Advanced Placement Biology
2015- 2016
Mrs. Catalina Brasil
Everglades High School, room 451
catalina.brasil@browardschools.com
Textbooks: AP Biology (7th Edition) by Campbell (Pearson)
Biology (The Unity and Diversity of Life) by Starr
AP Biology Investigative Lab Manual: An inquiry-based approach (2014)
AP Biology Exam: Monday, May 9, 2016 (Morning 8 am)
Course Description: The AP course is designed to enable you to develop advanced inquiry and
reasoning skills, such as designing a plan for collecting data, analyzing data, applying mathematical
routines, and connecting concepts in and across domains. The result will be readiness for the study of
advanced topics in subsequent college courses- a goal of every AP course. This AP Biology course is
equivalent to a two-semester college introductory biology course and has been endorsed
enthusiastically by higher education officials.
The key concept and related content that define the revise AP Biology course and exam are organized
around a few underlying principles called the big ideas, which encompass the core scientific principles,
theories and processes governing living organisms and biological systems.
Big Idea 1: Evolution (20%) The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life.
Big Idea 2: Cellular Processes (30%) Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building
blocks to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain dynamic homeostasis.
Big Idea 3: Genetics and Information Transfer (30%) Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and
respond to information essential to life processes.
Big Idea 4: Interactions (20%) Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions
possess complex properties.
AP Biology Curriculum 2015-2016
Week
Date
Chapter
Topic/s.
1
Aug. 24
Ch. 1 & 2:
Exploring Life, The Chemical Context of Life
2
Aug. 31
Ch. 3 & 4
Water & the fitness of the environment/ Carbon & Diversity
3
Sept. 7
Ch. 5
The Structure and Function of Macromolecules
4
Sept. 14
Ch. 6
A tour of the Cell
5
Sept. 21
Ch. 7
Membrane Structure and Function
6
Sept. 28
Ch. 8
Introduction to Metabolism
7
Oct. 5
Ch.9
Cellular Respiration
8
Oct. 12
Ch. 10
Photosynthesis
9
Oct. 19
Ch. 11
Cell Communication
10
Oct. 26
Ch. 12
Cell Cycle
11
Nov. 2
Ch. 13
Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles
12
Nov. 9
Ch. 14
Mendel and the Gene Idea
13
Nov. 16
Ch. 15
The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance
14
Nov. 23
Ch. 16
The Molecular Basis of Inheritance
15
Nov. 30
Ch. 17
From Gene to Protein
16
Dec. 7
Ch.18 & 19
The Genetics of Viruses and Bacteria / Eukaryotic Genomes
17
Dec. 14
18
Dec. 21
Ch. 20 & 21
DNA Technology and Genomics
19
Jan. 4
Ch. 22 & 23
Descent with Modification / Evolution of Populations
20
Jan. 11
Ch. 24 & 25
The Origin of Species / Phylogeny and Systematics
21
Jan. 18
Ch. 26 & 27
The tree of life / Prokaryotes
22
Jan. 25
Ch. 35 & 36
Plant Structure and Develop / Transport in Vascular Plants
23
Feb. 1
Ch. 38 & 39
Plant Reproduction / Plant Responses to Signals
24
Feb. 8
Ch. 40 & 45
Animal Form and Function / Endocrine System
25
Feb. 15
Ch. 42 & 43
Circulation and Gas Exchange / The Immune System
26
Feb. 22
Ch. 46 & 48
Animal Reproduction / Nervous System
27
Feb. 29
Ch. 50
Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere
28
March 7
Ch. 51 & 52
Behavioral Ecology / Population Ecology
29
March 14 Ch. 53 & 54
Community Ecology / Ecosystems
30
March 28 Ch. 55
Conservation Biology and Restoration
Midterm Exam Week
31 - 32 April 4
-
Lab Investigations
33 -34
-
Review – preparation for exam
April 18
Types of Assignments:
1. Exams: After every chapter or Unit there will be a cumulative test including multiple choice, grid-in,
short response, and free response essay questions (parallel format to new AP exam).
2. Quizzes: Please be aware that students will have a Quiz EVERYDAY to review the concepts that have
been taught in class. Being absent does NOT excuse the student from the daily quiz. Each student has
this syllabus and a textbook to follow at home when a student is absent. Being absent (Satisfactory)
gives the student 48 hours to make up any work assigned on that day the student was absent.
3. Labs: Students will be engaged in investigative laboratory work that will often be conducted in
teams of 4 or 5 in order for students to develop group skills and learn the importance of collaboration
among scientists. These labs will be inquiry based student-directed investigations. Students will be
expected to: Generate questions for investigation; choose which variables to investigate; design and
conduct experiments, collect, analyze, interpret, and display data; and determine how to present their
conclusion. Students will maintain a written record (lab notebook) of investigations conducted. In
addition, they will be asked for the following throughout the course:
 Formal lab reports that emphasizes the development and testing of a hypothesis, the ability to
organize collected data, and the ability to analyze and clearly discuss the results.
 Poster presentations (create poster with main investigation components; present to small groups
or whole class; field questions).
 Self-assessments of their ability to work in group investigations
4. Classwork/Homework: Students will undertake a variety of activities throughout the course,
which will serve to widen the range of topics covered in a hands-on, discovery mode. Additionally, to
help students apply knowledge and connect biology to their everyday lives, they will read and report
on a variety of readings from scientific journals.
It is the responsibility of the student to stay abreast of this schedule. Should the student be absent, it
is the responsibility of the student to makeup any work/notes/labs. I post grades on Pinnacle daily!
Please check your grades weekly to make sure that you have a grade and that I entered the grade
correctly. If you should ever have any questions or concerns, please bring them to my attention as
soon as possible.
Grade Breakdown
Percentage
Exams
40
Quizzes
25
Labs
25
Classwork/Homework
10
Laboratory Program: College Board requires 13 Labs for AP Biology. Depending on both time and
resources, we will attempt to complete all labs.
Big Idea 1: Evolution (3rd Quarter)
Lab1: Artificial Selection
Lab 2: Mathematical Modeling: Hardy-Weinberg
Lab 3: Comparing DNA Sequences to Understand Evolutionary Relationships with BLAST
Big Idea 2: Cellular Processes (1st Quarter)
Lab 13: Enzyme Activity
Lab 4: Diffusion and Osmosis
Lab 5: Photosynthesis
Lab 6: Cellular Respiration
Big Idea 3: Genetics and Information Transfer (2nd Quarter)
Lab 7: Cell Division: Mitosis and Meiosis
Lab 8: Biotechnology: Bacterial Transformation
Lab: 9: Biotechnology: Restriction Enzyme Analysis of DNA
Big Idea 4: Interactions (4th Quarter)
Lab 10: Energy Dynamics
Lab 11: Transpiration
Lab 12: Fruit Fly Behavior
Additional websites as supplement for the class:
• Prentice Hall - The Biology Place
• Lab Bench
• BioCoach
• evolution.berkeley.edu
• DNAftb.org
• DNAi.org
• Talkorigins.org
• Learn.genetics.utah.edu
• Nova/PBS.org
• Cells Alive
• AP Central
 Bozeman Biology Video Tutorials
 Kahn Academy Video Tutorials (limited in biology topics)
THE EXAM
The AP Biology Exam consists of two sections: multiple choice and free response. Both sections
include questions that assess students’ understanding of the big ideas, enduring understandings, and
essential knowledge and the ways in which this understanding can be applied through the science
practices. These may include questions on the following:
• The use of modeling to explain biological principles;
• The use of mathematical processes to explain concepts;
• The making of predictions and the justification of phenomena;
• The implementation of experimental design; and
• The manipulation and interpretation of data
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.
Section Question Type
Number of
Questions
I
Part A: Multiple Choice
Part B: Grid-In
63
6
Long Free Response
Short Free Response
2
6
II
Timing
90 minutes
80 minutes
+ 10-minute
reading
period
Due to the increased emphasis on quantitative skills and application of mathematical methods in the
questions on both sections, students will be allowed to use simple four-function calculators (with
square root) on the entire exam. Students will also be supplied with a formula list as part of their
testing materials