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James Clemens High SchoolInstructor: Coach HolleyCourse Overview:Pre AP Biology (Advanced Placement) is an introductory course designed to prepare students for the rigors of a true AP Biology course. Classes meet for 90-minutes daily and extra time may be utilized by students before, or after school. In this course, we will explore several sub-fields of biology and devote 25% or more of the instructional time to laboratory investigations to increase the understanding of biology for the Pre AP student. This will ensure that students engage in a hands-on approach and have adequate time to learn and practice the processes of science. The eight major themes from the AP Biology Course Description (science as process, evolution, energy transfer, continuity and change, structure and function, regulation, interdependence, science technology and nature) are stressed and utilized throughout all aspects of the year long course. The Modern Theory of Evolution, being the unifying and integral theme in biology, will be interwoven into every aspect of the course and the unity and interdependence in nature will be used to illustrate environmental, social, and ethical concerns related to biological studies.Pre AP Biology is a very intense class that will require the student to do outside readings, independent study, and projects to be successful in the class and on the AP Biology Exam. All instructional time will be used to maximize student learning by focusing on content specific and constructive assignments. Students are expected to take notes, participate in class/lab, keep up to date with class and reading assignments and to study, study, and study some more outside of class. Attendance is one of the most important factors in student success. Therefore, be at school. If you are not here, you will miss out on a lot of information because we will be covering material on a strict schedule.Materials: Paper (notebook with loose leaf paper in 3-ring binder or a bound notebook)Pencil or Blue/Black pen Textbook Internet is needed for research at various times (school or home internet can be utilized)Grades: Grades will follow the school grading scale as follows:90—100 A, 80—89 B, 70—79 C, 65—69 D, 0—64 FSemester Grades: Grades will be kept up to date on INOW, you can access all of your students’ grades by logging into INOW by way of the Madison city schools website. grades carry a weight of 40% while test grades are worth 60%. At the end of the year the student’s first and second semester grades will count for 40% each respectively and the final exam will account for the final 20%. 1st semester average 40% + 2nd semester average 40% = final exam 20% = final averageMake-up Work: Do not be absent from Pre AP Biology and this will not be a problem. Students will have 3 days from the time of the last absence to make up any missed work, per student handbook policy. Assignments must be made up within 3 days or it will result in a grade of ZERO (0). All make-up test will be given in the form of essay / short answer questions no matter what the reason for the absence. These make-up exams will cover the same material just in a different format. Any assignment announced prior to an absence is due on the students first day back to school. It is the STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY to find out what work was missed while he/she was absent. NO late work will be accepted. Unit 1-BiochemstryTime Frame: 22 days (Including 6 Lab Days)Textbook Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5Content:Biochemistry:Introduction to ClassAtomic Structure (First Day Essay)Basic ChemistryWaterOrganic (Carbon) MoleculesMacromoleculesMetabolism and Enzymes Characteristics Unit 2-Cell Structure and FunctionTime Frame: 14 days (Including 3 Lab Days)Textbook Chapters: 6, 7, 8Content:Cell Structure and Function:Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic CellsCell StructureMembranesTransportUnit 3-HeredityTime Frame: 16 days (Including 6 Lab Days)Textbook Chapters: 12, 13, 14, 15Content:HeredityCell Cycle (Mitosis, Meiosis) and RegulationMendelGenetics and Inheritance PatternsChromosomesMutations resulting in Biological ChangeUnit 4-Molecular GeneticsTime Frame: 16 days (Including 4 Lab Days)Textbook Chapters: 16, 17, 18, 19, 20Content:Molecular GeneticsDNA and RNA Structure and FunctionProtein SynthesisGene RegulationMutations and Evolutionary ChangeVirus, Bacteria, and Eukaryote Genomics, structure and replicationBiotechnology and ApplicationsEthical and Social ConcernsUnit 5-Mechanisms of EvolutionTime Frame: 14 days (Including 3 Lab Days)Textbook Chapters: 22, 23, 24, 25, 26Content:Evolution:Phylogenetic TreeNatural SolutionDarwinEarly Conditions and Life OriginsEvidences of EvolutionHardy-WeinbergPopulation GeneticsMechanisms of EvolutionUnit 6-EcologyTime Frame: Christmas/Holiday Break Assignment plus 9 days (Including 4 Lab Days)Textbook Chapters: 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55Content:Ecology:Populations DynamicsCommunities and EcosystemsBiosphereInteractionsGlobal Environmental ConcernsChi SquareUnit 7-Energy TransformationTime Frame: 18 days (Including 6 Lab Days)Textbook Chapters: 9, 10Content:Energy TransformationCoupled ReactionsPhotosynthesisCell RespirationFermentationUnit 8-DiversityTime Frame: 10 days (Including 2 Lab Days)Textbook Chapters: Content:DiversityClassification (Phylogeny) Survey of KingdomsDomainsEvolutionary Linkage of organisms within and between KingdomsUnit 9-Plant PhysiologyTime Frame: 16 days (Including 5 Lab Days)Textbook Chapters: 29, 30, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39Content:Plant Form and FunctionStructuresReproduction, Growth and DevelopmentAdaptations (Evolution) and Environmental ResponsePhysiologyUnit 10-Animal PhysiologyTime Frame: 30 days (Including 7 Lab Days)Textbook Chapters: 21, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49Content:Animal Form and FunctionStructuresSystemsReproduction, Growth and DevelopmentPhysiologyAdaptations (Evolution) and Environmental ResponseAP Review: Time Frame: 5-8 daysPlease sign and return the following:To Student and Parent/GuardianI would like to welcome each of you to Pre AP Biology and look forward to our journey through the science of biology. Please carefully read the syllabus and the below paragraph and sign this paper in the spaces provided. I have read the syllabus and understand that Pre AP Biology is a very rigorous and intense course in which students will be required to maintain a fast pace of course work and do readings, work and projects outside the classroom environment. While Pre AP Biology students are high school students, they have chosen to take a course that will be taught at the college level and therefore must adhere to those standards. I understand that Pre AP Biology students should study and read each night the material covered during that week. Classroom attendance is an essential key to success and it is the student’s responsibility to obtain the information and assignments covered in their absence. Absences on test days will result in the student taking an alternate essay/short answer form of the exam covering the same material as the original exam. I also understand that make-up work from absences must be turned in as described on the syllabus and that NO late work will be accepted. Again welcome to Pre AP Biology_____________________________ _____________________________________ Student Signature Date Parent Signature ................
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