Download SCI Dlugosz AP_Biology

AP Biology Curriculum Design
Instructor: Randy Dlugosz
Course Planning Work
Essential Questions
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
How is the diversity and unity of life explained by the process of evolution?
Why is the cell considered the fundamental structural and functional unit of life?
What are the interdependent relationships which characterize biological ecosystems?
How do biological systems utilize energy and molecular building blocks to carry out life’s
essential functions?
(5) What are the mechanisms of living systems that are used to store, retrieve and transmit
information?
Generative Topics
A goal of the AP Biology program is to give students an understanding of biology as a process rather than
to make the course and learning process nothing more than an accumulation of discrete and unrelated
facts. Eight major goals have been identified as “overarching features of biology that apply throughout
the curriculum.”
1. Science As a Process – Science is a way of knowing. It can involve a discovery process using
inductive reasoning, or it can be a process of hypothesis testing.
Example: The theory of evolution was developed based on observation and experimentation.
2. Evolution – Evolution is the biological change of organisms that occurs over time and is driven
by the process of natural selection. Evolution accounts for the diversity of life on Earth.
Example: Widespread use of antibiotics has selected for antibiotic resistance in disease-causing
bacteria.
3. Energy Transfer – Energy is the capacity to do work. All living organisms are active (living)
because of their abilities to link energy reactions to the biochemical reactions that take place
within their cells.
Example: The energy of sunlight, along with carbon dioxide and water, allows plant cells to
make organic materials, synthesize chemical energy molecules, and ultimately release oxygen to
the environment.
4. Continuity and Change – All species tend to maintain themselves from generation to generation
using the same genetic code. However, there are genetic mechanisms that lead to change over
time, or evolution.
Example: Mitosis consistently replicates cells in an organism; meiosis (and hence sexual
reproduction) results in genetic variability.
5. Relationship of Structure to Function – The structural levels from molecules to organisms
ensure successful functioning in all living organisms and living systems.
Example: Aerodynamics of a bird’s wing permits flight.
6. Regulation – Everything from cells to organisms to ecosystems is in a state of dynamic balance
that must be controlled by positive or negative feedback mechanisms.
Example: Body temperature is regulated by the brain via feedback mechanisms.
7. Interdependence in Nature – Living organisms rarely exist alone in nature.
Example: Microscopic organisms can live in a symbiotic relationship in the intestinal tract of
another organism; the host provides shelter and nutrients, and the microorganisms digest the
food.
8. Science, Technology, and Society – Scientific research often leads to technological advances
that can have positive and /or negative impacts upon society as a whole.
Example: Biotechnology has allowed the development of genetically modified plants.
Learning Outcomes
The two major goals as described by the AP Biology Curriculum Development Committee are:
(1) to enable students to develop a real understanding of the principal concepts in biology and (2) to
experience science as a process of problem solving and discovery. The AP Biology program encourages
other skills, or student-learning outcomes encompassed by the AP Biology course. These skills include:
observation, interpretation of data, application of knowledge to new experiences, development and testing
of hypotheses, deductive reasoning, critical analysis, problem solving, communication, application, and
the proper use of basic scientific terms and measurement units.
Develop an understanding of concepts rather than memorizing terms and details.
Recognize that science is a process and not an accumulation of facts.
Recognize the unifying themes that integrate the major topics of biology:
Science as a process
Evolution
Energy Transfer
Continuity and change
Relationship of Structure to Function
Regulation
Interdependence in Nature
Science, Technology, and Society
AP Biology is a laboratory course and there is a greater focus for students to use collected data to
solve biological problems. Additional learning outcomes to that end include:
· demonstrate skills in using various types of biological instrumentation and scientific
methodologies,
· learn how to read and critique papers written by scientists in the field of biology,
· practice finding and using patterns in collected data to solve scientific problems,
· exhibit mastery of the major principles of biology, and
· apply biological knowledge and critical thinking to environmental and social concerns.
Evidence of Learning
1. Students will complete assessments of the laboratory experiences consisting of data analysis,
graphical analysis (where appropriate), and questions for analysis.
2. Students will complete homework assignments and questions from past, released AP tests on a
regular basis.
3. Students will be given announced quizzes and tests.
4. Students are required to take the AP Biology exam in May.
AP Biology Course Syllabus
Intensive Time
Day 1
The Teleological Trap and the Theory of Natural Selection
Cosmology: The origin of planets
The necessity of water
Functional groups and simple organic chemistry
Miller and Urey experiment
Membrane formation, genetic coding systems, and energy metabolism
Lab: 100 Meters of Time. Students produce a timeline of Earth’s geological and
biological history displayed over 100 meters on our school’s front field. The timeline scale
begins 5 billion years in the past and progresses through present time.
Survey of the three major domains of life and their kingdoms
Phylogeny and classification systems
Day 2
Basic organic chemistry and biomolecules
Formation of organic polymers from organic monomers
Carbohydrates, lipids, protein, nucleic acids, and other important biomolecules
Lab: Determination and Identification of Carbohydrates. The use of iodine and
Benedict’s solutions to determine the properties of carbohydrates.
Day 3
Lab: Extraction and Isolation of Macromolecules and Their Subunits from Yeast.
Introduces the science of molecular separation and the techniques of centrifugation,
chromatography, and dialysis.
Day 4
Structure, function, and organization of cells: prokaryote/eukaryote, plant/animal, subcellular
organization
Lab: Use of the Microscope. Students learn basic techniques of microscopy, examine
pond water, and learn the measurement scale of microscopy.
Lab: Examination of Plant and Animal Cells. Students observe and collect data
concerning the nature of cells of the onion, potato, cheek, and Elodea (a common aquatic plant).
Cell reproduction
Lab: AP Lab #3, Mitosis & Meiosis, Exercise 3A, mitosis.
Cell specialization and multicellularity
Endosymbiotic hypothesis
Cell locomotion
Lab: Protista. Observations of structure and methods of locomotion of Amoeba proteus,
Paramecium caudatum, Euglena acus, and Volvox globator.
Day 5
Membrane Transport
Diffusion and osmosis
Lab: AP Lab #1: Diffusion and Osmosis
Facilitated diffusion and active transport
Endocytosis and exocytosis
Plasmolysis and turgor in plant cells / Lysis and crenation in animal cells
Demo: Use of the digital microscope and smart board to illustrate plasmolysis and turgor in plant
cells; lysis and crenation in animal cells.
Day 6
Buffers and Enzymes
Catalysis and factors that affect enzyme activity
Demo: Toothpickase Exercise
Lab: Enzyme Kinetics (Virtual Lab, substitute for AP Lab#: Enzyme Catalysis.
Students are given data concerning the amount of product produced in the reaction between the
reagent DNSA and amylase of barley. A standard curve is generated and factors that influence
enzyme activity are studied.
Day 7
Cellular Respiration
The role of ATP
Aerobic Respiration and Fermentation
Glycolysis and the Krebs Cycle
Mitochondrial anatomy
Chemiosmosis
Interrelationship of fat, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism
Lab: AP Lab #5: Cell Respiration
Day 8
Photosynthesis
Historical perspectives (van Helmont, Priestley, Ingenhousz, and others)
Structure of the leaf, mesophyll, chloroplast, chlorophylls and accessory pigments
Lab: Leaf structure: Anatomy, preparation of microscope slides, and use of prepared
slides. A study of the cells and tissues of leaves, the organs of photosynthesis.
Day 9
Biochemistry of light dependent and light independent reactions
Chemiosmosis
Lab: AP Lab #4: Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis
C3 and C4 cycles
Day 10
Classical (Mendelian) Genetics
Mendel’s Laws
Meiosis
Lab: AP Lab #3: Mitosis and Meiosis, Exercise 3B
Use of Chi Square analysis
Sex Determination
Day 11
Linkage
Crossing over and Chromosome mapping
Sex-Linkage
Human pedigree analysis
Multiple alleles
Multiple loci (polygenic inheritance)
Epistasis
Nondisjunction
Day 12
Molecular Genetics
Historical research
Molecular structure of DNA
Replication of DNA
The Genetic Code and Protein Synthesis
Control of Transcription: The Operon
Lab: pGLO Bacterial Transformation, Kit provided by Bio-Rad Laboratories.
(substitute of AP Lab#6, Exercise 6A)
Day 13
Molecular basis of mutations
Phenotypic expression of mutations (inborn errors of metabolism)
Lab: DNA Fingerprinting (substitute for AP Lab #6, Exercise 6B)
Day 14
Evolution and Population Genetics
Historical background of Darwin and his voyage aboard the HMS Beagle.
Evidence for evolution
Population Genetics and the Hardy-Weinberg Law of Genetic Equilibrium
Lab: AP Lab #8: Population Genetics and Evolution
Day 15
Types of selection and mechanisms of evolution
Speciation, pre- and post-zygotic mechanisms, allopatric and sympatric speciation
Gradualism and punctuated equilibrium
The Rotation
Evolutionary Trends in the Plant Kingdom
Evolutionary Trends in the Animal Kingdom
Physiological Mechanisms
Homeostasis
Digestion and Food Processing
Gas Exchange and Transport
Immunology
Endocrine System
Osmotic Balance
Animal Reproduction and embryology
Human Reproduction
The Nervous System
Muscles
Transport in Vascular Plants
Plant Growth and Development
Animal Behavior
Ecology
Biomes
Energy flow and chemical cycling
Trophic relationships and energy transfers
Nutrient cycles
Population density, dispersion, and demography
Exponential and logistic growth
Carrying capacity
Human population growth
Interspecific interactions
Succession and climax
Course Resources:
Course Textbook: Campbell, Neil A. and Reece, Jane B.. Biology, 8th Edition.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 2008.
All AP Biology students receive a copy of the AP Biology Lab Manual for Students.