Download AP Biology - Plain Local Schools

AP Biology – Course Syllabus
Personal Philosophy
The energetic world of living things is all around us as well as in us- there’s no escaping it. I
enjoy sharing my passion of biology with students as they discover how biology affects their
daily lives. I organize my teaching to enable students to see biology as a way to better care
for and understand ourselves, other living things, and the world around us. Using my
background as a research and clinical nurse, I establish relevant and rigorous coursework
such as case studies, current events, and ethical dilemmas that challenge students to
critically evaluate environmental and social concerns. [C7]
Course Overview
Classes meet every other day for 90 minutes on block scheduling. A minimum of one block
of lab time has been allotted for a 2-week alternating-block schedule. This will not only allow
for completion of the 12 labs from the AP Lab Manual for Students, but also many other labs
that will create a rich laboratory experience. [C8]
The course has been organized around the eight themes from the AP Biology Curricular
requirements. [C6] Students are expected to read the textbook chapters listed on the
syllabus, and they take an assessment at the end of each unit. The course textbook is the
eight edition of Neil A. Campbell and Jane B. Reese’s Biology – AP Edition.
All students who take the AP Biology course are expected to complete a research project.
During the first semester, students will choose a biological topic for their research project.
Time will be allotted in class on how to read and interpret scientific research as well as
critically evaluate scientific methods. Students will then bear the majority of responsibility
outside of class for completion of this project. Towards the end of the second semester,
students will then present their findings to the class. [C4]
The AP exam format and content are discussed at the beginning of the year. Students are
then responsible to complete practice exam questions and essays outside of class. After
students turn them in, they are graded using the scoring guidelines and returned corrected.
Students are responsible to look at missed questions and determine why they missed them.
All practice exam questions and essay will be collected at the end of the year as an
evaluation portfolio to measure improvement over the course of the year.
Course Planner
The course is organized into 11 units and students receive the following syllabus the first
day of class, informing them it is their homework for the year. We spend on average about
3-4 weeks a unit.
These include biochemistry, cell structure and function, metabolism, genetics, molecular
basis of inheritance, evolution, microbiology, classification, plants, animals, and ecology.
Also, all of the previous stated topics are integrated throughout the course using the eight
major themes from the AP Biology Curriculum Requirements. [C6]
 Science as process
 Evolution
 Energy Transfer
 Continuity and Change
 Relationship of structure and function
 Regulation
 Interdependence in nature
 Science, technology and Society
1
AP Biology Syllabus
First Semester, First Term
Weeks
Unit
Topics
Chapter
Readings
2,3,4,5,8
2
1
Chemistry of Life:
Atoms and Molecules, Chemical Bonds, Water, Carbohydrates, Lipids,
Proteins, Nucleic Acids, Free Energy Changes, Enzymes [C1]
4
2
Cells:
Prokaryotic Cells, Eukaryotic Cells, Membranes, Subcellular
Organization, Cell Communication, Cell Cycle [C1]
6,7,11,12
3
3
Cellular Energy:
Coupled Reactions, Fermentation, Cellular Respiration, Photosynthesis
[C1]
8,9,10
First Semester, Second Term
Weeks
Unit
Topics
Chapter
Readings
13,14,15
3
4
Heredity:
Meiosis, Gametogenesis, Inheritance Patterns, Eukaryotic
Chromosomes [C2]
3
5
Molecular Genetics:
DNA & RNA Structure and Function, Gene Regulation, Mutations,
Viral Structure & Function, DNA Technology & Applications [C2]
16,17,18, 20
3
6
Evolutionary Biology:
Mechanisms of Evolution, Evidence for Evolution, Microevolution,
Macroevolution, Early Evolution of Life, Phylogenetic Classification
[C2]
22,23,24,25,
26
Second Semester, Third Term
Weeks
Unit
Topics
3
7
Microbiology: Viruses, Bacteria and Archaea, Protists, Fungi [C3]
6
8
Plants:
Evolutionary Patterns and Relationships; Diversity; Structure, Growth,
& Development; Resource Acquisition & Transport; Nutrition;
Reproduction; Response to the Environment [C3]
2
Chapter
Readings
19,27,28,31
29,30,35,36,
37,38,39
Second Semester, Fourth Term
Weeks
Unit
Topics
Chapter
Readings
32,33,34,40,
41,42,43,44,
3
9
Animals-Part I:
Evolutionary Patterns and Relationships; Diversity; Form & Function;
Digestive System; Circulatory System; Respiratory System; Immune
System; Osmoregulation & Excretion [C3]
3
10
Animals-Part II:
Endocrine System; Nervous System; Muscular System; Behavior
[C3]
45,46,47,48,
49,50,51
3
11
Ecology:
Biosphere, Populations, Communities, Ecosystems, Conservation
Biology [C3]
52-56
Lab Schedule [C8]
Unit 1- Chemistry of Life
 Water Properties
 Macromolecule Modeling.
 Enzyme Catalysis- AP Lab 2
Unit 6- Evolutionary Biology
 Hardy-Weinburg Law of Genetic
Equilibrium- AP Lab 8
 Examining Different Kinds of Fossils
Unit 2- Cells
 Characteristics of Plant and Animal Cells
 Diffusion and Osmosis- AP Lab 1
 Staining Chromosomes by the Squash
Method
Unit 7- Microbiology
 Controlling Bacterial Growth
 A Swell Lab
Unit 8- Plants
 Transpiration- AP Lab 9
 Bees, Birds, and Botanists
 What is the structure of common fruits?
Unit 3- Cellular Energy
 Interpreting Labels: Stored Food Energy
 Cellular Respiration- AP Lab 5
 Plant Pigment Chromatography- AP Lab 4
Unit 9 – Animals: Part 1
 Animal Diversity
 Physiology of the Circulatory System- AP
Lab 10
Unit 4- Heredity
 Mitosis & Meiosis- AP Lab 3
 Fruit Fly Lab- AP Lab 7
Unit 10 – Animals: Part 2
 Vertebrate Anatomy
 Choice Chambers- AP Lab 11
Unit 5- Molecular Genetics
 Berry Full of DNA
 Gel Electrophoresis- AP Lab 6
Unit 11- Ecology
Investigating Populations of Dandelions
 Dissolved Oxygen- AP Lab 12
3
Teaching Strategies
In general, when students are not engaged in labs and activities described in this syllabus, I
am lecturing. Students will have access to specific outlines that align to the topics covered in
the textbook and each item on the topic outline in the Course Description. Students will
receive these at the end of each unit and will have access to them on my web site. Students
will be responsible to supplement these outlines during lecture and from assigned readings to
promote synthesis of biology content.
Students will be responsible to read assigned readings each week. The course expectation is
to spend 4-5 hours a week reading and studying the material. Readings will be supplemented
with research articles, current events, and excerpts from classic nonfiction, science literature.
In order to help foster greater synthesis and analysis of biology content I teach around the
eight themes from the AP Biology requirements. [C6]
I attempt to include a discussion of evolution during lectures and in student coursework
throughout each unit. When we do biochemistry, we discuss how comparison of amino acid
sequences may indicate evolutionary divergence of related species. Or during the molecular
genetics unit, the fact the genetic code is universal (the same genetic code in all three
domains) for all life is also powerful evidence for evolution. [C5]
Students will be challenged to think beyond the classroom through both case studies and
bioethical dilemmas to engage students in critical thinking about environmental, medical and
social concerns. For example, during the ecology unit students will examine child-limiting
policies as a means for population control and the ethical concerns that arise from such a
policy. Or during the biochemistry unit, students will discuss the ramification of anabolic
steroid use as a means to enhance athletic performance. [C7]
Lab Component
While working with a lab partner, students usually do every lab exercise in the AP Biology Lab
Manual for Students. They also do a variety of labs from other sources which are listed in the
lab references section. [C8]
Students do approximately one lab every other week, and are required to turn in some kind of
write-up for each one. The write-ups vary depending on the lab. For many labs, like model
building, I simply check off that the students have completed the lab. Some labs require only a
well-organized data summary and brief conclusion. Others, such as dissections and
microscope labs, merely consist of well-drawn diagrams of what students saw. For labs that
come from the AP Lab Manual, students must complete the graphs and answer the questions
from the manual. Independent research projects require full lab reports. Students have two
days from the completion of a lab to turn in their reports. I stress excellent presentation of data
and discussion of results over length. I also try to avoid busy work by not requiring students to
write out detailed methods for a lab for which I have provided a detailed procedure.
4
Student Evaluation
Students are evaluated on their performance on the unit tests, labs, quizzes, homework,
projects, and final exam they complete. I assign a certain number of points for each
assignment students complete for credit. Their percentage breakdown by assignment is listed
below.
Homework
Quizzes
Projects
Labs
Tests
Final Exam
5%
5%
15%
20%
40%
15%
Student Activities - Term Projects
Each semester students complete a project that requires them to do independent work and
turn in a report. [C4]
 First-Semester: Acid Rain and Plant Growth (Units 1,8,&11).
Students will design and carry out an experiment at home during the summer to test the
effect of acid rain on plant life. The research question students will test is “What is the effect
of acid rain on plant growth?” Students will explore the effects of different concentrations of
acetic acid (vinegar) to simulate acid rain. This project allows students a chance to learn the
elements of experimental design as well as how to makes graphs and tables for data
presentation. Students will then submit a written lab report that will be graded on
experimental design, presentation and discussion of their data.
 Second-Semester: Animal Conservation Plan (Units 9,10,&11).
Students will choose an animal as the topic of their research and will determine what
current issues challenge the survival of their organism. Students will then analyze the
methods and results of scientific investigations from primary research. After drawing
conclusions from their research, students will create a conservation plan. Students will
submit their research, analysis, and conservation plan in written form. Finally, students will
present their findings to the class using technology and defend their conservation proposal.
5