One Semester (Block): One Credit

Degree of Difficulty: Above Average

Prerequisites: Biology

Homework: Average

The two main goals of AP Biology are to help students develop a conceptual framework for modern biology and an appreciation of science as a process. Primary emphasis in an AP Biology course should be on developing an understanding of concepts rather than on memorizing terms and technical details. Essential to this conceptual understanding are 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.

Themes, topics, and concepts all give structure to an AP Biology course. This book defi nes themes as overarching features of biology that apply throughout the curriculum. Topics are the subject areas in biology, and concepts are the most important ideas that form our current understanding of a particular topic. Emphasizing concepts over facts makes the content of a biology course more meaningful and less overwhelming. A biology course has more structure and meaning when the key concepts for each topic are placed in the broader context of unifying themes.

Major Themes
I. Science as a Process
II. Evolution
III. Energy Transfer
IV. Continuity and Change
V. Relationship of Structure to Function
VI. Regulation
VII. Interdependence in Nature
VIII. Science, Technology, and Society

The following knowledge base constitutes the content of the course.

I. Molecules and Cells, 25%
II. Heredity and Evolution, 25%
III. Organisms and Populations, 50%