Advanced Placement Biology
Course Overview
The AP Biology class is structured to simulate an entry-level biology curriculum at a four-year
college or university. The course has two major foci: 1) to prepare students for college by
offering a rigorous curriculum and 2) to prepare students for success on the AP Biology Exam.
All students enrolled in the course are required to take the Exam.
The pacing plan for the course was developed using AP Survival Guide software and reflects the
suggested time proportions for the three main sections of Molecules and Cells (25%), Heredity and
Evolution (25%) and Organisms and Populations (50%). Students begin work on the first course
unit (Chemistry and Biochemistry) during the summer preceding their enrollment. Throughout
the school year class time is divided between discussions, demonstrations, multimedia
presentations and hands-on laboratory work. Class time is roughly equally divided between
“lecture” and ”labs” to simulate, as much as possible, a college biology course. It is occasionally
necessary to conduct Saturday and evening labs to accommodate the schedules of the school and
students. Additional content-specific tutoring sessions are scheduled as necessary throughout the
year.
The three major AP Bio units (mentioned above) are divided into ten smaller units. Students are
required to read assigned chapters for each unit and complete objectives that help focus their
study. These objectives incorporate the eight major unifying themes of AP Biology (listed in
order of emphasis): evolution; energy transfer; continuity and change; relationship of structure to
function; regulation; interdependence in nature; science, technology and society; and science as a
process. Emphasis is placed on connecting each of these themes to each unit (in all assigned
activities) and students are required to chart these relationships on a per unit basis. This approach
helps the students recognize how the unit-specific details relate to the overarching themes.
Course Content
Course material is covered in a variety of ways. Because traditional lecture has been proven
through research to be the least effective way for students to learn it is infrequently used to
convey content. Instead, discussions are offered that more actively involve students. These
discussions center on the assigned objectives and a considerable emphasis is placed on using the
eight themes to connect concepts and details from one unit to the next. Discussions are
augmented with both video content from a variety of sources (internet news, Planet Earth and
Deep Ocean DVD series, for example) and demonstrations.
Other realia such as preserved specimens and fossils help to engage students in connecting with
the material. Discussions often loop back to previous units as a means of connecting details
through the overarching themes. At the end of each unit class time is allotted to discuss and
demonstrate how the unit is related to each of the themes and students are required to take notes
in table format to prepare for the upcoming unit test as well as the AP Bio Exam. The most
emphasis is placed on the themes of evolution, energy transfer and continuity and change.
Through this activity students begin to develop thematic connections that will serve as concrete
details for their AP Exam free response answers. There is considerable time devoted to the
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examination of evolution (by natural selection) as the core theme in modern biology. For example,
our exploration of molecules and cells includes a careful look at molecular evolution, the evolution
of cell membranes, and the endosymbiotic theory. Supplemental readings from prominent
evolutionary biologists (Margulis, Darwin, Gould, Dawkins) reinforce the importance of evolution
as a central component of biological thought.
The Laboratory Program
The twelve core AP Biology labs are conducted in a sequence that is dependent upon the unit for
which there is the closest conceptual connection. For example, Lab 12 on Dissolved Oxygen and
Aquatic Productivity is scheduled when we are covering the Ecology content. The AP Laboratory
Manual is followed as closely as possible using the packaged AP Bio lab kits available from Ward’s
Natural Science. An attempt is being made to upgrade each of the labs to include more current
technology. Specifically, protocols for several of the core labs (Lab 5 on Cellular Respiration and
Lab 9 on transpiration) have been enhanced through the use of Vernier LabPro interfaces and
probes in conjunction with a class set of Macintosh iBooks running LoggerPro software. This
added level of technological complexity enables students to quickly collect and analyze data and,
where appropriate, graph data for use in lab reports. All labs are related to the theme of “science
as a process” plus the other themes that are lab-specific. All labs are scheduled as wet labs, but
occasionally the consumables or perishable items for a lab do not arrive in time or in viable
condition. When this occurs the lab is converted to a dry lab: the equipment is set up, artificial
data is supplied (usually from successful experiments from previous years) and students are
expected to follow all wet lab procedures.
Below is a list of the twelve core labs and their duration (1 class session = 54 minutes):
Lab 1:
Diffusion and Osmosis
7 sessions
Lab 2:
Enzyme Catalysis
6 sessions
Lab 3:
Mitosis and Meiosis
5 sessions
Lab 4:
Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis
6 sessions
Lab 5:
Cellular Respiration
8 sessions
Lab 6a: Bacterial transformation
4 sessions
Lab 6b: DNA electrophoresis
7 sessions
Lab 7:
Mendelian genetics with Drosophila
10 sessions
Lab 8:
Population Genetics
3 sessions
Lab 9:
Transpiration
6 sessions
Lab 10: Cardiovascular Physiology
4 sessions
Lab 11: Animal Behavior
4 sessions
Lab 12: Dissolved Oxygen
6 sessions
For each of the core labs there is an introduction or review of equipment protocols, pre-lab group
preparation, pre- and post-lab discussions and the lab itself.
In addition to these labs, the curriculum includes five supplemental college-level labs using
equipment borrowed through a partnership with a private local college. The program, funded
initially by the National Science Foundation, allows us to conduct labs based upon equipment
(such as a research-grade gas chromatograph) that would otherwise be unavailable to our school.
The program funds the delivery of the equipment to our school site, most consumables used in the
labs, and training on the use of all equipment and protocols. These labs average three days in
duration and ensure that students are involved in labs during more than 90 class sessions.
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Connections to research and commercial use of the processes and equipment involved help further
student understanding about the theme of science, technology and society. These additional labs
are as follows:
1.
Analysis of Fish Protein
2.
Photosynthesis in CAM Plants
3.
Yeast Fermentation
4.
Analysis of Urban, Rural and Bottled Water Quality
5.
Amylase Activity
Other small quick-labs and computer simulations complete the lab program.
Students organize into lab groups of usually four to five individuals. Group members rotate
through the various roles (experimenter, data collector, manager) from one lab to the next. At the
conclusion of each lab, groups must prepare a word-processed lab report that includes the
following four sections:
1. Introduction—a general summary of the underlying principles and concepts with
specific correlation to objectives, themes and other class reading assignments.
2. Methods—a summary of the procedure and lab equipment used with drawings of lab
apparati and setups. This section also includes a summary of the student’s expected
results.
3. Results—data are presented in appropriate formats (usually tabular for numerical data)
and numerical data are also graphed.
4. Discussion—analysis of data, comparison of experimental data to expected results and
synthesis of implications with broader themes.
The Course Outline and Pacing Plan
The following course syllabus for each semester outlines the overall topics and content covered,
the reading assignments for each unit, the scheduled labs and the rough due dates for major
assignments. The “U” stands for Unit and the parenthetical info represents the number of class
sessions (days) required for each unit. For example, in Week 3 [ U2 Cells (15d) ] means we
begin Unit 2 on Cells and will spend approximately 15 days covering that material.
In the column labels Chs are the student reading assignments for the topic of that week. The labs
appear in the Labs column and the Assignments column contains information regarding
scheduled tests, rough due dates for major assignments and supplemental reading assignments
from the Nature of Life anthology.
A. P. Biology Fall Semester Syllabus
Wk Dates
1
2
3
9/49/8
9/119/15
9/189/22
Topics / Concepts
Chs
Lab Activities
Class Intro, reqs, books, Chemistry
review from summer assignments
free energy changes, enzymes
1-6
Goals assign
Study Schedule
General Lab Prep
U2: Cells (15d): Prokaryotic,
eukaryotic cell structure
7
Amylase lab
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Assignments
Unit 1 Test (2-6)
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
20
1/151/19
1/221/26
1/29-2/2
Wk
Dates
1
Feb
5-9
2
Feb
12-16
3
Feb 19-23
7
Feb 26Mar 2
8
Mar
5-9
4
Mar
12-16
5
Mar
19-23
19
8
Fish Protein Lab
Margulis Article
Lab 1: Diffusion &
Osmosis
Lab 5: Cellular
Respiration
YEAST LAB
Unit 2 Test (7,8,12)
Lab 7: Genetics
Lab 4: Photosyn
Unit 3 Test (9-10)
12
U3: Cellular Energetics (12d): coupled
reactions
fermentation, cellular respiration
9
10
photosynthesis
Lab 1 Report
Lab 5 Report
U5: Molecular Genetics (14d): RNA
& DNA struct/funct, gene to protein
viral structure & replication
16, 17
Mutation gene regulation
THANKSGIVING
DNA technol. & applications
19
20
Lab 7: F2
Unit 5 Test (16-20)
U4: Heredity (12d): meiosis,
gametogenesis
eukaryotic chromosome inheritance
patterns
WINTER BREAK
13
Lab 3: Mitosis &
Meiosis
Lab 7 Report
14. 15
Lab 3 Report
Unit 4 Test (13-15)
U6: Evol Bio (13d) Darwin, evol.
theory/mechanisms
Mechanisms of Evolution
Evolution
U7: Diversity of Organisms (12d):
22, 23,
Darwin Article
18
24, 25
Lab 6: Molec. Bio
Lab 7: F1
Lab 4 Report
Watson Article
Dawkins Article
Lab 6 Report
Lab 8: Population
Genetics
26
Unit 6 Test (22-26)
Lab 8 Report
Final Exams
Darwin Article (NS)
Topics / Concepts
Unit 9A
Chs 40-42
6
membranes, organelles, subcellular
organization
cell cycle & its regulation
Unit 9B
Ch 43-45
5
9/259/29
10/210/6
10/910/13
10/1610/20
10/2310/27
10/3011/3
11/611/10
11/1311/17
11/2011/24
11/2712/1
12/412/8
12/1112/15
12/181/5
1/8-1/12
U 9C:
46-49
4
Chs
Unit 9a(12d): Intro to Animal Structure &
Function
40
Nutrition, Circulation
41
42
Gas Exchange
Lab Activities
Lab 2 Catalase
Lab 10 Physio of
Circ. System
Unit 9b (10d): The Body’s Defenses
Controlling Internal Environment
Chemical Signals
Assignments
43
44
Lab 2 Report
Unit 9a Test
Lab 10 report
45
Unit 9c(12d): Animal Repro
Animal Development
46
47
Nervous system
Sensory & Motor Mech.
48
49
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Sea Urchin Devel.
Unit 9b Test
(43-45)
Mar
26-30
9
Apr 2-6
10
April
9-13
11
Apr
16-20
12
Apr
23-27
13
Apr 30May 4
14
May
7-11
15
May
14-18
16
May
19-23
17
May 28Jun 1
18
Jun
4-8
19
Jun
11-15
Paper presentations
Discussion Groups
20
Jun
18-22
Class evaluations & GRADUATION!
Test Prep
U 10
50-55
Unit 8:
Chs 35-39
6
Unit 8(16d): Plant structure, growth &
transport
35, 36
SPRING BREAK
Unit 9c Test
(46-49)
Gould Art.
Plant nutrition, reproduction &
development
37, 38
Plant control systems
39
Unit 10: Ecology (15d): intro to ecol,
behavioral bio, pop. ecol
50-55
Practice Test APRIL 28th
Lab 9: Transpir
Lab 9 report
Water Quality Lab
Unit 8 Test
Carson Art.
Unit 10 Test
Lab 12: Dissolved
O2
AP TEST REVIEW
Lorenz Art.
AP TEST!
AP TEST! MONDAY 5/14
Research Paper
Photosynthesis Lab
Research Paper
Intro, topic & lit. search
Research docs
due
Research Paper
skeletal outline & rough draft
Rough draft due
Research Paper
Final draft, presentation prep
Research Paper
due
Student Assessment
Student achievement is determined by the following weighting of assignments:
FALL SEMESTER
SPRING SEMESTER
written objectives
25%
written objectives
20%
lab reports
15%
lab reports
10%
multiple choice exams
35%
multiple choice exams
25%
free response exams
5%
free response exams
5%
final exam
20%
full length Practice AP Exam
20%
Research paper
20%
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
Objectives are assigned for each unit and are collected after the free response essay exam
for that unit. Lab reports are submitted approximately one week after each lab.

Unit exams consist of two parts: a multiple-choice test on one day and a free response
essay the next. Many exam questions are derived from previously released AP Bio exams.
Scoring rubrics (available from the AP Central website) are used for the free responses.

In the first semester the final exam consists of 100 questions from Units 1-6. In the second
semester the final exam is a released full length AP Exam that serves as practice for the
exam in May.

After the May AP exam students conduct research for a 4 to 5 page research paper on the
topic of their choice. Initial research is done via classroom internet access. Primary source
documents are downloaded from online sites such as PubMedCentral or are obtained
directly from college libraries.

In the final week before the end of the second semester the students conduct a research
symposium. In groups of 4-6 they present an abstract of their research papers and are
responsible for leading a round-table discussion of their respective topics.
See the previous semester syllabi for details concerning scheduled tests and due dates for major
assignments such as lab reports and objectives.
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Reading Materials
The primary textbook used is Campbell, Reece and Mitchell’s Biology (7th edition). Each student
has a book for home and has access to a book for work done during school hours.
Supplementary readings are assigned from The Great Books Foundation’s The Nature of Life:
Readings in Biology (2001), an anthology of seminal works by scientists of historical import.
These readings give students insight into writings by some of the most important individuals that
have influenced biological thought and progress. Organization of the chapters allows for easy
application to the eight major themes and the book includes shared inquiry discussion questions.
The articles regularly used thus far and the syllabus units or themes to which they correspond are:
Lynn Margulis’ Life From Scum
James Watson’s The Double Helix
Richard Dawkin’s The Selfish Gene
Darwin’s Natural Selection
Darwin’s Conclusion to On the Origin of Species
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
Konrad Lorenz’ Ecce Homo!
Stephen Jay Gould’s Just in the Middle
unit 2 (cells)
unit 5 (molecular genetics)
unit 5 (molecular genetics)
unit 6 (evolution)
unit 7 (diversity)
unit 10 (ecology)
unit 10 (ethology)
science, technology & society
Other supplementary readings come from special reports by the Howard Hughes Medical
Institute such as The Genes We Share With Yeast, Flies, Worms, and Mice, The Race
Against Lethal Microbes, and Arousing the Fury of the Immune System. There is a class set
of each of these reports for student use.
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