Course Title

AP Biology

Course Description

CareerTech AP Biology is designed to be the equivalent of a first year Biology post-secondary course. The range and depth of knowledge of the content area, type of labs, and time expenditure is elevated and extensive. Students will develop a conceptual framework for biology and an appreciation of science as a process. The course follows Collegeboard's outlline and covers eight major themes. They are: Science as a Process, Evolution, Energy Transfer, Continuity and Change, Relationship of Structure to Function, Regulation, Interdependence in Nature, Science, Technology, and Society. Labs play an integral part of this course and there are twelve lab topics that will be covered. They will provide the student with an opportunity to learn a variety of skills and facts, principles, and concepts of biology. Lab investigations will encourage higher-order thinking, generating ideas, and formulating hypotheses. All students are expected to take the AP Exam upon completion of this course.

Contact

Robin Schott
405-743-5554
rscho@okcareertech.org
or
Tina Fugate
405-743-5139
tfuga@okcareertech.org

Knowledge and Skills

Molecules and Cells

     Chemistry of Life

     Water, Organic molecules in organisms, free energy changes, enzymes

     Cells

     Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, membranes, subcellular organization, cell cycle and

     its regulation

     Cellular Energetics

     Coupled reactions, fermentation and cellular respiration, photosynthesis

Heredity and Evolution

     Heredity

     Meiosis and gametogenesis, eukaryotic chromosomes, inheritance patterns

     Molecular Genetics

     RNA and DNA structure and function, gene regulation, mutation,viral structure and  

     replication, nucleic acid technology and applications

     Evolutionary Biology

     Early evolution of life, evidence for evolution, mechanisms of evolution

Organisms and Populations

     Diversity of Organisms

     Evolutionary patterns, survey of the diversity of life, phylogenetic classification,

     evolutionary relationships

     Structure and Function of Plants and Animals

     Reproduction, growth, and development, structural, physiological, and behavioral

     adaptations, response to the environment

     Ecology

     Population dynamics, communities and ecosystems, global issues

Suggested Lab Topics

• Diffusion and Osmosis
• Enzyme Catalysis
• Mitosis and Meiosis
• Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis
• Cell Respiration
• Molecular Biology
• Genetics of Organisms
• Population Genetics and Evolution
• Transpiration
• Physiology of the Circulatory System
• Animal Behavior
• Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary Productivity

Accountability Measures, Assessments, or Evaluation Procedures

National Science Standards (5^th ed). (1998). National Research Council, Washington, D.C., National Academy of Sciences

Oklahoma Priority Academic Student Skills (2003). Oklahoma State Department of Education-PASS-{ www.sde.state.ok.us}

All AP Courses undergo an AP Course Audit through College Board.  Please refer to their website for further information.

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com

Industry Alignments

Curriculum Resources

Additional textbooks other than those listed below may be appropriate for the AP Biology course. However, schools should make every effort to acquire textbooks no older than eight years old for use in this course.

Audesirk, Gerald, Bruce E. Byers, and Teresa Audesirk. Biology: Life on Earth. Upper Saddle
       River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Campbell, Neil A., and Jane B. Reece. Biology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Freeman, Scott. Biological Science. Boston: Prentice Hall.

Mader, Sylvia S. Biology. Blacklick, OH: McGraw-Hill.

Purves, William K., et al. Life: The Science of Biology. Cranbury, NJ: Sinauer Associates, Inc.

Raven, Peter H., George B. Johnson, Susan Singer, and Jonathan Losos. Biology. Blacklick,
       OH: McGraw-Hill.

Solomon, Eldra, Linda Berg, and Diana W. Martin. Biology. Independence, KY: Brooks/Cole
       Thomson Learning.

Starr, Cecie, and Ralph Taggart. Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life. Independence, KY:
       Brooks/Cole Thomson Learning.

Tobin, Allan J., and Jennie Dusheck. Asking About Life. Independence, KY: Brooks/Cole
       Thomson Learning.

This Course Found In These Career Majors