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.
Teaching Philosophy: All students need an opportunity to experience science as a process and not just learn biology as a
collection of unrelated facts. This means that the course should emphasize how scientists use their observations and
readings to ask questions that can lead to new experiments. These experiments build on the work of others and
eventually lead to additional evidence on different topics. This investigative process will be used throughout this AP
Biology course. It is important for students to become excited with discovery as they ask and answer their own questions
about natural/biological phenomena that they see, read about, or experience in the laboratory and field. In addition, it is
critical that students connect new concepts with what they know, with each connection they help themselves build a solid
framework of biological knowledge and scientific know-how. This framework will help students to enter their future,
prepared for whatever may lie ahead of them.
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
Course Organization: This course is structured around the FOUR BIG IDEAS and the LEARNING TARGETS identified in the
Curriculum Framework(Attached). All essential knowledge will be taught and all learning objectives will be addressed
through this curriculum. The course will focus on inquiry-based laboratory work and the use of the seven science
practices in both lab and non-lab activities.
The FOUR BIG IDEAS are:
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.
The SEVEN SCIENCE PRACTICES are:
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 within the context of the AP course.
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.
The Laboratory Program: The students will be engaged in investigative laboratory work for a minimum of 25% of
instructional time. These labs will be inquiry based, student-directed investigations. There will be at least two laboratory
experiences per big idea selected from the list below from the AP Biology Investigative Lab Manual: An inquiry-based
approach (2012). The descriptions below summarize the student inquiry portion of the investigation. Additional prescribed
activities supplement the student inquiry.
Big idea 1: Evolution

BLAST Activity: Students use NCBI to compare DNA and protein sequences for organisms to test student-generated
hypotheses on their relatedness.

Hardy-Weinberg: Spreadsheet development to investigate factors affecting Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium.

Artificial Selection: Students will grow organisms such as Fast Plants and select for specific traits over several
generations.
Big idea 2: Cellular Processes; Energy and Matter

Cellular Respiration: Students investigate some aspect of cellular respiration in organisms.

Photosynthesis: Students investigate photosynthetic rate under a variety of student selected conditions.

Diffusion/Osmosis: Students investigate diffusion and osmosis in model systems and in plant tissue.
Big idea 3: Genetics and Information Transfer

Cell Division: Mitosis and Meiosis. Students compare mitotic rate after exposure to lectin or other substances
presumed to affect mitotic rate.

Bacterial Transformation: Students investigate bacterial transformation.

Restriction Enzyme Analysis: Students investigate restriction enzyme analysis.
Big idea 4: Interactions

Energy Dynamics: Students develop and analyze model systems that describe energy flow.

Fruit Fly Behavior: Students investigate chemotaxis in fruit flies.

Transpiration: Students investigate the movement of water through plants in a model system.

Enzyme Investigation: In an open inquiry lab, students will investigate and quantify factors that affect enzyme action.
Students will maintain a laboratory notebook based on the guidelines found in the lab manual. In addition to the
laboratory notebook, students will communicate to others in formats such as group presentations, PowerPoint
presentations, poster sessions, and written reports. Communication tools are not only for the laboratory experiences, but
represent examples of the collaboration, reflection, and articulation seen in the course as a whole.
These will contribute to the 40% 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. A 5% deduction will be made for each school
day that your lab reports are late.
Assessments: Formative and summative assessments will be given throughout the year. Students will be assessed
on the learning targets for the course. The formative assessments will be used to inform/adjust instruction to
address the needs of all learners. Any material from the assigned readings, study guides, mastering biology online
assignments, 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 include a sampling of AP Style Questions;
this may include multiple-choice questions, grid in questions, short or long essay questions. Each exam will be out of 100
points. 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 calendar
for your reading assignments.
In order to improve your reading skills we will be using a reading guide. These reading guides may take about one-two
hours to complete. Please make sure to schedule your time appropriately. Reading assessments will be given after each
reading assignment.
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.
Each quarter, the grade you earn will be determined from the following areas: Chapter Exams and 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.
Extra Help: If you are encountering difficulty with this class, please come and see Ms. Jamroz about extra
help immediately. Often problems with the material can be easily corrected in a short period of time. Do not wait
until the day before a test to seek help. Appointments before and after school are always possible and encouraged.
The AP Exam: The exam will be held on the second Monday of AP testing in the morning session. The exam is 3 hours
long and includes both a 90-minute multiple choice section and a 90-minute free-response section that begins with a
mandatory 10-minute reading period. The multiple-choice section accounts for half of the student’s exam grade, and the
free-response section accounts for the other half.) 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.
SECTION
I
II
QUESTION TYPE
Part A: Multiple Choice
Part B: Grid-in
Long Free Response
Short Free Response
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS
63
6
2
6
TIMING
90 minutes
80 minutes + 10 minute
reading period