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AP Biology |
Teacher:
Dr. Terri Kanner
E-mail:
Registration:
To apply, please request an application from the instructor.
Required Text and Resources:
Biology by Campbell and Reece with Mastering Biology (Edition TBD by June 2012) Benjamin Cummings (ISBN number(s) will be provided in June)
Technical Requirements:
Who Should Apply:
The course is open to students in 10th - 12 grade. All students should be prepared for a college-level course and be dedicated to completing assignments on time to enhance the interactive component of the course. Before taking this course, students should have completed prior courses in Chemistry and Algebra I at the senior high level. A previous course in Biology or Life Sciences at the junior or senior high level is also highly recommended. An extremely high level of reading comprehension is essential.
Course Fee, Costs:
$675 (Materials, as listed below, are not included in the course fee);
$55 - $195 – Text (depending on source, new, used etc.)
Lab materials and cost TBD by June 2012
Course Schedule:
September 2012 through May 2013
Course Description:
The College Board is revising the AP Biology program guidelines effective for the 2012-2013 academic year (refer to http://press.collegeboard.org/releases/2011/content/college-board-announces-changes-ap-biology-course-and-exam for more information). This change is intended to emphasize scientific inquiry and reasoning in response to changes recommended by the National Research Council and National Science Foundation. As a result, the PA Homeschooler's course will be updated accordingly for the 2012-2013 academic year. The goals of these changes are to:
The new AP test will also be changed.
The details and College Board guidance for the new course design, laboratory plan and exam are just being completed. As a result, the details of this online course are still being established. It is my goal to provide a course that prepares students for the AP Biology exam as well as did the PA Homeschooler's courses of past years. Students for the 2012-2013 academic year should, however, expect to be flexible as the changes are implemented throughout the year.
In spite of the changes proposed by the College Board, the tentative plan is still to cover eight units of content in this course as has previously been done: Basic Biological Chemistry, Cells, Genes, Evolution, Biological Diversity (‘lower life forms’), Plants, Animals and Ecology. Students will master the content (major subject areas, relationships between subject areas, vocabulary) and thought processes (scientific method, experimental processes, inductive and deductive reasoning) necessary in the discipline of Biology. Associated terminology will be learned as well as the important relationships of biology with other scientific disciplines (e.g., how Chemistry relates to Cells, Probability to Genetics, etc.). Throughout the course students will also develop skills for asking and answering questions in a scientific manner.
Students will participate in regularly planned student interaction sessions to review materials, quizzes and exams to enhance the learning process. In addition, independent and collaborative laboratory exercises will facilitate learning how to work as a scientist and in a research team. The lab activities will also help students prepare for "laboratory based" questions on the New AP Biology exam.
Daily reading will be required. Weekly testing of the student’s growing knowledge base will occur through AP Exam-like multiple-choice tests.
Instructor Qualifications:
I received a BS in Biology from the
I currently teach Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology,
Microbiology and Introductory Chemistry to college students as adjunct faculty
at a few local colleges in
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