AP Biology Course Syllabus 2007 – 2008


Mrs. Esterbrook


Course Description

AP Biology is a rigorous course taught at the college level and you will be held to high expectations and mature responsibilities just like a college freshman taking Intro Biology.


Team Work

I view this course as a team effort. While each person needs to complete and hand in their own work, study groups and cooperative effort are strongly encouraged. You never learn something as well as when you have to explain it to someone else.

Classroom Rules

  • Be On Time
  • Bring notebook, textbook, and a pen and pencil to class everyday.
  • Follow Directions
  • Be Respectful
  • Be Responsible
  • Be Prepared

AP Biology Class Materials

  • One 3" 3-ring binder for your class notebook
  • 1 Spiral Notebook for lab notes
  • Loose leaf paper
  • Blue or black ink pens and pencils
  • White Out
  • 4 Dividers (Labeled: Syllabus, Notes, Graded Assignments, Labs)
  • 24+ Set of Colored Pencils
  • 1 Box of Kleenex
  • 1 Box of Latex Gloves
  • 1 Box of Disinfectant Wipes

Grades

Class Grade

  • Summative 60% - (Tests, Formal Lab Reports, Quarterly Notebook Grades, Projects)
  • Formative 40% - (Daily Participation, Homework, Quizzes, Weekly Grades, Informal Labs)

Semester Grade

  • Class Grade – 88% (44% for each quarter per semester)
  • Semester Final Exam – 12%

Tests

  • Format: Usually made up of 60 multiple choice test questions, and two Free Response prompts. For shorter units, the amount of questions may change.
  • Grading: The exams are graded similarly to the AP Biology exam standards, where 60% of the points are taken from the multiple-choice section and 40% are taken from the free response section.

Late Assignments

Daily assignments - You can turn in daily assignments one day late for 60% credit. Formal Lab Reports, Projects, Quarterly Notebook grades – 15% will be deducted each day it is late.

Absences

Attendance will directly reflect your learning in this class. If an absence is unavoidable, you are expected to turn in any assignments that were due that day and make up any labs, quizzes or tests the day of your return. If you miss a lab, you need to arrange time to make up the lab, either before school, during lunch, or after school due to the availability of perishable materials.

Extra Help

I am always available for extra help during the week. Please arrange a time with me, either before school, during lunch, or after school. Come prepared with specific questions, problems, or labs.

AP EXAM

The AP Biology Exam will be May 12, 2008 at 8:00am.

Course Outline

First Semester

First Nine Weeks
Unit Topics Labs and Assessments Length and Chapters
1 Introduction, Ecology and Behavior
  • Survey of the Eight Themes of AP Biology

  • Scientific Method

  • Population Dynamics

  • Communities and Ecosystems

  • Global Issues

 Lab Safety Test
Lab 11 – Animal Behavior
Lab 12 – Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary

Activity
Unit 1 Quizzes & Test
 10% 16 days Chapters 50 – 55
2 The Chemistry of Life

  • Water

  • Organic Molecules

  • Free Energy Changes

  • Enzymes

 Lab 1 – Diffusion and Osmosis

Lab 2 – Enzyme Catalysis
Unit 2 Quizzes & Test
 7% 11 days Chapters 3, 5, 8
3 Cells

  • Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells

  • Membranes

  • Cell Structures

  • Cell Cycle and Regulation

 Lab 3 – Mitosis and Meiosis

Cell Structure Model
Unit 3 Quizzes & Test
 10% 16 days Chapters 6, 7, 11, 12
Second Nine Weeks
Unit Topics Labs and Assessments Length and Chapters
4

Cellular Energetics

  • Coupled Reactions

  • Fermentation and Cellular Respiration

  • Photosynthesis

 Lab 4 – Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis
Lab 5 – Cellular Respiration
Unit 4 Quizzes & Test
8% 13 days

Chapters 8 – 10
5 The Chemistry of Life

  • Meiosis and Gametogenesis


  • Eukaryotic Chromosomes


  • Inheritance Patterns


 Lab 7 – Genetics of Organisms

Unit 5 Quizzes & Test
 8% 13 days

Chapters 13 – 15
6 Modern Genetics

  • RNA and DNA Structure and Function

  • Gene Regulation

  • Mutation

  • Viral Structure and Replication

  • Nucleic Acid Technology and Application
 Lab 6 – Molecular Biology

Unit 6 Quizzes & Test
 9% 14 days

Chapters 16 – 20

End Of First Semester

Second Semester

Third Nine Weeks
Unit Topics Labs and Assessments Length and Chapters
7

Evolutionary Biology

  • Early Evolution of Life

  • Evidence for Evolution

  • Mechanisms of Evolution

 Lab 8 – Population Genetics and Evolution
Unit 7 Quizzes & Test
 8% 13 days

Chapters 22 – 26
8 Diversity of Organisms

  • Evolutionary Patterns


  • Survey of the Diversity of Life


  • Phylogenetic Classification


  • Evolutionary Relationships


 Activity – Classifying Organisms

Unit 8 Quizzes & Test
 8% 13 days

Chapters 25 – 34
9 Plant Structure and Function

  • Reproduction, Growth, and Development

  • Structural, Physiological, and Behavioral Adaptations

  • Response to the Environment

 Lab 9 – Transpiration Flower Dissection

Unit 9 Quizzes & Test
 12% 19 days

Chapters 35 – 39
Unit Topics Labs and Assessments Length and Chapters
10

Animal Structure and Function

  • Reproduction, Growth, and Development

  • Structural, Physiological, and Behavioral Adaptations

  • Response to the Environment

 Lab 10 – Physiology of the Circulatory System
Unit 10 Quizzes & Test
 20% 32 days

Chapters 40 – 49
Review Review concepts based on student needs
Practice Tests
 10 Days

AP Exam May 12, 2008 at 8:00 am

Post AP Exam End of the year project

 9 days

End Of Second Semester

Textbook

 

Campbell, Neil A., and Jane B. Reece. Biology, 7th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006.
Online access:

www.campbellbiology.com