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AP Biology Syllabus2019-2020KealeyWelcome to AP Biology. The AP Biology course was redesigned in 2013 to coincide with the movement for science classrooms to teach in a more scientific manner. Since these changes, the AP Biology course has evolved from the memorization of discrete facts to a focus on broader conceptual knowledge. Much of the test requires analysis of data using what you know about biology. I hope that you will enjoy this class as much as I will enjoy teaching it. Much of the course content can be found on my website: . Please refer to it on a regular basis to acquire information for the class. Prerequisites:.According to the College Board website, AP Central, students should complete Biology 1 and Chemistry 1 BEFORE starting the AP Biology course. Additional recommendations for student success in the course include a B or better in Honors Biology, Honors Chemistry, and Honors Algebra 2. Although students will be given resources to review the content learned in previous classes, very little class time will be spent re-teaching material. Students are expected to enter the course with a high level of content knowledge. It is also essential that students have a strong math background with good critical thinking and problem solving skills. Passing Algebra 2 Honors with a B or better is highly suggested. A large portion of the AP Biology course and test involves analyzing lab data. Required materials for the course:.Textbook: Biology: AP Edition by Mader (11th Edition, published 2013)Three ring binder with notepaper (for notes and classwork)College ruled composition book (for AP Biology Journal)Calculator (not on a cell phone)Blue or black pensRed pensNumber 2 pencilsGeneral Class Rules:.No food or drinks out at any time. No chewing gum. This classroom is also used as a laboratory and it is not safe to ingest anything inside the room. Be sure to wash your hands before eating after exiting the lab.Cell phones must be in your backpack at all times. Cell phones may not be used as calculators. Having a cell phone out during class may lead to a referral for Saturday school. Having a cell phone out with the intent to cheat will have more serious consequences, including, but not limited to a zero on that test or assignment. Be on time. There is a lot of material to cover this year and class will be starting as soon as the bell rings. School policies for tardies will be strictly enforced, including dropping a student with an F after 7 tardies.Peninsula High School cheating policies will be strictly enforced. See your planner for more detail on these policies.Course Content:.The AP Biology course centers around four “Big Ideas”. These Big Ideas are as follows:Big Idea 1: EVOLUTION (EVO): The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life.Big Idea 2: ENERGETICS (ENE): Biological systems use energy and molecular building blocks to grow, reproduce and maintain dynamic homeostasis.Big Idea 3: INFORMATION STORAGE AND TRANSMISSION (IST): Living systems store, retrieve, transmit and respond to information essential to life processes.Big Idea 4: SYSTEMS INTERACTIONS (SYI): Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions exhibit complex properties.Each Big Idea is then broken into three to five “Enduring Understandings” and further divided into more specific “Learning Objectives” and “Essential Knowledge” components. The information in organized into eight topical units. All of these can be found on the AP Central website () or on my website () .1st SemesterUnit 1: Chemistry of Life (8-11%)Big Idea 2, 3 & 4Chapter 1-3Lab 12Unit 2: Cell Structure and Function (10-13%)Big Idea 1, 2 & 4Chapter 4-5, 25, 36Lab 4 & 11Unit 3: Cellular Energetics (12-16%)Big Idea 2 & 4Chapter 6-8Lab 13, 5 & 6Unit 4: Cell Communication and Cell Cycle (10-15%)Big Idea 2 & 3Chapter 9, 26, 31, 33, 37-38, 40, 42Lab 7 (part 1)Unit 5: Heredity (8-11%)Big Idea 1, 3 & 4Chapter 10-11Lab 7 (part 2)2nd SemesterUnit 6: Gene Expression and Regulation (12-16%)Big Idea 3Chapter 13-14Lab 8 & 9Unit 7: Natural Selection (13-20%)Big Idea 1 & 4Chapter 15-19Lab 1, 2 & 3Unit 8: Ecology (10-15%)Big Idea 1, 2, 3 & 4Chapter 43-47Lab 10Grading:.A:90% and aboveB:80-89.9%C:70-79.9%D:60-69.9%F:59.9% and belowGrade change policy based on AP Biology test scores.Score of 4:Raise one grade for one semester. For example: Fall semester C to B.Score of 5:Raise one grade for both semesters. If a student already has an A for one semester, the other semester will NOT be raised two grades.Grades will be weighted and based on the following five categories:Multiple Choice Tests and Quizzes:40%Tests will be given on the following dates: (Mostly Thursdays, some Mondays)Unit 1: Chemistry of Life9/12/19Unit 2: Cell Structure and Function10/3/19Unit 3: Cellular Energetics11/7/19Unit 4: Cell Communication and Cell Cycle12/12/19Unit 5: Heredity1/9/191st Semester Final1/15-1/16/20Unit 6: Gene Expression and Regulation2/13/20Unit 7: Natural Selection3/19/20Unit 8: Ecology4/20/202nd Semester Final4/30-5/1/20 (before AP testing)Tests will be multiple-choice to mirror the AP test. Students are required to bring a pencil the day of the test. Many tests require the use of a calculator. Students may use any type of calculator that is allowed on the AP exam. See the website for details: . The calculator memory must be cleared before the exam begins.If a test is missed for any reason, it is the student’s responsibility to make up the test within the number of allowable days per PVPUSD School Board policy. One day is given for each day out due to illness. Students are not given additional days if they are out for personal reasons, school functions (such as field trips or sports) or partial day absences. If a test is not made up within the allowable time, the student will receive a zero on the test. Students need to make up all tests on their own time in the Learning Center.Pop quizzes may be given at any time. These quizzes will take only a fraction of the period and will be based on topics covered in homework, classwork, or labs. Free Response Questions (FRQs) & Journal:20%Free response essay questions will be given on Fridays throughout the year. There will always be an FRQ the Friday after every test (see dates above) or the Friday before the test if a test falls on a Monday. FRQs may also be given on Fridays throughout the unit. These questions will mirror the same topics that were on the test or topics that we are currently discussing. The FRQs for each unit can found on my website. FRQs will be timed and written individually during the first half of the period. The students will then trade papers and the question(s) will be scored by a group of peers using rubrics. I will review the essays to see if they are graded appropriately. Grades will be a combination of both how well a student wrote the essay, as well as, how well they scored other essays. Student ID numbers will be used rather than names to preserve anonymity. We will also be keeping an AP Biology Journal this year. You will need to bring your composition book to class EVERYDAY. There will be a daily short writing prompt on the board every morning which is specific to topic we are learning. You will have the first few minutes of class to write about the prompt in your journal. The journals will be collected and graded at random intervals approximately every 1-2 weeks.Labs:20%There are thirteen suggested labs for the AP Biology course. A minimum of 25% of our class time will be dedicated to lab investigations. During these labs, we will be learning content as well as focusing on the six science practices: Concept Explanation, Visual Representation, Questions and Methods, Representing and Describing Data, Statistical Tests and Data Analysis, and Argumentation. The labs can be found on my course website or on the AP Central website at: Week 2: Investigation 12-Fruit Fly BehaviorWhat environmental factors trigger a fruit fly response?Big Idea 4: Systems InteractionsWeek 4-5: Investigation 4-Diffusion and OsmosisWhat causes plants to wilt if they are not watered?Big Idea 2: EnergeticsWeek 5: Investigation 11-TranspirationWhat factors, including environmental variables, affect the rate of transpiration in plants?Big Idea 4: Systems InteractionsWeek 7: Investigation 13-Enzyme ActivityHow do abiotic or biotic factors influence the rates of enzymatic reactions?Big Idea 4: Systems InteractionsWeek 8-9: Investigation 5-PhotosynthesisWhat factors affect the rate of photosynthesis in living leaves?Big Idea 2: EnergeticsWeek 10: Investigation 6-Cellular RespirationWhat factors affect the rate of cellular respiration in multicellular organisms?Big Idea 2: EnergeticsWeek 14-16: Investigation 7-Cell Division: Mitosis and MeiosisHow do eukaryotic cells divide to produce genetically identical cells or to produce gametes with half of the normal DNA?Big Idea 3: Information Storage and TransmissionWeek 20: Investigation 8-Biotechnology: Bacterial TransformationHow can we use genetic engineering techniques to manipulate heritable information?Big Idea 3: Information Storage and TransmissionWeek 21: Investigation 9-Biotechnology: Restriction Enzyme Analysis of DNAHow can we use genetic information to identify and profile individuals?Big Idea 3: Information Storage and Transmission Week 23: Investigation 1-Artificial SelectionCan extreme selection change expression of a quantitative trait in a population in one generation?Big Idea 1: EvolutionWeek 24: Investigation 2-Mathematical Modeling: Hardy WeinbergHow can mathematical models be used to investigate the relationship between allele frequencies in populations of organisms and evolutionary change?Big Idea 1: EvolutionWeek 25: Investigation 3-Comparing DNA Sequences to Understand Evolutionary Relationships with BLASTHow can bioinformatics be used as a tool to determine evolutionary relationships and to better understand genetic diseases?Big Idea 1: EvolutionWeek 29: Investigation 10-Energy DynamicsWhat factors govern energy capture, allocation, storage, and transfer between producers and consumers in a terrestrial ecosystem?Big Idea 4: Systems InteractionsLab Day Requirements:Students must come to class prepared on lab days. Before each lab, the students should read the procedure and watch assigned videos. Students must come to labs dressed appropriately and bring necessary materials:Closed toed shoesLong hair tied backNo loose fitting clothes or jewelryLab notebook, pens, and calculatorLab aprons, goggles, and gloves will be supplied when necessary.All students will be required to write out the lab report, but only one person from each group will be chosen at random to have their report graded. Group members will need to hold each other accountable and make sure that everyone has completed all required portions of the lab. After the lab is graded, students will be allowed to redistribute the points within the group so that the students who did more work will get a higher score. For example, if there were 3 people in a group and they scored an 85/100, they would divide up 255 points (85 x 3). The group can choose to give everyone 85, or they can divide it up in any manner to adds up to 255 (ex. 100, 100, 55 or 95, 80, 80 or 90, 85, 80). The group must come to a consensus over the distribution of the points or everyone gets the same score. No one can earn over 100 points. Classwork/Class Participation:10%Aside from labs, students will work on a variety of group activities to reinforce the content. These activities may include POGILs, Case Studies, and Illustrative Examples.Homework/Online Participation:10%Many of the homework assignments can be found on the assignment page of the class website. . Assignments will include reading the textbook and doing online activities on the textbook website, Khan Academy, Bozeman, Crash Course, and other sites. These assignments are designed to review, reinforce, or introduce AP Biology content.Written assignments may be given a few times a week. These assignments will be announced during class and/or written on the board. The AP Test: .AP Biology Test: Monday, May 11, 2020Part 1: 90 minute Multiple Choice Test (50% of total score)60 Multiple Choice Questions with A-D answersPart 2: 90 minute Free Response Section (50% of total score)2 Long Free Response questions (8-10 points)4 Short Free Response questions (4 points)I will schedule AP Biology practice test for the end of April.AP Test Registration will occur in the Fall this year (which is several months earlier than it has been in the past). Please register for my class on the AP Central website as soon as possible. Use the following codes to register:AP Biology Per 2: KKZKJNAP Biology Per 3: RWR9ANAP Biology Per 4: DJZR3G If you have any further, please contact me at kealeym@Mrs. KealeyPlease sign and return the first week of school.I have read and fully understand the AP Biology course syllabus.Student:Parent:______________________________________________________________________Print NamePrint Name_______________________________________________________________________SignatureSignature_______________________________________________________________________EmailEmail_______________________________________________________________________Phone numberPhone number___________period ................
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