OVERVIEW Welcome to the UCCP Biology course. This course covers the material outlined in the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) Biology course. UCCP Biology is designed to be the equivalent of the first-year general biology course offered at colleges and universities around the country. Many colleges and universities grant credit and/or advanced standing upon submission of satisfactory scores on the Advanced Placement examinations offered by the College Board every spring. An important goal of this course is to provide you with opportunities to learn the biology concepts and skills you'll need to know in order to do well on the AP exam and in second-year work in college biology. Your chances of success in this course are greatly enhanced if you have a modest background in science before taking UCCP Biology. For most students, this means successful completion of the first-year high school biology and chemistry courses. The AP Biology exam includes several essay questions, so you'll also need a solid background in English composition in order to be able to organize and communicate your knowledge about a wide range of biological topics. THE AP BIOLOGY CURRICULUM The College Board AP Biology Course The College Board AP Biology course description covers three main subject areas, as shown in Table 1. Each of the three subject areas includes a goal for the percentage of time that should be devoted to that area. In addition, each area is subdivided into three topics, each with its own suggested percentage. These percentages serve as a guideline for question distribution on the AP Biology exam, as discussed in more detail below. Table 1. The AP Biology course covers three main subject areas. Subject Area Percentage of Course I. Molecules and Cells ……………………………………………………………………. 25% A. Chemistry of LifeWaterOrganic molecules in organismsFree energy changesEnzymes 7% B. CellsProkaryotic and eukaryotic cellsMembranesSubcellular organizationCell cycle and its regulation 10% C. Cellular EnergeticsCoupled reactionsFermentation and cellular respirationPhotosynthesis 8% II. Heredity and Evolution ……………………………………………………………… 25% A. HeredityMeiosis and gametogenesisEukaryotes and chromosomesInheritance patterns 8% B. Molecular GeneticsRNA and DNA structure and functionGene regulationMutationViral structure and replicationNucleic acid technology and applications 9% C. Evolutionary BiologyEarly evolution of life Evidence for evolutionMechanisms of evolution 8% III. Organisms and Populations ……………………………………………………… 50% A. Diversity of OrganismsEvolutionary patternsSurvey of the diversity of lifePhylogenetic classificationsEvolutionary relationships 8% B. Structure and Function of Plants and AnimalsReproduction, growth, and developmentStructural, physiological, and behavioral adaptationsResponse to the environment 32% C. EcologyPopulation dynamics Communities and ecosystemsGlobal issues 10%

Organization of the UCCP Biology Course UCCP Biology is organized by unit, chapter, and activity. A unit is a grouping of chapters on a set of related topics, concluding with a review and a test. A chapter is a collection of instructional and assessment activities on a single topic. It's roughly equivalent to a textbook chapter or large portion of a chapter. An activity can teach new content or assess mastery of previously taught content. UCCP Biology has 6 units in each semester, as indicated in Table 2. The number of chapters and activities in each unit varies, depending on the content in each unit. The overall distribution of topics within these units aligns with the College Board's recommended percentages, as shown in Table 1. Activities are sequenced so they can be completed in approximately 12–14 hours per week over the course of two 15-week semesters. Table 2. The UCCP Biology course is organized by units. Semester One Units Semester Two Units Unit 1: Welcome to Biology Unit 7: The Energetics of Life Unit 2: Cell Structure and Function Unit 8: Animals: Structure, Reproduction, and Development Unit 3: The Gene Unit 9: Circulation, Nutrition, and the Body's Defenses Unit 4: Principles of Heredity Unit 10: The Nervous System and Internal Controls Unit 5: Evolutionary Biology Unit 11: Plants: Form and Function Unit 6: Biological Diversity Unit 12: Ecology and Behavior

Themes in the UCCP Biology Course It's easy to get lost among the many facts about living systems you'll encounter in this course. We'll use a set of unifying themes to help you tie together ideas and concepts throughout the course: The Relationship Between Structure and Function ***SORRY, THIS MEDIA TYPE IS NOT SUPPORTED.*** ***SORRY, THIS MEDIA TYPE IS NOT SUPPORTED.*** EvolutionScience as a ProcessScience, Technology, and Society ***SORRY, THIS MEDIA TYPE IS NOT SUPPORTED.*** ***SORRY, THIS MEDIA TYPE IS NOT SUPPORTED.*** You were introduced to these themes earlier in this chapter, and worked with a tool to help keep track of the many examples of each theme that we'll see as the course progresses. The themes will be especially valuable for responding to the essay questions on the AP Biology exam, as described below.

Activities in the UCCP Biology Course Three types of Presentation activities are used to present new information, concepts, and ideas. The Animated Presentation is the primary vehicle for presenting concepts that are best understood in a dynamic, multimedia format. Animated Presentations can include one or more interactive tasks to assess understanding of the content. Picture Presentations are used to present material that is less dynamic in nature, such as diagrams or still images. Content that is best learned through reading is provided as a Print Presentation. Each Presentation activity includes a set of multiple-choice Review Questions for self-assesment at the conclusion of the activity. The UCCP Biology course includes three types of interactive activities. The Virtual Lab is similar to an Animated Presentation, but includes more interactivity. The purpose of a Virtual Lab is to present the main points of an experiment in the AP Biology lab manual, usually in the form of a media simulation of the experiment. An Exploration is one of the most highly interactive activities in the course. An Exploration is designed to let you explore a problem or system guided both by your own interest and by explicit activity instructions. The third type of interactive activity, the Interactive Exercise, allows you to practice or apply concepts introduced in a Presentation (Animated, Picture, or Print). Interactive Exercises deepen your understanding of certain key concepts, and give you an opportunity for self-assessment. Explorations and Interactive Exercises do not include audio narration. Several different types of assessments are used to measure your understanding of course material and your ability to communicate what you've learned. The AP Biology exam is a blend of multiple-choice and essay questions, so you'll need to become skilled at answering both types of questions. Quizzes assess your recall of facts, understanding of concepts, and other skills based on chapter goals, as well as provide practice in answering AP-like multiple-choice questions. Vocabulary quizzes are designed to assess recall and understanding of important terms. Homework questions assess your understanding of a topic (including its relationship to other topics), and provide practice at answering essay questions similar to those found on the AP Biology exam.

AP Biology Laboratory In addition to mastering the biology subjects covered in the 12 units of the course, you'll also have an opportunity to explore many different laboratory techniques. The College Board's AP Biology Lab Manual describes 12 experiments you'll need to be familiar with in order to answer questions on the AP Biology exam. These laboratory experiments will be presented as part of the multimedia activities described above, usually in the Virtual Labs. In addition, your school may offer a separate hands-on laboratory component, and participating in that program may better prepare you for success in upper-level college biology courses. THE AP BIOLOGY EXAM The AP Biology exam is offered just once a year, in the spring after most students have completed the course. The exam consists of two parts: a multiple-choice section and an essay section. The multiple-choice section includes 120 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. The distribution of topics among these questions roughly mirrors the percentages shown in Table 1. The multiple-choice section counts for 60% of your score. Each multiple-choice question has five possible answers, one of which is correct. A correct answer is worth 1 point; as a penalty for guessing, for each incorrect answer, 1/4 point will be deducted from the number of correct answers. The essay or "free-response" section consists of four required essay questions, also to be completed in 90 minutes. Typically, one essay question is drawn from Area I (see Table 1), one is drawn from Area II, and two questions focus on Area III. Any of these questions may draw on material in one of the 12 labs in the AP Biology Lab Manual. The free-response portion is worth 40% of your overall score. The essay questions on the AP Biology exam require much more than factual recall. You'll need to be able to organize answers to broad questions, synthesize material from several sources, and apply analytical reasoning to interpret scientific information. The assessment activities throughout the course are designed to provide you with ample opportunity to develop and fine-tune these skills. THE COLLEGE BOARD AP WEB SITE As noted earlier, an important goal of this course is to help you be successful on the AP Biology Exam. Even if you know the content in a multiple-choice question or have the analytical and writing skills to answer an essay question, it's easy to get flustered if you don't know what to expect! For that reason, you'll have lots of opportunities to practice answering the kinds of questions you'll be likely to encounter on the AP Biology exam. The Web Site of the College Board, the organization that develops and administers the AP Biology exam, is the best source of up-to-date information about the AP course and the AP exam. The Web Site address is: http://www.collegeboard.com/ap Use the Students and Parents link to navigate to: http://www.collegeboard.org/ap/students/index.html Take some time to explore this Web Site. See what's there, bookmark the pages you think you might want to go back to, and print any pages of particular interest. When you're done exploring on your own, try your hand at the Site Map activity below. Afterwards, use the copy of this activity's Review Questions, below, to guide your search for answers to important facts about AP Biology and the AP Biology exam. When you're confident of your answers, return to the UCCP Biology Web Site and answer the Review Questions online.

Activity: Mapping the College Board's AP Web Site Directions: The flow chart below represents the organization of information on the College Board’s Advanced Placement Web pages for students. The second row of this flow chart or site map contains the five links you’ll see off the main Advanced Placement page. Click on each of the first four links one at a time, and fill in the boxes beneath the link name with the titles of the pages found beneath that link. The first one under "Benefits" is done for you as an example. Follow any links that look interesting to you, and take notes of what’s there and how you found that page. Click on the fifth link, AP Subjects, and note the list of subject-area exams. We’re only concerned with biology, so click on that link and fill in the boxes with the titles of pages found beneath that link. Locate the page or pages containing information about the AP Biology course outline and exam. Print these pages and save them in your notebook. Use the Reference Sheet link in the UCCP Biology Course navigation to print a copy of site map and check your answers. College Board Advanced Placement Course Site Map The Advanced Placement Program Benefits FAQ’s AP Prep Exam Info AP Subjects Value of AP Subject List FIXME: A LIST CAN NOT BE A TABLE ENTRY. Biology

SUMMARY

Key Points about the AP Biology Curriculum The College Board has identified three main subject areas: Molecules and Cells, Heredity and Evolution, and Organisms and Populations. The percentage guidelines for time spent on these areas are reflected in the UCCP Biology course and in the distribution of questions on the AP Biology exam. The UCCP Biology course is organized by unit, chapter, and activity. The course includes instructional and assessment activities in a number of different formats.

Key Points about the AP Biology Exam The exam consists of 120 multiple-choice questions, weighted 60% of the total score, and four required essay questions, weighted 40% of the total score.

Key Points about the College Board AP Web Site The Web Site is an important source of information about the course and the exam. ADDENDUM The Review Questions for this activity are reproduced below so that you can refer to them as you explore the College Board Web Site and search for answers. When is the AP Biology exam administered? In June After your school’s graduation In October and March In May During winter break 2. How many multiple-choice questions are there on the AP Biology exam? 60 90 120 150 It varies from year to year. 3. Which of the following should you not bring to the exam with you? Ballpoint pens Headphones for your WalkmanTM or DiscmanTM #2 pencils A watch Your high school code number 4. How many answer choices will there be on the multiple-choice questions on the AP Biology exam? 3 4 5 6 It varies from question to question 5. What percentage of the AP Biology exam score is contributed by the free-response questions? 40% 45% 50% 55% It varies, depending on the number of questions 6. You answer 12 multiple-choice questions incorrectly. How many points will be deducted from the number of questions you answer correctly? 0 2 3 4 12 7. How are the AP exam scores reported? Numerical scores from 1 to 5, with 5 as the highest Letter grades from A to F Numerical scores from 1 to 5, with 1 as the highest Pass or fail On an 800-point scale 8. How many required laboratory experiments are part of the AP Biology curriculum? None 5 10 12 20 9. About how many multiple-choice questions on the AP Bio exam will be about heredity and evolution? 10 20 30 60 None 10. Which of the following is not one of the main themes in the AP Biology curriculum? Evolution The Relationship Between Structure and Function Science as a Process Science, Technology, and Society Organisms and Populations