AP Biology Syllabus
2008-2009
Mrs. Choi and Mrs. Willis
Course Overview:
Hello! This course is a
year-long course that focuses on studying the different forms of life. We will
also engage in learning about cellular biology, molecular genetics, evolutionary
relationships, and ecological relationships. The ten core themes of the course
are:
And, in order to explore
these themes, we will be engaging in hand-on laboratory experiments. If the AP
exam is passed in May, you will receive college credit for 2 semesters of
introductory biology.
Textbook and Lab Manual:
The course uses:
Laboratory
Experiments:
1)
Osmosis and Diffusion (110 minutes): The processes of
diffusion and osmosis account for much of the passive movement of molecules at
the cellular level. In this laboratory, students will study some of the basic
principles of molecular movement in solution and perform a series of activities
to investigate these processes.
2)
Enzyme Catalysis (110 minutes): Enzymes catalyze
reactions by lowering the activation energy necessary for a reaction to occur.
In this laboratory, students will study some of the basic principles of
molecular movement in solution and perform a series of activities to
investigate these processes.
3)
Mitosis and Meiosis (110 Minutes): In this lab, students
will study the process
of mitosis in plant and/or animal cells using slides of onion root tips or
whitefish blastulae and review the process of meiosis in a simulation activity
with beads, and then investigate crossing over during meiosis in a fungus
4)
Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis (110 minutes): This
laboratory has two separate activities: I. Plant Pigment Chromatography, and
II. Measuring the Rate of Photosynthesis.
5)
Cell Respiration (110 minutes): In this laboratory,
students will observe evidence for respiration in pea seeds and investigate the
effect of temperature on the rate of respiration.
6)
Molecular Biology (110 minutes): In this laboratory,
students will use some basic tools of molecular biology to gain an
understanding of some of the principles and techniques of genetic engineering.
In the first part of the lab, students will use antibiotic-resistance plasmids
to transform Escherichia coli. In the second part, you will use gel
electrophoresis to separate fragments of DNA for further analysis.
7)
Genetics of Organisms (110 minutes): In this laboratory
students will study the patterns by which physical characteristics are
transmitted from generation to generation. By breeding fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) of unknown genetic composition and studying
the traits and ratios seen in their offspring, you will determine whether a trait
follows a monohybrid or dihybrid pattern of
inheritance and whether it is sex-linked or autosomal.
Students will use statistical analysis to support your conclusions.
8)
Population Genetics (60 minutes): The Hardy-Weinberg law
of genetic equilibrium provides a mathematical model for studying evolutionary
changes in allelic frequency within a population. In this laboratory, you will
apply this model by using your class as a sample population.
9)
Transpiration (110 minutes): Transpiration is the
major mechanism that drives the movement of water through a plant. In the first
section of this laboratory you will investigate factors that influence the rate
of transpiration. In the second section you will study plant anatomy as it
relates to transport. To do this laboratory, you should understand the basic
concepts of water potential.
10)
Circulatory
Physiology (70 minutes): In this lab, students will learn to take pulse and blood
pressure in a human subject and gather data for a fitness index and measure the
effect of temperature on the heart rate of a small invertebrate, Daphnia
magna.
11)
Animal Behavior
(70 minutes): In this lab, students will Make detailed observations of an
organism's behavior and Design and execute a controlled experiment to test a
hypothesis about a specific case of animal behavior
Course
Overview
Semester
One:
1) Survey of Animals/Protists and Classification Systems:
2) Evolution:
3) Cell and Cell
Functions:
4) Biochemistry:
5) Biotechnology:
6) Reproduction: Mitosis
and Meiosis:
7) Genetics:
Semester
Two:
8) Ecology:
9) Animal Behavior:
10) Reproduction and Embryology:
11) Photosynthesis and Respiration:
12) The Plants:
13) Animal Structure and Function:
14) AP Review