Welcome to AP Biology! This course is designed to be the equivalent of an introductory college biology course. Therefore the range and depth of the material covered, the kind of laboratory work performed, and the time and effort required of you parallels that of a typical college biology course. It cannot be overemphasized that each of you needs to put in a great deal of individual effort to be successful in this course. Successful completion of this course may assist you as a college freshman in a number of ways. You may be able to enroll in an upper-level biology class, it may fulfill a graduating requirement for non-majors, or it may prepare you for an introductory biology course if your school does not accept AP scores.
Expectations
You are expected to be an active reader in this course. It is essential for your success that you read, review and study each chapter assigned to you. You are also expected to be on your best behavior. You are some of the top students in your class and will be trusted with equipment and supplies that most other students will never get the opportunity to use. Please do not take advantage of this trust. Finally, you are expected to come to class prepared. You should have access to your textbook, your notes, a calculator, any assigned homework, college ruled paper, a pen and a pencil with you for each class. I cannot waist time giving everyone passes to their lockers because they forgot something they needed in class. Although it may seem like we have a lot of time, you must still come to class prepared and ready to work.
Notebooks
All of your notes will be provided to you through Google Classroom. You can join the AP Biology class by entering the code pvj3pg when prompted. However, you should also have a three-ring binder with ample room for handouts, homework, quizzes and tests. You should also have a separate section of this binder for laboratory notes and returned labs. Your binder should not be just a dumping ground for old assignments or a place to doodle. It should be neat, well organized and easy to use as a review for exams.
Books
We will be using the AP Edition of Campbell Biology, 9th Edition by Reece et al. as our textbook for this course. This is considered by many as one of the best college-level introductory biology textbooks available. One of its best features is the interactive CD-ROM that accompanies the book. It contains various activities, study guides and practice quizzes that you can use to help master the content of each chapter. I strongly suggest using this disk to your advantage.
You also have access to the eText version of your textbook. This way you will have access to your book at all times and do not need to carry it back and forth with you to school. Please see me for instructions on how to gain access to your eText.
At the end of the year I will provide you with a review book you can borrow and use to help you study for the AP Exam. You may also want to purchase a review book for this course. This is not a requirement for the course, but it can help you a great a deal. CliffsAP Biology is probably the most popular, but there are many others out there that you may purchase. Please choose the one you are most comfortable with. These books can be purchased through Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, etc.
Homework
You will always have homework in this class. This can involve a written assignment, reading a chapter in the textbook, pre-reading a lab, or studying for a test. You can expect approximately five hours of homework per week in one form or another. Remember, due to time constraints it is your responsibility to read and review a significant portion of the coursework outside of class. All assigned homework is due the following class unless otherwise noted. Failure to hand in your homework on time will result in a grade of zero.
Testing
This course culminates in the AP Biology examination on Monday, May 8th. Everyone who takes this course is expected to take the AP Biology examination. After all, that is what this course is all about. I will give you more information on this exam as the time approaches.
You will also be given a number of unit tests at various times throughout the year. Each of these tests will cover a major topic discussed in the textbook. The format for each of these tests will be similar to the AP exam. There will be approximately 50 multiple choice questions and one essay question. You will also be required to take a mid-term exam and a final exam, each of which will be cumulative. The final exam is tentatively scheduled be held in class the day following the AP exam (this is negotiable).
All of the tests given in class will be graded on a curve. In addition, for the first quarter only, I will be giving you the possible essay questions on the unit tests beforehand. This will allow you to write the essays ahead of time and bring them in for me to look over. This sounds like a good deal, and it is if you take advantage of it, but please do not be mislead by this generosity. We are departing from the typical school grading scale because the examinations will be very challenging.
You will also be given a number of quizzes throughout the year. Unlike tests, quizzes will not be graded on a curve. Quizzes may be on assigned readings, important topics discussed in class, or laboratories.
Laboratories
At the very least, we will perform the 13 recommended AP Biology laboratories. We will do additional labs if time permits. These labs include running an electrophoresis gel to determine which suspect is guilty of a crime, studying how genetic traits are passed to offspring, studying behaviors of pillbugs and termites, extracting your DNA, raising butterflies to study energy transfer, and genetically engineering bacteria to glow in the dark using genes from a firefly. It is essential that you perform these laboratories. The material covered by these labs, as well as the techniques and science practices that you use, will be part of the AP examination. Therefore it is very important that you keep every lab once they have been returned to you. Each lab will be evaluated by a lab write-up. You may be required to come in throughout the day to check on an experiment, or if necessary, come in after school to complete a lab. We have two periods scheduled back-to-back to try and eliminate this from happening very often (or at all).
Since this is a college course, you will be performing college-level laboratories. With this comes the use of expensive and sometimes dangerous equipment and supplies. Therefore it is expected that you follow the safety procedures at all times! If you are asked to wear gloves, goggles and/or an apron please do so. It is also imperative that you listen carefully to instructions.
Grading
Your final grade for this course will be an average of your four quarter grades and a fifth “exam” grade, of which your midterm counts 1/3 and your final exam 2/3. The AP examination will not figure into your final grade.
Attendance
Although this is considered a college-level course, you are still subject to the school's attendance policy. You are expected to attend and be on time to each class. If you are absent it is your responsibility to make up the work you missed. You have one week from the time you return to make up the work. Failure to do so will result in a grade of zero. If you are forced to be absent for an extended period of time, please see me. All work that needs to be made up must be done on your own time. If you are caught skipping the class, all work done and due that day will be counted as a zero and you will forfeit any chance of making it up.
Extra Credit
At various times throughout the year I will offer an extra-credit assignment. This may consist of bringing in newspaper articles, Internet projects, making a collection, etc.
Extra Help
I am very committed to your success in this course. I realize that at times we may cover the material too quickly or that you may not fully understand a certain topic. Therefore I am always available to you for extra help. Please seek additional help if you need it! I can meet with you during study hall, lunch, one of my free periods, or after school. You are welcome to stop in at any time, but I recommend that you make an appointment with me ahead of time to assure that I will be there.
Academic Honesty
Under no circumstances will plagiarism be tolerated. If you are found to have copied work from another student, both students will receive a grade of zero on that assignment. If you are found to have copied work from the Internet, you will receive a grade of zero and may be subject to a meeting involving your parents and school administration. Each of you is a very bright student. There is no reason to submit work that is not your own.
Field Trips
You are eligible to attend a number of field trips this year. We will be participating in A Day in the Life of the Hudson River in October, visiting the Museum of Natural History in April, and going on a whale watch and touring the New England Aquarium in May. If other field trip opportunities should arise we may participate in those as well. A Day in the Life of the Hudson River is free, but the other two can cost between $50-$80 each depending on how many students attend. If you are interested in going to the museum and/or the aquarium please start budgeting accordingly.
End of the Year
The introduction and review of new material for this course ends the day of the AP examination. That leaves us with over a month of class time remaining. Therefore, the majority of your fourth quarter grade will be based upon a year-end project. You can choose from a variety of options, including teaching a science class, working at a zoo or botanical garden, developing a research project, presenting an elaborate research presentation, volunteering with a local environmental group, or almost anything you can come up with. In order to give you ample time to prepare, your year-end project must be approved by me before Christmas break.
From time to time other opportunities present themselves at the end of the year (such as doing research for Cornell University, performing a laboratory outdoors, etc.). If this activity proves to be academically worthwhile, we may substitute that for the final project. We will discuss this possibility at a later time.
Topics
1. The Chemistry of Life - The study of the molecules and chemical processes existing in living things. 2. The Cell - The study of living cells and the role they play in the growth, development, and physiology of an organism. 3. Genetics - The study of heredity and how traits are passed from parents to offspring. 4. Mechanisms of Evolution - The study of the process of change in populations over time, leading to the formation of new species. 5. Animal Form and Function - The study of the structure and function of animals. 6. Ecology - The study of the interrelationships between organisms and their environment.