AP Biology Syllabus
Jamroz
Course Description: The AP Biology course is designed to be the equivalent of a college introductory biology course
usually taken by biology majors during their first year. The two main goals are to develop a conceptual framework for
modern biology and to gain experience and appreciation of biology through experimentation and inquiry. AP Biology will
include those topics regularly covered in a college biology course for majors. The college course in biology differs
significantly from the usual first high school course in biology with respect to the kind of textbook used, the range and
depth of topics covered, the kind of laboratory work done by students, and the time and effort required of students. The
AP Biology course is designed to be taken by students after the successful completion of a first course in high school
biology and one course in high school chemistry. The goal of this course is to provide students with the conceptual
framework, factual knowledge, and analytical skills necessary to deal critically with the rapidly changing science of
biology.
Class Expectations:
1. Attend class daily – on time!
2. Pay careful intelligent attention in class
3. Participate in class activities by asking questions, contributing to class discussions, and performing laboratory
experiments
4. Complete all reading and homework assignments on time
5. Respect your classmates and teacher
6. Take the AP exam
Lab Activities:
All of the 12 AP laboratory experiments will be performed in this class in addition to numerous additional laboratory
experiments. Laboratories will vary from observational to open ended experimental design. There are two forms of lab
reports that will be completed: the formal written lab report and the “fill in the blank” lab report. Both contribute to the
30% of your quarter grade. Generally, the “fill in the blank” lab reports are due the day after the lab is completed and
the formal lab reports are due within one week. Five points will be deducted for each day that your lab reports are late.
Unit Exams:
Any material from the assigned readings, study guides, experiments and lab reports and from class discussions and
activities is considered fair game for the exams. Usually 2-4 chapters are included on one exam. The format of all exams
will be approximately 40 multiple-choice questions and one essay question. Each exam will be out of 100 points. The
multiple-choice section will be completed on scantron so can only be taken with a pencil. The essay portion will be
written in either blue or black ink. Generally, the exams will take an entire period
Assignments:
Daily reading assignments are required. The reading assignments will prepare you for the class discussion and activities.
Some reading assignments are assigned before the class discussion other after. Please see the calander for your reading
assignments. If it is evident that the reading assignments are not being done, then a pop quiz maybe given at any time.
In order to improve your reading skills we will be using a reading guide. If you receive a 75% (un-curved) or below on a
test you will be responsible for completing the reading guide for the chapters covered on the exam. You will turn in the
reading guide within one week after the exam is passed back with a ½ sheet attached. If the reading guide is correct and
on time you will receive 1 additional point on your test. All students may complete the reading guide for any chapters for
one additional point on the test.
The study guide assignments are for your benefit. They may be used in class as points of discussion for review, but will
not be graded.
There will be a number of student presentations throughout the semester. Most presentations will take 3-5 minutes. You
are expected to prepare your best work for these presentations. Your grade on the presentation will contribute to the
class participation and quiz percentage.
Grades:
Each quarter, the grade you earn will be determined from the following areas: Chapter Exams ad Reading Quizzes
(60%), Lab reports (40%). Each quarter grade counts as 40% of the semester grade and the final counts as 20% of the
semester grade. The numeric score is aligned with the district grading scale, which is in your student handbook. You will
have a quarter test which can replace your lowest test grade but will also count as a test grade. The quarter test will be
made up of AP questions and scored on an AP scale.
The AP Exam: The exam will be held on the second Monday of AP testing in the morning session. The exam will consist
of multiple choice questions (Section I) and free response questions (Section II). Each AP exam is given an overall grade
of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, with 5 indicating a student who is extremely well qualified to receive college credit.
% of Grade
Number of Questions
Minutes Allotted
Section I
60
100
80
Section II
40
4
10-minute reading period
90-minute writing period
Units with Time Frames
I.
II.
III.
Molecules and Cells
25%
a.
Chemistry of Life (7%)
i.
Water
ii.
Organic Molecules in organisms
iii.
Free Energy changes
iv.
Enzymes
b.
Cells (10%)
i.
Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
ii.
Membranes
iii.
Sub-cellular organization
iv.
Cell cycle and its regulation
c.
Cellular Energetics (8%)
i.
Couple reactions
ii.
Fermentation and cellular respiration
iii.
Photosynthesis
Heredity and Evolution
a.
Heredity (8%)
i.
Meiosis and gametogenesis
ii.
Eukaryotic chromosomes
iii.
Inheritance patterns
b.
Molecular Genetics (9%)
i.
RNA and DNA structure and function
ii.
Gene regulation
iii.
Mutation
iv.
Viral structure and replication
v.
Nucleic acid technology and applications
c.
Evolutionary Biology (8%)
i.
Early evolution of life
ii.
Evidence for evolution
iii.
Mechanisms of evolution
Organisms and Populations
50%
a.
Diversity of Organisms (8%)
i.
Evolutionary patterns
ii.
Survey of the diversity of life
iii.
Phylogenetic classification
iv.
Evolutionary relationships
b.
Structure and Function of plants and animals (32%)
i.
Reproduction, growth and development
ii.
Structural, physiological and behavioral adaptations
iii.
Response to the environment
c.
Ecology (10%)
i.
Population dynamics
ii.
Communities and ecosystems
iii.
Global issues
25%