AP Biology

Carnegie Vanguard High School
A. M. Alcoriza

COURSE OUTLINE

Fall Semester

 TOPICS ACTIVITIES and HANDOUTS
 INTRO TO BIOLOGY (Chapter 1)
  • Scientific Method, Measurement, & Safety
  • Themes in Biology
  I.  MOLECULES AND CELLS
25%

 a. CHEMISTRY OF LIFE (Chapters 3, 5, 6)

  • Water
  • Organic Molecules in Organisms
  • Free Energy Changes
  • Enzymes

 b. CELLS (Chapters 7, 8, 11, 12)

  • Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
  • Membranes
  • Subcellular Organization
  • Cell Cycle and Its Regulation

 c. CELLULAR ENERGETICS (Chapters 9 - 10)

  • Coupled Reactions
  • Fermentation and Cellular Respiration
  • Photosynthesis
 
 II.  HEREDITY AND EVOLUTION
25%

 a. HEREDITY (Chapters 13 - 15)

  • Meiosis and Gametogenesis
  • Eukaryotic Chromosomes
  • Inheritance Patterns
 
  • AP Lab 3: Meiosis
  • AP Lab 7: Genetics of Organisms
  • Karyotyping Activity
  • Case Study: Gender Testing in Athletes
  • Answer Keys: Genetics Problems, Set 1 and Set 2

 b. MOLECULAR GENETICS (Chapters 16 - 20)

  • RNA and DNA Structure and Function
  • Gene Regulation
  • Mutation
  • Viral Structure and Function
  • Nucleic Acid Technology and Applications

 c. EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY

       (Chapters 22 - 26)

  • Early Evolution of Life
  • Evidence for Evolution
  • Mechanisms of Evolution
 
  • AP Lab 8: Population Genetics and Evolution
  • Hardy-Weinberg Problems

Spring Semester

 TOPICS ACTIVITIES and HANDOUTS
 ORGANISMS AND POPULATIONS
50%

 a. DIVERSITY OF ORGANISMS (Chapters 27, 28, 31-34)

  • Evolutionary Patterns
  • Survey of the Diversity of Life
  • Phylogenetic Classification
  • Evolutionary Relationships
  •  Cladistics

 b1.  PLANT STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION (Chapters 29-30, 35-39)

  • Reproduction, Growth, and Development
  • Structural, Physiological, and Behavioral Adaptations
  • Response to the Environment
  • AP Lab 9: Transpiration
  • Transpiration Rate and Stomata
  • AP Lab 12: Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary Productivity
  • Design-A-Plant Project
  • Botanical Collection
  • Collection Labels

 b2.  ANIMAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION (Chapters 40-49)

  • Reproduction, Growth, and Development
  • Structural, Physiological, and Behavioral Adaptations
  • Response to the Environment
  • AP Lab 10: Physiology of the Circulatory System
  • Human Disease Project
  • Earthworm Dissection
  • Planarian Regeneration
  • Fetal Pig Dissection

 c. ECOLOGY (Chapters 50-54)

  • Population Dynamics
  • Communities and Ecosystems
  • Global Issues
  • AP Lab 11: Animal Behavior