Welcome to AP Biology! ... The AP Biology course is structured around Four Big
Ideas: Evolution, Cellular Processes, Genetics and .... Chapters 21, 24-28.
Welcome to AP Biology! This course is designed to introduce you to some of the topics not covered in Introduction to Biology and to examine some areas of biology in greater detail. Upon completion of this course, you should be well-prepared for college biology courses. You will have a very sound knowledge of basic biological principles, as well as an introduction to current biological techniques and trends. The AP Biology course is structured around Four Big Ideas: Evolution, Cellular Processes, Genetics and Information Transfer, and Ecology. In addition, students will engage in science practices to establish lines of evidence and use them to develop and refine testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena. Approximately 30% of the time spent in class is devoted to laboratory investigations. A significant portion of the labs is self-directed. Lab analysis will include formal laboratory reports, lab write-ups, and presentations. The text for the course is Principles of Life; David M. Hillis, David Sadava, H. Craig Heller, and Mary V. Price, authors; Sinauer Associates, Inc., publishers; copyright 2012 In addition to the text, you will need: 5 Steps to a 5 for AP Biology, 2013 edition, 5 Steps to a 5 500 AP Biology Questions (after Christmas), and a binder or folder with loose leaf in which you can add hand-outs. A highlighter is strongly recommended. You need a set of binder dividers with 11 tabs. This class is graded on the college scale: A = 90-100 B = 80 - 89 C = 70 -79 D = 60 - 69 F = below 60 Attendance is very important!! It is extremely difficult, and in many cases impossible, to make up these labs and understand the material by simply copying someone else’s notes. ATTENDANCE FOR EXAMS IS MANDATORY.
Approximate grading percentages: 1. 30% Exams and finals - some written, some practicum 2. 40% Laboratory work and reports 3. 30% Homework and special projects, including computer work and presentations; occasional assessment of assigned reading will include quizzes, summaries, and evaluations
Refer to the overview of the material for the year. Each unit will include one or more exams. It should be obvious that we must move very quickly in order to be adequately prepared for the exam in May. Therefore, you must contribute, not detract from, the success of the entire class. Be present, prepared, on time, and in uniform. We are a team with one goal: pass that exam in May! You must form study groups and work together!!
AP BIOLOGY OVERVIEW Unit 1 – Biochemistry and Energy Chapters 1, 2 & 3 Topics: origin of life, organization of life, methods of scientific investigation, review of atomic structure and chemical bonding, organic compounds, energy, thermodynamics, enzymes, metabolism Activities: fill out “Calendar of Life”, analysis of investigation on the effects of atrazine on leopard frog larvae, observations of 6 major forms of life, building biological molecules, protein modeling, “Toothpickase” lab, AP lab#13: Enzyme Activity
Unit 2 – Cells Chapters 4,5 & 7 Topics: passive transport (diffusion, facilitated diffusion, osmosis), active transport (pumps, endocytosis, exocytosis), parts of the cell, cell communication, cell reproduction: mitosis Activities: create a Prezi on a particular cell part, surface area calculation on a potato, demonstrations of diffusion and osmosis, simulation of epinephrine action, AP lab#4: Diffusion and Osmosis, parts 1,2 and 3; AP lab#7: Cell Division
Unit 3 – Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration Chapter 6 Topics: coupled reactions, chemiosmosis; photosynthesis: light-dependent and light-independent reactions, cellular respiration: glycolysis, Krebs cycle, electron transport chain, fermentation Activities: analysis of an experiment that demonstrates the chemiosmotic mechanism, pigment chromatography, AP lab#5: Photosynthesis, fill in chart comparing photosynthesis and cellular respiration, AP lab#6: Cellular Respiration, fermentation lab
Unit 4 – Biotechnology Chapters 9 – 14 Topics: DNA history, DNA structure, DNA replication, protein synthesis, viral replication, gene regulation and expression, genetic engineering, gel electrophoresis, polymerase chain reaction, transformation Activities: student research and presentation on either a specific experiment that contributed to the knowledge we have about DNA or a topic related to biotechnology, “Bacterial Identification” lab, “DNA Extraction” lab, paper gene splicing, AP lab #8: Bacterial Transformation, AP lab#9: Restriction Enzyme Analysis, gel electrophoresis lab, polymerase chain reaction/electrophoresis lab
Unit 5 – Genetics Chapter 8 Topics: meiosis, Mendelian genetics, Punnett squares, Chi Square analysis, monohybrid and dihybrid crosses, incomplete dominance, multiple alleles, polygenic inheritance, sex-linked inheritance, epistasis, limited penetrance, expressivity, linkage maps, genetic disorders Activities: parts 4 and 5 of AP lab#7: Cell Division, Chi Square analysis, data analysis of Mendel’s monohybrid crosses, Drosophila genetics lab, “Chromosomes and Genes” lab, pedigree analysis, “Frequency of Human Genetic Traits” lab, linkage map analysis, analysis of Drosophila investigation showing deviation from independent assortment, ethical issues paper/discussion, AP lab #3: DNA sequence/BLAST
Unit 6 – Evolution Chapters 15 – 18 Topics: formation of the Earth, radiometric dating, origin of life, Charles Darwin’s Beagle journey and development of theory, natural selection patterns, gradualism vs. punctuated equilibrium, convergent evolution, analogous structures, homologous structures, vestigial structures, artificial selection, phylogeny, artificial selection, Hardy-Weinberg Principle, types of isolation and speciation, adaptive radiation, balanced polymorphism, altruism and kin selection, population bottleneck, Founder Effect, RNA World Hypothesis, evolution of major groups, mass extinctions, evolution of humans Activities: Student presentations on specific aspects of evolutionary theory, interactive online tutorial: constructing a phylogenetic tree, AP lab #1: Artificial Selection, AP lab #2: Hardy-Weinberg, M & M Natural Selection lab
Unit 7 – Ecology Chapters 42 – 46 Topics: movement of energy and matter through populations and ecosystems, interactions between and among species, biogeochemical cycles, gross vs. net primary productivity, keystone species, human impacts on ecosystems, invasive species, biotic/abiotic elements of ecosystems, food chains, food webs, trophic levels, biogeographical studies Activities: AP lab #10: Energy Dynamics, create a “rap sheet” for an invasive species
Unit 8 –Plants Chapters 21, 24-28 Topics: photosynthesis review, phylogeny, movement of substances through vascular tissue, classification, reproduction, hormones, tropisms, pathology Activities: transpiration demonstration, AP lab #11: Transpiration, flower dissection, analysis of water potential data, analysis of James Knott’s experiment with phytochrome, analysis of hormones and signaling data, analysis of Ian Baldwin’s experiment with nicotine and jasmonate, on-line tutorials: cohesion-tension, pressure-flow, phototropism, flowering signals, cell signaling induced by plant pathogens
Unit 9 – Animal Physiology and Behavior Chapters 29, 30, 31, 34, 41 Topics: homeostasis, feedback mechanisms, hormones, specific and non-specific defense mechanisms, nervous system anatomy and physiology, animal behavior Activities: AP lab#12: Fruit Fly Behavior, student presentations on specific types of animal behavior, comparative dissections, interactive tutorials: action potential, synaptic transmission, circadian rhythm, honey bee dance communication
