AP Biology Course Syllabus
Course Overview:
AP Biology is a challenging course designed to give you an overview of Biology. This is
accomplished by breaking the topic in to three sections of study. These are:
1. Molecules and Cells (25% of the course)
2. Heredity and Evolution (25% of the course)
3. Organisms and Populations (50% of the course)
Throughout the course, we’ll be emphasizing 8 themes that run through each of these
topics, as follows: Science as a process, Evolution, Energy transfer, Continuity and
change, Relationship of structure to function, Regulation, Interdependence in nature, and
Science, technology, and society.
Homework for the course will involve reading and summarizing chapters in your
textbook, as well as writing assignments that help you to relate the 8 themes to current
topics in Biology.
Laboratory work is essential to your success in class. Labs give us concrete examples of
the topics that we’re studying in class and give us a platform for discussing data. You
will do a lab every week, which will constitute 25% of your time in class. Lab reports
will help you to understand how the scientific process works. In addition, just as
laboratory scientists present and discuss their data, you will be expected to do the same.
You should expect to see written questions on your tests for each unit that relate to the
lab work we’ve done.
Course Materials:
You will
1. be assigned and responsible for Campbell, Reece, and Mitchell: Biology, fifth
edition. In addition, lecture notes will be generated using the following texts
(copies of which are available in class for student reference and use):
a. Campbell, Reece, Urry, Cain, Wasserman, Minorsky, and Jackson:
Biology, eighth edition
b. Freeman: Biological Science, third edition
c. Solomon, Berg, and Martin: Biology, eighth edition
d. Sadava, Heller, Orians, Purves, and Hillis: Life: the science of Biology,
eighth edition
e. Alters and Alters: Biology: Understanding Life
2. need to purchase a 3-ring binder with both notebook and graph paper, as well as
tabs for Lecture Notes, Labs, Tests, Biology Themes, and current Biology topics
3. need to bring a calculator, and will need to know your school computer log-in for
access to the internet. It is recommended that you also have internet access at
home.
Expectations:
1. You should make attendance a priority. Missing a lab can mean that you’re
missing vital information for your understanding.
2. You owe yourself 90 minutes of Biology during AP Biology class. Success
requires commitment to the topic, and that requires your full attention during
class. You will not be given “free time,” nor should you work on assignments for
other classes during our class time.
3. Laboratory work MUST be done safely. Follow all directions given, and do not
attempt to use laboratory equipment until you’re instructed on how to do so
correctly.
Grading:
We will use our school’s standard grade scale for the course: 93-100=A, 85-92=B, 7784=C, 70-76=D, and less than 70=F. You’ll be evaluated on homework, tests, labs, and
daily coursework as follows:
Tests
45%
Labs
40%
Homework and Daily grades
15%
Assignment due dates are strictly enforced. Late work will be accepted 1 day late for a
grade of 50%.
Course Outline:
Time
Spent
7 Days
6 Days
4 Days
3 Days
Content
Biochemistry
 Review of Basic Chemistry
 Role of water
 Biomolecules-structure and
function
 Role of Enzymes in
Metabolism
Cells
 Structure and Function
 Membrane Structure and
Function
 Cellular Growth and
Reproduction
 Cellular Communication
Photosynthesis
 Photosynthetic Pigments
 Chloroplast structure
 Light independent reactions
 Calvin Cycle
Cellular Respiration
 Structure and function of
ATP
Lab
AP Biology Lab
#2:Enzyme Catalysis
Textbook
Chapters
2-6
AP Biology Lab #1:
Diffusion and Osmosis
AP Biology Lab #3
Mitosis and Meiosis
7, 8, 11, 12
AP Biology Lab #4:
Plant Pigments and
Photosynthesis
10
AP Biology Lab #5:
Cellular Respiration
9





3 Days
4 Days
3 Days
2 Days
3 Days
7 Days
Mitochondrion Structure
Glycolysis
Krebs Cycle
ETC
Aerobic vs. Anaerobic
Respiration
Mendelian Heredity
 Genetic principles
 Punnett Squares
 Sex-linkage
 Complex inheritance
patterns
 Linkage maps
DNA and Protein Synthesis
 Structure and Function of
DNA and RNA
 Replication
 Transcription/Translation
 The genetic Code, codons
and anti-codons
 Types of RNA
 Protein Structure/function
 Types of Mutations
Genetics of Viruses and Bacteria
 Gene Regulation
 Operons
 Virus and Bacteria Structure
and Function
Organization and Control of
Eukaryotic Genomes
 Differences between
prokaryotic and eukaryotic
structure
 Gene expression
 Gene regulation
 Molecular Biology of
Cancer
DNA Technology
 Restriction Enzymes
 Recombinant DNA
Technology
 Principles of genetic
engineering
Evolution
AP Biology Lab#7:
Genetics of Organisms
Statistics Section: Chi2
analysis
13-15
Translation lab
16-17
DNA extraction from
E.coli
18
19
AP Biology Lab # 6:
Molecular Biology
20
AP Biology Lab #8
22-26




1 Day
2 Days
1 Day
10 Days
7 Days
10 Days
Evidence for evolution
Darwin and natural selection
Hardy-Weinberg
Natural selection and allele
frequency
 Speciation
Prokaryote Diversity
 Comparing and Contrasting
Archaebacteria and
Eubacteria
Kingdom Protista
Kingdom Fungi
Plants




Diversity
Trends in Plant Evolution
Structures and Growth
Transport and Vascular
tissue
 Transpiration
 Reproduction and
Development
 Regulation of plant
functions/hormones
Animals
 Developmental stages of
animals
 Body plans
 Trends in animal evolution
 Identification of
representatives of major
invertebrate and vertebrate
phyla
 Cell tissue, and organ
structures and how they
determine function
Animal Anatomy and Physiology
 Nutrition/Digestion
 Circulation and Gas
exchange
 The body’s defenses
 Homeostasis
 Chemical Signals/hormones
 Reproduction and
Development
Population Genetics
and Evolution
Bacterial Microscopy
27
Protist Microscopy
Fungus
examination/Dissection
AP Biology Lab # 9:
Transpiration
Tree ring lab
Stem/root/leaf
microscopy
Flower dissection
28
31
29, 30, 3539
Animal
32-34
Dissections/inspections
AP Biology Lab #10:
Physiology of the
Circulatory System
40-49

2 Days
6 Days
81 Days
Nervous systems and
sensory mechanics
Behavioral Biology
Ecology
 The Biosphere and
Ecosystems
 Energy Flow
 Cycling of elements
 Human impact on the
environment
 Population dynamics
 Population Growth models
 Biotic and abiotic factors
 Competition and predation
 Organism defenses
 Succession
Total number of days.
At our school, AP Biology is taught
on a 4x4 block. Since it will be
taught in the spring, the AP exam
will be taken about 9 days prior to
the end of the semester.
AP Biology Lab #11:
Animal Behavior
AP Biology Lab #12:
Dissolved Oxygen and
Aquatic Primary
Productivity
51
50, 52-55