535 ADVANCED PLACEMENT BIOLOGY Gr. 11-12
The Advanced Placement Biology course is an advanced level 4, 1-credit course
offered to 11th and 12th graders. It is designed to be the equivalent of a college
introductory biology course usually taken by biology majors during their first year.
The course aims to provide students with the conceptual framework, factual
knowledge, and analytical skills necessary to deal critically with the rapidly
changing science of biology. The AP Biology course is a comprehensive survey of
general biology that includes biochemistry, cellular biology, molecular genetics and
heredity, biotechnology, diversity, structure and function of organisms, and ecology
and evolution. The two main goals of AP Biology are to help students develop a
conceptual framework for modern biology and to help students gain an
appreciation of science as a process. Primary emphasis will be on developing an
understanding of major concepts rather than on memorizing terms and technical
details. Essential to this conceptual understanding are the following: a grasp of
science as a process rather than as an accumulation of facts; personal experience
in scientific inquiry; recognition of unifying themes that integrate the major topics of
biology; and application of biological knowledge and critical thinking to
environmental and social concerns, descriptive and experimental lab exercises are
a vital part of this experience.
Course Requirements: Honors Biology, Chemistry, with a grade of a B,
Chemistry II before or concurrently with AP Biology and Molecular Biology during
fall semester of year taking AP Biology. Course will run only if enrollment meets or
exceeds 15 students.
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