Welcome to AP Biology

1. Welcome to AP Biology Mr. Levine mlevine@glenridge.org Ext. # 2317

2. QOD What’s the big idea?

3. The Big Ideas • Big Idea 1: The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life • Big Idea 2: Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain dynamic homeostasis

4. The Big Ideas • Big Idea 3: Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life processes • Big Idea 4: Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties

5. Science Practice 1 • The student can use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific problems. • 1.1 The student can create representations and models of natural or manmade phenomena and systems in the domain. • 1.2 The student can describe representations and models of natural or man-made phenomena and systems in the domain. • 1.3 The student can refine representations and models of natural or manmade phenomena and systems in the domain. • 1.4 The student can use representations and models to analyze situations or solve problems qualitatively and quantitatively. • 1.5 The student can reexpress key elements of natural phenomena across multiple representations in the domain.

6. Science Practice 2 • The student can use mathematics appropriately. • 2.1 The student can justify the selection of a mathematical routine to solve problems. • 2.2 The student can apply mathematical routines to quantities that describe natural phenomena. • 2.3 The student can estimate numerically quantities that describe natural phenomena.

7. Science Practice 3 • The student can engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigations within the context of the AP course. • 3.1 The student can pose scientific questions. • 3.2 The student can refine scientific questions. • 3.3 The student can evaluate scientific questions.

8. Science Practice 4 • The student can plan and implement data collection strategiesappropriateto a particular scientific question. • 4.1 The student can justify the selection of the kind of data needed to answer a particular scientific question. • 4.2 The student can design a plan for collecting data to answer a particular scientific question. • 4.3 The student can collect data to answer a particular scientific question. • 4.4 The student can evaluate sources of data to answer a particular scientific question.

9. Science Practice 5 • The student can perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence. • 5.1 The student can analyze data to identify patterns or relationships. • 5.2 The student can refine observations and measurements based on data analysis. • 5.3 The student can evaluate the evidence provided by data sets in relation to a particular scientific question.

10. Science Practice 6 • The student can work with scientific explanations and theories. • 6.1 The student can justify claims with evidence. • 6.2 The student can construct explanations of phenomena based on evidence produced through scientific practices. • 6.3 The student can articulate the reasons that scientific explanations and theories are refined or replaced. • 6.4 The student can make claims and predictions about natural phenomena based on scientific theories and models. • 6.5 The student can evaluate alternative scientific explanations.

11. Science Practice 7 • The student is able to connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts and representations in and across domains. • 7.1 The student can connect phenomena and models across spatial and temporal scales. • 7.2 The student can connect concepts in and across domain(s) to generalize or extrapolate in and/or across enduring understandings and/or big ideas.

12. Goals • To develop the students' ability to gather, organize and communicate information through the use of the methods, Instruments and technologies of science. • To promote interest and involvement, both lay and professional, in biology and bioethical Issues. • To develop a sense of responsibility to the environment through an understanding of the place of humans in the natural environment, and their dependence and impact upon it. • To reinforce and refine an understanding of the biochemistry of the cell as the basis of all life and life processes. • To develop and refine an understanding of evolutionary mechanisms and theories which explain the interrelatedness of all life torso. • To advance the understanding of Mendelian genetic principles and relate these to their modern applications in the science of biotechnology. • To develop in the students a sense of respect and responsibility for their own bodies through an understanding of human biology.

13. Expectations • Students should come to class on time and prepared. Attendance and preparation is vital to success in class. • Students are to participate in class and be respectful of others. • Homework is expected to be done every day and turned in on time. Late homework will not be accepted. • Students are to produce their own, original work

14. Procedures • Absences • Labs • Laptops/iPads

15. Skills Required • Organizational Skills • Study Skills • Lab Skills

16. Grading Procedure • Grades are based on a point system. Grades are calculated by taking the points that are earned and dividing by the total points available. • Evaluation is based on the following: • Tests: 100-150 points each • Quizzes: 20-60 points each • Lab reports: 10-20 points • Homework checks: 5-10 points • Various projects: Point values to be determined

17. The Test • May 12, 2014 – 8:00am • Duration: 3 hours • Emphasizes big ideas and science practices • Multiple choice: 90 minutes • Part A: 63 m.c. questions • Part B: 6 grid-in questions, mathematical • Free response: 90 minutes • 2 long free response questions • 6 short free response questions