ap biology syllabus - wikispacesapb.wikispaces.com/file/view/k ramon ap biology syllabus.pdf... ·...

LOYOLA HIGH SCHOOL

AP Biology Syllabus

Karalyn Ramon

2012-2013

1

Contents Course Overview ........................................................................................................................................... 3

Instructional Context .................................................................................................................................... 3

Instructional Resources ................................................................................................................................. 3

Advanced Placement Biology Context .......................................................................................................... 4

The Big Ideas: ................................................................................................................................................ 4

Big Idea 1 ................................................................................................................................................... 4

Big Idea 2 ................................................................................................................................................... 4

Big Idea 3 ................................................................................................................................................... 4

Big Idea 4 ................................................................................................................................................... 4

The Investigative Laboratory Component .................................................................................................... 4

Science Practices ........................................................................................................................................... 4

Topics and Timelines ..................................................................................................................................... 5

Units of Instruction ................................................................................................................................... 5

Unit 1: Origins of life of Earth ............................................................................................................... 5

Unit 2: Single-celled prokaryotes .......................................................................................................... 7

Unit 3: Atmospheric oxygen and single-celled eukaryotes ................................................................... 9

Unit 4: Multicellular eukaryotes and the sexual revolution ............................................................... 11

Unit 5: Paleozoic era (Moving onto land) ........................................................................................... 13

Unit 6: Mesozoic era (The quick and the dead) .................................................................................. 14

Unit 7: Cenozoic era (You are here) .................................................................................................... 16

2

AP® Biology Syllabus

Curricular Requirement Page(s)

CR 1 Students and teachers use a recently published (within the last 10 years) college-level biology textbook.

CR 2 The course is structured around the enduring understandings within the big Ideas as described in the AP® Biology Curriculum Framework.

CR 3a Students connect the enduring understandings within Big Idea 1 (the process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life) to at least one other big Idea.

CR 3b Students connect the enduring understandings within Big Idea 2 (biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain dynamic homeostasis) to at least one other big Idea.

CR 3c Students connect the enduring understandings within Big Idea 3 (living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life processes) to at least one other big Idea.

CR 3d Students connect the enduring understandings within Big Idea 4 (biological systems interact and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties) to at least one other big Idea.

CR 4a The course provides students with opportunities outside of the laboratory investigations to meet the learning objectives within Big Idea 1.

CR 4b The course provides students with opportunities outside of the laboratory investigations to meet the learning objectives within Big Idea 2.

CR 4c The course provides students with opportunities outside of the laboratory investigations to meet the learning objectives within Big Idea 3.

CR 4d The course provides students with opportunities outside of the laboratory investigations to meet the learning objectives within Big Idea 4.

CR 5 The course provides students with opportunities to connect their biological and scientific knowledge to major social issues (e.g., concerns, technological advances, innovations) to help them become scientifically literate citizens.

CR 6 The student-directed laboratory investigations used throughout the course allow students to apply the seven science practices defined in the AP Biology Curriculum Framework and include at least two lab experiences in each of the four big Ideas.

CR 7 Students are provided the opportunity to engage in investigative laboratory work integrated throughout the course for a minimum of 25 percent of instructional time.

CR 8 The course provides opportunities for students to develop and record evidence of their verbal, written and graphic communication skills through laboratory reports, summaries of literature or scientific investigations, and oral, written, or graphic presentations.

3

Course Overview My AP® Biology course is designed for the high ability, highly motivated and science-oriented junior or senior. The course places emphasis upon principle topics covered in introductory college biology courses, and seeks to meet the objectives of general biology courses at the college level. Our science curriculum is Physics first, Biology last (freshmen take Physics, sophomores take Chemistry and juniors take Biology). This sequence allows us to instill the foundational knowledge and skills of Physical Sciences required for deep understanding in the Life Sciences. It also allows students see the connections between each of the disciplines. Utilizing the most current research on how students learn best, our department adopted inquiry and project-based learning across all disciplines so students are familiar with this style and pedagogy by their junior and senior year. By the end of the course students will have gained an understanding of how life emerged and evolved on Planet Earth. Students will be able to zoom in and out of their understanding of their world, from the biosphere all the way down to the molecular level. Students will gain a sense of biophilia, a love for the living world, as well as a sense of stewardship of Planet Earth.

Instructional Context

At our school, AP® Biology is offered to students in either their junior or senior year. Classes meet for 55 minutes, 4 days a week on a rotating schedule. Prior to taking AP® Biology, students will have taken Physics in their freshmen year and Chemistry or Honors Chemistry in their sophomore year. Seniors taking the course will have also taken a year of either AP® Chemistry or AP® Environmental Science.

Instructional Resources Reece, Jane, et al., Campbell Biology, 9th Edition, 2011, Pearson Benjamin Cummings.

Giffen, Cynthia and Heitz, Jean. Practicing Biology (to accompany Campbell- Reece Biology),

3rd Edition, 2008, Pearson Benjamin Cummings

<www.campbellbiology.com> (The website to accompany the main text provides animations,

investigations and other audio-visual sources to enhance instruction)

AP Biology Investigative Labs: an Inquiry Based Approach.

4

Advanced Placement Biology Context My AP course is structured around the four big Ideas, the enduring understandings within the

big Ideas and the essential knowledge within the enduring understanding.

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.

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.

The Investigative Laboratory Component The course is inquiry based uses each of the seven science practices throughout the course.

Students are given the opportunity to engage in student-directed laboratory investigations throughout

the course for a minimum of 25% of instructional time. Students will conduct a minimum of eight

inquiry-based investigations (two per big idea throughout the course). Additional labs will be conducted

to deepen students’ conceptual understanding and to reinforce the application of science practices

within a hands-on, discovery based environment. All levels of inquiry will be used and all seven science

practice skills will be used by students on a regular basis in formal labs as well as activities outside of the

lab experience. The course will provide opportunities for students to develop, record, and communicate

the results of their laboratory investigations.

Science Practices 1. The student can use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena

and solve scientific problems.

2. The student can use mathematics appropriately.

5

3. The student can engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide

investigations within the context of the AP course.

4. The student can plan and implement data collection strategies appropriate to a

particular scientific question

5. The student can perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.

6. The student can work with scientific explanations and theories.

7. The student is able to connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts and

representations in and across domains.

Topics and Timelines Overview: The course follows the events of life as it has appeared on Planet Earth. The course begins before life appeared on the planet and continues until the modern era. Content is presented as it is appropriate to the life forms present at that time. For example, anaerobic respiration is presented when prokaryotes are introduced. Aerobic respiration is not discussed until after atmospheric oxygen appears and eukaryotic organisms have emerged. The approach was designed to present the content as a story of life on our planet. It allows students to build their understandings in a way that is contextual and meaningful. This also allows for spiraling of content as topics are revisited and depth is increased. It allows for each of the Big Ideas to be woven throughout each unit. Please also note that because Campbell does not follow this approach, appropriate sections of chapters are assigned (as opposed to reading entire chapters all at once).

Units of Instruction

Unit 1: Origins of life of Earth

(15 classes)

Big Ideas: 1, 2, 3 and 4

Connected to enduring understandings:

1.D. The origin of living systems is explained by natural processes. 2.A. Growth, reproduction and maintenance of the organization of living systems require free

energy and matter. 2.B. Growth, reproduction and dynamic homeostasis require cells create and maintain internal

environments that are different from their external environments. 3.A. Heritable information provides continuity of life. 4.A. Interactions within biological systems lead to complex properties. 4.B. Competition and cooperation are important aspects of biological systems.

Chapters:

25. The History of Life on Earth

6

3. Water and the Fitness of the Environment

4. Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

5. The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules

8. An Introduction to Metabolism (enzymes)

7. Membrane Structure and Function

16. The Molecular Basis of Inheritance (prokaryotic)

17. From Gene to Protein

19. Viruses

Unit 1 Overview of Lecture and Discussion Topics:

Students are introduced to the conditions of early Planet Earth (before life emerged). They learn why

Earth is a misnomer for a planet that is 75% water and why water is essential for life. They learn of the

hypothesis of Oparin and Haldane and the experiments of Miller and Urey. With a solid understanding

of the structure and function of biological molecules (gained from activities described below), students

learn how these molecules can be used to:

o catalyze chemical reactions

o separate the internal from the external environment

o retain and transmit information

The RNA World hypothesis is discussed as well as how DNA emerged as the molecule of choice for long-

term storage of genetic information. The unit concludes with an introduction to viruses, which are most

likely the first life-like things on Earth.

Activities and Laboratories:

Students use 3D models of water to understand the properties of water and how those

properties are essential for life on Earth (SP 1).

Students build paper models of macromolecules and model how monomers create polymers

through dehydration reactions (SP 1).

Students use magnetic and foam models to discover how proteins are assembled from amino

acid chains and how those chains are shaped to make complex proteins (SP 1).

Big Idea 2 Laboratory Investigation

o Enzyme catalysis

Using the Pasco data collection system and O2 gas pressure sensors students will

measure the rate of the enzyme catalyzed decomposition of hydrogen peroxide

by catalase. In this guided inquiry activity, students will measure the rate of the

reaction with and without the enzyme. Students will then design an experiment

to determine the effect of an environmental factor of their choice on the

enzyme catalyzed reaction. Students present their findings including rate

calculations and meaning of data as it relates to enzyme structure and function

7

in a mini poster session that is evaluated by both their peers and the instructor

(SP 2, 3, 4 and 5).

Big idea # 1 Laboratory Investigation

o After learning about and discussing experiments by Oparin, Miller and Urey, and others,

students are guided through an inquiry in which they form coacervates by combining

carbohydrate molecules with protein molecules as they vary pH. They observe the

coacervates and collect quantitative data. Students then develop a question they would

like to answer through experimentation about coacervate formation, and materials are

made available as students design experiments to test the hypotheses they have made.

The entire laboratory study will be documented in a laboratory research notebook. In

addition, students will present outcomes in a mini poster session, and students will be

required to comment on the findings of the various student groups. (SP 1, 3, 4, 5)

Big Idea 2 Laboratory Investigation

o Investigation 4 Diffusion and Osmosis

Students use artificial cells to study the relationship of surface area and volume.

Students create models of living cells to explore osmosis and diffusion. Students

finish by observing osmosis in living cells (SP 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6).

Practicing Biology, 3rd Edition.

o Activity 16.1 Is the hereditary material DNA or protein?

o Activity 16.2 How does DNA replicate? (SP 1)

o Activity 17.1 Modeling transcription and translation: What processes produce RNA from

DNA and protein from mRNA? (SP 1, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Unit 2: Single-celled prokaryotes

(10 classes)



1.A. Change in the genetic makeup of a population over time is evolution. 1.C. Life continues to evolve within a changing environment. 1.D. The origin of living systems is explained by natural processes. 2.A. Growth, reproduction and maintenance of the organization of living systems require free energy and matter. 2.B. Growth, reproduction and dynamic homeostasis require cells create and maintain internal environments that are different from their external environments. 2.C. Organisms use feedback mechanisms to regulate growth, reproduction, and to maintain dynamic processes. 2.D. Growth and dynamic homeostasis of a biological system are influenced by changes in the system’s environment. 3.A. Heritable information provides continuity of life. 3.B. Expression of genetic information involves cellular and molecular mechanisms. 3.C. The processing of genetic information is imperfect and a source of genetic variation.

8

4.A. Interactions within biological systems lead to complex properties. 4.C. Naturally occurring diversity among and between components within biological systems affects interactions with the environment.

Chapters:


27. Bacteria and Archaea

18. Regulation of Gene Expression (prokaryotic only)

20. Biotechnology

9. Cellular Respiration: Harvesting Chemical Energy (anaerobic only)

12. The Cell Cycle (prokaryotic only)


With an understanding of the conditions of early Earth and the requirements for life, students now

move on to the first life forms on the planet, prokaryotes. Fossil evidence of these first life forms is

discussed. Prokaryotic cell structure and function is discussed. Students conduct activities to discover

the transfer of genetic information and gene regulation in prokaryotes. The unit concludes with a

discussion of how prokaryotic cells obtain energy and reproduce.

Activities:

Using an activity from Kristen Dotti (Catalyst Learning Curricula), students use string and Post

Its® to discover the three methods that genetic information is exchanged in prokaryotes (SP 1).

Using another activity from Kristen Dotti, students use pool noodles to model prokaryotic gene

expression (SP 1, 6 and 7).

Kim Foglia’s Paper Plasmid Lab.

o This is a paper demo on the process of cloning a gene into a plasmid. It reviews the

concepts of restriction enzymes, "sticky ends", cloning, and transformation (SP 1).

Big idea # 3 Laboratory Investigations:

o Biotechnology Lab 1: Transformation. Students will perform a transformation

experiment in which they transform a bacterial cell to contain a plasmid containing a

gene which can be expressed so as to produce protein products which make the cell

“glow”. Students will then study the structure of the plasmid and make predictions

regarding growth on various agar plates (LB plates, plates with ampicillin and arabinose

added). They will then examine the bacterial growth afterwards and collect quantitative

data. They will calculate transformation efficiency. Students will then plan a controlled

experiment that they think would improve the transformation efficiency. The entire

laboratory study will be documented in the laboratory research notebook (SP 2, 3, 4, 5,

6).

BioRad Microbes and Health Kit

o From the BioRad site:

9

The Microbes and Health Kit allows you to set up a scenario in which students

get to discover the cause of a new disease called "Yogurtness" — an affliction of

"healthy" milk that causes it to become acidic and thick. What causes

Yogurtness?™ Your students join Robert Koch, Louis Pasteur, and the founders

of modern microbiology in a thrilling search to find the bacterial culprit behind

this new disease. Using microscopes, agar plates, and their powers of

observation, students identify the bacteria used to produce yogurt.

Unit 3: Atmospheric oxygen and single-celled eukaryotes

(18 classes)



1.A. Change in the genetic makeup of a population over time is evolution. 1.B. Organisms are linked by lines of descent from common ancestry. 1.C. Life continues to evolve within a changing environment. 1.D. The origin of living systems is explained by natural processes. 2.A. Growth, reproduction and maintenance of the organization of living systems require free energy and matter. 2.B. Growth, reproduction and dynamic homeostasis require cells create and maintain internal environments that are different from their external environments. 2.C. Organisms use feedback mechanisms to regulate growth, reproduction, and to maintain dynamic processes. 2.D. Growth and dynamic homeostasis of a biological system are influenced by changes in the system’s environment. 3.A. Heritable information provides continuity of life. 3.B. Expression of genetic information involves cellular and molecular mechanisms. 3.D. Cells communicate by generating, transmitting and receiving chemical signals. 4.A. Interactions within biological systems lead to complex properties. 4.C. Naturally occurring diversity among and between components within biological systems affects interactions with the environment.

Chapters:


28. Protists

10. Photosynthesis

9. Cellular Respiration: Harvesting Chemical Energy (aerobic respiration)

12. The Cell Cycle (eukaryotic)

16. The Molecular Basis of Inheritance (eukaryotic)

17. From Gene to Protein (eukaryotic)

10


Continuing on the course theme of the evolution of life on Planet Earth, the emergence of eukaryotic organisms and endosymbiotic theory is discussed. The appearance of atmospheric oxygen is also discussed. Photosynthesis is first covered in a conceptual way in this unit (the details of photosynthesis as it occurs in blue-green algae is beyond the scope of this course). Photosynthesis is a topic that spirals and is covered in more depth once students learn about the origins and structure of the chloroplast. Students learn that with oxygen some organisms utilized oxygen to further breakdown molecules to generate additional ATP. The details of aerobic respiration are discussed (following a lab). Students learn how the membrane-bound organelles work together within the cell. The unit wraps with students learning how eukaryotic cells replicate their DNA, express genes and divide.

Activities:

Dissolved Oxygen and Primary Productivity.

o Through guided inquiry, students will investigate how to measure dissolved oxygen

using the Winkler method (ex: How does temperature affect the dissolved oxygen

concentration in samples of water?) Continuing, students will explore respiration and

photosynthesis processes in samples of a Chlorella culture as they study gross and net

primary productivity. Students will then be challenged to write and conduct a controlled

experiment to test the effect of a variable on primary productivity. The study will involve

hypothesizing, designing the experiment, data collection of dissolved oxygen

concentrations, calculations of primary productivity, graphing and making a conclusion.

The entire laboratory investigation will be written in the laboratory research notebook

(SP 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).

Big idea #2 Laboratory Investigations:

o Pea Respiration. Using knowledge of the process of cellular respiration and of how to

set timed experiments using the Pasco data collection system and oxygen and/or carbon

dioxide probes, students will engage in the process of inquiry as they conduct an

experiment to measure the rate of cell respiration in germinating peas at room

temperature. Next, students will design a controlled experiment to answer a question of

their choice that they asked while conducting the experiment at room temperature.

Students will collect and determine cellular respiration rates and demonstrate an

understanding of concepts involved by preparing a report in their laboratory research.

(SP 2, 3, 4, 5)

Photosynthesis Laboratory

o Student-directed and inquiry based investigations about photosynthesis using the

floating leaf disc procedure. A write-up of the design and discussion of the outcome will

be kept in their laboratory research notebook. (SP 2, 3, 4)

Modeling the cell cycle.

o Students construct a model of the cell cycle, explain and present the major events in a

presentation (SP 1).

Big idea # 3 Laboratory Investigations:

11

o Cell Division and Mitosis. Student directed and inquiry based laboratory. Onion roots are

treated with bean lectin to increase mitotic rate in cells. Students design a controlled

experiment to test the effect of treated root squashes and use Chi Square to analyze

data. A write-up of the laboratory and outcome, including calculations and analysis of

data will be prepared in the laboratory research notebook (SP 2, 3, 4, 5).

Unit 4: Multicellular eukaryotes and the sexual revolution

(20 classes)



1.A. Change in the genetic makeup of a population over time is evolution

1.B. Organisms are linked by lines of descent from common ancestry

1.C. Life continues to evolve within a changing environment

2.C. Organisms use feedback mechanisms to regulate growth and reproduction, and to maintain

dynamic homeostasis

3.A. Heritable information provides continuity of life

3.C. The processing of genetic information is imperfect and is a source of genetic variation

3.D. Cells communicate by generating, transmitting and receiving chemical signals

4.A. Interactions within biological systems lead to complex properties

4.B. Competition and cooperation are important aspects of biological systems.

4.C. Naturally occurring diversity among and between components within biological systems affects

interactions with the environment.

Chapters:


28. Protists

11. Cell Communication

13. Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

15. The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance

23. The Evolution of Populations


This unit begins with students discussing the pros and cons of being a multicellular organism. Communication between cells (both unicellular and multicellular) is discussed. This discussion segues nicely into sexual reproduction (despite the fact that sexual reproduction is not an activity unique only to multicellular eukaryotic organisms). With an understanding of how sexual reproduction leads to variation in offspring, Mendelian genetics is then introduced. This takes the class a bit ahead in the story because higher level organisms (and their genetic traits) are discussed. While this is a divergence, it gives students real-world examples that they can connect to more readily. Non-Mendelian traits are discussed. Students then discover how allelic frequencies can change within populations.

12

Activities:

Cell communication activity

o Pathways with Friends: <http://learn.genetics.utah.edu> Directed by instructional cards,

students kinesthetically model cell communication by acting as components in a cell

signaling. Whole class discussion follows, assessing student understanding of cell

communication. Animations of Cell Communication, An Example of Cell Communication,

The Fight or Flight Response, How Cells Communicate during the Fight or Flight

Response (These animations provide students with a model example of the concepts

involved in cell signaling). (SP 1)

Meiosis

o Students will use a chromosome bead kit to simulate the process of meiosis and explain

when haploidy occurs (SP 1).

o Meiosis in Sordaria. Students analyze outcomes of Sordaria crosses, determine

phenotypes due to crossover or non-crossover, and determine percent recombination

and map units. They will compare their observations with the known map distance from

gene to centromere (SP 2, 5).

Descendent Discs activity

o Students receive chips, marked with individual alleles for blood type, Rh, anemia, sex

determination and other genetic traits. Students in the class then pair off and “mate” by

combining game discs. After a gestation period of only a few minutes, they become

proud “parents” of “pretend babies”, whose genetic characteristics they must

determine (SP 1).

NOVA; PBS Video: Why Sex?

o This video is utilized with class discussions and activities to illustrate the role of sexual

reproduction and sexual selection in evolution.

Battling Beetles lab

o Survival of the Fittest—Battling Beetles is a guided inquiry. This series of activities

complements the HHMI DVD Evolution: Constant Change and Common Threads, and

requires simple materials such as M&Ms, food storage bags, colored pencils, and paper

cups. An extension of this activity allows students to model Hardy-Weinberg and

selection using an Excel spreadsheet. This part of the activity requires computer/printer

access. The overall goal of Battling Beetles is to engage students in thinking about the

mechanism of natural selection through data collection and pattern recognition (SP 1, 2,

5 and 6).

BioRad PV 92 lab

o Students use real–world forensic techniques to extract DNA from their cheek cells, and

then use PCR amplification and electrophoresis to fingerprint their own DNA at a

specific genetic locus. Using their own results, students test the Hardy–Weinberg

equilibrium theory within their classroom population, then go online to compare their

classroom results to genetic data of populations worldwide (SP 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6).

13

NOVA; PBS video: “What Darwin Never Knew.” This video will be utilized in conjunction with

whole class discussions to take a look at Charles Darwin’s observations and conclusions and how

modern day molecular biology is confirming what Darwin documented (Big Idea 1 and Enduring

Understanding 3C).

Unit 5: Paleozoic era (Moving onto land)

(20 classes)







dynamic homeostasis

3.A. Heritable information provides continuity of life

3.C. The processing of genetic information is imperfect and is a source of genetic variation






Chapters:


29. Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land

35. Plant Structure, Growth and Development

36. Resource Acquisition and Transport in Vascular Plants

26. Phylogeny and the Tree of Life

27. Introduction to Animal Diversity

33. Invertebrates

34. Vertebrates

44. Osmoregulation and Excretion


The evolution of life on the planet hits high gear as students learn about the Cambrian explosion

and the appearance of representatives of most major animal phyla. The movement of life onto

14

land is discussed first by looking at how plants colonized land. The evolution of the Plant

Kingdom from its multicellular algal ancestors is discussed as well as the challenges plants faced

as they moved onto land and specific adaptations that allowed for the successful colonization of

land. With producers in place, students then learn how animals evolved to adapt to terrestrial

conditions. The unit wraps with a discussion of the Permian mass extinction event.

Activities:

Transpiration Lab

o Students will use a Pasco barometric pressure sensor as a potometer to measure the

rate of water uptake in plants due to transpiration. This activity will demonstrate the

concept of "transpiration pull". Students will then design an experiment to determine

the effects of environmental factors (wind, humidity, and light) on the rate of

transpiration. In addition, the investigation will analyze the structure of the plant stem

and relate it to its various functions (SP 2, 3, 4 and 5).

NOVA; PBS Video: Evolution - Great Transformations

o This video illustrates the diversity of life on Earth. It details the journey of animals from

water to land, the return of land mammals to the sea, and the emergence of humans all

suggest that creatures past and present are members of a single tree of life.

Students will learn how to analyze cladograms and understand evolutionary relationships using

the Basic Local Alignment Sequencing Tool. Students will analyze morphological details about a

newly discovered fossil, hypothesize as to the position of the fossil in a pre-constructed

cladogram, then test the hypothesis using BLAST. Once students become comfortable, they will

use the tool to answer questions of their choice regarding gene sequences (SP 1, 3, 4 and 5).

BioRad Comparative Proteonomics I and II: Protein Profiler and Western Blot

o Students make predictions using Internet databases and published phylogenetic

information. They then employ protein electrophoresis, the most widely used technique

in life science research, to study protein structure and function, generating protein

profiles from the muscles of both distantly and closely related species of fish. From their

results, they compare the different species' profiles, construct cladograms (phylogenetic

trees), and assign each organism a branch. Students can decide whether their results

support their predictions. Students apply western blotting techniques to their

polyacrylamide gel results to specifically identify myosin light chain from the hundreds

of proteins that comprise the muscle cell extracts of closely and distantly related species

of fish (SP 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7).

NOVA; PBS Video: Evolution Exctinction!

o The video details the five mass extinctions that have occurred on Earth. It also poses

the question of whether humans are responsible for the next mass extinction.

Unit 6: Mesozoic era (The quick and the dead)

(15 classes)

15







dynamic homeostasis






Chapters:


30. Plant Diversity II: Evolution of Seed Plants

38. Angiosperm Reproduction

39. Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals

54. Community Ecology

51. Animal Behavior

48. Neurons, Synapses and Signaling

49. Nervous Systems


As the course continues forward to the Mezozoic era, students see that living organisms evolved specific

adaptations that were selected for living on terrestrial Earth (e.g. phototropism in plants and

thermoregulation in animals). This unit also begins to illustrate the connections between organisms

(e.g. the evolution of seeds, flowers and fruit leading to the success of both plants and animals).

Students also learn how both plants and animals communicate (e.g. hormones , animal behavior etc).

The unit wraps with an understanding of the complexity of the nervous system and how it allows

animals to sense, respond to and communicate changes in their environment.

Activities:

Activity – Famous Beaks < http://www.nsta.org/pdfs/virus/Virus-Activity5.pdf>

o Students discover whether variations in beak size can make a difference in finch survival

and evolution. In the activity students measure the beak size of medium ground

finches and then become “beaks” to test their food-gathering skills, graph the finches

and seeds on Daphne Major, and see whether changes in the environment can push the

finches toward a different beak (SP 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6).

Big idea #4 Laboratory Investigations:

http://www.nsta.org/pdfs/virus/Virus-Activity5.pdf

16

o Fruit Fly Behavior Lab. Students design their own controlled experiments to investigate

a question they have about animal behavior (kinesis and taxis in isopods, fruit fly

behavior with respect to selected stimuli). The entire laboratory and experimental

design and analysis will be written in the laboratory research notebook (SP 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

6, 7).

Jumpin’ the Gap: <http://learn.genetics.utah.edu> Students act out communication at the

neural level by behaving as vesicles, neurotransmitters, receptors, secondary messengers and

transporters (SP 1, 7).

Unit 7: Cenozoic era (You are here)

(18 classes)



1.A. Change in the genetic makeup of a population over time is evolution. 1.B. Organisms are linked by lines of descent from common ancestry. 1.C. Life continues to evolve within a changing environment. 1.D. The origin of living systems is explained by natural processes. 2.C. Organisms use feedback mechanisms to regulate growth, reproduction, and to maintain dynamic processes. 2.D. Growth and dynamic homeostasis of a biological system are influenced by changes in the system’s environment. 3.A. Heritable information provides continuity of life. 3.D. Cells communicate by generating, transmitting and receiving chemical signals. 4.A. Interactions within biological systems lead to complex properties. 4.C. Naturally occurring diversity among and between components within biological systems affects interactions with the environment.

Chapters:

Selected readings from Sharon Moalem and Jonathan Prince’s Survival of the Sickest. 43. The Immune System

Selected readings from Sam Kean’s The Violinist’s Thumb. 55. Ecosystems 56. Conversation Biology and Restoration Ecology


The course culminates in the Cenozoic era. As we approach the Common Era in our story, students learn

of the evolution of mammals and finally humans. Students learn how the immune system in humans

fights pathogens and how this system has shaped human evolution. Finally, students will learn how

humans have affected conditions on Planet Earth.

Activities:

NOVA; PBS Evolution – The Mind’s Big Bang

17

o This video explores the emergence and evolution of humans on Planet Earth.

Acid Rain Lab

o In this lab, students will observe how the common components of acid rain (carbonic

acid, sulfuric acid, nitrous acid and nitric acid) affect the pH of different bodies of water.

Students will use the Pasco pH sensor to measure changes in pH. Students will first

determine the effect of dissolved CO2 and NO2 on the pH of distilled water. Students

will then determine the effect of dissolved H2SO4 on the pH of distilled water, lake

water and ocean water to discover which bodies of water are most vulnerable to acid

rain (SP 4 and 5).

Ecocolumn

o Students will design a model of a biome that demonstrates knowledge of biological

processes and concepts across scales. Class presentations will demonstrate their

knowledge of understanding (SP 7).

National Geographic Video Cane Toads

o This video is a classic example of how humans have caused significant damage to

ecosystems through the introduction of non-native species.

ap biology syllabus - wikispacesapb.wikispaces.com/file/view/k ramon ap biology syllabus.pdf... ·...

Documents