AP Biology Course Outline 2015-2016

Philosophy
I believe that given the proper instruction and tools, everyone can learn. Likewise, I can learn
something from everyone I meet. I would like students to understand how living things, Biology
is dynamic, and the world around us is interconnected. It is not only important to look at
Biology as a framework of concepts and knowledge, but also as a continually growing science.
My desire is that students become critical thinkers and can apply and effectively communicate
knowledge both independently and collaboratively. My goal is to help foster students who leave
the classroom equipped to meet the challenges and needs of the 21st Century.
Course Overview
Students should gain a solid understanding of the major concepts of biology and how they relate
to the world around them. Students should be able to make better environmental, nutritional, and
societal choices. Also, through doing labs in class, emphasis will be placed on science as a
process through scientific inquiry.
Students and parents are reminded that the goals of Advanced Placement Biology are to:
Provide college-level lecture and lab experience in a high school setting using up-to-date
college texts and lab materials.
Foster independent learning skills development before post-secondary education begins.
Help students develop a conceptual framework of Biology and to understand and
appreciate science as a process.
Recognize that evolution is the foundation of modern biological thought.
Apply biological knowledge and critical thinking to both social and environmental
concerns.
Prepare students to pass the AP Biology Test with a score of 3 or greater.
NOTE: Students are expected to adhere to the registration deadlines and are responsible
for ALL cost associated with testing (approximately $100 per AP test taken).
Pre-requisites
The College Board sets the following pre-requisites for AP Biology:
1. One year of biology
2. One year of chemistry (suggested, but not mandatory)
Core Text Used: Biology 8th Edition, Campbell 2005
Required Materials:
2 Binder 3-ring binder, with loose-leaf notebook paper and tab dividers
Pencils with erasers
Blue or black ink pens
Highlighters,
Colored pencils
Black/white composition book
Flash drive
Index cards
Graph paper

1st Semester Overview

1st 9 Weeks
Chapter 1: Introduction Big Ideas
Unit 8: Ecology
Unit 1: Chemistry of life

2nd 9 Weeks
Unit 1: Chemistry of Life (Continued)
Unit 2: The Cell
Midterm Exams REQUIRED PER HCS

2nd Semester Overview

3rd 9 Weeks
Unit 3: Genetics
Unit 4: Mechanisms of Evolution
Unit 5: Evolutionary History of Biodiversity
(Classification & Kingdom Summary)

4th 9 Weeks
Unit 6: Plant Form and Function
Unit 7: Animal Form and Function
AP Biology Exam: Monday, May 11, 2016
Dissections & Final Projects
Final Exams Waved only if both parts of AP Biology
Exam has been taken

Grading Weights with Explanation:

AP Biology Assessments & Grading
Tests count 40% of the grade and you will have at least 2-3 test grades per marking
period. There are two major types of tests:
o Lecture tests will cover 4-7 chapters at a time. Each test will include both
objective questions and free response essays based on college-board materials
released from past years. All tests are timed. Students should study daily to be
prepared for all assessments. Projects may be given quarterly and will count as a
test grade. NO LATE PROJECTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
o Lab tests will encompass 2-3 labs and are based on protocols, discussion
questions, and themes presented in the Lab Manual and/or materials provided by
the teacher.
Quizzes/Labs will count 30% of the grade and quizzes will come both announced and
unannounced and cover material from previous lectures, assigned reading, homework, or
lab procedures. They are around 15 minutes long and will usually contain 10 items or
less. Lab sheets are provided for data collection, but students may also be asked to
produce some typed lab reports.
Classwork will count 20% of the grade and will include modeling activities,
simulations and discussion.
Homework/Bellringers will count 10% of the grade and will include practice AP essay,
practice multiple choice questions, and guided readings.
Every student must turn in every assignment. Refer to the HCS policy on late and
make-up work.

Grading:
90-100 =A

80-89=B

70-79=C

64-69=D

Below 63=F

Assignments:
All work submitted should be written neatly in black or blue pen and/or pencil on standard
notebook paper, and should be headed with: name, date, and block (green or gold) and number
in the upper right-hand corner. In addition, completed work should be labeled with a title in
order to appropriately identify the assignment. Homework is to be turned in at the BEGINNING
of class. ALL assignments should be turned in on the designated due date.
Any work submitted after the designated date/time (including later in the class period or the
same day) is considered late. Failure to submit assignments on time will result in point loss (1/2
credit for late assignments). A grade of zero (0) will be given for work not submitted.

Classroom Technology Communication Resources include:

Class Jump: Goggle Coxon-Jackson at Bethel High Class Jump
Remind 101
Teacher E-mail
Attending class should be a positive experience. Following these simple guidelines
will enable us to have a class in which everyone can participate and learn.
Class Guidelines:
1. Be attentive and ready to learn.
2. Respect everyones dignity, welfare, material possessions, and right to learn.
3. Attend class regularly, on time, and with the proper materials.
4. Keep yourself and your surroundings neat, orderly and safe.
5. Take responsibility for your learning outcomes and your actions. (NOTE: Honest, but polite
communication in a timely manner, works best in this classroom)
Consequences of Inappropriate Behavior:
1. Verbal Warning
2. Parental Contact
3. Teacher Detention
4. Dean/Administrator Referral
Words of Encouragement:
It is my sincere desire that as you journey to perfection, you learn to celebrate your progress. I
am here to help and also stretch you. Remember, we are all in this TOGETHER. I am available
for tutoring afterschool on Tuesdays and and/by appointment. If you have concerns please
contact me via email.

Laboratory Safety Guidelines

PURPOSE
Science is a hands-on laboratory class. However, science activities may have potential hazards. We will use some
equipment and animals that may be dangerous if not handled properly. Safety in the science classroom is an
important part of the scientific process. To ensure a safe classroom, a list of rules has been developed and is called
the Science Safety Contract. These rules must be followed at all times. Additional safety instructions will be given
for each activity. No science student will be allowed to participate in science activities until both the student and a
parent or guardian has signed this con-tract.

SAFETY RULES
1. Conduct yourself in a responsible manner at all times in the science room. Horseplay, practical jokes, and pranks
will not be tolerated. Lab privileges may be taken away and a grade of zero will be given.
2. Follow all written and verbal instructions carefully. Ask your teacher questions if you do not understand the
instructions.
3. Do not touch any equipment, supplies, animals, or other materials in the science room without permission from
the teacher.
4. Perform only authorized and approved experiments. Do not conduct any experiments when the teacher is out of
the room.
5. Never eat, drink, chew gum, or taste anything in the science room.
6. Keep hands away from face, eyes, and mouth while using science materials or when working with either
chemicals or animals. Wash your hands with soap and water before leaving the science room.
7. Wear safety glasses or goggles when instructed. Never remove safety glasses or goggles during an experiment.
There will be no exceptions to this rule!
8. Keep your work area and the science room neat and clean. Bring only your laboratory instructions, worksheets,
and writing instruments to the work area.
9. Clean all work areas and equipment at the end of the experiment. Return all equipment clean and in working
order to the proper storage area.
10. Follow your teachers instructions to dispose of any waste materials generated in an experiment.
11. Report any accident (fire, spill, breakage, etc.), injury (cut, burn, etc.), or hazardous condition (broken equip-
ment, etc.) to the teacher immediately.
12. Consider all chemicals used in the science room to be dangerous. Do not touch or smell any chemicals unless
specifically instructed to do so. Use wafting motion to smell chemicals when instructed.
14. Always carry a microscope with both hands. Hold the arm with one hand; place the other hand under the base.
15. Treat all preserved specimens and dissecting supplies with care and respect.
a. Do not remove preserved specimens from the science room.
b. Use scalpels, scissors, and other sharp instruments only as instructed.
c. Never cut any material towards youalways cut away from your body.
d. Report any cut or scratch from sharp instruments to the teacher immediately.
16. Never open storage cabinets or enter the prep/storage room without permission from the teacher.
17. Do not remove chemicals, equipment, supplies, or animals from the science room without permission from the
teacher.
18. Handle all glassware with care. Never pick up hot or broken glassware with your bare hands.
19. Use extreme caution when using matches, a burner, or hot plate. Only light burners when instructed and do not
put anything into a flame unless specifically instructed to do so. Do not leave a lit burner unattended.
20. Dress properlylong hair must be tied back, no dangling jewelry, and no loose or baggy clothing. Wear aprons
when instructed. Wear closed toe shoes in the laboratory.
21. Learn where the safety equipment is located and how to use it. Know where the exits are located and what to do
in case of emergency.

AP Biology
Major Topics

% of Course Goals

I. Organisms and
Populations
Diversity
of
Organisms
Structure
and
Function of Plants and
Animals
Ecology

50% of Course Goals

8%

11. Animal Behavior Lab

32%

9. Transpiration Lab
10. Physiology of the Circulatory System Lab

10%

12. Dissolved 02 and Aquatic Primary Productivity

REPORT ON GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

II.
Heredity and 25% of Course Goals
Genetics
Heredity
8%
Molecular Genetics

Core AP Labs/Activities (about 25% of

class time)

9%

Evolutionary Biology

8%

III. Molecules and

Cells
Molecules and Cells
Chemistry of Life

25% of Course Goals

7%

Cells

10%

Cellular Energetics

8%

7. Genetics of Organisms Lab

PLANT GENETICS AND STATS
6. Molecular Biology Lab
DNA EXTRACTION LAB
8. Population Genetics and Evolution Lab
ELECTORPHORESIS SIMULATION
DNA / PROTEIN MODELING ACTIVITY
1 Diffusion and Osmosis Lab
2. Enzyme Catalysis Lab
PH LAB
3. Mitosis and Meiosis Lab
CELL MODELING ACTIVITY
4. Plant Pigments and
Photosynthesis Lab
CHROMATOGRAPHY ACTIVITY
5. Cell Respiration Lab

Major Themes, Topics, and Concepts of AP Biology:

Throughout the course, the general topics of biology will be integrated into the major themes of
biology. Evolution will be the central dogma of biology as well as the foundation of biological
models and thought.
I.
Science as a Process
II.
Evolution
III.
Energy Transfer
IV.
Continuity and Change
V.
Relationship of Structure and Function
VI.
Regulation
VII. Interdependence in Nature
VIII. Science, Technology, and Society
BIG IDEAS
1: The diversity and unity of life can be explained by the process of evolution.
2: Biological systems use energy and molecular building blocks to grow, reproduce, and
maintain homeostasis (regulation).
3: Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information critical to life processes.
4: Biological systems interact, and these interactions possess complex properties.

Organisms and Populations: Ecology and Global Issues (4 weeks)

CORE LAB: 12. Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary Productivity Lab
REPORT ON GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
o Population dynamics
Density, dispersion, and demography
Exponential growth model
Logistic growth model
Population cycles
Human population
o Communities and ecosystems
Organisms and the environment
Interactions with abiotic and biotic factors
Community interactions:
Competition
Predation
Herbivory
Symbiosis
Disease
Energy flow (trophic relationships)
Human disruption
o Global issues
Ecology and environmental issues
Human disruption of chemical cycles such as:
Nutrient enrichment
Acid precipitation
Toxins in the environment
Atmospheric CO2
Depletion of ozone
Human population conservation
Restoration ecology
Sustainable development
o Additional Readings: Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Houghton Mifflin
Company, 1962. pp.16-43
Heredity and Evolution: Evolutionary Biology (3 weeks)
CORE LAB: 8. Population Genetics and Evolution Lab
ELECTROPHORSIS SIMULATION
o Early evolution of life
Early earth conditions
Fossil Record
Evolution of prokaryotes
First Eukaryotic cells and symbiosis
o Evidence for evolution
Descent with Modification: Darwinism
The Origin of Species
Phylogenies and common ancestries
Classification and phylogenies
Cladistics
Molecular clocks and universal tree of life

Chapters
50-55
52.1-52.6

50.2-50.4,
53.1-53.5,
54.1-54.5

50.1, 50.2,
54.5, 55.155.4

Chapters
22-26

26.1-26.5

22.2,22.3,25.1
-25.5

o Mechanisms of evolution
Gradualism
Speciation: allopatric, synpatric, adaptive radiation
Lamarcks Theory of Evolution
Darwins research
*Natural Selection* and adaptive evolution
Homology, Biogeography, and Fossil Record
Population genetics
Gene pools and allele frequencies
Hardy-Weinberg Theorem
The Modern Synthesis
Mutation, Sexual Recombination
Genetic drift, gene overflow
Organisms and Populations: Diversity of Organisms (3-4 weeks)
CORE LAB: Animal Behavior Lab
o Evolutionary patterns
Plants: adaptation to land
Morphological and biochemical evidence
Genetic evidence
Cell structure and specializations
History of animals
o Survey of the diversity of life/ Links to evolution
Tree of life
Prokaryotes
Protists
Plants
Fungi
Animals
Invertebrates
Vertebrates

22.122.3,23.123.4,24.124.3,25.4,25.5

Chapters
27-34

29.1,29.2,31
.1, 32.1-32.3

26.6,27.127.4,28.128.8,29.229.4,30.230.4, 31.231.5,32.4,33
.1-33.8,
34.1-34.8

o Phylogenetic classification
Prokaryotic phylogeny
Protist phylogeny
Plant phylogeny
Fungi phylogeny
Animal phylogeny

25.2,26.6,27
.1,27.3,
28.328.8,29.129.4, 30.130.4, 31.131.4, 32.1,
32.4, 33.133.8, 34.134.8

o Evolutionary relationships
Phylogenies and common ancestries
Classification and phylogenies
Cladistics
Molecular clocks and universal tree of life

25.1-25.5

Organisms & Populations: Structure and Function of Plants & Animals (4 weeks)
CORE LABS:
9. Transpiration Lab
10. Physiology of the Circulatory System Lab
VERTEBRATE AND INVERTEBRATE DISSECTION LABS
o Reproduction, growth, and development (plants)
Primary and secondary growth
Growth, morphogenesis, and differentiation
Mosses and bryophytes
Ferns and seedless vascular plants
Angiosperm reproduction
o Structural, physiological, and behavioral adaptations (plants)
Diversity of the plant kingdom
The plant body
Traits of plants
o Reproduction, growth, and development (animals)
Asexual and sexual
Reproductive organs and fertilization
Hormone regulation
Embryonic development: morphogenesis
o Structural, physiological, and behavioral adaptations (animals)
All systems (human and animal)

o Response to the environment (plants)

Signal transduction pathways
Plant hormones
Responses to stimuli (light, gravity, mechanical stimuli,
and environmental stresses)
o Response to the environment (animals)
Mechanisms of homeostasis
Thermoregulation: endotherms and ectotherms
Immune system: antigens, internal cellular and chemical
defenses
Osmoregulation
Hormone and endocrine system
Nervous system: control and command center
Sensory and motor center
Animal communication

Chapters
35-49
21.1-21.4,
29.1-29.4,
30.1-30.4,
35.2-35.5,
36.1-36.5,
37.1-37.4,
38.1-38.3,
39.1-39.5

21.1-21.4,
46.1-46.5,
47.1-47.3
40.1-40.5,
41.1-41.5,
42.1-42.7,
43.1-43.3,
44.1-44.6,
45.1-45.5,
48.1-48.6,
49.1-49.7,
51.2-51.6
39.1-39.5

40.4, 40.5,
43.1, 43.2,
44.1, 44.2,
45.1-45.5,
48.1, 49.149.4, 51.151.2

Molecules and Cells: Cells (3-4 weeks)

CORE LAB: 3. Mitosis and Meiosis Lab
CELL MODELING
o Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
Comparing and contrasting
Extracellular components

Chapters
6-7, 11-12
6.1-6.7,26.326.4,27.1

o Membranes
Fluid mosaic model
Selective permeability
Passive and active transport
Bulk transport: endocytosis and exocytosis
o Subcellular organization
Endomembrane system
Parts and function
Cytoskeleton
o Cell cycle and regulation
Mitotic phases
Cell cycle regulation
Molecules and Cells: Cellular Energetics (3 weeks)
CORE LABS: 4. Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis
CHROMATOGRAPHY ACTIVITY
5. Cell Respiration
o Free energy changes (G)
Metabolism
Stability and Equilibrium
Endergonic verses Exergonic reactions
o Enzymes
Catalytic cycle
Conditions that effect enzyme activity
o Photosynthesis
Sites of photosynthesis
Light reactions
Calvin cycle
Alternative mechanisms
Unit 7 Heredity and Evolution: Heredity (3 weeks)
CORE LAB: 7. Genetics of Organisms Lab
PLANT GENETICS LAB AND STATS
o Meiosis and gametogenesis
Inheritance of genes
Sexual vs. asexual reproduction
Stages of meiosis
Genetic variation and evolution
o Eukaryotic chromosomes
Mendels Laws
Monohybrids, dihybrids, and probability
Linked and sex-linked genes

6.2,6.4,7.17.5,11.1-11.4

6.2-6.7

12.1-12.3

Chapters
8-10

8.1-8.2

8.4-8.5

10.1-10.4

Chapters 1315
13.1-13.4,29.229.4,30.130.3,46.4

15.1-15.5

o Inheritance patterns

Non-mendelian genetics
Pedigrees and genetic disorders
Nature via Nurture

o Eukaryotic Genomes:

Organization, Regulation, and Evolution

Chromatin structure
Gene expression
Duplications, rearrangements, and mutations
Genome evolution

o Additional Reading: Ridley, Matt. Genome. HarperCollins

Publishers, 1999.
Heredity and Evolution: Molecular Genetics (3 weeks)
from a gene to a protein
CORE LAB: 6. Molecular Biology Lab
DNA EXTRACTION LAB: YOUR DNA!!!
o RNA and DNA structure and function
DNA structure and function
DNA replication
Protein Proofreading and repairing of DNA
o Gene regulation
Transcription
Translation
RNA modification

14.1-14.4,15.315.5

19.1-19.5

Including
excerpts and
full chapters.

Chapters
16-21
16.1,16.2,17.117.6,18.3

18.4,19.1-19.3

o Mutation

Evolutionary changes
Point mutations
Mutagens
Protein structure and function

o Viral structure and replication

Viral reproduction
Viruses, viroids, and prions
Plant and animal pathogens
o Nucleic acid technology and applications
DNA cloning
Recombinant DNA
Polymerase Chain reaction
Gel Electrophoresis
Genetic Mapping
Applications to DNA technology

15.4,17.7,18.3,
19.3,19.5

18.1-18.2

20.1-20.5

STUDENT/PARENT AGREEMENT

I have read, discussed (parent and student), and understand the laboratory safety
agreement, course requirements and expectations that have been provided by my teacher. I
agree to comply with and/or support these guidelines in order to establish and maintain a
safe, productive learning environment.

Note:

Any student who engages in unsafe

laboratory practices will receive a lab grade of zero for that assignment and may be
prohibited from participating in future class laboratory exercises. As a reminder of this
agreement, a copy of the syllabus and lab safety contract will remain in the students AP
Biology notebook at all times.
I am aware that my teacher is available for after school tutoring in room 903 on Tuesdays
3:20 4:20PM or by appointment. I pledge to attend afterschool tutorials, as needed. If I
have questions related to these items and/or student progress, I will contact my teacher by
telephone or through school e-mail.
_______________________________ ________________________________________
Students Name (Print)
Student Signature
Date_________

________________________________ ________________________________________
Parents Name (Print)
Parents Signature
Date________