AP Biology
Cottage Grove High School
2015-2016
Ms. Leilagh Boyle
leilagh.boyle@slane.k12.or.us
Textbook
Biology AP Edition, 8th Edition-- Campbell & Reece
AP Biology Investigative Labs: an Inquiry Based Approach
Required Course Materials
 3 ring binder
 Loose leaf paper
 Quad-ruled (graph) composition notebook
 Pens, pencils
 Internet access! We will be using several
websites to support coursework. If you
do not have/lose internet access you
MUST see me immediately to make
arrangements
Other items you may find helpful
(but are by no means required)
 Highlighters
 Different colors of pens, pencils
 Binder dividers
 Post-it notes
 Calculator
 Graphing paper
Course Description:
AP Biology is a rigorous and demanding course, which is the equivalent of an introductory college biology
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 redesigned the curriculum
in 2013, and although the amount of material has been reduced, the emphasis on scientific thinking and
analytical thinking has increased. The course will be structured to allow for more class time for labs and
discussions. The new AP Biology curriculum encompasses 4 ‘big ideas’, with Essential Knowledge and
Process Skills that support each one.
Homework:
Homework should be completely every night. Usually it will consist of reading assignments, viewing
lectures, taking notes, finishing labs. Even if a formal assignment is not given, you are expected to spend
time reviewing content each night. AP Biology is a challenging class and can’t be just ‘picked up’ during
class time. You need to invest the time outside of class to be successful in class.
Tests/quizzes:
We will have unit tests at the end of each unit (larger units may be split up into 2 smaller tests) which will
consist of multiple choice and free response. They will be structured, written and scored similar to the AP
Biology test. Tests are a large part of your grade (similar to a college course) and are designed
SPECIFICALLY to prepare you for the AP Exam. It is imperative that you prepare for them. Quizzes will be
incorporated throughout each unit to monitor student progress.
Absences:
AP courses are fast paced and cover a significant amount of content each day, particularly on lab and test
days. It is extremely important that you attend class every day. Absences for school activities MUST be
approved by Ms. Boyle ahead of time. If you are ill, check the website, call a friend, or email Ms. Boyle. You
are still responsible for the content covered in class on the day of your absence.
Participation:
Always be prepared for class so you can fully participate. This is to promote more discussion and small
group analysis of information, more lab time, and less lecture time. For this to work, you must be
committed to completing the work required outside of class, and to actively participating during class time.
Grades
 30% Labs and Lab Reports (includes lab notebook)
 30% Homework, Preparation, Activities and Projects
 40% Exams and Quizzes
Grading scale shall be as follows
A
100-90%
B
83-81%
C
73-71%
D
63-61%
A-
89-87%
B-
80-77%
C-
70-67%
D-
60-57%
B+
86-84%
C+
76-74%
D+
66-64%
F
56%
Policies and Expectations:





Be prepared - in order to facilitate class discussions and reduce lecture time in favor of labs and knowledge
enhancing activities, you must complete all required assignments. AP assignments are not ‘busy work’; they
are designed to help you learn difficult material.
Come to class! The work we will be doing during class cannot be replicated at home, labs in particular. You
have committed to an advanced class and that requires your presence in the classroom.
Study at home – the convention for college courses is 3 hours of independent study for each hour of class. In
order to have productive class discussion you must review the material at home.
No whining! This is a college level course. It will be challenging. It will require a significant amount of time
outside of class. If you don’t like biology, this is not the class for you!
Yes, you have to show your work. Yes, you have to write out procedures, data tables, and label graphs. Yes,
you are expected to show a higher level of understanding on ALL of your
assignments.

Do not throw any classwork away. Keep it in your binder. You will need it to
review for tests and mistakes do happen occasionally with grade recording.

Cheating is unacceptable in any form. Cheating includes, but is not limited to:
copying homework, copying lab analysis answers, plagiarizing written
assignments, copying test answers, use of electronics to find test answers. If
copying occurs all people involved will receive a zero on the assignment and a
referral. You are in class to learn and succeed on the spring exam. Cheating
DOES NOT help you learn.

Many classes will start with a 5 minute homework quiz. If you are late to class (excused or not), or if you
have an unexcused absence you will receive a zero. In the case of an excused absence you must come into
class the day you return a few minutes early to make up the quiz.

You are responsible for your lab station. Keep it clean and organized
to make lab breakdown easier at the end of class. Lab groups will not
be dismissed until their lab station is cleaned completely.
Communicate with me. I am here for you. If you need help, ask.
Have fun! Science is cool 


The AP Biology Exam
You are REQUIRED to take the AP exam. No exceptions.
 The AP Biology exam is Monday, May 9th at 8:00AM- Put it on your calendar. Don’t go on vacation.
 The fee for the exam is $92 (cost is $0 for students on free and reduced lunch programs)- Start
saving now.
 Your score on the AP exam does not affect your grade in this course.
A Message from the College Board…
“Exam questions are based on learning objectives, which combine science practices with
specific content. Students learn to
 Solve problems mathematically — including symbolically
 Design and describe experiments and analyze data and sources of error
 Explain, reason, or justify answers with emphasis on deeper, conceptual understanding
 Interpret and develop conceptual models”
The AP Biology exam will assess your ability to think like a scientist, along with your
understanding of the course content (what’s in the textbook). This will also be true of any in-class
assessments, and many of the in-class projects. To that end, there will be situations and content
on exams that will not be specifically discussed in class prior to their appearance on exams. This
is very different than many other types of courses you might have taken. Since the 2013
redesign in the curriculum, the AP Biology Exam had the lowest percentage of students
scoring a 5 (or a 1) on any AP-level science exam.
Exam Format
Section I: Multiple Choice | 69 Questions | 90 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score
 Multiple-Choice: 63 Questions
o Discrete Questions
o Questions in sets
 Grid-In: 6 Questions
o Discrete Questions
o Questions integrate biology and mathematical skills
Section II: Free Response | 8 Questions | 90 minutes | 50% of Exam Score
 Long Free Response (2 questions, one of which is lab or data-based)
 Short Free Response (6 questions, each requiring a paragraph-length argument/response)
Also note,
 Students are allowed to use simple four-function calculators (with square root) on the
entire exam.
 Students receive a formula list as part of their testing materials.
AP Biology Framework
Content: The AP Biology Curriculum is framed around four Big Ideas. For each of these Big Ideas, there is a
set of core concepts called Enduring Understanding, which will be used to guide the AP Biology course
curriculum. Below is an outline of the AP Biology Curriculum Big Ideas and the Enduring Understandings
topics covered in this course. AP Biology is a rigorous course that demands personal responsibility from
the student. In order for students to plan effectively, they are provided with due dates for all major
projects, labs and tests. They are strongly encouraged to complete nightly readings and study each day’s
lecture notes on their own time.
Big Ideas
Big Idea One
The process of
evolution drives the
diversity and unity
of life
Enduring Understanding
1. A: Change in the genetic makeup of a population over time is evolution.
1. B: Organisms are linked by lines of descent from common ancestry.
1. C: Life continues to evolve within a changing environment.
1. D: The origin of living systems is explained by natural processes
Two
Biological systems
utilize energy and
molecular building
blocks to grow,
reproduce, and
maintain dynamic
homeostasis.
2. A: Growth, reproduction, and maintenance of the organization of living systems require
free energy and matter.
2. B: Growth, reproduction, and dynamic homeostasis require that cells create and
maintain internal environments that are different from their external environments.
2. C: Organisms use feedback mechanisms to regulate growth and reproduction, and to
maintain dynamic homeostasis.
2. D: Growth and dynamic homeostasis of a biological system are influenced by changes in
the system’s environment.
2. E: Many biological processes involved in growth, reproduction, and dynamic
homeostasis include temporal regulation and coordination.
Three
Living systems
retrieve, transmit,
and respond to
information
essential to life
processes.
Four
Biological systems
interact and these
interactions possess
complex properties.
3. A: Heritable information provides for continuity of life.
3. B: Expression of genetic information involves cellular and molecular mechanisms.
3. C: The processing of genetic information is imperfect and is a source of genetic
variation.
3. D: Cells communicate by generating, transmitting and receiving chemical signals.
3. E: Transmission of information results in changes within and between biological
systems.
4. A: Interactions within biological systems lead to complex properties.
4. B: Competition and cooperation are important aspects of biological systems.
4. C: Naturally occurring diversity among and between components within biological
systems affects interactions with the environment.
The Investigative Laboratory Component: The course is also structured around inquiry in the lab and
the use of the seven science practices throughout the course.



Student-directed laboratory investigations will take place throughout the course for a minimum of
25% of instructional time.
Students will conduct a minimum of eight inquiry-based investigations (two per big idea
throughout the course). Additional labs will be conducted to deepen students’ conceptual
understanding and to reinforce the application of science practices within a hands-on, discovery
based environment.
All levels of inquiry will be used and all seven science practice skills (see below) will be used by
students on a regular basis in formal labs as well as activities outside of the lab

Laboratory work is usually done in student pairs. Upon leaving the laboratory or class for that day, each
student is responsible to have his/her own copy of the lab data and observations.

You will be required to develop, record, and communicate the results of their laboratory
investigations through a variety of mediums (e.g. laboratory notebook, lab reports, development of
posters, etc.)
Science Practices (SP)
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 to guide
investigations within the context of the AP course.
4. The student can plan 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.
Big Idea 1
Big Idea 2
Big Idea 3
Big Idea 4
Lab 2: Hardy-Weinberg
Lab 3: BLAST
Lab 4: Diffusion & Osmosis
Lab 5: Photosynthesis
Lab 6: Cellular Respiration
Lab 7: Mitosis and Meiosis
Lab 8: Transformation
Lab 9: Restriction Enzymes
Lab 11: Transpiration
Lab 13: Enzyme Activity
Animal Behavior—Pill Bugs
SP1
X
X
SP2
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
SP3
SP4
X
X
X
X
X
SP5
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
SP6
X
SP7
x
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Social and Ethical Concerns
It is vitally important that students connect their classroom knowledge to socially important issues. The
course will allow students to learn about and discuss many issues in a variety of formats. Issues will be
discussed in a class setting, both live and electronically through such programs as a Google Classroom forum,
and students may research and report on a current topic that has social or ethical issues associated with it.
Since the goal will be to discuss a timely event, the list below should be seen as illustrative as new issues
continually appear.
•Stem Cell Research (Big idea 3)
•Global Warming (Big idea 4)
•Antibiotic Resistance and the Problems with Improper Antibiotic Use
(Big idea 1)
•Genetically Modified Food (Big idea 3)
•The Use of Genetic Information (Big idea 3)
Course Outline 2015-2016
Unit
Textbook
Concepts
The Science
Practices
Introduction &
Themes in the
Study of Life
Big
Idea.EU
SP 1-7
Alien Invasion
1.3,1.4
The Nature of
Science
Statistics Activities
1.2
Themes in the Study
of Life
Explanations
3.1 - 3.3
Water
2.A
Properties of Water Lab
4.1 - 4.2
Carbon
1.D; 2.A
Practicing Biology Activities
5.2
Carbohydrates
4.A,C
Pogil: Biochemistry
5.3
Lipids
4.A,C
Diet and the Evolution of Salivary
Amylase: HHMI
5.4
Proteins
4.A,B,C
5.5
Nucleic Acid
4.A,C
22.2
Natural Selection
1.A
Perils of Pom Poms
22.3
Evidence for
Evolution
1.A
SEPUP- Natural Selection Simulation
23.1-23.4
Populations and
Hardy-Weinberg
1.A; 3.C;
4.C
Case Study- Evidence for Evolution
Posters
24.1 - 24.4
Speciation
1.C; 2.E
Rock Pocket Mice- HHMI
26.1 - 26.3
Phylogeny
1.B
Investigative Lab 3: BLAST
25.1 - 25.5
History of Life
1.A,B,C,D;
2.E; 4.B
27.1 - 27.2
Prokaryotes &
Eukaryotes
3.A, C
6.2
Membranes
2.A,B; 4.A
Investigation Lab 4: Diffusion and
Osmosis
6.3
Nucleus
2.B, 4.A
#organellewars
Chemistry of Life
Evolution
Activities and Labs*
Cells
6.4
Endomembrane
System
2.B; 4.A,B
6.5
Mitochondria &
Chloroplasts
2.B; 4.A
8.1 - 8.5
Enzymes &
Metabolism
2.A; 4.B
11.1 - 11.5
Cell Communication 3.B,D; 2.E
Toothpickase Lab
Investigative Lab 13: Enzyme Activity
Pathways with Friends
Genetics
9.1 - 9.5
Cellular Respiration
2.A
Investigative Lab 6: Cellular Respiration
10.1 - 10.3
Photosynthesis
2.A
Investigative Lab 5: Photosynthesis
12.1 - 12.3
Cell Cycle & Mitosis 3.A
Investigative Lab 7: Mitosis and Meiosis
13.1 - 13.4
Meiosis
p53
14.1 - 14.4
Mendelian Genetics 3.A
15.1 - 15.5
Chromosomes
3.A,C
16.1 - 16.2
DNA as Genetic
Information
3.A,C
DNA Models
17.1- 17.4
Flow of Genetic
Information
3.A
James Bond: Cellular Spy
17.5
Mutations
3.C
Operon Activity
18.1 - 18.4
Gene Expression
2.E, 3.B,
4.A
PCR of Genetically Modified Food
3.A,C
Virtual Drosophila Genetic
19.1 - 19.2
Viruses
3.A,C
or Investigative Lab 18: Bacterial
Transformation
20.1 - 20.2
DNA Technology
3.A
Virus Wanted Posters or Profiles
Investigative lab 19: Restriction Enzyme
Analysis of DNA
Organism Form
and Function
38.1, 39.1 39.3, 39.5
Flowers
40.1
Basics &
Evolutionary Trends 2.A,B
2.D,E
Investigative Lab 11: Transpiration
Form and Function Lab Stations
40.2
Feedback
2.C,D
POGIL: Feedback Mechanisms
40.3
Thermoregulation
2.C,D
Physiology Project
40.4
Energy Allocation
2.A
Animal Respiration
43.1 - 43.4
Immune System
2.D
HHMI: Cells of the Immune System
45.1 - 45.2
Endocrine System
2.C, 3.B,D
Case Study
48.1 - 48.4,
49.1 - 49.2
Nervous System
3.E, 4.A
Lights, Camera, Action Potential
51.1 - 51.4
Animal Behavior
1.A, 2.E,
3.E
Pill Bug Choice Chamber
52.2
Biomes
2.D
53.1 - 53.6
Population Ecology
2.A,D, 4.A
54.1 - 54.5
Communities
2.D,E
4.A,B,C
55.1 - 55.5
Ecosystems
2.A,D, 4.A
POGIL: Global Climate Change
56.1, 56.4
Humans and the
Environment
2.D, 4.B,C
Biome Project
Ecology
*All activities are subject to change.
Population Case Study Analyses