AP Biology Syllabus 2015-2016
Instructor: Joanna Price
1. Welcome to AP Biology
Philosophy
Everything is changing. The best way to understand our world is to study it in the
context of change. We will explore using four essential questions to guide our inquiry: What is
changing? How is it changing? What is the mechanism of change? What is the rate of change?
By using these essential questions to focus our study, we will see all the living and non-living
world in evolutionary terms. Indeed, evolution is now the single greatest unifying theme in
biological research today.
Course Overview
Classes meet every day. Most class sessions include some part of a lab activity. Some
labs are extensive enough to require three to 4 days in a week just in the laboratory. Some labs
require long-term daily observations. The level of laboratory experience will surpass the 25%
instructional time required in hands-on laboratory work.
Students are given these things to help them plan ahead and stay on track:
 Course Syllabus
 Study Guides including reading assignments and problems.
 Remind Application/Email/Internet based assessment program./Access to textbook
website
 Course Calendar
Course Outline (tentative and subject to change)
Unit 1: Ecology (3 weeks) August
Unit 2: Mechanisms of Evolution (3 weeks) September
Unit 3: Biological Diversity (2 week) September-October
Unit 4: The Cell (6 weeks) October-November
Unit 5: The Chemistry of Life (4 weeks) December
Unit 6: Genetics (7 weeks) January-February
Unit 7: Plant Form and Function (3 weeks) February
Unit 8: Animal Form and Function (4 weeks) March
Review: (3 weeks) April
AP Exam: Monday, May 9, 2016
AP Biology Syllabus 2015-2016
Instructor: Joanna Price
Requirements
Students are required to read the textbook chapters listed in the syllabus. Also, to prepare
in advance of class doing the assigned DPQ’s. There will be quizzes for each chapter as well as
unit tests. In addition to the in class assignments and labs each student will be required to do
online assignments outside of class time. All students who take the AP Biology course are
required to do an independent research project/experiment.
Every AP Biology student is expected to prepare for and take the AP Exam. We will
discuss and practice previous AP Exam questions and they will receive assignments to help them
do these things.
Delivery
This class will be a hybrid of in-class experiences and instructional technology learning activities
and assessments.
Workload
Reading outside of class is required to keep up and go beyond what is done in class. Students
will come prepared to share solutions to assigned problems with each other. Online assessments
may be required outside of class time as well as PDQ’s. (Pre-Discussion Questions). The
average student can expect to spend about 1 hour beyond class time every day to be successful.
Welcome and I look forward to a great year with you!
Mrs. Price
2. Summer Assignment
Welcome to Mrs. Price’s “Summer of Biology” 2015
An evolving creation!
Dun….dun…dun…dun…dun…
Is it safe to go back in the water? NO!
Like a shark, there lurks the AP Biology Summer Assignment!
AP Biology Syllabus 2015-2016
Instructor: Joanna Price
This summer you will delve into the world of biology like you never thought you would.
In these hot months we will explore many topics to whet your appetite for the coming year of
hard work.
This summer assignment has been designed for five purposes:
• to get you to think during those summer months to keep your mind sharp, because I will
expect a lot out of it come August!
• to expand your vocabulary by familiarizing you with terms that we will be using in class.
• to introduce you to major concepts from AP Biology through non-classroom methods of
learning.
• to have you earn three strong grades to help you begin the first quarter with confidence.
• to decrease the amount of new material that you will have to learn during the school year.
Task 1- TODAY
jprice@gcsd.k12.sc.us AND joannaprice@me.com
EVERY STUDENT MUST EMAIL ME WITH AN INTRODUCTION
ABOUT YOURSELF.
Right NOW:
Register for your textbook website access. See instructions below.
Access Instructions for Campbell’s Biology, 8th AP Edition.
 Visit http://pearsonschool.com/access
 Enter 1st 6 letters of access code below (SSNAST)
 Click “Enter Code”
 Click “Covered Titles”
 Click “Science”
 Click “Campbell, Biology 8e AP Edition
 Click “Student Registration”
 Click “Accept”
 Click “No”
 Create an account following the directions given using the following access code:
SSNAST-WHIFF-SKELF-TURVY-RUGBY-POPES
 Click “Join a Class” in the upper right corner of the webpage.
Use this code for the Class ID: MBPRICE46347

You may exit the program.
Task 2- Go to the website below and do the following:
 http://dpapbio.wikispaces.com/
AP Biology Syllabus 2015-2016
Instructor: Joanna Price




Click on UNIT CONTENT in the left menu.
Do pre-discussion questions for all 6 Ecology Presentations. Turn them in via email.
These must be completed before the first day of school.
Do NOT wait until the last minute-You will have your first Unit Test the first weeks of
school on this material.
Task 3- Read the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and respond to the emails you
get from me during the summer. YOU MAY BE ASKED TO BLOG or ANSWER
QUESTIONS VIA EMAIL.
Check your e-mail regularly for messages from Mrs. Price throughout summer.
CALL ME –TEXT ME!!!!!!
843-833-4228
3. Course Information
Course Title: Advanced Placement Biology
Prerequisites: Biology 1 and Chemistry 1
Description: This course will prepare you to take and pass the College Board
Advanced Placement Exam
Intended Audience: Students grade 11 or 12 attending Carvers Bay High School,
Georgetown, SC
4. Goals and Outcomes
Course Goals
The following Big Ideas express the overall objective to be accomplished through this course.
Students will understand:
AP Biology Syllabus 2015-2016
Instructor: Joanna Price

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.
Course Outcomes
After completing this course, students will be proficient in the following:
Science Practices
Students establish lines of evidence and use them to develop and refine testable explanations and
predictions of natural phenomena. Focusing on these disciplinary practices enables teachers to
use the principles of scientific inquiry to promote a more engaging and rigorous experience for
AP Biology students. Such practices require that students:
• Use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve
scientific problems
• Use mathematics appropriately
• Engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigations within the
context of the AP course
•Plan and implement data collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific
question
•Perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence
•Work with scientific explanations and theories
•Connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts, and representations in
and across domains.
Inquiry-Based Investigations
Twenty-five percent of instructional time is devoted to hands-on laboratory work with an
emphasis on inquiry-based investigations. Investigations require students to ask questions, make
observations and predictions, design experiments, analyze data, and construct arguments in a
collaborative setting, where they direct and monitor their progress.
By accomplishing these outcomes each student should be able to pass the Advanced Placement
Biology Exam.
AP Biology Syllabus 2015-2016
Instructor: Joanna Price
5. Grading
Each quarter assignment will fall into the weighted types below.
Assignment Types
Points
Percentage of Grade
Daily Assignments
Vary
20
Chapter Quizzes
Vary
15
Unit Tests
200
40
Labs
50 (quizzes)
25
50
(performance)
NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE GIVEN ANY CREDIT!
Course Assessments
Student Evaluation
Students are evaluated on their performance on the chapter quizzes, unit tests, and lab
performance/reports. Chapter quizzes will be formatted multiple ways, but are designed to take
no longer than 15 minutes to complete and give the students immediate feedback.
Unit tests are comprehensive; multiple choice and free response questions designed to be
completed within an hour or so. Labs will be evaluated on a qualitative, subjective basis for
performance. A written evaluation is founded on the AP Biology Lab Manual as well as the
formal lab reports as required
AP Biology Syllabus 2015-2016
Instructor: Joanna Price
Homework will consist of study guide problems, Problem of the Week, questions found
in the textbook and various other online and handout activities.
NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE GIVEN ANY CREDIT!
Quizzes
There will also be an online quizzes as well as paper/pencil quizzes done in class. Students must
do some of these activities outside of class time by the due date of completion.
NO LATE Quizzes Assignments WILL BE GIVEN ANY CREDIT!
Discussions
Most discussions will take place in class, however, successful participation will require
completion of PDQ’s prior to discussion.
Assignments
Reading/Homework
There are chapters assigned from the textbook for reading and class instruction. Reading outside
of class is required to keep up and go beyond what is done in class. Students will come prepared
to share solutions to assigned problems with each other. Study guides are provided online from
the textbook website and are the students’ responsibility to print-out and turn in.
There will also be an online component to required assignments and assessments. Students must
do some of these activities outside of class time by the due date of completion.
NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE GIVEN ANY CREDIT!
Lab Component
Small lab activities are included along with the AP lab requirements. These short
activities are designed to help the student grasp individual concepts before putting them together
in a full scale lab.
These different experiences stress that biology and science in general are processes. Lab
activities emphasize development and testing of the hypothesis; collection, analysis, and
presentation of data, and clear discussion of results. Formal lab reports may be required and
must include the aforementioned elements, as well as proper labeling of tables and graphs, and
appropriate background research. Lab work is continuous throughout the course. Some labs
even overlap in order to finish all the required labs.
Some instruction periods will be spent in the computer lab making use of the instructional
resources there. Students must also use online resources for review and study outside of class.
There is time in the schedule for AP Exam review and preparation.
After the AP Exam, students will focus on the completion of their research project and prepare
for the final exam.
AP Biology Syllabus 2015-2016
Instructor: Joanna Price
Grades
Score
Grade
90-100
A
86-89
B+
80-85
B
76-79
C+
70-75
C
66-69
D+
60-65
D
Incomplete
A grade of incomplete may be granted to students who have suffered serious personal illness or
critical emergency circumstances during the academic term, resulting in failure to complete all
assignments by the end of the quarter. Documentation from a physician is required and must be
attached to the petition for a temporary grade of incomplete. Please see the college catalog for
additional information.
6. Textbooks and Supplies
Required Texts


8th edition of Neal A. Campbell and Jane B. Reece’s Biology.
AP Biology Lab Manual published by The College Board.
AP Biology Syllabus 2015-2016
Instructor: Joanna Price
7. Schedule
Module 1: Ecology
In this unit we will explore three levels of interactions that take place in living systems. We will
also look at the interactions between biotic and abiotic factors in living systems. In order to learn
how scientists discover these things will do two inquiry laboratory investigations.
Topics:
Reading Assignment: Chapters 51-56
 Population Ecology
 Community Ecology
 Ecosystems
 Animal Behavior
 AP Lab Dissolved and Aquatic Primary Productivity
 AP Lab Animal Behavior
8. Course Policies
Time Management
This class will be a hybrid of in-class experiences and instructional technology.
Carvers Bay High School attendance policies are:
I. ATTENDANCE
A. Absence
1. All make-up work and examinations missed during an absence must be
attended to by you on the day you return to class. You are expected to check the
website to keep track of due dates. Missed work will normally be due the
following day. An absence before a quiz or examination does not excuse you
from taking the test. Late assignments receive no credit.
B. Tardiness
1. You are tardy if you are not in your seat at the beginning of the period when
the tardy bell rings.
2. Consequences for tardiness will be in addition to school consequences and as
follows:
1st Tardy = verbal warning
2nd Tardy = call home
3rd Tardy = teacher detention
AP Biology Syllabus 2015-2016
Instructor: Joanna Price
4th Tardy or more = Assistant Principal
3. Note that failure to show up for detention will result in an additional
consequence for defiance.
C. Cutting
1. First Offense: Parent Call and loss of possible points. Any points to be earned
that class session are forfeited.
2. Second Offense: Referral to Administration for further discipline.
II. ONLINE TIME REQUIREMENTS:
A. It is entirely up to you how much time you will invest using the online learning tools.
However, you should plan on about 1 hour per day outside of class time.
B. Online assessments will very in the amount of time you are given to complete and submit
for grading.
Participation
Depending on the class activities, you are responsible for completing weekly assignments,
participating in discussion groups, and checking in to the course site on a consistent basis.
Dropping the course
You have ten (10) school days at the beginning of the academic year to drop this class. You
must see your guidance counselor and have parental consent. If you miss the deadline to drop
you will not be able to drop later,
Deadlines
You will always be given explicit instructions on where to send your assignments. Assignments
are usually due on a weekly basis – the exact dates will always be found in the activities. If you
wish to complete an assignment prior to the due date, you may (however, a group assignment
must be completed during the week assigned OR upon approval of every member of the group).
NO LATE SUBMISSION WILL BE ACCEPTED. PLEASE BE AWARE OF THIS POLICY
AND SUBMIT YOUR WORK ON TIME. This policy will be strictly enforced.
Academic Integrity
Under all circumstances, students are expected to be honest in their dealings with faculty,
administrative staff, and fellow students. In speaking and/or correspondence with members of the
college community, students must give an accurate representation of the facts at hand. Students
must submit work that fairly and accurately reflects their level of accomplishment. Any work
AP Biology Syllabus 2015-2016
Instructor: Joanna Price
that is not a product of the student’s own effort is considered dishonest. Students may not submit
the same work for more than one course. A student may be suspended or expelled for academic
dishonesty. Please refer to the Student Handbook for additional information regarding the policy
on academic honesty. Remember the Honor Code you were required to sign when registering for
school.
Academic Integrity Code
Student Handbook link:
http://images.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/SC/Georgetown/CarveyBayHigh/Uploads/Forms/Stud
ent%20Handbook%202014%202015.pdf
Technical Supports
If you need to use school technology to complete out of class assignments, I am after
school most days and you can always use computers in the media center during after
school tutorial.
Academic Supports


Lenerator Review Website (access will be given in class)
Smoop Website(access will be given in class)
 After School Tutorial
 Call or email me.
Thank you for abiding by the Course Policies.
9. Other Information
E-mail and Its Etiquette
Students must use their school e-mail accounts for all correspondence with me. This will help
ensure that e-mails are secure and that GCSD staff can assist students with any e-mail related
technical problems. GCSD staff will not be able to help resolve problems students may
encounter with external e-mail services, such as Yahoo! Mail, or Hotmail.
If you are not sure what Netiquette is click the link below:
The Core Rules of Netiquette by Virginia Shea
(http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html)
AP Biology Syllabus 2015-2016
Instructor: Joanna Price
It is expected that all E-mail correspondence to the instructor will be conducted in a professional
manner. When utilizing E-mail for this class, you should:
1. address the recipient in an appropriate manner
2. send and additional copy of your email to my personal email as well as my school
account, for prompt reply after school hours
3. utilize proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation
4. close with your full name.
Computing Requirements for home access
Required Hardware
To access e-learning courses, a multimedia-class computer (PC or Mac) with Internet
connectivity is required. The minimum system configurations required to view e-learning course
content are described below.
PC
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500 MHz Pentium III
Windows 2000
128 MB RAM (512 MB
recommended)
1 GB free hard disk space
56K modem (broadband
recommended)
Macintosh

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
400 MHz G4
OS 9.1 (OS X recommended)
128 MB RAM (512 MB
recommended)
1 GB free hard disk space
56K modem (broadband
recommended)
Required Browser
Students must have an Internet browser installed on their computers to view and interact with
online courses. Mozilla Firefox, version 1.5 or better, is recommended. Please note that browsers
may need to be further optimized if courses utilizing multimedia require any browser plug-ins or
ancillary players.
Modification of the Syllabus and Schedule
The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus and schedule at any time. Notice of any
change will be E-mailed and posted as an announcement.