Advanced Placement Biology is an advanced science class for students who have completed both Biology and Chemistry and have demonstrated subject mastery in both areas.
The typical student candidate for an AP Biology course is contemplating majoring in a field of science, or planning to attend a four-year university. Students who take and pass the AP
Biology Exam on Monday, May 11, 2015 may earn college credit, depending on the university they plan to attend. All students will take a course final exam at the end of the Spring Term
worth 10% of their grade in the course.
This class is taught at the college level and students are expected to meet this challenge.
Class will meet five days per week during fourth period (1:30-3:03). Block scheduling allows for more lab time and depth of coverage. However, we are on the “four by four” block schedule meaning that the course will cover material at a very fast pace regardless. Students should only miss class in the case of excused illness or family emergencies. Missing just one class, especially on the four by four block schedule, can make it very tough to catch up. The expectation is that students come to class prepared and on time each day.
Course Learning Goals:
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Develop mastery of the core biology content covered in the course
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Develop laboratory skills and practice analyzing and interpreting data to address scientific questions and problems.
 Deepen their understanding of the process of science and sound experimental design.
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Deepen their understanding of how biology affects their lives by exploring connections to societal and environmental issues.
Central Content Themes of AP Biology:
This course conforms to the standards instituted by the College Board for all AP courses and covers all of the topics in the AP Biology Course Description: Molecules and Cells, Heredity and
Evolution, and Organisms and Populations. These topics include biochemistry, cell structure and function, metabolism, genetics, molecular basis of inheritance, DNA technology, evolution, microbiology, classification, plants, animals, animal physiology, and ecology. Furthermore, these topics are integrated throughout the course using the 4 Big Ideas from the AP Biology
Curriculum Requirements:
1.
The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life

2.
Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain dynamic homeostasis
3.
Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life processes
4.
Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties
There are two categories that make up the grading system for this course: Product and
Process assignments. Products include exams, projects, and labs, and make up 60% of the grade, while products such as homework account for 30% of the overall grade. The final exam will be 10% of the course grade. *subject to change due to school wide grading policy
Exams
Exams consist of multiple choice and free response questions, taken from released exam questions. The multiple choice includes traditional multiple choice and grid-in questions. These may include questions on the following:

Use of modeling to explain biological principles
 Use of mathematical processes to explain concepts
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Making predictions and justification of phenomena
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Implementation of experimental design
 Manipulation and interpretation of data
Students will have the same amount of time to complete the exams as will be given for the AP Exam in May (about 10 minutes for each essay question and 1.3 minutes per multiple choice question.). I will use the same grading system for exams as the AP Biology Exam: 50% of the grade will be from multiple choice questions, and 50% of the grade will be from the free response portion. These exams will be cumulative, and may cover topics that have already been studied at an earlier point in the term.
At least two quizzes per unit will be given, and often more. Some quizzes will be announced ahead of time and worth more points, some of the quizzes will specifically focus on vocabulary terms, and some will be “pop” quizzes based on pre-assigned readings, and will be given on an irregular basis. These will not be worth as much, but they will add up over time and encourage you to keep up with the readings.

Homework
You should expect and plan on roughly 5 hours of homework for AP Biology per week. Some students may finish in less time, and some students may require more time.
This will take several forms:
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Reading the chapter to be covered in class the following day.
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Completing pre-lab assignments, and lab reports.
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Completing assignments in the Strive for a Five workbook
 Additional handout work book pages
 “Do You Understand Concept ___” Questions.
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Points of Main Significance (POMS): Articles will be assigned from time to time which address some issue of the Nature of Science (NOS) as it pertains to science education/learning in science/ science history, usually from professional journals like NSTA’s (National Science Teachers Association) The Science
Teacher or more challenging readings from the Journal of Research in Science
Teaching or Scientific American. You will need to choose a “point of main significance” in the article and express it in 100 words or less.
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Other assignments to help with understanding of the material will be given.
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Homework will also include watching videos on the YouTube channel:
Bozeman’s Biology. Topics covered in AP Biology are presented in short (10-15 minute) videos by Mr. Anderson, an AP Biology teacher at Bozeman High School in Montana. Students will be required to answer questions on a worksheet about the video they view.
Lab Component
To stress biology and science in general as a process, lab activities emphasize development and testing of the hypothesis; collection, analysis, and presentation of data; and a clear discussion of results.
AP Biology has 8 recommended lab activities, which we will complete, in addition to other labs, and computer simulations. Laboratory investigations will consist of 25% of instructional time. Lab assignments must be completed according to the standard format (unless otherwise noted). Lab reports are due one week after the lab is completed. Lab work supports the themes and concepts listed above will be done as often as feasible and will include at least two labs addressing each of the four Big Ideas. The 9 labs we will complete include:
1.
Lab 2: Mathematical Modeling: Hardy-Weinberg
2.
Lab 3: Comparing DNA sequences to Understand Evolutionary Relationships with BLAST

3.
Lab 4: Diffusion and Osmosis
4.
Lab 5: Photosynthesis
5.
Lab 7: Cell Division: Mitosis and Meiosis
6.
Drosophila Lab
7.
Lab 10: Interactions: Energy Dynamics
8.
Lab 11: Transpiration
9.
Lab 13: Enzyme Activity
You will be asked to perform a pre-lab, in which you will answer questions about the objectives and procedures of the upcoming lab. You will also read through the entire lab ahead of time, writing a detailed materials list and a flowchart that describes the steps of the lab. This will help you prepare for the lab itself. You will do these on handouts I will give you, and put them in your AP Biology binder.
The post-lab analysis will include questions and require you to graphically express and make sense out of your data. We will always have pre- and post-lab discussions emphasizing critical thinking and analysis. It’s very important that you understand what we are doing and why we are doing it.
Formal lab write-ups for each lab will be due one week after the lab. The type of writeup will vary depending on the lab.
Lecture/Discussion
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Some of our time will be spent viewing PowerPoint presentations, overheads, or Flash
Player simulations from various online sources. I will provide you with lecture notes in outline form that you may write on and use to study.

You will be given reading assignments ahead of time, and will be expected to have read and studied the topics before coming to class. The pop quizzes over readings at sporadic intervals will help you do this. You will be more engaged in discussion if you are already familiar with the material.

I will NOT lecture on everything in the chapter. Again, lessons are designed to highlight the repeating, overarching themes or patterns that thread their way through three major topics and the various themes addressed in this syllabus. These will be the major organizing principles for all class lectures and discussions. We will be asking ourselves repeatedly, “How does what we are studying right now connect to those themes?” You will be responsible on our exams and quizzes for more details than we generally will go over in class on a day-by-day basis, which puts the onus of responsibility on you to work with each other in study groups or by yourself to get some details.


Often, some of the short-answer questions at the end of the reading sections will be used as kick-offs for lecture discussions. If you answer these on your own, you will be more prepared.
Required Student Materials

Textbook: Principles of Life by Hillis, Sadaava, Heller, Price (2012) – Provided by NP3
High School
 AP Test Prep Series Workbook, Strive for a 5
 Pen AND Pencil
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Calculator
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Black and white lab notebook (bound composition, graph format, NOT lined)
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Essay notebook (bound composition)
 Colored Pencils (small set)
 Three-ring binder to organize notes, handouts, lab materials, and homework (specific to
AP Biology)
This course will provide committed students with ample preparation for passing the AP
Biology Exam. This test is Monday, May 11, 2015, at 8:00 am. Students who take AP Biology are required to take the AP Biology Exam, if they want their transcripts to reflect AP Biology as the course taken, and the grade point for the class to be recorded as 5.0. If financial constraints pose a financial hardship, please see counselor for assistance. A (passing) grade of 3 or higher will save many students time and money in college, depending on their desired degree field.
Taking the AP Biology Exam results in a grade based on a 5.0 GPA scale, rather than the normal
4.0 GPA scale, IF the person earns a grade of 80% or higher in AP Biology.
The AP Biology Exam is three hours in length and is designed to measure a student’s knowledge and understanding of modern biology. The exam consists of a 90-minute, 69-item multiple-choice section (63 multiple choice and 6 grid-in), which examines the student’s understanding of representative content and concepts drawn from across the entire course; a
10-minute reading period; and an 80-minute free-response section, consisting of Two longer free-response questions and six shorter free-response questions that encompass broader topics. Any of these questions may require students to integrate material from different subject areas of the course. Within the free-response section, the two longer questions are weighted more heavily. The free-response questions must be in essay-form; outlines alone or unlabeled and unexplained diagrams alone are not acceptable. When answering the freeresponse questions, do not restate the question, simply answer the questions, and make sure to include units where applicable.

After the AP Biology Exam
After the Exam, students will begin a final project, creating a children’s book explaining some sort of biological phenomena that was discussed in this course. It should be written in simple enough terms to make sense to an elementary school student, and include illustrations.
A scoring rubric will be given to you at that time.
A variety of mini-labs may be conducted as well at this time.