Instructional Resources Reece, Jane, et al. Campbell Biology. 9th Ed. San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings, 2011.

Transcription

1 AP Biology Syllabus Instructor: Mrs. Gina Smearsoll Psalm 24:1-2 The earth is the LORD s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. Course Overview The course is designed to be the equivalent of an introductory college-level biology course. The course is structured around the AP Biology Curriculum Framework and as such will facilitate learning about the major concepts in biology and their connections. This will be accomplished by focusing on the four big ideas, enduring understandings, and science practices outlined in the framework. Science should be learned through a facilitative process of discovery and inquiry. For this reason, students will be actively engaged in the process of experiencing science through activities, lab investigations, discussions, journal readings, and problem-solving of real-world investigative cases. By developing critical thinking skills and the tools necessary to connect concepts, students will be knowledgeable about biological principles and they will be prepared to integrate their biological knowledge with the process of experimental investigation. Units of Study Chemistry of Life Genetics Cells and Cell Processes Evolution Form and Function: Maintaining Homeostasis Interactions, Biodiversity, and Ecology Instructional Resources Reece, Jane, et al. Campbell Biology. 9th Ed. San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings, AP Test Prep Workbook for Campbell Biology- Revised for New Edition. San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings, AP Biology Investigative Labs: an Inquiry Based Approach. The College Board, Waterman, Margaret, and Ethel Stanley. Biological Inquiry: A Workbook of Investigative Cases. 3 rd ed. San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings, Melville, Johnathan M., Donald L. Volz and Michael Collins, Investigating Biology Through Inquiry, 2012, Vernier Software and Technology. 1

2 (Website that accompanies textbook and provides tutorials, multimedia sources, and activities to enhance instruction.) Extra Interest Reading: Johnson, Phillip. Darwin on Trial. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, Moalem, Sharon, and Jonathan Prince. Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease. New York: William Morrow, Preston, Richard. The Hot Zone. New York: Random House, Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Crown, Movies: Contagion. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. California: Warner Bros. Entertainment. DVD Gattaca. Directed by Andrew Niccol. California: Columbia TriStar Home Video, DVD. Assessment: Grades are determined by dividing points earned by total points available. Each chapter will vary on the point distribution depending on the number of labs for that unit. Points are generally distributed per chapter as follows: Lab Investigations points Homework Assignments points Reflection Journals points In-Class Activities points Quizzes points Chapter Test 100 points All assignments will lose 50% of possible point value if submitted late. Assignments submitted more than one class day late will receive a grade of zero. There will be no extra credit or making up of grades. What has been lost in 10 weeks of the course cannot be made up in one week. Communication Policies: Homework will be posted on Haiku by Monday morning of each week. Grades will be posted on Haiku weekly. Instructor can be contacted via . All s will be returned within 24 hours. A conference can be scheduled at any time. Contact the instructor to make arrangements. Absence Policies: Following an excused absence, it is the student s responsibility to find out what he/she missed and the homework assigned. Students missing a test or quiz must make arrangements for a makeup during study hall or after school within 3 days upon return. 2

3 Students missing a lab exercise must make arrangements to make up the lab. (if possible) If students know about an absence in advance due to a school event (ex: school play, sports), they are still responsible for the work and homework assigned that day. There is no extension given due to school-sponsored events. Course Organization AP Biology is structured around the four big ideas (evolution, energy processes, information, and interactions) and the enduring understandings within those big ideas as identified in the Curriculum Framework. The course will teach the essential knowledge as described within the enduring understandings and all learning objectives will be addresses. The big ideas are interrelated and will not be taught in isolation. The enduring understandings will be connected to those from other big ideas wherever possible to identify conceptual relationships. The Big Ideas: Big idea 1: The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life. Big idea 2: Big idea 3: Big idea 4: Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce and to maintain dynamic homeostasis. Living systems store, retrieve, transmit and respond to information essential to life processes. Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties. Investigative Lab Component Laboratory investigations will make up a minimum of 25% of instructional time. Students will conduct a minimum of eight inquiry-based investigations (two per big idea). Additional lab and supplementary activities will be used to increase student understanding of concepts and allow students to practice investigative skills. All seven science practice skills will be used by students on a regular basis in labs as well as supplemental activities. Students will maintain a written record of investigations, in the form of a lab notebook, including the development of a hypothesis, organization of collected data, analysis of observations and data, and discussion of results. By keeping a lab notebook, students will have opportunities to develop written and graphical communication skills and summarize scientific investigations. Reflection Journal Students will maintain a writing journal to reflect on reading assignments and authentic learning experiences. These journal writings should show a connection between prior knowledge and new knowledge. Units of Instruction Each of the six units of instruction will utilize multiple readings, including textbook reading, journal articles, and online resources. Each unit will also include inquiry-based lab investigations 3

4 and activities. There will be a real-world case study involved in each unit which will allow students the opportunity to connect biological and scientific knowledge to major social issues. During each unit, students will also be provided an opportunity to develop communication skills through lab reports, summaries of literature and real scientific investigations. This will require students to use written communication skills, verbal communication skills, and visual and graphical presentations. Visual and graphical presentations will include both hard paper-copy presentations and virtual presentations using computers. Unit One: Chemistry of Life 2. The Chemical Context of Life (quick review) 3. Water and Life 4. Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life 5. The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules Investigating Protein Content Investigation #5: Experiments with Protein: The Bradford Assay, Investigating Biology Through Inquiry, 2012, Vernier Software and Technology. Got Protein? Investigation, kit from Bio-Rad Laboratories 1. Why must organisms exchange matter with the environment to grow, reproduce, and maintain organization? 2. How do living organisms depend on the unique properties of water? 3. What determines the properties of a biological molecule? 4. How do variations in molecular units provide cells with a wider range of functions? 5. How do interactions between molecules affect their structure and function? Unit Two: Genetics 12. The Cell Cycle 13. Meiosis and the Sexual Life Cycles 14. Mendel and the Gene Idea 15. The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance 16. The Molecular Basis of Inheritance (16.1, 16.2 only) 17. From Gene to Protein 18. Regulation of Gene Expression (18.1, 18.2, 18.3, 18.4 only) 19. Viruses (19.1, 19.2 only) 20. Biotechnology (20.1, 20.2 only) 21. Genomes and their Evolution (21.2, 21.5 only) 4

5 1. Investigation #8: Biotechnology Lab: pglo Bacterial Transformation, AP Biology Investigative Labs: an Inquiry Based Approach, 2012, The College Board, kit from Bio-Rad Laboratories 2. Investigation #9: Biotechnology: Restriction Enzyme Analysis of DNA, AP Biology Investigative Labs: an Inquiry Based Approach, 2012, The College Board, kit from Bio-Rad Laboratories 1. How do mitosis and meiosis differ? 2. What are the processes biological systems have to increase genetic variation? 3. How is Mendel s inheritance model useful? What are its limitations? 4. What are the ethical, social, and medical issues surrounding human genetic disorders? 5. How is phenotype dependent on genotype? Is phenotype only dependent on genotype? 6. How is gene expression regulated? 7. How are proteins created from the DNA nucleotide sequence? How can one small error in this process cause such destruction? 8. How do cellular and molecular mechanisms affect expression of genetic information? 9. How can genetic variation be introduced in organisms? Unit Three: Cells and Cell Processes 6. A Tour of the Cell (6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5 only) 7. Membrane Structure and Function 8. An Introduction to Metabolism 9. Cellular Respiration and Fermentation (9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5 only) 10. Photosynthesis (10.1, 10.2, 10.3 only) 11. Cell Communication (11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4 only) 1. Diffusion and Osmosis Investigation #4, Procedure 1: Surface Area and Cell Size, AP Biology Investigative Labs: an Inquiry Based Approach, 2012, The College Board. Osmosis and Diffusion Lab Activity, Ward s Natural Science 2. Investigation #4: Chemistry of Membranes, Investigating Biology Through Inquiry, 2012, Vernier Software and Technology. 3. Investigation #11: Fermentation with Yeast, Investigating Biology Through Inquiry, 2012, Vernier Software and Technology. 4. Investigation #12: Photosynthesis by Chloroplasts, Investigating Biology Through Inquiry, 2012, Vernier Software and Technology. 5. Enzyme Action Investigation #6b: Testing Catalase Activity, Investigating Biology Through Inquiry, 2012, Vernier Software and Technology. Biofuel Enzyme Investigation, kit from Bio-Rad Laboratories 5

6 1. How does cell shape and size affect the overall rate of nutrient intake and rate of waste elimination? 2. What are the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells? 3. How do interactions between subcellular structures, which are specialized, provide essential functions? 4. How does cell membrane structure affect movement of molecules across the membrane? 5. Why is free energy required for living systems? 6. How do changes in free energy availability affect organisms, populations, and ecosystems? 7. What factors influence enzyme activity? 8. How do autotrophs capture free energy in the environment and use that energy to power the production of organic molecules? 9. How is the process of fermentation important for the production of energy? 10. How are the steps of cellular respiration dependent on one another? 11. What are the three primary ways cell communicate with one another and which anatomical system is responsible for each? 12. How do signal transduction pathways link reception with cellular response? Unit Four: Evolution 22. Descent with Modification: A Darwinian View of Life (22.2, 22.3 only) 23. The Evolution of Populations 24. The Origin of Species 25. The History of Life on Earth (25.1, 25.2, 25.3, 25.4, 25.5 only) 26. Phylogeny and the Tree of Life (26.1, 26.2, 26.3, 26.6 only) 1. Investigation #2: Mathematical Modeling, Hardy-Weinberg AP Biology Investigative Labs: an Inquiry Based Approach, 2012, The College Board 2. Investigation #3: Comparing DNA Sequences to Understand Evolutionary Relationships with BLAST, AP Biology Investigative Labs: an Inquiry Based Approach, 2012, The College Board 1. How does natural selection act on phenotypic variations in populations? 2. How and why do organisms evolve (change over time)? 3. How can speciation occur? How is this related to gene frequency? 4. What are some of the hypotheses about the origin of life on Earth and what evidence is used to support each? 5. How does lack of genetic diversity affect the ability of an organism to stay extant? 6

7 Unit Five: Form and Function: Maintaining Homeostasis 36. Resource Acquisition and Transport in Vascular Plants (36.3 only) 39. Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals (39.1, 39.2, 39.3, 39.5 only) 40. Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function 43. The Immune System 45. Hormones and the Endocrine System (45.1, 45.2 only) 48. Neurons, Synapses, and Signaling 49. Nervous System (49.2 only) 51. Animal Behavior 1. Investigation #13: Transpiration of Plants, Investigating Biology Through Inquiry, 2012, Vernier Software and Technology. 2. ELISA Immuno Explorer Lab from BioRad. 1. What is the relationship between metabolic rate per unit body mass and the size of multicellular organisms? 2. How do positive and negative feedback mechanisms work? (Include an example of each.) 3. How are biological systems affected by disruptions to their dynamic homeostasis? 4. How do organisms respond to changes in their external environments? 5. How do cells communicate with one another? 6. What is the function of an animal s nervous system? Unit Six: Interactions, Biodiversity, and Ecology 51: Animal Behavior 52. An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere (52.2, 52.3 only) 53. Population Ecology 54. Community Ecology 55. Ecosystems and Restoration Ecology 56. Conservation Biology and Global Change (56.1, 56.4 only) Animal Behavior Lab, c. Elegans Behavior Kit from BioRad. 1. How do individual organisms respond to and communicate information? 2. How is homeostasis influenced by changes in a system s environment? 3. How do changes in a community s populations affect the community? 4. How do changes of matter or energy availability affect communities? 7

8 5. How does species diversity within an ecosystem influence ecosystem stability? 6. What are the consequences of human actions on both local and global ecosystems (give an example for each)? Application of Science Practices Students apply the seven science practices through the inquiry-based laboratory investigations. Science Practices (SP) 1. The student can use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific problems. 2. The student can use mathematics appropriately. 3. The student can engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigations within the context of the AP course. 4. The student can plan and implement data collection strategies appropriate to a particular scientific question. 5. The student can perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence. 6. The student can work with scientific explanations and theories. 7. The student is able to connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts and representations in and across domains. 8