Description of the Course: The AP Biology course is designed to be the equivalent of a two semester college introductory biology course. The AP Biology course is designed around four “big ideas” and the enduring understandings that students should retain from their learning experiences in the course. In addition to a deep and meaningful understanding of the four big ideas, students who complete an AP Biology course will develop their skills in scientific investigation and reasoning. Students will engage in scientific inquiry and develop their skills in relation to science practices identified in the AP Biology curriculum as those that are necessary to scientific investigation. The goal of the course is to merge factual knowledge with scientific practices and understanding. Students will be engaged in ‘discovery based learning’ in the laboratory and will complete a minimum of 8 inquiry-based investigations (two per big idea). These investigations will be supplemented with various other activities.
This combination of content understanding and science practice skill will leave students prepared for more advanced science courses at the college level. And, I hope, an appreciation of the fascinating and complex organization of the world around us and its diverse inhabitants!
- Teacher: Paul Fleisch