AP biology syllabus
Mr. John Murnan
Email: john.murnan@cherokee.k12.ga.us phone: 404-941-6192
Website: http://mysite.cherokee.k12.ga.us/personal/john_murnan/site/pages/AP%20Biology.aspx
Description
The AP Biology course is designed to be the equivalent of a two-semester college introductory Biology course. After
showing themselves to be qualified on the AP exam, some students, in their freshman year of college, are permitted to
take upper level courses in Biology or to register for courses that require Biology as a pre-requisite. Other students may
have fulfilled a basic degree requirement for a lab-based science course.
AP Biology includes topics regularly covered in a college Biology course for majors. The textbook used is a college Biology
text. The laboratories are equivalent to those done by college students. AP Biology is designed to be taken after the
successful completion of a first course in high school Biology and Chemistry. The course aims to provide students with
the conceptual framework, factual knowledge and analytical skills necessary to understand the rapidly changing fields of
Biological science.
Course outline
The primary goals of the course are to help students develop a conceptual framework for the understanding of Biology
and the appreciation of science as a process. Biology is a science that is adding new understanding and knowledge daily.
Primary emphasis of the course is on the developing an understanding of concepts. Essential to conceptual
understanding are these basic ideas: science is a process, not an accumulation of facts; the importance of personal
experience in scientific inquiry; knowing the unifying themes in Biology and the application of Biological knowledge and
critical thinking to ethical, environmental and social concerns.
All students enrolled in the AP Biology class are encouraged to take the AP Biology exam on Monday May 11, 2015.
Classroom Policies/Procedures
1. All School and County Policies will be followed in this classroom. Please read over your student handbook if you
have questions about the policies.
2. ABSOLUTELY NO Food, Drinks, Candy, or Gum are allowed in LAB at any time. Take care of all food/drink/bathroom
needs BEFORE you come to class.
3. This is a BYLD classroom, students are allowed to use personal electronic devices (phone, tablet, laptop) if there is a
specific academic purpose. All other non-academic uses are not permitted.
Resources:
Textbook: AP Edition of Biology (8th edition) by Campbell & Reece © 2008 Replacement cost of the text is $109.97; Open
Stax College Biology (available as a .pdf on the edmodo site), FREE
Optional Resources:
1. Senior Biology I and II Student workbook from Biozone.
a. Each book offers great graphics, content and workbook activities that are formatted to each AP Biology
topic.
2. An AP Biology review book
a. Available from a number of publishers including Cliff’s and Barron’s, these books usually cost about $20
and have both practice assessments and content review. The content review may not be specific to a
chapter, but are good for a unit review.
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Grades
First Semester: Tests/Exam- 60%; Laboratory Activities- 30%; All other activities (classwork, quizzes, etc…)- 10%
Second Semester: Tests 50%; Laboratory Activities- 25%; Review/ Other activities %25%
The Learning Log
For each unit, you will complete a learning log. The content of the learning log is spelled out in the handout for the unit
which also includes the schedule for the unit as well as the learning objectives covered. Some information required to
complete the learning log is covered in class, specifically concepts that have been shown to be difficult to past students.
Other items in the learning log you will need to complete on your own or with your study group.
Each learning log also has a set of pictures assigned with it. You must include the pictures in with the appropriate
essential knowledge from the learning log.
The learning log is your primary work associated with this course. You will turn in your complete learning log 1-2 days
before the test. Each time you turn it in, you will include all of your past learning logs. A complete learning log with
appropriate responses and included pictures will earn you 10 points on that unit test. Incomplete logs will earn less than
10 points, down to zero for those who don’t turn it in.
Test Scores
Tests are graded using the AP protocol. The MC section is worth 50% of the total test score. The Free Response (FR)
section is worth 50% of the total. Each test will have 20-26 MC items, 1 short FR (3-4 points) and 1 long FR (10 points).
Here is how your final test score is calculated: Raw test score (AP grading system) + learning log points + MC test
corrections (+1 point for each correction).
The Laboratory Program
Laboratory assignments offer the opportunity for students to learn about problem solving, the scientific method, the
techniques of research, and the use of scientific literature. Students are expected to demonstrate mastery of the
following science practices:
1. The student can use representations & 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 guide investigations
4. The student can plan & implement data collection strategies appropriate to a particular scientific question
5. The student can perform data analysis & 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, & representations in and across
domains
Lab Grades
Lab write ups are considered a formative activity. At the completion of each lab, students will complete a group or
individual lab report that is then evaluated by the instructor. Based on feedback, a lab report may be accepted for full
credit or sent back for editing. Editing may require rewriting or additional data collection. There is no pre-set limit to the
number of edits that may be required to get a report accepted. Failure to have a lab report accepted will result in a
grade of zero for that lab.
Lab Notebooks
All of the work done in preparation, during, and after the lab will be incorporated into your lab notebook. This will be a
journal of your learning through each of you lab experiences.
The format of each lab may be different, but the formal lab report will have elements in common for all labs.
Maintaining a lab book is a standard practice for all scientists and is the primary way that you support your research. In
this course, the lab book is a significant part of your grade, so make sure it reflects your best efforts.
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The lab book should be either a single subject spiral bound notebook or a composition book. You should have the lab
book with you consistently as you may need it for both formal and informal investigations. Lab notebooks will be
assessed twice each semester. This is a summative assessment and failure to maintain an accurate lab notebook will
result in a significant reduction in your lab grade.
Absences
Since all class activities and the calendar are posted online, it is expected that if you miss a class, then you will still be
able to stay current with what is going on in class. All assignments that are not formal tests will conform to the Cherokee
County policy on makeup work. If you ONLY miss class on the day that a unit test is given, then you will be expected to
make up the test the next day during class unless you make some other arrangement with me.
Class Sequence
The course is organized into 10 units: emergent properties; energy; cell communication; homeostasis I; inheritance;
gene/protein regulation; evolution; Homeostasis II; systems and cooperation/competition/diversity.
For each unit, there is an introductory video. For each level of essential knowledge, there are videos to support
instruction. It is expected that you will watch the short videos outside class so that we can address any questions you
have. Class time will be dedicated to discussing the relevant content and how it connects to the lab program and to
other content in the course.
At the completion of each unit there will be a formal assessment that mimics the format and difficulty of the AP exam.
Student performance on each assessment is used as a predictor of performance on the AP exam as well as a way to
identify areas of strength and weakness.
Students needing additional support can attend tutoring sessions any morning between 7:45 and 8:15. Students can also
schedule other times as needed. I am always available to support your progress and help you achieve your goal of
passing the AP exam.
Affirmation of Academic Integrity
All work turned in by you must be yours and yours alone. If you are using references from other sources, either directly
or indirectly, those must be cited and referenced. Citations and references must be in APA format. As the transmission
of information has become easier, the obligation for all persons to cite their references has become greater. Getting into
the habit of citing sources will allow you to protect yourself from the most common accusations of plagiarism or other
forms of academic dishonesty.
In the modern world, nothing is more valuable than your intellectual property. The value of what is in your mind can be
taken away from you when someone copies from your test or lab book or you may choose to give it away in an attempt
to help someone else. In the first case only the person stealing your intellectual property is culpable; in the second case,
both persons are culpable.
In both cases, the people committing academic fraud are failing to understand an essential condition of the human
experience: you will never be perfectly prepared for every challenge. Attempting to hide that fact by violating the honor
code and committing academic fraud exposes your character to question. For your long term development, it is better
to face up to the fact that you are not prepared for a particular assignment than to cheat and call your character into
question. If you are caught cheating in high school, the penalty may not have any long term effects, but we have seen
many examples of scientists who cheated in their research and lost their career. Accept that fact that you are not perfect
at everything. Do your best to be ready as often as possible and you can sleep well at night.
Please go to the address listed below and fill out the form signifying your acceptance of the
academic honesty affirmation: http://tinyurl.com/apbioaha12
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