AP Biology Course Description and Outline
2007-2008

Course Description: The Advanced Placement Biology course is designed to be the equivalent of a college introductory biology course, usually taken by biology majors during their first year. The AP Biology course differs significantly from the usual high school biology course with respect to the kind of textbook used, the range and depth of topics covered, the kind of laboratory work performed by students, and the time and effort required of students. AP Biology aims to provide students with the conceptual framework, factual knowledge, and analytical skills necessary to deal critically with the rapidly changing science of biology. The goal of a college introductory biology course, and therefore of an AP Biology course, is to provide a learning environment that enables students to develop a solid understanding of the principal concepts in biology. College Board guidelines are followed in shaping the course.

Objectives:

1. To understand the concepts presented in an introductory college biology course.
2. To acquire laboratory skills needed in the study of biology.
3. To promote interest in the study of the biological sciences and appreciation for the place of science in modern society.
4. To prepare students for the Advanced Placement Biology Examination.

Course Prerequisites: Students taking AP Biology must have a 3.0 or better GPA, have successfully completed Biology, Chemistry, or Honors Chemistry, and must have the approval of the Science Department Chair.

Text: Campbell, Neil A. and, J. Reece,. Biology, 7th AP Edition

Advanced Placement Biology
2007-2008
Class and Laboratory Syllabus

•   Molecules and Cells (25%)
  The Chemistry of Life (Unit One)
  Exploring Life chap. 1
  The Chemical Context of Life chap. 2
  Water and the Fitness of the Environment chap. 3
  Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life chap. 4
  The Structure and Function of Macromolecules chap. 5
  Cumulative Test: Chapters 1-5
• 
  The Cell (Unit Two)
  A Tour of the Cell chap. 6
  Membrane Structure and Function chap. 7
  An Introduction to Metabolism chap. 8
  Cellular Respiration: Harvesting Chemical energy chap. 9
  Photosynthesis chap. 10
  Cell Communication chap. 11
  The Cell Cycle chap. 12

• Heredity and Evolution (25%)
  Genetics (Unit Three)
  Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles chap. 13
  Mendel and the Gene Idea chap. 14
  The Chromosomal Inheritance chap. 15
  The Molecular Basis of Inheritance chap. 16
  From Gene to Protein chap. 17
  The Genetics of Viruses and Bacteria chap. 18
  Eukaryotic Genomes: Organization, Regulation chap. 19
  and Evolution
  DNA Technology and Genomics chap. 20
  The Genetic Basis of Development chap. 21

• Mechanisms of Evolution (Unit Four)
  Descent with Modification chap. 22
  The Evolution of Populations chap. 23
  The Origin of Species chap. 24
  Phylogeny and Systematics chap. 25

• Organisms and Populations (50%)
  The Evolutionary History of Biological Diversity (Unit Five)
  The Tree of Life chap. 26
  Prokaryotes chap. 27
  Protists chap. 28
  Plant Diversity I chap. 29
  Plant Diversity II chap. 30
  Fungi chap. 31
  An Introduction to Animal Diversity cha., 32
  Invertebrates chap. 33
  Vertebrates chap. 34

• Plant Form and Function (Units Six)
  Plant Structure, Growth, and Development chap. 35
  Transport in Vascular Plants chap. 36
  Plant Nutrition chap. 37
  Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology chap. 38
  Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals chap. 39

• Animal Form and Function (Unit Seven)
  Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function chap. 40
  Animal Nutrition chap. 41
  Circulation and Gas Exchange chap. 42
  The immune System chap. 43
  Osmoregulation and Excretion chap. 44
  Hormones and the Endocrine System chap. 45
  Animal Reproduction chap. 46
  Animal Development chap. 47
  Nervous Systems chap. 48
  Sensory and Motor Mechanisms chap. 49

• Ecology (Unit Eight)
  Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere chap. 50
  Behavioral Ecology chap. 51
  Population Ecology chap. 52
  Community Ecology chap. 53
  Ecosystems chap. 54
  Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology chap. 55  

Exam May 12, 2007

Advanced Placement Biology
2007-2008
Schedule of Weeks

Week 1 Aug. 27-Aug. 31         3 days
Week 2 Sept. 3-7                     4 days
Week 3 Sept. 10-14                 5 days (Senior Retreat, Tuesday)
Week 4 Sept. 17-21                 5 days
Week 5 Sept. 24-28                 5 days
Week 6 Oct. 1-5                      5 days
Week 7 Oct. 8-12                    4 days (fall break)
Week 8 Oct. 15-19                  4 days (fall break)
Week 9 Oct. 22-26                  5 days (Oct. 24, end of 1st quarter)
Week 10 Oct. 29-Nov. 2         5 days
Week 11 Nov. 5-9                   3 days (AIMS Conference and Parent Conferences)
Week 12 Nov. 12-16               5 days
Week 13 Nov. 19-20               1.5 days (Thanksgiving break)
November 21 - 23 Thanksgiving Break
Week 14 Nov. 26-Nov. 30       5 days (Conference in Seattle)
Week 15 Dec. 3-7                    5 days
Week 16 Dec. 10-15                5 days
Week 17 Dec. 17-21                5 days 
Week 18 Dec. 24-Jan. 2 Christmas Break
Week 19 Jan. 3-4                     2 days
Week 20 Jan. 8-12                   5 days (Semester Exams – end of 2nd quarter)
Week 21 Jan. 15-18                 4 days
Week 22 Jan. 22-25                 4 days
Week 23 Jan. 28-Feb.1            5 days
Week 24 Feb.4-8                     5 days
Week 25 Feb. 11-14                4 days
Week 26 Feb. 19-22                4 days
Week 27 Feb. 25- Feb. 29       5 days
Week 28 Mar. 3-7                    5 days
Week 29 Mar. 10-115              4.5 days (End of 3rd quarter)
Week 30 Mar. 17-25 Spring Break
Week 31 Mar. 26- Mar. 28       3 days (No School Monday and Tuesday)
Week 32 Mar. 31-Apr. 4           5 days 
Week 33 Apr. 7-11                    5 days
Week 34 Apr. 14-18                  5 days
Week 35 Apr. 21-25                  5 days
Week 36 Apr. 28-May 1            4 days (Last Week for Seniors)
May 5 – May 16, 2008               AP and Senior Exams

Advanced Placement Biology Exam
May 12, 2007

Major Themes*

• Science as a Process
• Evolution
• Energy Transfer
• Continuity and Change
• Relationship of Structure to Function
• Regulation
• Interdependence in Nature
• Science, Technology, and Society

• As given by the College Board

AP Laboratories

1. Diffusion and Osmosis – dialysis tubing and living tissue investigation of effects of solute concentration on water potential.

2. Enzyme Catalysis – rate of reaction calculations concerning catalase action on hydrogen peroxide.

3.Mitosis and Meiosis – determination of relative time required for mitotic phases/simulation of meiosis and estimates of crossover frequencies in Sordaria asci.

 4. Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis – chromatography of plant pigments/spectrophotometric determination of rate of light-dependent reactions and factors that affect it.

5. Cell Respiration – measurement of respiration rates in geminating and non-germinating peas at different temperatures.

6. Molecular Biology – transformation of E. coli by plasmids containing ampicillin-resistant genes/restriction enzyme digestion of phage DNA and electrophoresis to determine number and size of fragments.

7 .Genetic of Organisms – mating of fruit flies to produce F 1 and F 2 generations and chi-square analysis of results.

 8. Population Genetics and Evolution – simulation of a mating population to study the Hardy-Weinberg law.

9. Transpiration – Calculation of transpiration rates per square meter of leaf surface and factors that affect it/preparation of stem cross-section.

10. Physiology of the Circulatory System – investigation of blood pressure, pulse rate, and relative fitness/effect of temperature on heart rate of Daphnia.

11. Animal Behavior – observation and experimentation of pillbug responses to environmental variables/fruit fly mating behavior.

 12. Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary Productivity – measurement of dissolved oxygen concentration in water at various temperatures and light exposures.

Advanced Placement Biology
2007-2008
Grading Policies

1 st Quarter Grade Determination 2 nd Quarter Grade Determination
Test/Projects: 50%
Lab and Lab Reports: 35%
Quizzes: 15%
Homework: 0%

2nd Quarter Grade Determination
Test/Projects: 60%
Lab and Lab Reports: 30%
Quizzes: 10%
Homework: 0%

Tests
Test will consists of multiple choice and free response questions (essays). They will be cumulative and include material from the readings, class notes, labs, and handouts. Test dates are given on the syllabus.

Labs
Formal Lab reports will be handed in for all twelve labs required for this class. Lab reports are due one week after the lab experiment has been completed. Additional labs will occur when time allows, but they will not require work to be handed in for grading.

Advanced Placement Biology
2007-2008
Strategies

1. Try to be in as many classes as possible. If you miss a class, get whatever handouts were given in the class you missed from a classmate. Review them and think of some questions you may have concerning the material. Make an appointment to visit the instructor outside of the normal class time.

2. Carefully read the course materials, and be an active reader. Read to understand, not to get the reading done. Quality study time is the key to success, not quantity study time. Sometimes, material will require more than one reading.

3. Review your notes often. Look for connections between concepts and ideas. Science builds upon itself, very little occurs in a vacuum.

4. Be organized! You will be using all the course material to study for the AP exam at the end of the class.

5. Due to the pace necessary to prepare you fully for the exam, class time is very limited. Therefore, your quest to understand the material should not be limited to the class period.

6. Talk to your classmates. Learn the material then test each other.

7. Use other resources to understand the material; Internet, library, etc.

8. HAVE A SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL YEAR!!