Secondly, this class is designed to prepare you for the AP Biology Exam which will be given in the spring. We will be addressing a majority of the topics on the exam. However, because of time constraints and the extensive content of the exam, a portion of the material may need to be covered independently by the student. As we continue through the school year, I will keep you informed on what topics you may need to study on your own.
Finally, the in-depth study of biology and the accelerated pace o f this course should ease your transition to college courses. All AP courses are prepared with the goal of working at a college level. Therefore, allowances should be made for substantial study time, and just as you will in college, you must take responsibility for your own learning.
I am looking forward to helping you on the road to success in AP Biology!
Textbook, Methods of Instruction, & Grading
Textbook:
This class is centered around an excellent first year college textbook
written by Neil Campbell. This book is thorough, current, and well written.
Because of the comprehensive coverage of the concepts, the reading can be
somewhat daunting for the beginning student. Keep up with the readings and allow
for plenty of time to read and digest the material in each chapter. For most
chapters, I will provide you with study questions or lists of objectives to
help you focus on the most important concepts.
Methods of Instruction:
The many concepts in the book are supplemented with lecture, lab activities,
research and writing assignments, student discussions, projects and presentations, videos, and
field trips.
Chapter Study Questions:
As mentioned above, these will help to focus your reading and identify the
most important concepts.
Warm-up Activities:
During certain units, you will be presented with a warm-up activity at the
beginning of class. In the warm-up you will write a response to a question or
statement that I have on the board. After you are given a few minutes to
respond to the warm-up, I will randomly pick one student to discuss their
response. Responses should be neatly written , labeled and kept in
your lab notebook.
Laboratory Reports:
Labs are an integral part of this course, allowing for direct experience
with the processes and organisms that we will be studying.
Students are expected to keep a separate lab notebook (flexible 3-ring
binder) which contains 2 copies of your pre-lab (typed) of which you will
give one copy to me on the due date, pre-lab lecture notes,
procedural notes (taken on the day of the lab) and any other related
handouts (data sheets, post lab analysis sheets, etc.).
At the completion of most labs, you will be expected to write an analysis
sheet, so that even if the data for the lab does not come out as expected,
you can get credit for addressing the problem and offering an explanation as
to what happened. "Human error" is not an acceptable
analysis. All questions contained in the lab handout must also be
completed. Further requirements for laboratory reports will be
described on a separate sheet.
Test & Quizzes:
Approximately 50% of your grade is derived from test scores. Tests include
multiple-choice questions and usually one to two essay questions. The tests
are designed to evaluate how well you understand the individual concepts
presented in each unit and how these concepts relate to each other and all
the other broad subject areas of biology. Therefore, do not simply memorize
vocabulary when studying for a test, but rather draw concept maps or flow
charts which allow you to visualize how all individual ideas and small
details fit together to form larger concepts.
Projects:
You will complete several projects in this course. These projects
include:
1. Halloween Project - Students will research and present the taxonomic classification, ecological roles and physiological characteristics of organisms associated with Halloween. Costumes are encouraged.
2. Kingdoms Project - Students will research, create a power point slide show and present specific information on an assigned domain, kingdom, phyla or class of organisms spanning in complexity, from the domains Bacteria and Archeabacteria, to kingdoms Protista, Fungi and Animalia. This project provides a comparative overview of the similarities and differences of organisms based on their structures, physiology and embryological development. An interactive activity to reinforce learning is also required.
3. Legacy Project - Students will prepare an
interactive presentation for our "reverse" science fair (Kids Judge)
where they will present a variety of scientific information to 3rd and 4th
grade students from one of our local elementary schools. During this fair,
the young students will judge the creativity, clarity and quality of the
projects and presentations of the AP Biology students. Detailed
requirements for these projects will be described on separate sheets.
Field Trips:
Field trips, when possible, are provided to enhance your experience in this
class. You will receive 5 points for simply
attending, and 10 points for completing a one-page written summary of your
experience on the trip. Possible field trips are to the Oregon Primate
Center, Oregon Health Sciences University, Oregon Coast Aquarium, and St.
Vincent’s Hospital to view an open-heart or orthopedic surgery.
Other
Assignments:
Other graded assignments may include, but are not limited to, the following:
other group or individual presentations, creative writing assignments,
concept maps or flow charts, and outlines from reading assignments.
Grading:
As stated above, approximately 50% of your grade will be derived from test
scores; the remaining 40% will come from the other sources listed above.
Semester grade computation is calculated by counting total points
accumulated during the semester as 90%, while the other 10% of your grade
will come from a comprehensive final exam. Grades will be awarded according
to the following scale:
90%-100% = A
89%-80% = B
79%-70% = C
69%-60% = D
59% or less = F