Advanced Placement Biology
Course Syllabus
Course Information:
Advanced Placement Biology
Course Description:
A rigorous, lab-oriented course covering the major topics of introductory college-level biology.
Topics include molecules and cells, heredity and evolution, organisms and populations.
Prerequisites: SC49 Biology and SC71 Chemistry or SC72 CP Chemistry.
Texts:
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life by Cecie Starr and Ralph Taggart
Thomson Brooks/Cole publisher. Eleventh edition, c. 2006
Selected labs from:
Biology Lab Manual Advanced Placement Program
published by The College Entrance Examination Board, c. 2001
Investigating Biology by Judith Morgan and M. Eloise Carter
Pearson Benjamin Cummings publisher. Sixth edition, c. 2008
Course Materials:
3 ring binder & loose leaf notebook paper--no spiral notebook paper, please
pencil and blue or black ink pen
10 x 7 inch quad-ruled lab book—available in the high school bookstore
Course Objectives/Competencies:
Advanced Placement biology is designed to help students develop a conceptual framework for modern
biology and gain an appreciation of science as a process. The course will provide students with the
knowledge and analytical skills necessary to understand the rapidly changing science of biology.
Students will gain personal experience in scientific inquiry and apply biological knowledge and
critical thinking to environmental and social concerns. Core concepts called “enduring
understandings” and their application via the science practices are the basis of the AP Biology
curriculum. Students will also be able to recognize the big ideas that integrate the major topics of
biology:
Evolution
Energy in Biological Systems
Heritable Information and Continuity
Interactions of Biological Systems
Course Outline:
school week
week 1,2,3
weeks 4,5,6
weeks 7,8,9
Unit
Science of Biology,
Chemistry of Life
Cells
weeks 10-14
Cellular Energetics
(midterm exam)
Heredity
weeks 15-18
Molecular Genetics
weeks 19-21
Evolutionary Biology
(semester final exam)
Reproduction, Growth,
and Development
Adaptations
weeks 22-24
weeks 25-26
weeks 27-28
weeks 29-31
weeks 32-36
weeks 37-38
Plants
(midterm exam)
Body Systems
Labs
diffusion, osmosis
enzymes, pH
cell types
mitosis
respiration
photosynthesis
molecular biology
population gen.
transformation
restriction enzymes
Hardy-Weinberg
artificial selection
meiosis
fruit fly life cycle
animal behavior
plant anatomy
transpiration
nervous control;
immunity
Ecology & Test Review dissolved oxygen;
(AP Bio Exam May)
symbiosis
Aquaponics
ecosystem lab
(final exam)
Grading System:
Grades will be assigned based on the student’s earned percentage of points available
from class participation, assignments, labs, quizzes and tests.
No extra credit or curving of grades is allowed.
The following is the grading scale:
A=90%-100%
semester grades will be calculated accordingly:
B=80%-89%
1st nine weeks
40%
C=70%-79%
2nd nine weeks 40%
D=60%-69%
final exam
20%
F=below 60%
Class Policies:
Attendance: Students are expected to be on time, in class and ready to work every time
the class meets. Work missed due to an unexcused absent will not receive credit. It is
the responsibility of the student to get any assignments missed due to an excused
absence and turn these in on time. Students have one day for every excused day absent
to turn in work that was assigned while they were absent. Students will be swept who
are not in the classroom when the bell rings. Students that are swept must see the
teacher prior to school starting the next day in order to have the opportunity to make up
work. Make up will not be allowed for tests and quizzes missed due to sweep. Material
that is covered in class is important. Students need to be in class, attentive and actively
participating every class period. Each student will have only one emergency hall pass
each quarter. A valid student id. and student sign-out will be required to use the hall
pass.
Assignments, Quizzes and Tests: All assignments are due no later than 3:00 pm of the
assigned date. These will include essays, reading questions, abstracts, and lab reports.
Late work will not be accepted. Not doing an assignment leads to poor performance in
class. Please stay on top of things; don’t fall behind by not doing assignments. All
assigned material is designed to help the student learn biology. While not all
assignments will be collected and graded, all assignments should be completed
accurately and kept in the student notebook. Quiz and test questions will be taken from
the assigned material. Students will have the responsibility of keeping track of
assignments and academic progress using their biology notebook.
Notebook: Each student is required to keep a three-ring binder as a notebook for the
class. The notebook will contain the objectives and assignments, in order, for each unit.
Assignments will be neat and kept in the proper sequence. A good quality notebook
will be very useful for completing homework and preparing for tests.
Science Philosophy
This biology class is designed to challenge all students to develop critical thinking skills
and specific science skills in meeting the required 25% of instructional time doing
hands-on laboratory work. An emphasis will be placed on science as a process and the
importance of evolution as a major foundation of modern biology. Students will be
expected to understand the role of science and higher level thinking in solving critical
environmental and social issues facing our modern society. Through diligent and
consistent effort students will come away from the class with a conceptual framework
of modern biological knowledge, trained as better problem solvers and more informed
members of the biosphere.
Class Behavior: Here are some simple guidelines for class behavior:
 be honest
 always contribute positively to the learning environment
 be respectful (of yourself, others, and the facilities)
 do your best, challenge yourself
 be prepared for academic work during class
In order to get the most out of class show up ready to work and participate fully in the
activities presented. Remember all school policies and rules also apply. Leave at home
all items that disrupt the learning environment. Remember no food or drinks in the
science lab and only bottled water is allowed in the classroom.
Communication: Please feel free to discuss any concerns or questions with me directly.
It is my hope that each student is successful and enjoys this year of science. I am
available nearly every day either before school, at lunch, or after school. I encourage
any students that need extra help to stop by. I look forward to a rewarding and
successful year of biology.
AP Biology Unit Reading Topics
CHEMISTRY OF LIFE UNIT
 water
 polarity & H+ bonding
 cohesive behavior, moderate temperature, expands when frozen, universal solvent
 acids & bases
 organic molecules in organisms
 carbon & carbon bonding
 chemical groups:
 hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxyl, amino, sulfhydryl, phosphate, methyl
 macromolecules:
 carbs, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids
 free energy changes
 energy and thermodynamics
 free energy changes
 ATP and cellular work
 enzymes
 lower energy barriers
 regulation of enzymes
CELLS UNIT
 prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
 microscopy
 prokaryotes
 structure & function
 reproduction
 nutrition & metabolism
 phylogeny
 role in biosphere
 impact on humans
 eukaryotes
 basic structure
 organization of eukaryotes
 membranes
 structure: fluid mosaic model
 selective permeability
 passive & active transport
 endo & exocytosis
 subcellular organization
 internal membranes
 nucleus & ribosomes
 organelles
 extracellular connections
 cell cycle and its regulation
 stages of the cell cycle
 mitosis
 molecular control system
CELLULAR ENERGETICS UNIT
 coupled reactions
 catabolic pathways
 fermentation
 alcohol
 lactic acid
 anaerobes
 cellular respiration
 glycolysis
 citric acid cycle
 electron transport
 other metabolic pathways
 photosynthesis
 capturing light
 light reactions
 Calvin cycle
HEREDITY UNIT
 meiosis and gametogenesis
 inheriting gene laden chromosomes
 sexual life cycles
 stages & products of meiosis
 genetic variation
 eukaryotic chromosomes
 structure of chromosomes
 Mendelian inheritance
 sex-linked genes
 linked genes
 inheritance patterns
 Mendel’s laws
 probability
 complex inheritance patterns
 incomplete dominance
 codominance
 multiple alleles
 polygenic inheritance
 humans & Mendelian patterns
 changes in chromosome number
 exceptions to chromosome theory
 genomic imprinting
 organelle genes
MOLECULAR GENETICS UNIT
 RNA & DNA structure and function
 composition & structure of DNA
 DNA replication & repair
 genes & the genetic code
 transcription & editing
 translation
 gene regulation
 in bacteria



 eukaryotic gene expression
 noncoding RNA’s & control
 genes & differentiation
 cancer & cell cycle control
mutation
 chromosomal
 point mutations
 mutations & cancer
 mutation & evolution
viral structure and replication
 viral structure
 host cells
 viral pathogens
nucleic acid technology and applications
 DNA cloning
 recombinant DNA
 restriction enzymes
 polymerase chain reaction
 technology for gene sequence, expression, & function
 stem cells & cloning organisms
 practical applications
 genome sequencing
 mapping
 Human Genome Project
 bioinformatics
EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY UNIT
 early evolution of life
 origin of life
 fossil record
 life history: single-celled, multicelled origins
 rise & fall of dominant groups
 evidence for evolution
 Darwin’s history
 examples: adaptive evolution, fossil record, homology, biogeography
 hybrid zones
 changes in body form
 mechanisms for evolution
 decent with modification by natural selection
 speciation
 evolution of populations
 genomes, evolutionary history, & molecular clocks
 tree of life
DIVERSITY OF ORGANISMS UNIT
 evolutionary patterns
 plant evolution
 animal evolution
 survey of the diversity of life
 bacteria & archaea
 protists
 fungi


 plants
 non-seed
 seed
 animals
 invertebrates
 vertebrates
phylogenetic classification
 phylogeny, phylogenetic trees, cladistics
 examples form different kingdoms
evolutionary relationships
 tree of life
 kingdoms & change
REPRODUCTION, GROWTH, and DEVELOPMENT UNIT
 bacteria & unicellular organisms
 plants
 non-seed
 seed
 animals
 asexual
 sexual
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF ANIMALS UNIT
 structural, physiological, and behavioral adaptations
 response to the environment
 survey
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF PLANTS UNIT
 structural, physiological, and behavioral adaptations
 response to the environment
 survey of plant kingdom
ECOLOGY UNIT
 population dynamics
 densities & demographics
 life histories
 exponential & logistic models
 human population
 communities
 aquatic biomes
 terrestrial biomes
 interactions
 control of community structure
 disturbance & succession
 biogeographic factors
 ecosystems
 energy flow & chemical cycling
 limiting factors
 human impacts
 global issues
 ecology & the biosphere
 carrying capacity for humans
 conservation biology
 restoration ecology