Course Instructor: Mr. Jesse Bankhead

Materials and Resources: Textbook: Biology, 7th Edition, by Neil A. Campbell and Jane B. Reece. In addition, we will make use of the following resources: Student Study Guide for Campbell-Reece Biology, 7th Edition, by Martha R. Taylor; Biological Inquiry: A Workbook of Investigative Cases, by Margaret Waterman and Ethel Stanley; Practicing Biology: A Student Workbook, 2nd Edition, by Jean Heitz. Students are to have a three-ringed binder with dividers, notebook paper, pen or pencil.

Course Description: Though this course is not officially an Advanced Placement Biology course, we are using the most widely used AP Biology textbook and a few other resources which accompany it. The objective of this course is to offer a well-rounded introduction to biology in order to prepare students for college biology or other science courses.

Expectations: Each student in the class is expected to:

--be prepared for and on time to class.

--be attentive and cooperative during class and labs.

--complete each assignment on time and to the best of one's ability.

--master the material for each Learning Opportunity.

--be actively involved in the experimental nature of science through labs, writing lab reports, and investigative case studies.

--learn to or be able to think critically about science in the context of a Christian worldview.

Academic Integrity Policy:  Each student is expected to exercise honesty and integrity in all aspects of his/her school work. Please understand that the lending of homework or labs to other students, or the copying of homework or labs from another student, is cheating. Unless specifically told otherwise, students should assume that all work is to be done individually. There is, of course, a difference between providing help and guidance to a fellow student and allowing another student to copy one's work. Any incident of such academic dishonesty will result in a hearing before the Veritas Council. 

Grade Determination: Semester grades will be determined according to the following breakdown:

Learning Opportunities [LO]: 40%

Homework, classwork, lab reports: 40%

Semester final LO: 20%

93-100 A

90-92 A-

87-89 B+

84-86 B

82-83 B-

78-81 C+

73-77 C

70-72 D

0-69 F

Late Work Policy: Each assignment is to be turned in at the beginning of class on the day it is due. Students will be given 3 days to turn in past due work. However, 10 percent of the total point value of the assignment will be deducted for each day past the due date. After 3 days, a grade of zero will be recorded for the late work.

Course Outline: 
Week One (13-15 Aug) - Introductory unit, "Learning to Learn"--an introduction to the class covering good study habits, learning styles, and critical thinking with contextual sensitivity. Chapter 1 - "Exploring Life."

Week Two (18-22 Aug) - Continue chapter 1; Lab Topic 1 - "Scientific Investigation"

Week Three (25-29 Aug) - Chapter 50 - "An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere"; Continue Lab Topic 1; AP Essays in Biology.

Week Four (1-5 Sept) - Continue chapter 50; Activity 50.1, "What Factors Determine Climate?"

Week Five (8-12 Sept) - Chapter 51, "Behavioral Ecology"; Lab Topic 27, Animal Behavior Lab.

Week Six (15-19 Sept) - Chapter 52, "Population Ecology"; Activity 52.1, 52.2.

Week Seven (22-26 Sept) - Chapter 53, "Community Ecology"; Lab Topic 25, selected exercises.

Week Eight (29-30 Sept, 1-3 Oct) - Chapter 54, "Ecosystems"; Activity 54.1 or Unit 8 Investigative Case Study.

Week Nine (6-10 Oct) - Chapter 55, "Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology"; Review for LO on chapters 50-55.

Week Ten (13-17 Oct) - Chapter 2, "The Chemical Context for Life."

Week Eleven (20-24 Oct) - Chapter 3, "Water and the Fitness of the Environment"; Activity 2.1, 3.1; Chapter 4, "Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life."

Week Twelve (27-31 Oct) - Continue chapter 4; Chapter 5, "Structure and Function of Macromolecules"; Enzyme Lab.

Week Thirteen (3-7 Nov) - Continue chapter 5; Chapter 6, "A Tour of the Cell"; Unit 1 Investigative Case Study or Activity 4/5.1 and 4/5.2; Review for LO on chapters 2-6.

Week Fourteen (10-14 Nov) - Continue chapter 6; Lab Topic 3.

Week Fifteen (17-21 Nov) - Chapter 7, "Membrane Structure and Function"; Activity 6.1, 7.1, and 7.2; Review for LO on chapters 6-7.

Week Sixteen (24-25 Nov) - Chapter 8 or LO on chapters 6-7.

Week Seventeen (1-5 Dec) - Chapter 8, "An Introduction to Metabolism"; Diffusion and Osmosis Lab.

Week Eighteen (8-12 Dec) - Final Exam Review.