AP Biology
| Department | Science |
|---|---|
| Length | Year |
| Credit type | Weighted |
| Teacher(s) | Mrs. Lee, others? |
Course description
This course is designed to provide a survey of biological knowledge at an introductory college level. Because successful completion of the curriculum will enable students to take the College Board Advanced Placement Examination, the course follows the outline recommended by the College Board, covering the general content themes of: (1) Evolution; (2) Energy; (3) Information; and (4) Interactions. Heavy emphasis is placed on understanding the connection between experimentation and scientific discovery. Both hands-on laboratory activities and scientific readings are used to show how biological information is gained, interpreted, and applied. Required homework includes extensive reading, activities, regular written lab reports, and occasional group projects.
• Prerequisites: Successful completion of a biology course. Successful completion of a first-year chemistry course at Gunn High School. (Exceptions must be approved by both the Science Department Instructional Leader and the Guidance Department.)
• Homework Expectation: 5-8 hours uninterrupted time per week
Should I take this course?
This course is known to have a high workload; however, the concepts are only moderately difficult to understand. You should take this course if you are interested in going into the medical field or if you want to have a more predictable science course. AP Bio's workload in the course catalog may be overstated, though; it is likely that you will not be spending 8 hours on homework most weeks.
It has also been mentioned that AP Bio involves a lot of writing. Also, biology courses generally need more memorization that "harder" science courses.[citation needed]