AP Biology Syllabus
Mrs. Adrienne Lefler (Adrienne_Lefler@iss.k12.nc.us)
Room: 322
Webpage: http://edmodo.com/join/dadf657a4d680a26cc18d17240faa7d0
Or www.edmodo.com Group code: 6nk37y
Textbook
https://openstaxcollege.org/textbooks/biology/get
This is an online college level Biology textbook. You can download the book as a pdf
file, view it on the webpage, or pay a small fee and get an ebook through iTunes.
Extra help:
 Before school (7:30-8:00am)
 After school (until 3:45 or longer by appointment)
 During SMART Tutorial
 Through electronic mail (I check my e-mail daily)
Course Description
AP Biology is a college level course. Students will be held to high expectations
just like a college freshman. We will be meeting five days a week, 90 minutes a day, for
two semesters. At the end of the course, students take the AP Biology exam,
administered by the College Board. A sufficient score on this exam can make a student
eligible for college credit.
SMART lunch
Teachers will offer tutorials on either Wednesdays B tutorial or on Fridays A
tutorial. Students are expected to participate and be engaged in at least two tutorials per
nine weeks. Teachers will post their tutorial schedule in their classrooms. Attendance
will be taken in every tutorial session. Students who actively participate will receive a
SMART Tutorial incentive on the nine week grade report.
Mrs. Lefler will offer AP Biology Tutorial on Wednesdays during B tutorial.
Course Requirements
 Blue/black ink pens (all essays must be written in blue/black ink. White out
cannot be used. If you make mistakes, simply cross them out.
 Pencils
 Loose leaf paper
 3 inch binder
 Composition lab book or carbonless lab book
 Graph paper
Class Donations
Our class would gladly accept any donations of the following items throughout the year:
hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, Kleenexes, Colored pencils, markers, Expo markers, and
play doh.
Course Rules
My rules are congruent with school rules. Fundamentally they boil down to:
1. Respect everyone and everything in this school
2. You are here to learn. Effort is required
3. You are expected to do your own work.
4. You may not interfere with anyone else’s right to follow Rules 1, 2, and 3.
Specific school policies about cell phones, mp3 players, food, hats, etc are enforced in
this class.
Course Expectations
All AP students are expected to:
 Be on time
 Be ready to begin class when the bell rings
 Be prepared for class
 Participate freely
 Ask questions when confused
 Answer questions when asked
 Do all required work without complaint
 Work to curtail any disruption
 Generally act as the most mature incarnation of yourself
 Daily check of email/classroom website. (If you do not have internet access at
home, you need to find a reliable buddy who will call you and let you know of
any information I may have sent out or posted).
 Attendance
o Your attendance in class is expected. You should understand that we will
be moving at a very fast pace and any day you are absent will cause you to
get behind. You are also responsible for getting any missed notes or work
from a classmate.
 Notes
o Prezis will be posted on Edmodo before class. You are expected to come
into class with either notes already written or printed off.
 Readings
o You are expected to follow along with the course planner and readings.
There will be daily quizzes that cover material we have talked about in
class, material in the readings, and vocabulary from the readings.
Grading Policy
Examinations:
50%
Quizzes:
20%
Classwork/Homework:
10%
Labs:
20%
Grades will be posted into Powerschool on most Fridays.
Quizzes
There will be quizzes practically every day. They will consist of anything from multiple
choice questions, grid-in math questions, short free response questions, or long free
response questions. Absences on quiz days will need to be made up as soon as possible
and a plan should be made as to when the quiz will be up on the day of return.
Labs
You are required to complete every lab that we conduct. All labs will be written in a lab
notebook. Lab notebooks will be turned periodically for a grade. Some (not all) labs will
require a formal lab write up. Other labs will require a poster/presentation. We will go
over what is required in your lab notebook before your first lab. Labs will remain set up
a maximum of 5 days. If you miss a lab, you must make arrangements to make up that
lab while the lab is still set up. Failure to do so will result in a lower lab grade.
Exams
Exams are given approximately 3 times a quarter and will be announced well in advance.
They will consist of 30 multiple choice questions, 3 grid in questions, 3 single part free
response questions and 1 multi part free response question; mirroring the AP exam. You
will have 90 minutes to take each exam. Forty minutes for the multiple choice/grid in
section, five minutes to read, and then four minutes to write responses to the free
response questions. Students who are absent on exam days are expected to have a plan in
place to make up their exam the day they return and their exam should be made up within
a week of return. Failure to do so will result in a lower grade.
Midterm
Your midterm is required and is one fourth of your first semester average. It is a
simulated AP exam.
Nature Scrapbook
All students will be required to complete a nature scrapbook. This scrapbook will be due
May 26th. Students are to find an example of each of the following organisms and
photograph it in its natural habitat. Students must take their OWN photographs. No
swapping of shots or taking them from a book or the internet; include a time and date
stamp on the picture if possible. If you are unable to include a time and date stamp, the
best way to prove this is to place an item in all of your photographs that you might
usually have on you like a key, pen, finger or your phone. You will then either use
Power Point, Prezi, or develop a physical scrapbook to assemble a natural history
collection of the specimens you “collect”. The collection will include a photo of the
organism, its common and scientific names, an interesting fact about the organism and a
statement describing where it was collected. Your scrapbook must include 10 insects (3
could be arachnids instead) 10 plants, 10 mammals, 10 fish, 10 herptiles (frogs,
salamanders, toads, turtles, snakes, lizards), 10 trees, 10 birds.
Biology Survivor
After the AP Exam, we will complete a series of Survivor like challenges. More
information about this will be given to you after the AP Exam.
Final Exam/Project
The Final Exam/Project will be discussed after the AP Test. It will count as 20% of your
final grade for the Spring Semester.
Late Work Policy
Work is considered “late” when it is submitted after the established collection time. Late
homework and classwork can earn a maximum of half credit. Projects and labs lose 10%
of total credit for every day that they are late.
Makeup work:
It is strongly recommended that you attend class every day in a timely fashion. Excessive
lateness or absences will make it very difficult for you to keep up with the workload of
this course. If you are legally absent, it is your responsibility to makeup all
assignments. “I was absent” is not an excuse for missing an assignment (unless I excuse
you). All assignments are posted on the class calendar, which is accessible from all
course websites. Please discuss missed work with me as soon as you return to class.
Work done during absences is due one day after your return to class. You must also
make arrangements to makeup any labs, quizzes, or tests as soon as you return to school.
Class Communication
Class communication will occur through Edmodo. Students are expected to join Edmodo
before the end of the first week. Class information, prezis and other documents will be
posted on Edmodo. Parents may join Edmodo and receive the same information through
their student’s account.
How to Sign Up as a Parent:
1.
Obtain the unique 6-digit Parent Code from your child’s account (this is not the same as
your child’s Group Codes).

The Parent Code is attached to your child’s account. You can get this the
following ways:

Your child’s Edmodo Homepage: the Parent Code is located on the
bottom of the left side panel.

Your child’s teacher can provide you with the Parent Code.
2.
After you have the parent code, go to www.edmodo.com (currently, you cannot create
your Account on the mobile or iPad Edmodo app).
3.
Click “I'm a Parent” and fill in the necessary information and Parent Code.
Note: Each child has a different Parent Code. You do not have to share a Parent Account with
another parent, relative, or guardian. Multiple Parent Accounts can be set up for one student.
Simply use the same Parent Code found on the student’s account to create a second Parent
Account (must have a different email address).
Academic Honesty
You are allowed to collaborate on lab exercises. Data among lab partners is expected to
be identical. With this exception, all work done in class is expected to be original or
attributed to its original source in either MLA or APA format. Any violation of this will
result in an automatic 0 on the assignment in question. Cheating on exams will result in
an automatic 0, mandatory change of seating, academic referral and notification of
parents, notification of guidance counselor, notification of grade-level administrator and
the inability to ever receive a college recommendation from me for all parties involved.
Additional Help
I am available every morning from 7:30 until 8:00am. I am also available afternoons by
appointment, during SMART tutorial time, and through email and Edmodo. I encourage
students to form their own study groups to assist them through difficult material. I also
encourage students to watch Paul Anderson’s Bozeman Biology videos on YouTube.
They are great sources of additional information.
The AP Exam
The AP exam will be given May 11th. It is administered by the College Board and is
given in a secure room. There is a fee for taking the exam. All students who are in this
course are required to sit for the AP exam. The grade received on the AP exam does not
affect a student’s grade for the course in any way.
Class Tee Shirt
Toward the end of the semester we will accept designs for a class tee shirt. We will vote
on the tee shirt and take orders. We will try to have the tee shirts in before AP Biology
Survivor week so that we may wear the shirts for some of the challenges.
On-line behavior
All interaction in the on-line environment must be conducted within the guidelines of the
districts Acceptable Use Policy, which you have signed prior to this year.
Parents/Guardians: Please sign, detach, and return this portion of the
syllabus verifying that you have read and understand all of the rules and
procedures. You may also email Mrs. Lefler at
Adrienne_Lefler@iss.k12.nc.us.
Parent signature
Student name
Course Sequence:
Unit:
Topics:
Introduction/Biochemistry
Time frame: 2 weeks
Nature of Science
Water
Organic Compounds
Enduring
Understandings/Essential
Knowledge Addressed
1D2, 2A1, 2A2, 2A3, 2C1,
2D1, 3A1, 4A1, 4B1, 4C1
Activities:
Hillis
Readings
Starr-Tagg
Readings
Campbell
Readings
Cricket lab (graphing and statistical
analysis)
2-14
17-32
35-45
4-15
22-31
36-50
289-313
316-331
333-345
348-364
272-289
294-301
306-322
328-340
3-24
30-42
46-54
58-66
68-89
452-465
468-484
487-504
507-530
57-76
79-98
125-142
56-76
82-93
150-160
164-172
94-122
125-138
206-224
228-242
46-54
101-120
98-110
114-128
132-146
142-159
162-181
185-202
Gumdrop reactions
Evolution
Time frame: 3 weeks
Cell Biology/Cell Division
Time frame: 6 weeks
Darwin’s Theory
Genetic Drift
Evidence of
Evolution
Speciation
History of life
Organelles
Cell Membranes
Passive Transport
Active Transport
Cell Communication
Cell Cycle
1A1, 1A2,1A3, 1A4, 1B1,
1C1, 1C2, 1C3, 1D1, 1D2,
3A1, 3A2, 3A3, 3C1, 3C2,
4A6, 4B3, 4C3, 4C4
1B1, 1D2, 2A1, 2A1, 2A2,
2A3, 2B1, 2B2, 2B3, 2C1,
2C2, 2D1, 2E1, 3A1, 3B1,
3B2, 3D1, 3D2, 3D3, 3D4,
4A2, 4B2, 4C1
Artificial selection lab and report
Mathematical modeling lab*
Darwin Finches and Natural Selection
Case Study
Facebook organelle pages
Little Mito Case Study
Membrane Models
Diffusion and Osmosis open Inquiry
lab and lab report
Campus Coffee shop case study
Mitosis and Cancer lab
Metabolism
Time frame: 4 weeks
Energy
Enzymes
Cell Respiration
Photosynthesis
1B1, 1D2, 2A1, 2A2, 2A3,
2C1, 2C2, 2D1, 2D3, 2E1,
3B2, 4A1, 4A2, 4A4, 4B1,
4B2, 4C1
Meiosis lab
Toothpickase
Enzyme catalysis open inquiry and lab
report
Cell Respiration lab and
poster/presentation
Photosynthesis lab and
poster/presentation
Genetics
Time frame: 4 weeks
Mendel
Linked Genes
Genetic Disorders
1A1, 1A3, 1A4, 1C1, 1C3,
2D1, 3A2, 3A3, 3A4, 3B1,
3B2, 3C1, 3C2, 4B2, 4C1,
4C2
Case Studies: Diet to Die For Mystery
of Seven Deaths
Drug Target
Virtual Fly lab and
poster/presentation
145-164
176-190
196-212
248-260
262-279
286-301
166-185
188-206
209-223
227-262
216-224
228-235
238-249
254-263
305-320
325-347
351-377
396-422
426-445
367-386
389-406
409-432
438-452
457-501
348-360
366-381
386-400
406-412
416-440
381-393
536-553
556-572
575-597
600-615
M&M Chi Square activity and
poster/presentation
Case Studies: Not Exactly
More than Meets the Eye
Those Old Kentucky Blues
Living with Her Genes
PKU Carriers
Moleculer Heredity
Time frame: 4 weeks
Biodiversity/Classification
Time Frame: 2 weeks
History of DNA
Replication
Transcription/Transla
tion
Mutations
Viruses
Bacteria
Eukaryotic Gene
Expression
Biodiversity
Classification
Scheme
Cladograms
1B1, 1C1, 1C3, 2C1, 2D1,
2E1, 3A1, 3B1, 3B2, 3C1,
3C2, 3C3, 4A1, 4A2, 4A3,
4A4,, 4B1, 4C1, 4C2
Replication Activity
Transcription/Translation Activity
DNA Scissors and Paper Plasmids
Bacterial Transformation lab and lab
report
1B2, 2A2, 2C2, 2D1, 2D2,
4A4
Restriction Enzyme lab and
poster/presentation
Animal Evolution and Body Plans
Cytochrome C lab
Comparing DNA sequences with
BLAST and poster/presentation
Organismal Physiology
Time Frame: 4 weeks
Nutrition
Transport
Regulation
1B1, 1C3, 1D2, 2A1, 2A2,
2A3, 2C1, 2C2, 2D1, 2D2,
2D3, 2D4, 2E2, 3B2, 3C2,
3D1, 3D2, 3D3, 3D4, 3E1,
3E2, 4A3, 4A4, 4B1, 4B2,
4C1
Thermo/Osmoregulat
ion
Physiology of Circulatory System Lab
and report
Transpiration lab and report
Hormonal Control
Nervous
Sensation,
Integration, Response
Reproduction
Ecology
Time Frame: 3 weeks
Development
Behavior
Population Dynamics
Community
Interactions
Ecosystem
Conservation Biology
1C1, 1C3, 2A1, 2A2, 2A3,
2C1, 2C2, 2D1, 2D3, 2D4,
2E3, 3E1, 4A5, 4A6, 4B3,
4B4, 4C3, 4C4
618-633
636-651
654-664
785-97;875895
764-782;
898 -925
522-528;765780
529-536;729762
785-796
524-532;726740
666-682;708720
490-501
589-600
746-755
954-972
621-635
688-703
930-951
540-551, 604617
673-692
628-641
696-709
608-622;646661
538-546;760773;778-802
552-562
821-846;
975-994
1047-1059;
1064-1083
1087-1116
Evolution of Systems Project
Case Studies: Andrea: Death of a
Diabetic
Immunological Malfunction
Left Out In The Cold
It Takes A Lot of Nerve
Immunity
446-271
478-484
Pill bug open inquiry lab and
poster/presentations
Energy Dynamics lab and report
Modeling Population Growth
Wooly Worm Lab
Case Studies: A Deadly Passion
Coyote Removal
Fish Kill Mystery
Threats to Biodiversity
556-570;638653
264-283;551554;656-669
800-817
823-839
843-856
860-870
873-888
893-907
580-602
808-823
828-841
846-862
868-884
890-912
918-931
801-817;
997-1018
736-760;
1021-1041
1120-1142
1148-1167
1174-1193
1198-1218
1222-1234
1245-1265