Advanced
Placement Biology Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will be
able to:
Design experiments with well-defined controls,
independent variables, and dependent variables.
Have a basic understanding of organic and biochemistry,
including the structures of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins, and
how they are formed and taken apart.
Understand the organization and internal functioning of
cells, including the role of each organelle in the life of the cell.
Understand how cellular processes, particularly cellular
respiration and photosynthesis contribute to the life of an organism.
Recognize the structure and function of DNA.
Take a piece of DNA and show how it would be transcribed
and translated into proteins.
Understand the mechanisms of inheritance on a molecular
level.
Solve genetics problems, including complete and
incomplete dominance, codominance, sex-linked inheritance, epistasis,
and multiple allele problems.
Understand the structure and reproduction of viruses and
how they affect human health.
Identify the five recognized kingdoms of living
organisms and name representatives of each kingdom.
Understand how living organisms, including humans,
interact with each other and the environment.
Be familiar with current biological technology and the
ethical concerns surrounding it.
Write responses to biologically-based essay questions
which require students to take information from several of the above
outcomes and present it as a cohesive whole.
Advanced
Placement Biology Syllabus
Mrs. Yats
This is an
advanced science course designed specifically to prepare students
for the Advanced Placement Biology exam in May. Between now and
then, students must cover the equivalent of…
everything. Everything related to biology, that is, with a
good dose of organic chemistry thrown in for fun. It will be taught
at the college level, and students must learn how to think.
If you are here
for any other reason than to challenge yourself, learn a whole bunch
more about biology, and possibly get college credit by taking the AP
exam, you need to seriously consider dropping this class. We do not
take breaks. There is no such thing as a day off. There will be
work and projects outside of class for which you are responsible
with very little in-class work time.
Having said that,
if you have problems staying in dress code, consider dropping this
class. I do not have time to deal with you. You will not get any
warnings.
If you have
trouble getting to class on time, consider dropping this class. I
do not have time to deal with you.
If you are a
serious procrastinator, consider dropping this class. You will save
yourself a lot of sleepless nights and low grades.
Grades will be
primarily determined by tests and end-of-chapter questions. There
is not much room for “relaxing” and handing in low quality work. It
will hurt your grade if you try to breeze through something. The
first Friday of every month (with the exception December, May, and
June) there will be a word ending quiz. Each quiz will be
cumulative. The second quiz will require you to know all of the
second section of prefixes and suffixes as well as ALL of the first
section. Keep in mind that your semester GPA in an AP class is
boosted by 0.5. If you get a “C” first semester (a 2.0 GPA) it will
go in your permanent record as a 2.5. Don’t worry if your grades
are not as high as you’d like right away. It will take some time to
adjust.
One last word
about grades, specifically homework: Copying someone else’s
answers, even on one question of one homework assignment, is
unacceptable. If I feel you have simply “borrowed” someone else’s
work, both (or all) students involved will receive zeroes. There
will be no warnings and no exceptions—this is your warning. It is a
fine line to walk. I want to encourage you to help each other, but
handing over your paper so someone else can copy it doesn’t help
anyone. Above all else, I am available to help you. Just don’t
wait until the last minute.
Every Wednesday I
will make myself available after school until at least 3:15 for
anyone who needs help on anything. This time can be used to receive
further instruction on a topic, for help on homework, going over
test questions, or simply to discuss whatever might be on your
mind. I will also be available at other times by appointment (the
fancy way of saying you can come in any time as long as you let me
know ahead of time).
Final exam policy
is as follows: The first semester final exam will be a unit exam
only and is mandatory for all students. It will not cover the
entire semester. We can’t afford to take time to review. Second
semester final exam is mandatory for all students, regardless of
class standing or quarter grades. You have a choice second
semester—if you take the AP Biology exam, will not have to take an
in-class exam, regardless of whether or not you pass. If you choose
not to take the AP exam, you will be required to take an in-class
final. This applies to both juniors and seniors.
Tentative
Course Outline:
First Quarter:
Chapters one through 8, with chapters one and five covered
independently.
Second
Quarter: Unit 2 (chapters
9-13)
Third Quarter:
Units 3 (chapters 14-22, skimmed) and 4 (chapters 23-25)
Fourth
Quarter: Units 5 (chapters
26-37, some skimmed) and 6 (chapters38-41), with some independent
work.
Along the way we
also are supposed to squeeze in 12 labs, along with instruction and
practice with test-taking strategies and essay writing.
If you choose to
stay in this class, I guarantee we will work hard, perhaps harder
than you’ve ever worked before, but we will also have a lot of fun
along the way. The choice is yours—I want you to stay to challenge
yourself in this class, but you have to be willing to put the work
into it.
Chapter One
Assignment
- Read and
outline in your notebooks chapter one and section 2-1 (up to page
24). This includes the Case Studies, Scientific Inquiries, and
Earth Watch.
Due date: Thursday, Sept. 2nd.
- Answer the
following questions in your own words: Review Questions 2,
4, 5, pg. 17. Applying the Concepts 1, 2, pgs. 17-18.
RQ 2, 3, 4, pg. 33. AC 1, pg. 34.
Due date: Wednesday, September 8th.
- If you have
questions about any of the information in this section, see me
ASAP.
- The content in
this chapter will be included on your first test. We will not use
any class time to discuss it unless several people come to me on
their own to express their concerns.
- The first test
will cover chapters 1-3.
