AP Biology Syllabus

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "AP Biology Syllabus"

Magnus Bates
6 years ago
Views:

1 AP Biology Syllabus Instructor Information: Teacher: Rob Reda Room: Belle Vernon Area High School, Room Contact: Phone: ; ext Website: Required Text: Additional Resources: Mader: Biology 11th Course Description: Through the study of biology, students will appreciate the complexity of life and will understand that human survival is dependent upon knowledge of diversity, interactions, and interdependence of living systems. Emphasis is placed on a process approach which develops critical thinking and promotes scientific inquiry leading to the development of a scientifically literate student. The course will encourage the use of a variety of instructional approaches and material to provide students with varying abilities the opportunity for success. Course Objectives:

2 By the end of this course, the successful student will be able to: 1. Demonstrate skills in using various types of biological instruments and scientific methods. 2. Apply biological knowledge and critical thinking to environmental and social concerns. 3. Apply biological knowledge to the eight major themes (Science as a process,, Energy transfer, Continuity and change, Relationship of structure and function, Regulation, Interdependence, and Science, technology and nature). 4. Learn how to read and critique papers written by scientists in the field of biology. 5. To pass the AP exam with a 3 or better. AP 1-to-1 Initiative As an AP student, you have been issued an ipad mini for class use, which is a privilege and a responsibility. Bring your device fully charged daily. Loss of class points and possible disciplinary referral will result from failure to bring your device to class or inappropriate use of it (games, social media, etc). Remember, your ipad is your responsibility; however, it is the property of the BVA School District, and its content may be viewed by administration at any time. Also, be advised that you are financially responsible for loss or damage to the device. Academic Honesty: Any work submitted by the student shall be his/her own. Work taken from others shall be deemed as unacceptable. Any doubts will initiate the completion of an alternative assignment or a zero on the required effort, depending on the severity of the infraction. Class Policies and Expectations: 1. Since preparation enhances performance, it is expected that students will keep a notebook to organize notes & materials. The notebook will be valuable when studying for tests. 2. Because so much material is covered in such a short period of time, frequent absences will cause you to fall behind. 20 in a year will result in credit denial. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A STUDENT TO MAKE UP MISSED WORK WHEN YOU RETURN TO CLASS. 3. Tests notices are given at least one week s in advance. Tests will be taken on the assigned test date. Failure to do so will result in a zero. 4. Assignments will be collected on the due date at the beginning of class. Failure to do so will result in a zero for that assignment. 5. Assignments (INCLUDING TESTS) given before the student s absence are due on the day the student returns to class. Failure to do so will result in a zero 6. If you are absent on the day homework was assigned YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING THE ASSIGNMENT FROM THE MAKE-UP FOLDER at the beginning or end of class the next

3 day you are present. You will have the same amount of time as the other students to complete the assignment (Usually the time period is one night). 7. If you are absent on the day of a quiz or test YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING ARRANGEMENTS WITH ME AT THE BEGINNING OR END OF CLASS to take the test. You will have 5 school days to make up a quiz, and 10 school days to make up a test. Try to be prepared to make them up the day you return. There will be a list posted as to who has to make up a test or quiz & the date they need to make them up by. 8. Failure to make up assignments, tests, and quizzes by the deadline will result in a zero. 9. CHEATING IS NOT TOLERATED! The first offense will result in a zero for that assignment or test. The second offense will result in a zero for that assignment and the student will be sent to administration. 10. Cell Phone s, turn them off. I will ask you to put them away the first time I see it. Afterwards I will take your cell phone off of you and give it to the office. Disabilities: If you have a disability that requires special accommodations, you need to notify the teacher no later than the 2 nd week of class. Course Grading Criteria: All quizzes, tests, and projects will be graded according to the Belle Vernon Area School District grading policy. 90% (test and labs) of your grade will be formal assessment and 10% will be informal (homework). The grading scale is as follows: A B C D F Assignments per Quarter: Tests Labs Each chapter quiz will be composed of true and false, matching, multiple choice, and essays. There will unit test consisting of three chapters each as well as a nine week exams that covers all the material during each quarter. All formative labs are student directed laboratory investigations used through out the course allow students to apply the scientific practices define in the AP Biology Curriculum Framework

4 and include at least two lab experiences in each of the four big ideas. Several labs will be conducted for the majority of the units that will require a lab write up. The lab report must be type and include the following (Objectives, hypothesis, materials, procedure, data table and graphs, source of error, conclusion, and questions from lab answered. These lab experience provide student opportunities with each of the for Big ideas listed below in the AP Curriculum Map. Labs are three forty two minute (126 minutes) periods out of 9 periods (378 minutes) out of a six day cycle. AP Lab 1 Artificial Selection AP Lab 7 Cell Division: Mitosis and Meiosis Genetics of Organisms AP Lab 2 Hardy-Weinberg AP Lab 8 Bacterial Transformation AP Lab 3 DNA Sequencing to Understand AP Lab 9 Restriction Enzymes AP Lab 4 Diffusion and Osmosis AP Lab 10 Energy Dynamics AP Lab 5 Plant Pigments & Photosynthesis AP Lab 11 Transpiration AP Lab 6 Cellular Respiration AP Lab 12 Fruit Fly Behavior AP Lab 13 - Enzymes Other labs: Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary Productivity, Physiology of the Circulation System, Population Genetics and, Insects collection, Leaf collection, Caloric lab, Kinetic and potential energy lab, Plant diversity lab, Animal diversity Lab, Web of Life lab, US Demographics Lab Pre & Post Reading Guides: Weekly reading will be assigned, please check school wires for which on and the due dates of each. Study Island: Weekly Study Island will be assigned which covers the current topics of the week. Please log onto the study island web site to determine which ones are due. Academic Standards: Students will be reacquainted with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards that have been adopted by the Department of Education, along with the Common Core Standards that are in the process of being implemented nationwide. Students will be made aware of the importance of the standards and the efforts to meet them. Edline: Grades will be updated every Friday on Edline. If you lost or cannot remember log in information, please contact our Child Accounting Department at ext Schoolwires (Website): My website will be updated every Friday. Course Topics, Assignments, and Quizzes and Tests are also posted weekly. The following signatures state that all parties are aware of the preceding syllabus.

5 Student Signature Date Parent Signature Date Teacher Signature Date Course Outline: 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3 rd Quarter 4 th Quarter I. View of Life I. I. Plant I. Comparative Darwin and Plant Diversity Anatomy II. The Cell The Scientific Method Laws, Theories and Principles Basic Chemistry Biochemistry Cell Strycture and Function Cell Membrane and function Metabloism: energy and enzymes Photosynthesis Cellular Respiration Population Speciation and Macroevolution Origin of Life Taxonomy II. Microbiology and Viruses, Bacteria, and Archaebacteria Protista diversity Fungi Flowering plants: Structure & organization Nutrition and transport Control of growth Reproduction II. Animal Invertebrate evolution Vertebrate Human Organization and Homeostasis Circulation Lymphatic and Immunity Digestive System Respiratory System Body Fluid Regulation Nervous System Locomotion and Support Hormones Development and Aging II. Behavior & Ecology Behavior Ecology Population Ecology Community and Ecosystems Biosphere Conservation of biodiversity III. Genetics Basis of Life Cell Cycle Meiosis Mendelian Genetics Molecular Biology Gene Regulation and Expression Biotechnology III. Review of AP Exam

Biology 10 - Introduction to the Principles of Biology Spring 2017

Biology 10 - Introduction to the Principles of Biology Spring 2017 Welcome to Bio 10! Lecture: Monday and Wednesday Lab: Monday 7:00 10:00pm or 5:30-7:00pm Wednesday 7:00 10:00pm Room: 2004 Lark Hall Room: