AP® Biology - Semester 1
Course details
Duration
18 weeks or less
Lectures
13
Video
None
Level
Advanced
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AP Biology builds students’ understanding of biology on both the micro and macro scales. After studying cell biology, students move on to understand how evolution drives the diversity and unity of life. Students will examine how living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information and how organisms utilize free energy. The equivalent of an introductory college-level biology course, AP Biology prepares students for the AP exam and for further study in science, health sciences, or engineering.
The AP Biology course provides a learning experience focused on allowing students to develop their critical thinking skills and cognitive strategies. Frequent no- and low-stakes assessments allow students to measure their comprehension and improve their performance as they progress through each activity. Students regularly engage with primary sources, allowing them to practice the critical reading and analysis skills that they will need in order to pass the AP exam and succeed in a college biology course. Students perform hands-on labs that give them insight into the nature of science and help them understand biological concepts, as well as how evidence can be obtained to support those concepts. Students also complete several virtual lab studies in which they form hypotheses; collect, analyze, and manipulate data; and report their findings and conclusions. During both virtual and traditional lab investigations and research opportunities, students summarize their findings and analyze others’ findings in summaries, using statistical and mathematical calculations when appropriate. Summative tests are offered at the end of each unit as well as at the end of each semester, and contain objective and constructed response items. Robust scaffolding, rigorous instruction, relevant material and regular active learning opportunities ensure that students can achieve mastery of the skills necessary to excel on the AP exam.
This course has been authorized by the College Board® to use the AP designation.
*Advanced Placement® and AP® are registered trademarks and/or owned by the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this product.
Length: Two semesters
Course Materials Semesters 1 and 2: Required
Unit 1: Cell Biology
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1
Lesson 1: Cell Structure and Function- Read - Cell Structure and Function: Read about the many conserved core processes and features that are shared by all organisms.
- Quiz - Cell Structure and Function: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Cell Organelles: Describe the specific structures and functions of various animal-cell and plant-cell organelles.
- Quiz - Cell Organelles: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - When Organelles Go Astray: Predict how interactions between and malfunctions of organelles can impact cells and organisms.
- Quiz - When Organelles Go Astray: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Practice - Cell Structure and Function: Explain conserved cellular processes, the differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and how the structure of internal membranes and organelles contributes to cellular functions.
- Explore - The World's Water Problems: Analyze and evaluate scientific evidence, and then communicate this evidence to your peers and apply it to your own experiences.
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2
Lesson 2: Cell Membrane Structure and Function
- Read - Cell Membrane Structure and Function: Read about how organisms exchange matter with their environment in order to grow, reproduce, and maintain organization.
- Quiz - Cell Membrane Structure and Function: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Calculating Surface-Area-to-Volume Ratios: Calculate the surface areas and volumes of cells with various shapes, and analyze how surface area-to-volume ratios affect cells.
- Quiz - Calculating Surface-Area-to-Volume Ratios: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Water's Amazing Properties: Explain how the biological effects of hydrogen bonding result in polarity.
- Quiz - Water's Amazing Properties: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Practice - Cell Membrane Structure and Function: Discuss how organisms exchange matter with the environment, explain how hydrogen bonding impacts biological systems, and use calculated surface area-to-volume ratios to predict which cell(s) might eliminate wastes or procure nutrients fastest by diffusion.
- Lab - Osmosis, Diffusion, and the Effects on Transpiration: Investigate how cells maintain dynamic homeostasis.
- Discuss - Osmosis, Diffusion, and the Effects on Transpiration: Discuss your findings from the lab.
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3
Lesson 3: Cell Biology Wrap-Up
- Test (CS) - Cell Biology Unit Test: Take a computer-scored test to assess what you have learned in this unit.
- Test (TS) - Cell Biology Unit Test: Take a teacher-scored test to assess what you have learned in this unit.
Unit 2: Protein Structure and Functions and the Impact on Evolutionary Biology
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4
Lesson 1: Protein Structure, Function, and Synthesis
- Read - Protein Structure, Function, and Synthesis: Read about the events of protein synthesis.
- Quiz - Protein Structure, Function, and Synthesis: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Modeling Protein Synthesis: Describe models that show how genetic information is translated into polypeptides.
- Quiz - Modeling Protein Synthesis: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Mutations and the Rise of Antibiotic Resistance: Explain how changes in the nucleotide sequence result in mutations.
- Quiz - Mutations and the Rise of Antibiotic Resistance: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Practice - Protein Structure, Function, and Synthesis: Use models to predict changes in the subcomponents of a biological polymer and justify the way they affect the functionality of the molecule; discuss protein synthesis; and describe how mutations occur.
- Explore - GFP: Lighting Up Life: Analyze and evaluate scientific evidence, and then communicate this evidence to your peers and apply it to your own experiences.
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5
Lesson 2: Natural Selection and Speciation
- Read - Natural Selection and Speciation: Read about natural selection as a major mechanism of evolution.
- Quiz - Natural Selection and Speciation: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Artificial Selection: Investigate natural selection as a major mechanism of evolution.
- Quiz - Artificial Selection: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Analyzing Patterns of Speciation: Explain how microevolutionary change affects gene pools.
- Quiz - Analyzing Patterns of Speciation: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Practice - Natural Selection and Speciation: Evaluate evidence to qualitatively and quantitatively investigate the role of natural selection in evolution; discuss the impact of microevolution on gene pools; and describe how natural selection impacts evolution.
- Lab - Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium: Investigate how mathematical models can be used to relate allele frequencies with evolutionary changes in populations of organisms.
- Discuss - Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium: Analyze the data you collected and make predictions about allele frequencies and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the real world.
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6
Lesson 3: Protein Structure and Function, and the Impact on Evolutionary Biology Wrap-Up
- Test (CS) - Protein Structure and Function, and the Impact on Evolutionary Biology Unit Test: Take a computer-scored test to assess what you have learned in this unit.
- Test (TS) - Protein Structure and Function, and the Impact on Evolutionary Biology Unit Test: Take a teacher-scored test to assess what you have learned in this unit.
Unit 3: A Historical Perspective on the Evidence for Evolution
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7
Lesson 1: Earth's History
- Read - Earth's History: Read about how biological evolution is supported by scientific evidence from many disciplines, including mathematics.
- Quiz - Earth's History: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Analyzing the Evidence for Evolution: Evaluate the different forms of evidence for evolution and determine which is most persuasive.
- Quiz - Analyzing the Evidence for Evolution: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - The Early Earth: Explain the major events in Earth's history.
- Quiz - The Early Earth: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Practice - Earth's History: Discuss how biological evolution is supported by scientific evidence, and explain the types of evidence and how they support the description of the major events in Earth's history.
- Explore - The Last Universal Ancestor: Analyze and evaluate scientific evidence, and then communicate this evidence to your peers and apply it to your own experiences.
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8
Lesson 2: Evolutionary Relationships
- Read - Evolutionary Relationships: Read about how organisms share many conserved core processes and features that evolved over time.
- Quiz - Evolutionary Relationships: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Creating Cladograms and Phylogenetic Trees: Construct a cladogram by using evidence for evolution.
- Quiz - Creating Cladograms and Phylogenetic Trees: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Biotechnology and the Relatedness of Organisms: Describe the function of restriction enzymes and how they can produce recombinant DNA molecules.
- Quiz - Biotechnology and the Relatedness of Organisms: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Practice - Evolutionary Relationships: Discuss how DNA, morphological characteristics, and other evidence is used in the creation of cladographs and phylogenetic trees to describe evolutionary relationships.
- Lab - Comparing DNA Sequences to Understand Evolutionary Relationships with BLAST: Use cladograms and bioinformatics tools to ask questions and test your ability to apply concepts relating to genetics and evolution.
- Discuss - Comparing DNA Sequences to Understand Evolutionary Relationships With BLAST: Discuss and evaluate evidence provided by a data set in conjunction with a phylogenetic tree or a simple cladogram to determine evolutionary history and speciation.
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9
Lesson 3: A Historical Perspective on the Evidence for Evolution Wrap-Up
- Test (CS) - A Historical Perspective on the Evidence for Evolution Unit Test: Take a computer-scored test to assess what you have learned in this unit.
- Test (TS) - A Historical Perspective on the Evidence for Evolution Unit Test: Take a teacher-scored test to assess what you have learned in this unit.
Unit 4: Mechanisms of Inheritance
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10
Lesson 1: Cell Reproduction
- Read - Cell Reproduction: Read about how genetic information is transmitted from one generation to the next through DNA or RNA.
- Quiz - Cell Reproduction: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Modeling DNA Replication: Provide evidence as to whether a given sample of genetic material is DNA or protein.
- Quiz - Modeling DNA Replication: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Cell Cycle, Checkpoints, and Cancer: Predict the effects of a malfunction in the cell cycle control system.
- Quiz - Cell Cycle, Checkpoints, and Cancer: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Practice - Cell Reproduction: Connect concepts in and across domains to show that timing and coordination of specific events is necessary for normal development in an organism and that these events are regulated by multiple mechanisms.
- Lab - Meiosis and Mitosis: Use a graph or diagram to analyze situations or solve problems (quantitatively or qualitatively) that involve timing and coordination of events necessary for normal development in an organism.
- Discuss - Meiosis and Mitosis: Discuss how the cell cycle provides a mechanism for passing on genetic information to offspring and how it is controlled by the cell cycle control system.
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11
Lesson 2: Genetics and Gene Expression
- Read - Genetics and Gene Expression: Read about the many biological processes involved in growth, reproduction, and dynamic homeostasis that include temporal regulation and coordination.
- Quiz - Genetics and Gene Expression: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Probability Demonstrations and Punnett Squares: Describe how Punnett squares can be used to predict genetic outcomes and how mathematical probabilities can replace the use of Punnett squares for geneticists.
- Quiz - Probability Demonstrations and Punnett Squares: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Study - Pedigree Analysis of Human Genetic Disorders: Predict how a change in a specific DNA or RNA sequence can result in changes in gene expression.
- Quiz - Pedigree Analysis of Human Genetic Disorders: Take a quiz to assess your understanding of the material.
- Practice - Genetics and Gene Expression: Describe how models can be used to predict genetic outcomes.
- Explore - Embryonic Stem Cells and Gene Expression: Identify the factors necessary for cells to express genes at the appropriate times.
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12
Lesson 3: Mechanisms of Inheritance Wrap-Up
- Test (CS) - Unit Test: Take a computer-scored test to assess what you have learned in this unit.
- Test (TS) - Unit Test: Take a teacher-scored test to assess what you have learned in this unit.
When will this course begin?
Processing time is 1-2 business days. Courses begin each week on Mondays, except for holidays.
Will this class give high school credit?
Yes! Our high school courses are accredited.
Is this course recognized by universities?
Yes! The transcript you receive will come from a fully accredited online school.
Will this class end up on my high school transcript?
Yes, it can! You will need to speak with your academic counselor to get an outside approval request. We will work with you and your school to make sure your high school recognizes our accredited course for placement on your high school transcript.
What if my high school doesn’t give outside credit approval but I still want to take courses that my school doesn’t have to stand out?
No problem! You can still self-report to universities that you took this high school credit course and shine like the shining star that you are.
Will I get support from a live teacher?
Yes! This course comes with support from a certified, experienced teacher available for personalized feedback and assistance Monday-Friday via email and Zoom.
How long does it take to have coursework graded and returned?
Teachers return assignments graded with personalized feedback within 3 business days.
How long will I have to complete this course?
A semester course is scheduled for 9 weeks of access in the summer (May – July) and 18 weeks during the school year (August – April). When you purchase semester 1 and semester 2 courses together, the course is scheduled for 18 weeks in the summer term and 36 weeks during the school year. Students are always welcome to work ahead or add additional time to summer courses (up to 18 weeks for a semester or 36 weeks when semester 1 and semester 2 are purchased together).
Can I finish this course early?
You can complete this course at your pace; so if you get through the coursework quickly, then you can finish early.
What if I need more time to complete this course?
All of our courses are available year-round, and the course content is the same for summer school. Our summer school course duration is set to 9 weeks for semester courses and 18 weeks when semester 1 and semester 2 are purchased together; however, this duration can be extended several weeks upon request.
How can I order my transcript?
All transcripts are available through Parchment, the industry leader in education credentials technology. Parchment is used widely by high schools, colleges, and other academic institutions such as the NCAA. It is a secure service for sending credentials. Transcripts take 1 to 2 business days to process, and you can check online to view the progress of the transaction.
You can use Parchment to order transcripts for multiple institutions at once (including the NCAA). You will automatically receive an unofficial copy for your personal records, and you can track your official transcript. Each Parchment electronic (emailed) transcript costs $5.40, and hard copies sent by mail cost $7.90.
You can use Parchment to order transcripts for multiple institutions at once (including the NCAA). You will automatically receive an unofficial copy for your personal records, and you can track your official transcript. Each Parchment electronic (emailed) transcript costs $5.40, and hard copies sent by mail cost $7.90.
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