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AP® Biology

This Advanced Placement Biology course is equivalent to a one-semester, college level, biological science course. The rigor of this course is consistent with colleges and universities and will prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam in May. Upon successful completion of the exam, students may receive college credit and will be well-prepared for advanced biology coursework. Additional details on this course from College Board can be found here: AP Biology.

In this course, students will explore four big ideas:

(1) Evolution: The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life.

(2) Energetics: Biological systems use energy and molecular building blocks to grow, reproduce, and maintain dynamic homeostasis.

(3) Information Storage and Transmission: Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life process.

(4) Systems Interactions: Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions exhibit complex properties.

Students will cultivate their understanding of biology through inquiry-based investigations as they explore topics in cell structure, function and communication, biochemistry, genetics, ecology, and interactions between systems.

This course incorporates a variety of textbook and multimedia resources and has a comprehensive lab program that meets College Board requirements. Students will perform hands-on lab work using materials from their lab kit, conduct virtual experiments, share experimental data to analyze larger data sets and participate in lab-based discussions with their peers. Students will also engage in collaborative activities, including discussions, that develop scientific literacy and connect biological principles to real-world applications and current events, in order to develop a deeper understanding of biology.

Students will be expected to enroll in My AP Classroom through their VHS Learning AP course and will be guided to complete review work in My AP Classroom throughout the year. My AP Classroom resources include AP Daily Videos and unit-based Personal Progress Checks, which include AP-style multiple choice and free response questions.

Students enrolled in VHS Learning Advanced Placement courses with a passing grade are expected to take the AP Exam. Students register for AP exams through their local school or testing site as “Exam Only” students. AP exam scores will be reported to VHS Learning through My AP Classroom; exam results will not affect the student's VHS Learning grade or future enrollment in VHS Learning courses.

This AP course has a required summer assignment. The summer assignment is a review of prerequisite content and critical concepts students must be comfortable with before beginning the course. Students are expected to complete their summer assignment before the course begins and submit their work by the end of Week 1. Students who register on or after September 1 will receive an extension to complete the summer assignment by the end of Week 3.

In this AP-level course, students are expected to invest approximately 10 hours per week on their course work.

Acknowledgements

  • One full academic year of both high school-level biology and chemistry.
  • In addition to the enrollment fee, this course has an Additional Course Fee of $80 and a required lab kit fee of $205. Lab kits shipped internationally may incur additional fees. International schools must have the ability to receive lab materials through customs.
  • The required summer assignment for AP Biology can be found in our AP Summer Work Directory.
  • Prior experience in a comprehensive hands-on lab course is required.

Course Objectives

Course Essential Questions:

  • How does the process of Evolution drive the diversity and unity of life?
  • How do biological systems utilize energy and molecular building blocks to grow, reproduce, and maintain dynamic equilibrium?
  • How do all living organisms store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information that is essential to all life processes?
  • What is the impact of the interactions between biological systems?

Course Objectives:

  • Use representations and models to communicate phenomena and solve problems.
  • Use mathematics appropriately to calculate unknown values and support principles.
  • Engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigations within the context of the AP Biology curriculum.
  • Plan and implement data collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific question.
  • Perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.
  • Articulate scientific principles, laws or concepts and justify claims with evidence.
  • Connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts and representations in and across domains of biology.

Additional Requirements

  • Students will need access to select YouTube videos throughout the course.
  • Accessibility Note: Although every effort has been made to make this course accessible to all students, some resources or activities in this course, such as audio files, images of visual art pieces, or hands-on activities, may present accessibility challenges.
  • Students will need to document lab work by taking digital images of their lab setup and experiments in progress.
  • The following additional materials are required:
    • Stopwatch or timer
    • Hot water bath
    • Spinach leaves
    • 2 different types of potatoes
    • Knife to cut potatoes
    • Paper towels
    • 2 plant leaves with stem (vegetable plants work well. Something with a distinct narrow stem)