hill 5 Steps to a 5 AP Bio 2015
~$15 on Amazon
Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns. I look forward to an exciting and
productive year.
~Ms. Samantha Weeks
weekssa@pcsb.org