Advanced Placement Biology
Instructor: Mrs. Elaine Piscitell
Fabius-Pompey Middle/High School
683-5811 (school)
episcitell@fabius.cnyric.org
Text:
Biology AP* Edition, 8th ed, Campbell, Neil A. & Reece, Jane B., 2008,
Benjamin Cummings.
Test Prep Book:
AP Test Prep Workbook for Campbell Biology – Revised for New Curriculum / 2013
All students will be required to purchase this review book.
Course Description (*reflects the revised AP Biology Curriculum instituted in 2012/2013)
The revised AP Biology course is the equivalent of a two-semester college introductory biology
course that prepares students for higher level college courses in more specific areas of biology.
This new course emphasizes scientific inquiry and reasoning skills, mathematical
manipulation of data, and conceptual thinking that connects ideas across broad areas of
biology. Students should enter the course with a strong interest in the biological sciences and a
solid foundation of knowledge in both biology and chemistry. Many of the topics in the course
focus on cellular processes on the molecular level.
The course is organized around four major conceptual ideas in science:
Big Idea 1: The process of evolution explains 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.
To succeed in AP Biology students must be highly motivated to learn. Students keep an
Interactive Notebook where they “interact” with course content. Homework may consist of
reading and taking notes in the notebook, watching animations or streaming videos of biology
content/concepts while recording notes and questions in the notebook, or doing practice
problems. This essentially replaces the Power Point teacher lecture. Class time is devoted to
working together in Learning Teams on activities that reinforce and extend the learning done for
homework. Therefore, homework is important and attending class is critical to success in the
course. Students will learn and apply critical thinking skills. This is not a “memorize and
regurgitate” course. Periodically I will look at the interactive notebooks and grade them for
completeness and quality.
LABS
The laboratory portion of the course will consist of at least 8 multi-part, inquiry driven labs that
typically will take several days to carry out and will include mini-poster presentations and/or
written lab reports to present results. These labs will require students to formulate their own
questions, develop hypotheses, and design and carry out investigations. These are not cookbook
style labs with predetermined results that are considered “correct”.
Throughout the course you will be expected to become comfortable with and demonstrate the
following seven Science Practices:
Science Practice 1: The student can use representations and models to communicate
scientific phenomena and solve scientific problems.
Science Practice 2: The student can use mathematics appropriately.
Science Practice 3: The student can engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to
guide investigations.
Science Practice 4: The student can plan and implement data collection strategies
appropriate to a particular scientific question.
Science Practice 5: The student can perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.
Science Practice 6: The student can work with scientific explanations and theories.
Science Practice 7: The student is able to connect and relate knowledge across various
scales, concepts and representations in and across domains.
Class Rules
1. Be on time (no excuses)
2. Be prepared (no excuses)
3. Be courteous and cooperative (no excuses)
*** Excessive absences from class and lab will severely hinder success in the course.
Grading
Tests, projects ………………..60% of your grade
Lab work, homework, quizzes …….40% of your grade
All assignments are due at the beginning of class. Assignments one day late = minus 10%
assignment. More than one day late = no credit
Test corrections to raise test grades will no longer be allowed.
You can see that the majority of your grade is based on test performance. This is a college course
and in college that is the way most course grades are determined. You cannot expect to fail every
test and simply pass the course by doing all the homework. You must be able to demonstrate real
knowledge and ability on tests.
Materials to bring to class:
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3 ring binder (small one)
pencil, pen, colored pencils, markers, highlighters
bound composition notebook, college-ruled for Interactive Notebook (I will supply your
first one, but you will need several for the year)
simple 4 function calculator with square root function (no scientific or graphing
calculators allowed)
Students are required to take the AP Biology Exam given by the College Board in mid May.
The AP Exam
Format:
90 minute multiple choice section (including 6 grid-in math calculations) 50%
90 minute free-response section 50%
AP Exam Grades
AP GRADE
5
4
3
2
1
QUALIFICATION
Extremely Well Qualified
Well Qualified
Qualified
Possibly Qualified
No Recommendation