Woodland High School
AP Biology Course Syllabus
2014-2015
Instructor: Ms. Suzie Scudder
Room: 228
School Phone: (770) 389-2784
E-mail: sscudder@henry.k12.ga.us
School Web Page: www.henry.k12.ga.us/wh
Course Objective:
AP biology is designed to give students an academic experience equivalent to that of a college or university
biology course – complete with lab work. Students will be asked to perform college-level work and be
assessed in a like manner. The development of critical and independent thinking will be emphasized.
Biology is a dynamic and ever-changing field of study. There is much to explore in a seemingly short school
year. Discussion is an important part of the course. Discussions and reflections are essential to learning
the complex themes within AP biology. For this reason, attendance is critical for success. Hands on
activities are also a staple of the course. Most students learn through experiencing activities that are
relevant to the material. Reading in the text is critically important in order to relate discussions and labs to
the material being covered. Writing assignments will also be used by students to communicate their
scientific understanding of a specific content standard, to evaluate lab data and to provide evidence of
critical thinking skills.
Textbook:
Campell and Reece. Biology, 6th edition (2002)
Supplemental Reading: The Nature of Life: Readings in Biology
Course Content:
The AP Biology course is designed by the following four Big Ideas set forth by the College Board.
Big Idea 1: The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life.
Big Idea 2: Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce and
to maintain dynamic homeostasis.
Big Idea 3: Living systems store, retrieve, transmit and respond to information essential to life processes.
Big Idea 4: Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex
properties.
Woodland High School Classroom Expectations
Students are expected to abide by the rules set forth by the Henry County Board of Education and in the
WHS handbook. Students will also be held accountable for adherence to classroom expectations and
outlined by the instructor. The WHS tardy policy will be enforced.
Make-up Policy:
It is imperative that students be in class in order to be successful. If a student should miss a class, the
student is responsible for getting the missed materials and assignments. If the student is in need of extra
explanation I am available before or after school. Late assignments ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Unexcused
absences result in a zero for missed assignments including tests and labs.
Labs:
Students are required to complete twelve (12) labs set forth by The College Board Advanced Placement
Program. Students are expected to read each lab carefully before coming to the laboratory and are
responsible for following all correct laboratory and safety procedures. Students should also use the lab aid,
LabBench, to help facilitate understanding of all lab procedures before beginning a lab exercise. Due to the
large amount of time required for laboratory set-up, it is essential that you are always present on lab days.
Please be prepared to stay after school to finish labs that you are unable to complete in the allotted lab
time. Approximately 25% of class time will be spent on laboratory practices. The Lab process will be
assessed by formal lab reports, poster presentations, quizzes and presentations.
Laboratory Safety:
A separate Lab Safety Contract will be provided for review and signature by both student and parent. It
must be signed by both parties and returned before the student can participate in lab. Failure to adhere to
the safety regulations during a lab will result in immediate removal from the lab, loss of grade and possible
disciplinary actions according to the offense.
Tests: Diligently study for each unit test; formatted similar to the AP Biology Exam
a. Each test will consist of a multiple choice portion, a grid-in, a long free response portion,
and a short free response portion.
b. The multiple choice and grid in questions account for 50% of the test grade. The essay
questions account for 50% of the test grade.
c. This will allow you to see how your test grades would correlate to an AP score of 5-1;
For example: a high 5 = 100, low 5 = 95, high 4 = 90, low 4 = 85, high 3 = 80, low 3 = 75,
high 2 = 70, low 2 = 65, high 1 = 60, low 1 = 55
School-wide Grading Requirements Are As Follows:
Semester Final Average 100%
1 Final Exam 15%
2 Course Final Average 85%
 Formative Assessment 50%
 Practice 15%
 Labs 35%
 Summative Assessment 50%
(major tests, projects)
Materials Needed
Three ring binder
Pencil and Pen
Post-it Notes
The Formative and Summative
Assessments equal 100% but fall
under the category of Course Final
Average which is 85% of the
Semester Final Average.
Notebook Paper
Colored Pencils
Positive Attitude
Calculator
Highlighters
Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is a fundamental value of quality education; therefore, Woodland
High School will not tolerate any acts of cheating, plagiarism, or falsification of school work. Should it be
determined that an academic integrity violation has taken place, the school reserves the right to assign a
grade of a zero and submit a disciplinary referral to the appropriate Assistant Principal. The school also
reserves the right to remove or suspend enrollment in any Advanced Placement/Honors classes as well as
Academic Honor Societies.
Study Sessions: Study sessions will be scheduled periodically and will require time before or after school. On
occasion, the study sessions will be recommended for all. In other cases, the study sessions will serve to
assist students who need extended time to master the content of the course.
Communication: Please review Infinite Campus for grade updates. Remind 101 will also be used for
reminders and study tips. Enrollment in Remind 101 is recommended. To enroll text: @apbio14whs to
(386) 742-6509. Email is an effective communication tool. My email address is sscudder@henry.k12.ga.us
Extra help will also be available before or after school when needed.
Study Tips
1. A biology textbook cannot be read the way you would read a novel! Begin by pre-reading the chapter; glance at
the section headings, charts and tables in order to organize the material in your mind and stimulate your
curiosity. This will make it easier to read the chapter and extract more information from it.
2. Be an active, not passive reader, by stopping frequently (at least every paragraph) and consider what you have
just read. What is the concept being discussed? Put it in your own words (out loud or by writing it down); by
doing so you are reprocessing and using the information presented in the text. Place a few key notes in you
notebook; make sure these notes include all new terms and illustrative examples.
3. Become a note taker and not a note copier! Simply writing down what is written on the board is passive
learning (it's a start, but is not as effective as it could be). To get the most out of taking lecture notes, do it in a
systematic manner. Before class read the textbook material to be covered in lecture. You will then use class
time more efficiently because you will learn more from the lecture, and you will be able to take better notes
having been introduced to many of the concepts in the text. During lecture do not attempt to write down every
word that is said; that approach is futile and unnecessary. Instead, focus on the major ideas.
4. Summarize information by making your own diagrams and tables which will allow you to rehearse and test
yourself on the material.
5. Relate new information to other, related information.
6. Study with a friend in the class and at home! Take turns explaining the material to each other. Set up on-going
study groups and meet at each other's home each week.
7. There is too much new material in a biology class to be able to learn two weeks' worth of material the night
before an exam! Review your text material and lecture notes daily so that you can avoid cramming at test time.
Daily studying and rehearsal helps get information into long-term memory.
8. Make the most of your time in lab by arriving fully prepared. AP Biology labs are too long and involved to try to
perform without having thoroughly read over them the day before.
How Can Parents Help:
1. Quiet structured study time! Help your child to establish a study routine by setting up a quiet study area and a
consistent quiet study time nightly. The routine will help them practice good study habits for college. Should
the study area be their bedroom or a family area, like the dining room? That depends on your household and
your child. If your child is self-motivated and can work steadily without supervision, then a quiet desk space in
their bedroom would work well. However, if their bedroom is equipped with distractions like a stereo or TV,
then this might not be conducive to concentrating on homework and the family area may work better.
2. Work on Biology EVERY night! For your child to stay up-to-date in this course they need to spend some time on
biology every night. The ideal would be about one (1) hour per night or approximately six (6) hours per week.
This would include textbook reading, lecture review, lab notebook assignments, extra credit assignments, and
test preparation. On weeks when they cannot devote that one hour on a weeknight, they should put in extra
time on weekends to make up for it. On nights where they have minimal time, your child should at least review
the day’s lecture notes (PowerPoint notes on the Web).
3. Support Study Groups! Encourage your child to arrange a study group with other students in the class. Each
student will have different strengths and weaknesses in this course. In one unit, your child will be the teacher
to other students and in a different unit they will be the student. Putting two or more heads together is always
a benefit. You never learn something as well as when you have to explain it to someone else. However let me
emphasize that, while study groups and cooperative effort are strongly encouraged; on final written work, all
students are required to craft their own answers and must have a completely uniquely worded answer for each
question!
4. Use a Lifeline! Encourage your child to ask for help. I can stay after any day for extra help. Also, all my AP
students have my e-mail address and they can readily e-mail me for help at any time after school hours and I
will make every effort to reply to them immediately. Do not allow them to feel like they are intruding, I am here
to help them understand and learn to love the subject of Biology as much as I do.
5. Don’t Panic! Stick with it! Some parts of this course will come more easily than others. Encourage your child to
work steadily and not to be discouraged. Success will build as they improve their critical thinking skills and their
writing ability through practice. This is a college course and they are working on more than learning biology;
they are working on skills that they will use to succeed academically for years to come. Your child needs to
work hard and work steadily and they will be rewarded in this course!
Ms. Scudder’s AP Biology Syllabus
“I understand the course requirements and expectations outlined in the course syllabus. I also understand
that I may contact Ms. Scudder at Woodland High with any questions or concerns I might have.”
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Student Signature
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Parent/Parents’ Signature
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Date
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