AP Biology
Course Syllabus
Steve Colwell
Powell County High School
Philosophy
With all the advances in the field of biology and the resulting issues, it becomes more and
more important for the general public to have a solid understanding of the general
principals of biology. Not only will they need this knowledge to help with food selection
and health decisions for their own persons and their families, but for future political
decisions concerning the issues of biotechnology and issues concerning global climate
change. Teaching this course offers a wonderful advantage in that I am able to see the
varying viewpoints concerning these challenges and how those viewpoints are sometimes
altered as the student gains more knowledge. Therefore, not only is the goal of this
course to give you knowledge in the field of biology, but the experience to use that
knowledge to apply to whatever endeavors you might seek in life.
Overview
This course is designed to be the equivalent of an introductory college course in biology.
Our school schedule of (5) 52 minute class periods will be modified to accommodate the
lab component of the course. A minimum of one 90-minute lab will be scheduled each
week. For this lab period, we will schedule the class period to begin early or to stay late
as the schedule dictates. Because some of the labs require repeated observation, students
will be required to come to the lab at other times for observations and other data
collections. Organization (both time and material) is important in this course. Students
will be required to keep a lab journal that contains all data from each of the labs.
The textbook for the course is Biology, by Sylvia S. Mader 9th Edition. Published by
McGraw Hill publishing company.
We will also be using parts of the accompanying lab manual. Many of these labs will be
modified (parts may be deleted or materials may be added).
Each unit of the course will complement one or more of the eight major themes of
biology. These themes are:
Science as a Process
Energy Transfer
Relationship of Structure to Function
Interdependence in nature
Evolution
Continuity and Change
Regulation
Science, Technology and Society
Unit 1: Life Science and Biochemistry (3 weeks)
Textbook Correlation
Chapters 1,2, and 3 in text.
Class Activities
Review of characteristics of life
Review of Scientific Method
Presentation of major themes with characteristics
Review of basic chemistry
 subatomic particles
 molecular weight and isotopes
 3-D structure of molelcules
Lecture on the properties of water and pH
Lab Activities
Scientific Method (modified from Mader lab manual)
Lecture on major classes or organic molecules
H2Olympics (Project WET)
Molecular modeling of important organic molecules
Chemical Composition of Cells (modified from Mader lab manual)
Unit 2: The Cell (3 weeks)
Textbook Correlation
Chapters 4 and 5
Class Activities
Review on origin of the cells and cell types
Review on structures of the cell and within the cell
Presentation on membrane structure
Presentation on diffusion and osmosis
Specialized cell project
Lab Activities
Cell Structure and Function lab (modified from Mader lab manual)
Diffusion and Osmosis Lab (Carolina Biological AP-Lab 1)
Unit 3: Photosynthesis and Respiration (3 weeks)
Textbook Correlation
Chapters 6, 7, and 8
Class Activities
Review of chloroplast function and Photosynthesis Lecture
C3, C4 and CAM pathways
Review of mitochondria and Respiration Lecture
Role of enzymes in metabolism
Aerobic vs Anaerobic respiration
Glycolysis, Kreb’s cycle, and the Electron Transport Chain
Chemiosmosis
Lab Activities
Plant Pigment and Photosynthesis Lab (Carolina Biological AP-Lab 4)
Enzyme Catalysis (Carolina Biological modified AP-Lab 2)
Respiration in peas lab (using vernier technology AP-Lab 5)
Fermentation Lab
Unit 4: Molecular Genetics (3weeks)
Textbook Correlation
Chapters 13, 14, 15, and 16
Class Activites
Review of the basic structure of DNA
Presentation of the levels of DNA structure (primary, secondary, etc).
DNA Replication-Differences for prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms
Transcription
Translation
Mutations
Biotechnology (electrophoresis, RFLP, and PCR)
Genetic Engineering
Lab Activities
Cheek cell DNA extraction
Forensic DNA Fingerprinting (BioRad AP-Lab 6)
PV92 PCR informatics (BioRad AP-Lab 8)
pGLO Bacterial transformation (BioRad AP-Lab 6)
Unit 5: Cellular Reproduction (2 weeks)
Textbook Correlation
Chapters 9 and 10
Class Activities
Presentation of the cell cycle and mitosis
Differences in animal and plant mitosis
Abnormalities in mitosis
Chromosomal abnormalities
Lab Activities
Why are cells so small?
Mitosis and Meiosis (Carolina Biological AP-Lab 3)
Unit 6: Mendelian Genetics (3 weeks)
Textbook Correlation
Chapters 11 and 12
Class Activities
Presentation of mendelian genetics, laws of segregation and independent
assortment
Presentation of codominance, incomplete dominance, and sex linkage.
Chromosomal linkage and crossovers
Pedigree analysis
Chi-square and statistical observations
Operons and gene control
Lab Activities
Drosophila genetics (Carolina Biological-modified. AP-Lab 7)
Excerpts from Human Genetics lab (Mader)
Research project of genetic disorders
Review for Midterm Exam (1 week)
Unit 7: Evolution and Classification (2 weeks)
*This unit reinforced through microbiology, plant, and animal unit
Textbook Correlation
Chapters 17, 18, 19, and 20
Class Activities
Presentation of the origin of the theory
Processes of evolution
The origin of life
Classification of living things
Lab Activities
Hardy-Weinburg population genetics lab (AP-Lab 8)
Dichotomous Key to the evergreens
Unit 8: Microbiology (1 week)
Textbook Correlation
Chapters 21, 22, and 23
Class Activities
Presentation on viruses and bacteria
Presentation on protists and fungi
Lab Activities
Laboratory observation of various groups
Gram stain lab for bacteria
Unit 9: Plant Structure and Physiology (2 weeks)
Textbook Correlation
Chapters 24 -28
Class Activities
Plant life cycle- Alternation of generations
Major plant groups (excluding angiosperms and gymnosperms)
Gymnosperm anatomy
Angiosperm anatomy
Plant physiology
Lab Activities
Laboratory observations of major plant groups
Transpiration lab (AP-Lab 9)
Unit 10: Animal Structure and Physiology (3 weeks)
Textbook Correlation
Chapters 29 – 31 and 33 - 44
Class Activities
Presentations on the major groups of animals in terms of their organs and organ
systems
Homeostasis
Cardiovascular systems
Lymphatic systems
Digestive systems
Respiratory systems
Neurons and sensory
Locomotion and support
Hormones and regulation
Reproductive Systems
Animal Development (includes human development)
Lab Activities
Observation and dissection major animal groups with comparisons of different
systems
Human Physiology Lab (Vernier technologies AP-Lab 10)
Unit 11: Ecology (3 weeks)
Textbook Correlation
Chapters 46, 47, 48, 49, and 50
Class Activities
Review of ecology from biology I
Presentations on:
Ecosystem ecology (material and energy flow)
Community interactions
Population ecology
Major global biomes
Lab Activities
Bio-chambers (self made and monitored with vernier probes)
Dissolved oxygen and Primary productivity (Carolina Biological-modified APLab 12)
Field trip to Red River Gorge/Natural Bridge for observations and leaf litter
sampling
Unit 12: Animal Behavior (1 week)
Textbook Correlation
Chapter 45
Class Activities
Presentation on:
Innate vs learned behavior
Genetic vs Environmental influences
Communication among animals
Behavior as an adaptation
Lab Activities
Animal Behavior with pill bugs (Carolina Biological AP-Lab 11)
Course Format
This course will be taught using presentations through powerpoint and other media such
as videos. For each unit, the student will be assigned textbook reading that may be
supplemented from other sources. In addition to the lectures and reading, there will be
labs that reinforce the content being taught. Labs listed are not the only labs that will be
done. There may be shorter lab periods to teach techniques required for one of the labs or
to help reinforce the content.
There are 12 prescribed labs required for this course. As mentioned above, additional
labs will be incorporated to assist in meeting the goals for each unit. Students will be
required to keep a lab journal where all of their data collection and observations are to be
recorded. This will be checked periodically to ensure the journal is up to date.
Student Evaluation
Student grade will be determined by the following weights
Tests/quizzes
Lab reports
Presentations/projects
Classwork
40%
25%
15%
20%