AP Biology Course Planning and Pacing Guide by Julianne M. Zedalis

Biology

Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Julianne M. Zedalis

The Bishop’s School

La Jolla, California

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AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

About the College Board

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Equity and Access Policy

The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically

prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial, and

socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underserved. Schools should make every effort to ensure their AP classes reﬂect the diversity of their student

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can prepare them for AP success. It is only through a commitment to equitable preparation and access that true equity and excellence can be achieved.

Welcome to the AP

Biology Course Planning and Pacing Guides

This guide is one of four Course Planning and Pacing Guides designed for AP

Biology teachers. Each provides an example of how to design instruction for the AP

course based on the author’s teaching context (e.g., demographics, schedule, school type, setting).

These Course Planning and Pacing Guides highlight how the components of the AP Biology Curriculum Framework — the learning objectives, course themes,

conceptual understandings, and science practices — are addressed in the course. Each guide also provides valuable suggestions for teaching the course, including

the selection of resources, instructional activities, laboratory investigations, and assessments. The authors have offered insight into the why and how behind their

instructional choices — displayed in callout boxes along the right side of the individual unit plans — to aid in course planning for AP Biology teachers. Additionally,

each author explicitly explains how he or she manages course breadth and increases depth for each unit of instruction.

The primary purpose of these comprehensive guides is to model approaches for planning and pacing curriculum throughout the school year. However, they can

also help with syllabus development when used in conjunction with the resources created to support the AP Course Audit: the Syllabus Development Guide and

the four Annotated Sample Syllabi. These resources include samples of evidence and illustrate a variety of strategies for meeting curricular requirements.

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Contents

Instructional Setting ................................................ 1

Overview of the Course ............................................ 3

Big Ideas and Science Practices ................................... 4

Managing Breadth and Increasing Depth .......................... 6

Course Planning and Pacing by Unit

Unit 1: The Chemistry of Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Unit 2: The Cell ................................................... 10

Unit 3: Cell Processes: Energy and Communication ....................... 13

Unit 4: From Gene to Protein ......................................... 15

Unit 5: Evolution .................................................. 23

Unit 6: Biodiversity and Ecology ...................................... 28

Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Instructional Setting

The Bishop’s School

La Jolla, California

School Independent college-preparatory school in suburban community.

Mission Statement: The Bishop’s School is an academic community

pursuing intellectual, artistic, and athletic excellence in the context of the

Episcopal tradition. We are dedicated to offering the highest-quality education

to a diverse student body and to fostering integrity, imagination, moral

responsibility, and commitment to serving the larger community.

Student population Approximately 780 students in grades six to 12.

Students are:

• 64 percent of European heritage

• 15 percent Asian American

• 13 percent Hispanic

• 8 percent African American

Approximately 25 percent of students receive ﬁnancial assistance.

Ninety-eight percent of Bishop’s students matriculate to college.

Instructional time Academic year begins mid-August and ends mid-May; approximately 175 days

of instruction.

Prior to AP

Exam:

• 34 weeks of instruction and one week for in-class review

• Two 50-minute periods/week and two 100-minute lab periods/week for

total of 300 minutes/week

Additional time:

• 18 one-hour after-school AP Exam review sessions

• One six-hour Saturday AP Exam review session

• Six 50-minute in-class AP Exam review sessions

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Instructional Setting

(continued)

Student preparation AP Biology is offered in the junior year; many students opt to take the AP

Biology prep course offered during the preceding summer.

The prerequisites for students are:

• physics or honors physics in ninth grade

• chemistry or honors chemistry in 10th grade

Textbooks and lab

manuals

Campbell, Neil A., and Jane B. Reece. Biology. 7th ed. San Francisco: Pearson

Benjamin Cummings, 2005.

AP Biology Investigative Labs: An Inquiry-Based Approach. New York: The

College Board, 2012.

AP Biology Lab Manual. New York: The College Board, 2001.

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Overview of the Course

AP Biology is the equivalent of a one-year college or university course in

biology, taught within the parameters of high school. Students explore the

question, How do we know what we know? by investigating six topic areas:

the chemistry of life, cells, cell processes (energy and cell communication),

genetics, evolution, and biodiversity and ecology. Integrated into the six topic

areas are big ideas, enduring understandings, and learning objectives from

the AP Biology Curriculum Framework that merge concepts with science

practices at the molecular, cellular, organism, population, and ecosystem

levels. All students sit for the AP Biology Exam.

The course merges rigor with creativity and offers students myriad

opportunities for learning through scientiﬁc inquiry, development of laboratory

skills, and assessment. Rather than simply presenting information, teachers

use formative assessments to guide instruction and work with students,

instilling in them a sense of pride and ownership in what they learn.

Knowledge attained in the classroom is applied to real-world issues, including

the impact of biotechnology on society and global ecological concerns.

The instructional strategies suggested here both introduce concepts and

connect and apply previously studied material. They include lectures,

laboratory investigations, class discussions, videos and online media,

journal readings, and other projects and activities designed to encourage

students to think critically and develop written and verbal communication

skills. The curriculum accommodates different learning styles, knowledge

bases, and abilities, while providing depth of content and opportunities for

students to demonstrate mastery of science practices along with conceptual

understandings of course topics.

The laboratory program at Bishop’s has transitioned from traditional

“cookbook-style” experiments to more teacher-guided, inquiry-based

investigations conducted with available equipment and resources within

budget. Students attend the quarterly Science Lecture Series; guest speakers

have included Nobel Laureates from the San Diego community.

As teachers, our job is to make knowledge relevant and applicable while

helping students develop critical skills and connect concepts to see the big

picture. This is often accomplished by differentiating instruction and providing

a variety of instructional activities and projects which take into account

student prior knowledge and/or learning styles. For example, when describing

the complex biochemical pathways of photosynthesis, have students write

letters to politicians and chiefs of industry expressing concern for the

ecological ramiﬁcations of natural disasters and human impact on habitats or

global ecosystems. When discussing DNA, ask students to compose a short

story, poem, or signiﬁcant piece of art describing a day in the life of a teenager

afﬂicted with a genetic disorder. Stimulate ethical discussion by asking, “Just

because science can do something, does that mean that it should?”

As teachers, we must model adult competence and demand excellence

not only from our students but also from ourselves. We should create a

learning environment in which students can take appropriate risks as they

ask questions, explore answers, and collect, process, and communicate

information. Encourage students to follow one question by asking another.

When a classroom becomes less teacher driven and more student directed,

an artist who previously abhorred science can ﬁnd pleasure creating a plant

cell out of clay, while a writer can describe chemiosmosis through poetry.

A “less is more” approach, in which breadth of content is replaced by depth,

provides students with a framework for applying existing skills and knowledge

to new areas of study as they explore the living world.

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Big Ideas and Science Practices

AP Biology Big Ideas

Big Idea 1: The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life.

Big Idea 2: Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks

to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain dynamic homeostasis.

Big Idea 3: Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information

essential to life processes.

Big Idea 4: Biological systems interact, and these systems and their

interactions possess complex properties.

Science Practices for AP Biology

A practice is a way to coordinate knowledge and skills in order to accomplish

a goal or task. The science practices enable students to establish lines of

evidence and use them to develop and reﬁne testable explanations and

predictions of natural phenomena. These science practices capture important

aspects of the work that scientists engage in, at the level of competence

expected of AP Biology students.

Science Practice 1: The student can use representations and models to

communicate scientiﬁc phenomena and solve scientiﬁc problems.

1.1 The student can create representations and models of natural or man-made

phenomena and systems in the domain.

1.2 The student can describe representations and models of natural or man-

made phenomena and systems in the domain.

1.3 The student can reﬁne representations and models of natural or man-made

phenomena and systems in the domain.

1.4 The student can use representations and models to analyze situations or

solve problems qualitatively and quantitatively.

1.5 The student can reexpress key elements of natural phenomena across

multiple representations in the domain.

Science Practice 2: The student can use mathematics appropriately.

2.1 The student can justify the selection of a mathematical routine to solve

problems.

2.2 The student can apply mathematical routines to quantities that describe

natural phenomena.

2.3 The student can estimate numerically quantities that describe natural

phenomena.

Science Practice 3: The student can engage in scientiﬁc questioning to

extend thinking or to guide investigations within the context of the AP

course.

3.1 The student can pose scientiﬁc questions.

3.2 The student can reﬁne scientiﬁc questions.

3.3 The student can evaluate scientiﬁc questions.

Science Practice 4: The student can plan and implement data collection

strategies appropriate to a particular scientiﬁc question.

4.1 The student can justify the selection of the kind of data needed to answer a

particular scientiﬁc question.

4.2 The student can design a plan for collecting data to answer a particular

scientiﬁc question.

4.3 The student can collect data to answer a particular scientiﬁc question.

4.4 The student can evaluate sources of data to answer a particular scientiﬁc

question.

Science Practice 5: The student can perform data analysis and evaluation

of evidence.

5.1 The student can analyze data to identify patterns or relationships.

5.2 The student can reﬁne observations and measurements based on data

analysis.

5.3 The student can evaluate the evidence provided by data sets in relation to a

particular scientiﬁc question.

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Big Ideas and Science Practices

(continued)

Science Practice 6: The student can work with scientiﬁc explanations and

theories.

6.1 The student can justify claims with evidence.

6.2 The student can construct explanations of phenomena based on evidence

produced through scientiﬁc practices.

6.3 The student can articulate the reasons that scientiﬁc explanations and

theories are reﬁned or replaced.

6.4 The student can make claims and predictions about natural phenomena

based on scientiﬁc theories and models.

6.5 The student can evaluate alternative scientiﬁc explanations.

Science Practice 7: The student is able to connect and relate knowledge

across various scales, concepts, and representations in and across

domains.

7. 1 The student can connect phenomena and models across spatial and

temporal scales.

7. 2 The student can connect concepts in and across domain(s) to generalize or

extrapolate in and/or across enduring understandings and/or big ideas.

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Managing Breadth and Increasing Depth

Unit Managing Breadth Increasing Depth

Unit 1:

The Chemistry of

Life

The concepts detailed in Campbell and Reece, Chapter 2: “The Chemical Context of Life”

are now considered prior knowledge. The topics include: matter, elements, atomic structure,

molecules and compounds, chemical reactions, bonding, pH, etc. With a cursory review of these

concepts, I save approximately ﬁve to seven days of instructional time and can jump right into

the biochemistry of biomolecules, including structure and function of enzymes. (In the past, I’ve

assigned Chapters 1–4 as required summer reading, and some students elect to take our AP

Biology Prep course that covers this material during summer school.)

Students are required to take a year of physics in the ninth grade and a year of chemistry in the

10th grade; thus, more time is available to explore in more depth the structure and function of

molecules essential for life processes. This is accomplished by using molecule-modeling kits to

build complex polymers (e.g., carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and ATP) and by using

the models to illustrate the processes of dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis in their assembly

and degradation.

Unit 2:

The Cell

Because AP Biology at Bishop’s is most students’ ﬁrst course in biology, I cannot assume that all

students have prior knowledge of the structure and function of cellular organelles. However, I

save time by having students investigate cell features through a comprehensive project in which

they build a specialized cell with a working organelle that demonstrates the primary function of

their exemplar cell. This reduction in content saves me approximately two days of instructional

time.

By reducing time spent learning and/or reviewing basic chemistry, I allow students time to

explore in more depth the required concepts in Campbell and Reece, Chapters 6 and 7 (cells) and

Chapter 8 (enzyme activity).

Unit 3:

Cell Processes:

Energy and

Communication

Required concepts from Chapters 8–10 (energy, respiration, and photosynthesis) are outlined in

the curriculum framework, but focus can be reduced on other topics in this unit. Since students

have taken physics and chemistry prerequisite courses, I can spend less time on the following

concepts from Chapter 8: forms of energy, catabolic versus anabolic pathways, ﬁrst and second

Laws of Thermodynamics, and exergonic versus endergonic reactions. Because the information

covered in Chapter 2 is considered prior knowledge, I can move the study of enzymes and

enzymatic reactions to Unit 1.

In Chapter 9, I reduce or eliminate time spent on details regarding oxidation-reduction reactions

and the rote memorization of name and structure of molecules, processes, and cycles involved in

cellular respiration (e.g., cytochromes in ETC, molecules in glycolysis and Kreb’s cycle).

In Chapter 10, I reduce or eliminate focus on properties of light, structure, and function of

pigments other than chlorophylls a and b, and C4 and CAM plant adaptations for carbon ﬁxation

and photorespiration.

These reductions in content will save approximately ﬁve days of instructional time.

By focusing less on minutiae and memorization, students are able to spend more time exploring

key concepts in the capture, storage, and use of free energy in the processes of cellular

respiration and photosynthesis. With the additional time available, students can dive more

deeply into concepts by tackling inquiry-based laboratory investigations based on respiration

and photosynthesis. In addition, students focus on connecting concepts by reﬁning and revising

models, such as chemiosmosis.

By reducing some content pertaining to photosynthesis and cellular respiration, I give students

time to explore in more depth the concepts in Chapter 11: “Cell Communication.” Students

typically ﬁnd concepts of molecular signaling and transduction pathways difﬁcult, which makes

the extra time available to cover these topics especially valuable.

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Managing Breadth and Increasing Depth

(continued)

Unit Managing Breadth Increasing Depth

Unit 4:

From Gene to

Protein

The required concepts for Chapters 16–17 (DNA replication, transcription, and translation) are

outlined in the curriculum framework.

The required concepts for Chapter 18: “The Genetics of Viruses and Bacteria” are also outlined in

the curriculum framework. Structure and life cycles of viruses are covered in Unit 6.

Reductions in content will save approximately two days of instructional time.

In Chapter 19: “Eukaryotic Genomes: Organization, Regulation, and Evolution,” more concepts

about gene regulation are required.

In Chapter 20: “DNA Technology and Genomics,” more attention is focused on details about

concepts relating to genomics and ethical issues raised by genetic manipulation by humans.

In Chapter 21: “The Genetic Basis of Development,” there are more details about concepts

relating to the regulation of development of gene expression.

In Chapter 22: “Descent with Modiﬁcation: A Darwinian View of Life,” there is more instruction

about mathematical models to support evolution.

In Chapter 24: “The Origin of Species,” there are more details about evolutionary change and

concepts relating to the genetic regulation of development/speciation/evolution.

Unit 5:

Evolution

No signiﬁcant reductions

Unit 6:

Biodiversity and

Ecology

In Chapters 27–34 (prokaryotes to vertebrates: “march through the phyla”), the content consists

of illustrative examples to support concepts outlined in the curriculum framework.

The content in Chapter 35: “Plant Structure, Growth, and Development” is no longer required,

which leaves more time to focus on other topics.

The required systems in Chapter 40–49 (animal form and function, “organ of the day”) are

immune, endocrine, and nervous, with essential concepts described in the curriculum framework.

Other organ systems can be used as illustrative examples to support concepts

(e.g., homeostatic mechanisms, structural and physiological adaptations to environments,

evolution of systems).

For Chapters 43, 45, and 48 (immune, endocrine, and nervous systems), required content/

concepts are outlined in the curriculum framework, with increased emphasis on homeostasis,

chemical signaling, and regulation.

For Chapter 47: “Animal Development,” required elements about the timing, coordination, and

regulation of development are outlined in the curriculum framework with emphasis on inductive

signaling.

Unit 1:

The Chemistry

of Life

Laboratory

Investigations:

• Building Biomolecules

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 13: Enzyme Activity

Estimated Time:

3 weeks

Essential

Questions:

▼ How are biological molecules necessary for organisms to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain organization?

▼ How do the subcomponents of biological molecules determine the properties of that molecule?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Justify the selection of data regarding the

types of molecules that an animal, plant, or

bacterium will take up as necessary building

blocks and excrete as waste products.

[LO 2.8, SP 4.1]

Campbell and Reece, Chapter 2:

“The Chemical Context of Life”;

Chapter 3: “Water and the

Fitness of the Environment”;

and Chapter 4: “Carbon and the

Molecular Diversity of Life”

Instructional Activity:

Students create mini-posters to explain how either the carbon or nitrogen

cycles provide essential chemical elements to support life in an ecosystem.

Students make predictions about the impact of human activity on the cycles.

This activity is student directed and teacher facilitated.

Instructional Activity:

Based on water’s molecular properties, students create visual representations

(e.g., diagrams or models) with annotations to explain how water travels up a

300-ft. California redwood tree. This activity is student directed and teacher

facilitated.

Formative Assessment:

Students create visual representations with annotations (e.g., diagrams or

models) to explain how water’s molecular structure results in unique properties

and how these properties are vital to life processes.

Explain the connection between the sequence

and the subcomponents of a biological

polymer and its properties. [LO 4.1, SP 7.1]

Construct explanations based on evidence

of how variation in molecular units provides

cells with a wider range of functions.

[LO 4.22, SP 6.2]

Represent graphically or model quantitatively

the exchange of molecules between an

organism and its environment, and the

subsequent uses of these molecules to

build new molecules that facilitate dynamic

homeostasis, growth, and reproduction.

[LO 2.9, SP 1.1, SP 1.4]

Campbell and Reece, Chapter 5:

“The Structure and Function of

Macromolecules”

Molecular model kits or

alternative (e.g., foam balls and

toothpicks)

Instructional Activity:

Using molecular model kits, students justify the claim that organisms need the

SPONCH elements to build complex molecules and recycle elements necessary

for life by constructing models of key biomolecules from their monomers. This

activity is student directed and teacher facilitated.

Formative Assessment:

Students explain either through narrative or visual representations

(e.g., diagram with annotation) how the SPONCH elements move from the

environment to synthesize complex biomolecules (e.g., carbohydrates, lipids,

proteins, nucleic acids, ATP) necessary for cellular processes.

Here is an opportunity to apply chemistry to a

contemporary ecological issue.

While students are constructing their diagrams,

I circulate among them, ask probing questions,

and adjust instructional activities accordingly.

This tactic is applicable to most formative

assessments.

Students can justify claims and ideas in a

variety of ways (differentiated instruction) but

typically use pen and paper. Another option

(and one that is more engaging) is to have

them create models. In this case, building

molecular models helps students visualize

three-dimensional images that are used to

demonstrate the processes of dehydration

synthesis and hydrolysis.

Unit 1:

The Chemistry

of Life

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How are biological molecules necessary for organisms to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain organization?

▼ How do the subcomponents of biological molecules determine the properties of that molecule?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Reﬁne representations and models to explain

how the subcomponents of a biological

polymer and their sequence determine the

properties of that polymer. [LO 4.2, SP 1.3]

Use models to predict and justify that

changes in the subcomponents of a biological

polymer affect the functionality of the

molecule. [LO 4.3, SP 6.1, SP 6.4]

Analyze data to identify how molecular

interactions affect structure and function.

[LO 4.17, SP 5.1]

Campbell and Reece, Chapter 8:

“An Introduction to Metabolism,”

pp.149–158

AP Biology Investigative Labs

(2012), Investigation 13: Enzyme

Activity

Waterman and Stanley,

Biological Inquiry: A Workbook

of Investigative Cases, “Picture

Perfect”

Instructional Activity:

“Picture Perfect.” An inquiry-based case study built on concepts relating to

enzymatic activity. Students design an experiment to examine factors affecting

the action of amylase on starch to identify a stain on an antique dress. This

activity is student directed and requires limited teacher facilitation.

Instructional Activity:

AP Biology Investigation 13: Enzyme Activity. Students design and conduct

investigations to explore the effects of environmental variables on the rates of

enzymatic reactions. This lab is student directed and teacher facilitated.

Summative Assessment:

Exam consisting of 25 multiple-choice questions, two short free-response

questions, and one long free-response question with emphasis on the

application of quantitative skills, science practices, and data analysis.

The case study or the lab investigation can

be used to introduce students to the role of

catalytic enzymes in cellular chemical reactions

or to provide a means of applying concepts

when they have a fairly solid understanding

of enzyme structure and function. For each lab

activity, I use a variety of assessment tactics:

mini-posters, formal lab reports, and notations

in student lab notebooks. Some students keep

an online version of all their lab work.

This lab investigation is a modiﬁcation of the

enzyme catalysis lab from the 2001 AP Biology

Lab Manual. Teachers should feel free to use or

modify “favorite labs” from various sources as

long as they reﬂect transition from teacher-

directed “cookbook” labs to more student-

directed and inquiry-based investigations.

The summative assessment addresses the

following essential questions:

•How are biological molecules necessary

for organisms to grow, to reproduce, and to

maintain organization?

•How do the subcomponents of biological

molecules determine the properties of that

molecule?

Unit 2:

The Cell

Laboratory

Investigations:

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 4: Diffusion and Osmosis

Estimated Time:

3 weeks

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do shared conserved cellular processes support the idea that all organisms are linked by lines of descent

from common ancestry? ▼ How do cells create and maintain internal environments that are different from their

external environments? ▼ How do structure and function of subcellular components and their interactions provide

essential cellular processes? ▼ How do cells maintain dynamic homeostasis by the movement of molecules

across membranes?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Use calculated surface area-to-volume ratios

to predict which cell(s) might eliminate

wastes or procure nutrients faster by

diffusion. [LO 2.6, SP 2.2]

Explain how cell size and shape affect the

overall rate of nutrient intake and the rate of

waste elimination. [LO 2.7, SP 6.2]

Campbell and Reece, Chapter 6:

“A Tour of the Cell”; Chapter 27:

“Prokaryotes”

AP Biology Investigative Labs

(2012), Investigation 4: Diffusion

and Osmosis, Procedure 1:

Surface Area and Cell Size

Multimedia

The Domains of Life:

Life’s Three Great Branches:

Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya

Instructional Activity:

AP Biology Investigation 4: Diffusion and Osmosis, Procedure 1: Surface Area

and Cell Size. Students model surface area-to-volume relationships using

agar blocks and phenolphthalein. This activity is student directed and teacher

facilitated.

Formative Assessment:

Students create a diagram with annotation to explain how approximately 300

million alveoli in a human lung increase surface area for gas exchange to the

size of a tennis court. Students should use the diagram to explain how the

cellular structures of alveoli, capillaries, and red blood cells allow for rapid

diffusion of O

and CO

between them.

Explain how internal membranes and

organelles contribute to cell functions.

[LO 2.13, SP 6.2]

Use representations and models to describe

differences in prokaryotic and eukaryotic

cells. [LO 2.14, SP 1.4]

Make a prediction about the interactions of

subcellular organelles. [LO 4.4, SP 6.4]

Construct explanations based on scientiﬁc

evidence as to how interactions of subcellular

structures provide essential functions.

[LO 4.5, SP 6.2]

Use representations and models to analyze

situations qualitatively to describe how

interactions of subcellular structures, which

possess specialized functions, provide

essential functions. [LO 4.6, SP 1.4]

Campbell and Reece, Chapter 6:

“A Tour of the Cell”

Instructional Activity:

Using inexpensive and common household items, students create a model of a

speciﬁc cell (e.g., neuron, white blood cell, plant leaf cell, Paramecium, sperm

cell, bacterium) that includes a working organelle that deﬁnes the overall

function of the cell. Students explain their cell and organelle to the class.

Formative Assessment:

Students create a visual representation, such as a diagram with annotation or

a PowerPoint slide, to explain how four organelles work together to perform a

speciﬁc function in a cell of your choice. Students should predict how a defect

in the function of one of the organelles can affect the overall function of the

cell. Students present their visual representations to the class for review and

revision.

Students struggle with geometric relationships

between surface area and volume: the smaller

the cell, the higher surface area-to-volume

ratio to facilitate movement of molecules into

and out of the cell. Having students model

surface area-to-volume relationships using agar

blocks and phenolphthalein provides visual

clariﬁcation.

Although required content pertaining to the

human organ systems was reduced signiﬁcantly

in the course, teachers can incorporate these

systems to illustrate concepts. Exploring the

exchange of gases in the lungs is one way to

apply surface area-to-volume relationships and

the process of diffusion to a biological system.

Students often have misconceptions about

the “simplicity” of prokaryotic cells. Clarify

that prokaryotes have internal organization

and a great number of metabolic pathways

and biochemical adaptations to almost all

environments. It is important to emphasize that

living cells are not static, rigid structures but

dynamic.

Formative assessments that ask students to

present their work to the class for review and

revision are an effective means to assess

where students are in their understanding

of concepts and provide an opportunity for

immediate feedback from peers and the

teacher.

Unit 2:

The Cell

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do shared conserved cellular processes support the idea that all organisms are linked by lines of descent

from common ancestry? ▼ How do cells create and maintain internal environments that are different from their

external environments? ▼ How do structure and function of subcellular components and their interactions provide

essential cellular processes? ▼ How do cells maintain dynamic homeostasis by the movement of molecules

across membranes?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Use representations and models to pose

scientiﬁc questions about the properties of

cell membranes and selective permeability

based on molecular structure.

[LO 2.10, SP 1.4, SP 3.1]

Construct models that connect the movement

of molecules across membranes with

membrane structure and function.

[LO 2.11, SP 1.1, SP 7.1, SP 7.2]

Use representations and models to analyze

situations or solve problems qualitatively or

quantitatively to investigate whether dynamic

homeostasis is maintained by the active

movement of molecules across membranes.

[LO 2.12, SP 1.4]

Campbell and Reece, Chapter 7:

“Membrane Structure and

Function”

AP Biology Investigative Labs

(2012), Investigation 4:

Diffusion and Osmosis

Instructional Activity:

Provided with a simple diagram of the ﬂuid mosaic model of cell membrane

structure, students revise and/or reﬁne the diagram to illustrate the

arrangement of the membrane’s molecular components. This activity is student

directed.

Instructional Activity:

AP Biology Investigation 4: Diffusion and Osmosis. Students explore the

phenomenon of water potential and then model osmosis and diffusion using

dialysis tubing. Using plant tissues and various sucrose solutions, students

design and conduct an experiment to determine the water potential of the

plant tissues. This lab is student directed and teacher facilitated.

Instructional Activity:

Using the revised cell membrane diagrams they created, students pose three

questions about the relationship between the structure of the membrane and

the movement of molecules across it (e.g., polar and non-polar molecules,

small and large molecules). Then students explain how answers to the

questions can be investigated.

Modeling is an important skill for students.

Using dialysis tubing to model a selectively

permeable cell membrane reinforces the

science practice.

The concept of water potential is difﬁcult for

students because they cannot relate water

potential to the measure of its potential energy,

with water moving to a state of lower free

energy. Modeling osmosis helps clarify the

concept.

Unit 2:

The Cell

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do shared conserved cellular processes support the idea that all organisms are linked by lines of descent

from common ancestry? ▼ How do cells create and maintain internal environments that are different from their

external environments? ▼ How do structure and function of subcellular components and their interactions provide

essential cellular processes? ▼ How do cells maintain dynamic homeostasis by the movement of molecules

across membranes?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Justify the scientiﬁc claim that organisms

share many conserved core processes

and features that evolved and are widely

distributed among organisms today.

[LO 1.16, SP 6.1]

Pose scientiﬁc questions that correctly

identify essential properties of shared, core

life processes that provide insights into the

history of life on Earth. [LO 1.14, SP 3.1]

Campbell and Reece, Chapter 6:

“A Tour of the Cell”; Chapter 25:

“Phylogeny and Systematics”;

and Chapter 26: “The Tree of

Life: An Introduction to Biological

Diversity,” pp. 523–526

Chen, “The Emergence of Cells

During the Origin of Life”

Multimedia

The Domains of Life:

The Eukaryotic Cell Evolves

Instructional Activity:

Mystery Cell ID. Using a microscope, students identify the general type of cell

(e.g., prokaryote/eukaryote, plant/animal) and support their observations by

describing two distinctive features of each mystery cell. This activity is student

directed and teacher facilitated.

Instructional Activity:

Ten-Minute Debate. Working in small teams, students create a visual

representation to support the claim that eukaryotes evolved from symbiotic

relationships between groups of prokaryotes. Then students identify one or

two unanswered questions about Margulis’s endosymbiont hypothesis.

Formative Assessment:

Students construct a diagram to explain the relationships that exist between

the three domains of life (Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya) based on molecular

processes and cellular features. Students present their diagrams to the class

for review and revision.

Summative Assessment:

One-hour exam consisting of 20 multiple-choice questions, two short-response

questions, and one lab-based free-response question with data analysis based

on the relationship between cell membrane structure and the processes of

osmosis, diffusion, and active transport.

This activity asks students to apply a skill

(microscopy) to content (identiﬁcation of cell

types). The activity also provides an opportunity

for students to explore the relationship

between magniﬁcation and real size.

This activity asks students to synthesize

information from multiple sources — textbook,

class discussion, science reading, and video —

and evaluate evidence in support of a notable

hypothesis about the origin of the eukaryotic

cell.

This formative assessment is a simple

but effective way to introduce cladogram

construction, which will be an essential tool as

students delve more deeply into evolutionary

relationships in Unit 5.

The summative assessment addresses the

following essential questions:

•How do shared conserved cellular processes

support the idea that all organisms are linked

by lines of descent from common ancestry?

•How do cells create and maintain internal

environments that are different from their

external environments?

•How do structure and function of subcellular

components and their interactions provide

essential cellular processes?

•How do cells maintain dynamic homeostasis

by the movement of molecules across

membranes?

Unit 3:

Cell Processes:

Energy and

Communication

Laboratory

Investigations:

• Respiration of Sugars by Yeast (Vernier)

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 6: Cellular Respiration

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 5: Photosynthesis

Estimated Time:

4 weeks

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do biological systems utilize free energy to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain homeostasis? ▼ How do

organisms capture, use, and store free energy? ▼ How are external signals converted into cellular responses?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Energy

Explain how biological systems use free

energy based on empirical data that all

organisms require constant energy input

to maintain organization, to grow, and to

reproduce. [LO 2.1, SP 6.2]

Justify a scientiﬁc claim that free energy

is required for living systems to maintain

organization, to grow, or to reproduce, but

that multiple strategies exist in different

living systems. [LO 2.2, SP 6.1]

Predict how changes in free energy

availability affect organisms, populations, and

ecosystems. [LO 2.3, SP 6.4]

Use representations and models to analyze

how cooperative interactions within

organisms promote efﬁciency in the use of

energy and matter. [LO 4.18, SP 1.4]

Use representations to pose scientiﬁc

questions about what mechanisms and

structural features allow organisms to

capture, store, and use free energy.

[LO 2.4, SP 1.4, SP 3.1]

Construct explanations of the mechanisms

and structural features of cells that allow

organisms to capture, store, or use free

energy. [LO 2.5, SP 6.2]

Describe speciﬁc examples of conserved core

biological processes and features shared by

all domains or within one domain of life, and

how these shared, conserved core processes

and features support the concept of common

ancestry for all organisms. [LO 1.15, SP 7.2]

Campbell and Reece, Chapter 8:

“An Introduction to Metabolism,”

pp. 141–149; Chapter 9:

“Cellular Respiration: Harvesting

Chemical Energy”; and

Chapter 10: “Photosynthesis,”

pp. 181–141

Waterman and Stanley,

“Bean Brew”

Redding and Masterman,

Biology with Vernier,

“Respiration of Sugars by Yeast”

AP Biology Investigative Labs

(2012), Investigation 6:

Cellular Respiration

AP Biology Investigative

Labs (2012), Investigation 5:

Photosynthesis

Instructional Activity:

Students engage in “Bean Brew,” an inquiry-based investigative case study

on the fermentation process used to develop soy sauce. The activity is student

directed and requires minimum teacher facilitation.

Instructional Activity:

Lab: Respiration of Sugars by Yeast. Students design and conduct experiments

to investigate whether yeasts are able to metabolize a variety of sugars, using

gas pressure sensors to measure CO

production. This lab is student directed

and teacher facilitated.

Instructional Activity:

AP Biology Investigation 6: Cellular Respiration. Students use microrespirometers

or gas pressure sensors to investigate factors that affect the rate of cellular

respiration in multicellular organisms. This lab is student directed and teacher

facilitated.

Instructional Activity:

AP Biology Investigation 5: Photosynthesis. Using the ﬂoating leaf disk

procedure, students investigate factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis

in living leaves. This lab is student directed and teacher facilitated.

Instructional Activity:

Online investigation: Students research the connections between paraquat

(or other herbicides), the pathways of photosynthesis, and possible effects of

herbicides on ecosystems. (An article about paraquat appeared in a 1978 issue

of Rolling Stone magazine.)

Formative Assessment:

In teams, students create a visual representation (e.g., diagram with

annotation) to explain the interdependent relationships of cellular respiration

and photosynthesis and how the processes of cellular respiration and

photosynthesis support life on Earth. Visual representations are displayed

in the classroom for peer review and revision and to generate questions for

further investigation.

Cellular respiration and photosynthesis are

typically challenging topics for students to

grasp, because they cannot make connections

between the processes and their relevance to

higher levels of biological organization, such as

plant and animal physiology or energy ﬂow in

ecosystems.

Formative assessments that allow students

to engage with one another provide unique

learning opportunities. I tell students, “You

really don’t understand something until you

have to teach it to someone else.” I provide

guidance to students on how to offer feedback

to their peers on the clarity and accuracy of

the visual explanations. After the activity, we

discuss the effectiveness of the feedback and

what the activity’s outcomes tell us about the

students’ learning.

Unit 3:

Cell Processes:

Energy and

Communication

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do biological systems utilize free energy to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain homeostasis? ▼ How do

organisms capture, use, and store free energy? ▼ How are external signals converted into cellular responses?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Cell Communication/Signaling

Describe basic chemical processes for cell

communication shared across evolutionary

lines of descent. [LO 3.31, SP 7.2]

Generate scientiﬁc questions involving cell

communication as it relates to the process of

evolution. [LO 3.32, SP 3.1]

Use representation(s) and appropriate models

to describe features of a cell signaling

pathway. [LO 3.33, SP 1.4]

Construct explanations of cell communication

through cell-to-cell direct contact or through

chemical signaling. [LO 3.34, SP 6.2]

Create representation(s) that depict how

cell-to-cell communication occurs by direct

contact or from a distance through chemical

signaling. [LO 3.35, SP 1.1]

Describe a model that expresses the key

elements of signal transduction pathways

by which a signal is converted to a cellular

response. [LO 3.36, SP 1.5]

Justify claims based on scientiﬁc evidence

that changes in signal transduction pathways

can alter cellular response. [LO 3.37, SP 6.1]

Describe a model that expresses key

elements to show how change in signal

transduction can alter cellular response.

[LO 3.38, SP 1.5]

Construct an explanation of how certain drugs

affect signal reception and, consequently,

signal transduction pathways.

[LO 3.39, SP 6.2]

Campbell and Reece, Chapter 11:

“Cell Communication,”

pp. 201–205, 208–209, 212–214

Instructional Activity:

Online investigation: Students explain and justify the mechanism by which a

speciﬁc disease is caused by a defective signaling pathway and investigate

one drug that works by blocking a signaling pathway.

Formative Assessment:

Students create an interactive model using cutout pieces of construction paper

to describe the key features/components in a G-protein receptor system and

explain the three stages of cell signaling: reception, transduction, and cellular

response. Students share models for review and revision.

Summative Assessment:

One-hour exam consisting of 20 multiple-choice questions, two short-response

questions (including one on cell signaling) and one lab-based free-response

question with data analysis based on the lab investigations.

Cell signaling mechanisms are challenging

for students to grasp because they focus on

memorization of minute details rather than the

big picture. Focus on one or two illustrative

examples of applicability of cell signaling

concepts, such as how a familiar drug works or

how the symptoms of a disease occur, to pique

student engagement. Slowly guide students

through the three primary stages: reception,

transduction, and response.

Using this modeling activity as a means of

formative assessment is effective for engaging

students, especially if they work in small groups

to create the model. The teacher visits each

group, asks questions, and provides feedback.

The summative assessment addresses the

following essential questions:

•How do biological systems utilize free energy

to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain

homeostasis?

•How do organisms capture, use, and store

free energy?

•How are external signals converted into

cellular responses?

Unit 4:

From Gene

to Protein

Laboratory Investigations:

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 7: Mitosis and Meiosis

• DNA Extraction (DNA Necklace Kit, Carolina Biological Supply Company)

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 8: Biotechnology: Bacterial Transformation

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 9: Biotechnology: Restriction Enzyme Analysis of DNA

Estimated Time:

9 weeks

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do living systems store, retrieve, and transmit genetic information critical to life processes?

▼ How does the expression of genetic material control cell products which, in turn, determine the metabolism and

nature of the cell? ▼ What is the relationship between changes in genotype and phenotype and evolution?

▼ How can humans use genetic engineering techniques to manipulate genetic information? What are ethical

issues raised by the application of these techniques?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Unit 4:

From Gene

to Protein

Laboratory Investigations:

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 7: Mitosis and Meiosis

• DNA Extraction (DNA Necklace Kit, Carolina Biological Supply Company)

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 8: Biotechnology: Bacterial Transformation

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 9: Biotechnology: Restriction Enzyme Analysis of DNA

Estimated Time:

9 weeks

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do living systems store, retrieve, and transmit genetic information critical to life processes?

▼ How does the expression of genetic material control cell products which, in turn, determine the metabolism and

nature of the cell? ▼ What is the relationship between changes in genotype and phenotype and evolution?

▼ How can humans use genetic engineering techniques to manipulate genetic information? What are ethical

issues raised by the application of these techniques?

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

The Cell Cycle, Mitosis, and Meiosis

Make predictions about natural phenomena

occurring during the cell cycle. [LO 3.7, SP 6.4]

Describe the events that occur in the cell

cycle. [LO 3.8, SP 1.2]

Construct an explanation, using visual

representations or narratives, as to how DNA

in chromosomes is transmitted to the next

generation via mitosis, or meiosis followed by

fertilization. [LO 3.9, SP 6.2]

Represent the connection between meiosis

and increased genetic diversity necessary for

evolution. [LO 3.10, SP 7.1]

Evaluate evidence provided by data sets to

support the claim that heritable information

is passed from one generation to another

through mitosis, or meiosis followed by

fertilization. [LO 3.11, SP 5.3]

Campbell and Reece,

Chapter 12: “The Cell Cycle”;

Chapter 13: “Meiosis and

Sexual Life Cycles”; and Chapter

19: “Eukaryotic Genomes:

Organization, Regulation, and

Evolution,” pp. 359–361

AP Biology Investigative Labs

(2012), Investigation 7:

Mitosis and Meiosis

Skloot, The Immortal Life of

Henrietta Lacks

Instructional Activity:

Students create a cartoon-like “ﬂip book” to animate the events in mitosis to

illustrate that the process is continuous.

Instructional Activity:

AP Biology Investigation 7: Mitosis and Meiosis. After exploring and modeling

mitosis and meiosis, students conduct independent investigations to determine

the effect(s) of biotic or abiotic factors on the rate of mitosis in plant roots.

This lab is student directed and teacher facilitated.

Instructional Activity:

Students create a series of diagrams with annotations that compare, contrast,

and analyze the processes of mitosis and meiosis, focusing on the chromosome

number of the resulting daughter cells.

Instructional Activity:

Based on information gleaned by reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,

students design and implement a project that reﬂects an issue raised by the

author (e.g., the relationship between cancer cells and cell cycle control, the

use of HeLa cells in scientiﬁc research, the legal and ethical questions raised

in the book).

Formative Assessment:

Students use the projects they created in the instructional activity described

above to explain how meiosis followed by fertilization increases genetic

variation, whereas mitosis usually results in genetically identical daughter

cells. Students should use the model to make prediction(s) about the effect of

genetic mutation on both processes.

Summative Assessment:

Quiz consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions, one short, lab-based free-

response question, and ﬁve “identify the process” microscope slides/lab

activities.

Reading a best-selling book or viewing a

commercial movie that is applicable to concepts

studied in class helps motivate and engage

students. For example, many students have

family members who have or have had cancer

and can relate to issues raised by the Henrietta

Lacks story.

Immediately following this activity, I discuss

with the class their predictions. I ask probing

questions to determine how the students have

progressed toward the learning objectives,

and then I use that feedback to make decisions

about next instructional steps.

The summative assessment addresses the

essential question, How do living systems

store, retrieve, and transmit genetic information

critical to life processes?

Students often think that DNA duplication is a

precursor only to mitotic cell division and that

haploid cells cannot reproduce by mitosis.

Unit 4:

From Gene

to Protein

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do living systems store, retrieve, and transmit genetic information critical to life processes?

▼ How does the expression of genetic material control cell products which, in turn, determine the metabolism and

nature of the cell? ▼ What is the relationship between changes in genotype and phenotype and evolution?

▼ How can humans use genetic engineering techniques to manipulate genetic information? What are ethical

issues raised by the application of these techniques?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Mendel’s Model

Construct a representation that connects the

process of meiosis to the passage of traits

from parent to offspring.

[LO 3.12, SP 1.1, SP 7.2]

Pose questions about the ethical, social, or

medical issues surrounding human genetic

disorders. [LO 3.13, SP 3.1]

Apply mathematical routines to determine

Mendelian patterns of inheritance provided

by data sets. [LO 3.14, SP 2.2]

Explain deviations from Mendel’s model of

the inheritance of traits. [LO 3.15, SP 6.5]

Explain how the inheritance patterns of many

traits cannot be accounted for by Mendelian

genetics. [LO 3.16, SP 6.3]

Describe representations of an appropriate

example of inheritance patterns that cannot

be explained by Mendel’s model of the

inheritance of traits. [LO 3.17, SP 1.2]

(learning objectives continue)

Campbell and Reece,

Chapter 14: “Mendel and the

Gene Idea”; and Chapter 15:

“The Chromosomal Basis of

Inheritance”

Web

“Who’s the Father?”

Instructional Activity:

Investigation activity using Wisconsin Fast Plants. “Who’s the Father?” is a

quick but engaging way to review or to introduce Mendelian inheritance. This

activity is student directed and teacher facilitated.

Instructional Activity:

Students make predictions about expected phenotypic ratios in genetic

crosses and then use the chi-square test to explain any deviations between

the expected and observed ratios. Students should use provided data or

experiments using Fast Plants (or Drosophila).

Instructional Activity:

A Day in the Life. Students compose a short story, PowerPoint presentation,

video, poem, song, or signiﬁcant piece of art to describe a day in the life of a

teenager afﬂicted with a single gene disorder or chromosomal abnormality.

Students should include the science behind the disorder (i.e., causes and

effects) and identify a social, medical, or ethical issue(s) associated with

human genetic disorders.

Students must be able to connect Mendelian

inheritance patterns, mitosis and meiosis, and

phenotype. Mendel’s laws of inheritance can

be explained by the behavior of chromosomes

during meiosis. Have students incorporate

drawings of chromosomes carrying alleles

to relate Punnett squares to meiosis, haploid

gamete formation, and fertilization.

This project reinforces for students that we are

products of the genetic hand we were dealt,

and that we all contribute to human diversity.

The project serves to dispel stereotyping.

Unit 4:

From Gene

to Protein

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do living systems store, retrieve, and transmit genetic information critical to life processes?

▼ How does the expression of genetic material control cell products which, in turn, determine the metabolism and

nature of the cell? ▼ What is the relationship between changes in genotype and phenotype and evolution?

▼ How can humans use genetic engineering techniques to manipulate genetic information? What are ethical

issues raised by the application of these techniques?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

(continued)

Construct explanations of the inﬂuence of

environmental factors on the phenotype of an

organism. [LO 4.23, SP 6.2]

Use evidence to justify a claim that a

variety of phenotypic responses to a single

environmental factor can result from different

genotypes within the population.

[LO 4.25, SP 6.1]

Formative Assessment:

Students work in pairs to solve a daily genetics problem (e.g., monohybrid,

dihybrid, test cross, co-dominance versus incomplete dominance, sex-linkage,

crossing over, pedigrees). The ﬁrst pair with a solution comes to the board and

works the problem for peer review.

Summative Assessment:

One-hour exam consisting of 20 multiple-choice questions and two free-

response questions. The free-response questions are based on data and

include chi-square analysis.

The summative assessment addresses the

essential question, How do living systems

store, retrieve, and transmit genetic information

critical to life processes?

Unit 4:

From Gene

to Protein

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do living systems store, retrieve, and transmit genetic information critical to life processes?

▼ How does the expression of genetic material control cell products which, in turn, determine the metabolism and

nature of the cell? ▼ What is the relationship between changes in genotype and phenotype and evolution?

▼ How can humans use genetic engineering techniques to manipulate genetic information? What are ethical

issues raised by the application of these techniques?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Gene to Protein

Construct scientiﬁc explanations that use the

structures and mechanisms of DNA and RNA

to support the claim that DNA and, in some

cases, that RNA are the primary sources of

heritable information. [LO 3.1, SP 6.5]

Justify the selection of data from historical

investigations that support the claim that

DNA is the source of heritable information.

[LO 3.2, SP 4.1]

Describe representations and models that

illustrate how genetic information is copied

for transmission between generations.

[LO 3.3, SP 1.2]

Describe representations and models

illustrating how genetic information is

translated into polypeptides. [LO 3.4, SP 1.2]

Create a visual representation to illustrate

how changes in a DNA nucleotide sequence

can result in a change in the polypeptide

produced. [LO 3.25, SP 1.1]

(learning objectives continue)

Campbell and Reece, Chapter

16: “The Molecular Basis of

Inheritance”; and Chapter 17:

“From Gene to Protein”

Watson and Crick, “Molecular

Structure of Nucleic Acids:

A Structure for Deoxyribose

Nucleic Acid.”

Video

Cracking the Code of Life

Web

DNA Necklace Kit, Carolina

Biological Supply Company

Instructional Activity:

Lab: DNA Extraction (DNA Necklace Kit). Students investigate the chemical

properties of DNA — and learn a forensic technique. This lab is teacher

directed.

Instructional Activity:

Provided with evidence relating to how the Frederick Grifﬁth and Hershey-

Chase experiments supported the identiﬁcation of DNA as the genetic

material, students pose questions that remained unanswered by these

historical experiments.

Instructional Activity:

The Watson and Crick Model of DNA. Students develop a model of the

structure of DNA based solely on Watson and Crick’s original Nature article,

“Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic

Acid.”

Instructional Activity:

Students design an experiment to test the three models of DNA replication.

Assume access in a laboratory to the following: experimental organism,

radioactive isotopes, test tubes and centrifuge, and growth media for

organisms.

Instructional Activity:

Using construction paper, markers, and scissors, students construct a model

of DNA using at least 24 nucleotides. Students use the model to distinguish

between DNA and RNA; to model the processes of replication, transcription,

and translation; and to predict the effects of change (mutation) on the original

nucleotide sequence.

When isolating DNA from cheek cells, students

likely will make the connection between

DNA and criminal investigations — which

foreshadows a biotechnology lab.

Ask students to come up with an analogy for

the phenomenon of the “leading” and “lagging”

strands of DNA. For example, if an escalator is

moving upward and Susie rides it upward, she

is riding up the “leading” strand. However, if

she tries to ride up an escalator that is moving

downward, she will have trouble traveling up

this “lagging” strand — unless she travels in

leaps or bounds (i.e., Okazaki fragments).

Engage students in the processes of DNA

replication, transcription, and translation by

asking them to model the processes. I circulate

among the groups and ask students to explain

their models. I can assess their understanding

by asking probing questions that might lead

students to revise their work.

Unit 4:

From Gene

to Protein

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do living systems store, retrieve, and transmit genetic information critical to life processes?

▼ How does the expression of genetic material control cell products which, in turn, determine the metabolism and

nature of the cell? ▼ What is the relationship between changes in genotype and phenotype and evolution?

▼ How can humans use genetic engineering techniques to manipulate genetic information? What are ethical

issues raised by the application of these techniques?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

(continued)

Predict how a change in a speciﬁc DNA or

RNA sequence can result in changes in gene

expression. [LO 3.6, SP 6.4]

Instructional Activity:

Students create a board game to take players through the key steps in

translation — and have classmates play the game!

Formative Assessment:

Provided with incomplete diagrams (or diagrams with errors) illustrating the

structures of DNA and RNA, DNA replication, transcription, and translation,

students reﬁne or revise the diagrams and share the edited versions for critical

review.

Summative Assessment:

One-hour exam consisting of 20 multiple-choice questions, two short-response

questions, and one long free-response question involving analysis of models of

the structure of DNA, DNA replication, transcription, and translation.

The summative assessment addresses the

following essential questions:

•How do living systems store, retrieve, and

transmit genetic information critical to life

processes?

•How does the expression of genetic material

control cell products which, in turn, determine

the metabolism and nature of the cell?

•What is the relationship between genotype

and phenotype and evolution?

Unit 4:

From Gene

to Protein

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do living systems store, retrieve, and transmit genetic information critical to life processes?

▼ How does the expression of genetic material control cell products which, in turn, determine the metabolism and

nature of the cell? ▼ What is the relationship between changes in genotype and phenotype and evolution?

▼ How can humans use genetic engineering techniques to manipulate genetic information? What are ethical

issues raised by the application of these techniques?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Gene Expression

Describe the connection between the

regulation of gene expression and observed

differences between different kinds of

organisms. [LO 3.18, SP 7.1]

Describe the connection between the

regulation of gene expression and observed

differences between individuals in a

population. [LO 3.19, SP 7.1]

Explain how the regulation of gene

expression is essential for the processes and

structures that support efﬁcient cell function.

[LO 3.20, SP 6.2]

Use representations to describe how gene

regulation inﬂuences cell products and

function. [LO 3.21, SP 1.4]

Reﬁne representations to illustrate how

interactions between external stimuli and

gene expression result in specialization of

cells, tissues, and organs. [LO 4.7, SP 1.3]

Justify a claim made about the effect(s)

on a biological system at the molecular,

physiological, or organismal level when given

a scenario in which one or more components

within a negative regulatory system is

altered. [LO 2.15, SP 6.1]

(learning objectives continue)

Campbell and Reece,

Chapter 18: “The Genetics of

Viruses and Bacteria,” pp. 352–

356; Chapter 19: “Eukaryotic

Genomes: Organization,

Regulation, and Evolution,”

pp. 362–370, 371–373, 374–381;

and Chapter 21: “The Genetic

Basis of Development,”

pp. 411–428

Waterman and Stanley,

“Shh: Silencing the Hedgehog

Pathway,” Parts I and III

Instructional Activity:

Students use construction paper or more elaborate materials to create a model

of the lac and tryp operons that include a regulator, promoter, operator, and

structural genes. Students use the model to make predictions about the effects

of mutations in any of the regions on gene expression.

Instructional Activity:

Students create a diagram to distinguish between the products of embryonic

versus adult stem cells. What are some arguments for and against embryonic

stem cell research?

Instructional Activity:

“Shh: Silencing the Hedgehog Pathway," Parts I and III. Students engage in

an investigative case study of the hedgehog signaling pathway and its role in

embryonic development.

Formative Assessment:

In a short written narrative, students describe one example of experimental

evidence that supports the claim that different cell types result from

differential gene expression in cells with the same DNA. Then, in small

groups, students share and discuss their examples and distinguish between

determination and differentiation.

Students often have difﬁculty distinguishing

between inducible and repressible operons.

Remind students of the role of each type of

operon in cell metabolism.

The concepts underlying the genetic basis

of development are difﬁcult for students to

understand. It is recommended that students

focus on the developmental pattern of one

illustrative organism, such as Drosophila.

Stem cell research and cloning are “hot topics”

in contemporary biology. Helping students

gain scientiﬁc literacy is integral to their

understanding of modern biology.

Unit 4:

From Gene

to Protein

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do living systems store, retrieve, and transmit genetic information critical to life processes?

▼ How does the expression of genetic material control cell products which, in turn, determine the metabolism and

nature of the cell? ▼ What is the relationship between changes in genotype and phenotype and evolution?

▼ How can humans use genetic engineering techniques to manipulate genetic information? What are ethical

issues raised by the application of these techniques?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

(continued)

Explain how signal pathways mediate gene

expression, including how this process can

affect protein production. [LO 3.22, SP 6.2]

Use representations to describe mechanisms

of the regulation of gene expression.

[LO 3.23, SP 1.4]

Connect concepts in and across domains

to show that the timing and coordination

of speciﬁc events are necessary for normal

development in an organism and that these

events are regulated by multiple mechanisms.

[LO 2.31, SP 7.2]

Use a graph or diagram to analyze

situations or solve problems (quantitatively

or qualitatively) that involve timing and

coordination of events necessary for normal

development in an organism. [LO 2.32, SP 1.4]

Justify scientiﬁc claims with scientiﬁc

evidence to show that timing and

coordination of several events are necessary

for normal development in an organism and

that these events are regulated by multiple

mechanisms. [LO 2.33, SP 6.1]

Describe the role of programmed cell death in

development and differentiation, the reuse of

molecules, and the maintenance of dynamic

homeostasis. [LO 2.34, SP 7.1]

Summative Assessment:

One long free-response question that asks students to connect their

understanding of mitosis, DNA and genes, and cell signaling pathways to

differential protein expression in a model organism.

The summative assessment addresses the

essential question, How does the expression of

genetic material control cell products which, in

turn, determine the metabolism and nature of

the cell?

Unit 4:

From Gene

to Protein

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How do living systems store, retrieve, and transmit genetic information critical to life processes?

▼ How does the expression of genetic material control cell products which, in turn, determine the metabolism and

nature of the cell? ▼ What is the relationship between changes in genotype and phenotype and evolution?

▼ How can humans use genetic engineering techniques to manipulate genetic information? What are ethical

issues raised by the application of these techniques?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Genetic Engineering

Justify the claim that humans can manipulate

heritable information by identifying at least

two commonly used technologies.

[LO 3.5, SP 6.4]

Predict how a change in genotype, when

expressed as a phenotype, provides a

variation that can be subject to natural

selection. [LO 3.24, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]

Explain the connection between genetic

variations in organisms and phenotypic

variations in populations. [LO 3.26, SP 7.2]

Predict the effects of a change in an

environmental factor on the genotypic

expression of the phenotype. [LO 4.24, SP 6.4]

Campbell and Reece,

Chapter 20: “DNA Technology

and Genomics,” pp. 384–394,

402–408

AP Biology Investigative

Labs (2012), Investigation

8: Biotechnology: Bacterial

Transformation

AP Biology Investigative

Labs (2012), Investigation 9:

Biotechnology: Restriction

Enzyme Analysis of DNA

Video

Gattaca

Instructional Activity:

AP Biology Investigation 8: Biotechnology: Bacterial Transformation. Students

investigate how genetic engineering techniques can be used to manipulate

heritable information using Escherichia coli. After learning fundamental skills,

students can design their own experiments to manipulate DNA. This lab is

student directed and teacher facilitated.

Instructional Activity:

AP Biology Investigation 9: Biotechnology: Restriction Enzyme Analysis of

DNA. Beginning with a forensic mystery, students investigate how genetic

information can be used to identify and proﬁle individuals. This lab is student

directed and teacher facilitated.

Instructional Activity:

Using information from the ﬁlm Gattaca and other pieces that we read and

discuss in class, students reﬂect on the idea explored in Michael Crichton’s

Jurassic Park that just because science can do something doesn’t mean that it

should.

Formative Assessment:

Students create a mini-poster for peer review to explain several applications

of genetic engineering and possible ethical, social, or medical issues raised by

human manipulation of DNA.

Summative Assessment:

Quiz consisting of two free-response questions based on data from

experiments pertaining to bacterial transformation and restriction enzyme

analysis of DNA.

Teaching students about the risks and beneﬁts

of human manipulation of DNA both engages

and educates. Ask students what the Human

Genome Project has revealed about our

evolution and genetic relationships to other

organisms.

The summative assessment addresses the

following essential questions:

•How can humans use genetic engineering

techniques to manipulate genetic

information?

•What are ethical issues raised by the

application of these techniques?

Gattaca is a ﬁlm that foreshadows

contemporary issues about the ethics of genetic

manipulation by humans and opens a door for

discussion and debate.

Unit 5:

Evolution

Laboratory Investigations:

• AP Biology Lab Manual (2001), Lab 8: Population Genetics and Evolution

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 1: Artiﬁcial Selection

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 2: Mathematical Modeling: Hardy-Weinberg

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 3: Comparing DNA Sequences to Understand

Evolutionary Relationships with BLAST

Estimated Time:

6 weeks

Essential

Questions:

▼ How does evolution by natural selection drive the diversity and unity of life? ▼ What scientiﬁc evidence from

many disciplines, including mathematics, supports models about the origin of life on Earth and biological evolution?

▼ How can phylogenetic trees and cladograms be used to graphically model evolutionary history among species?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Population Genetics

Convert a data set from a table of numbers

that reﬂect a change in the genetic makeup

of a population over time and apply

mathematical methods and conceptual

understandings to investigate the cause(s)

and effect(s) of this change.

[LO 1.1, SP 1.5, SP 2.2]

Evaluate evidence provided by data to

qualitatively and quantitatively investigate

the role of natural selection in evolution.

[LO 1.2, SP 2.2, SP 5.3]

Analyze data to support the claim that

responses to information and communication

of information affect natural selection.

[LO 2.38, SP 5.1]

Apply mathematical methods to data from a

real or simulated population to predict what

will happen to the population in the future.

[LO 1.3, SP 2.2]

Evaluate data-based evidence that describes

evolutionary changes in the genetic makeup

of a population over time. [LO 1.4, SP 5.3]

Connect evolutionary changes in a population

over time to a change in the environment.

[LO 1.5, SP 7.1]

(learning objectives continue)

Campbell and Reece,

Chapter 22: “Descent with

Modiﬁcation: A Darwinian

View of Life,” pp. 438–448; and

Chapter 23: “The Evolution of

Populations”

AP Biology Lab Manual (2001),

Lab 8: Population Genetics

and Evolution or AP Biology

Investigative Labs (2012),

Investigation 2: Mathematical

Modeling: Hardy-Weinberg

AP Biology Investigative Labs

(2012), Investigation 1:

Artiﬁcial Selection

Leslie, “Kidney Disease is

Parasite-Slaying Protein’s

Downside”

Genovese, et al., “Association

of Trypanolytic ApoL1 Variants

with Kidney Diseases in African

Americans”

Instructional Activity:

AP Lab 8: Population Genetics and Evolution or AP Biology Investigation 2:

Mathematical Modeling: Hardy-Weinberg. Introduces students to application

of the Hardy-Weinberg equation to study changes in allele frequencies in a

population and to examine possible causes for these changes. Although the

ﬁrst part of this lab is teacher directed, inquiry based questions for students to

answer are included.

Instructional Activity:

AP Biology Investigation 1: Artiﬁcial Selection. Using Wisconsin Fast Plants,

students explore evolution by conducting an artiﬁcial selection investigation.

Students then can apply principles to determine if extreme selection can

change expression of a quantitative trait.

Instructional Activity:

Students read the two articles from Science about genetic variants/kidney

disease/Trypanosoma. They then answer the following question either in

writing or class discussion: How does the information apply to the study of

population genetics and support the concept of continuing evolution by natural

selection?

Instructional Activity:

Provided with data from real or simulated populations, students apply the

Hardy-Weinberg mathematical model to determine if selection is occurring. If it

is determined that the populations are not in H-W equilibrium, students should

describe possible reasons for the deviation(s).

Students often do not grasp how and when

to use the Hardy-Weinberg equation. Provide

scenarios and data, then ask students to apply

the H-W model and explain possible reasons

why a population is not in H-W equilibrium.

Using a mathematical program/spreadsheet

to model Hardy-Weinberg requires sufﬁcient

time and computer resources. However,

mathematical modeling is a contemporary tool

for exploring historical work.

The two scientiﬁc papers about genetic

variants linking polycystic kidney disease with

resistance to Trypanosoma (sleeping sickness)

provide real-world relevance to concepts

discussed in class and provide an example to

support continuing evolution of populations

through natural selection, including our own.

Unit 5:

Evolution

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How does evolution by natural selection drive the diversity and unity of life? ▼ What scientiﬁc evidence from

many disciplines, including mathematics, supports models about the origin of life on Earth and biological evolution?

▼ How can phylogenetic trees and cladograms be used to graphically model evolutionary history among species?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

(continued)

Use data from mathematical models based

on the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium to analyze

genetic drift and effects of selection in the

evolution of speciﬁc populations.

[LO 1.6, SP 1.4, SP 2.1]

Justify data from mathematical models based

on the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium to analyze

genetic drift and the effects of selection in

the evolution of speciﬁc populations.

[LO 1.7, SP 2.1]

Use theories and models to make scientiﬁc

claims and/or predictions about the effects of

variation within populations on survival and

ﬁtness. [LO 4.26, SP 6.4]

Make predictions about the effects of genetic

drift, migration, and artiﬁcial selection on the

genetic makeup of a population.

[LO 1.8, SP 6.4]

Unit 5:

Evolution

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How does evolution by natural selection drive the diversity and unity of life? ▼ What scientiﬁc evidence from

many disciplines, including mathematics, supports models about the origin of life on Earth and biological evolution?

▼ How can phylogenetic trees and cladograms be used to graphically model evolutionary history among species?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Evidence for Evolution

Evaluate evidence provided by data from

many scientiﬁc disciplines to support

biological evolution. [LO 1.9, SP 5.3]

Reﬁne evidence based on data from many

scientiﬁc disciplines that support biological

evolution. [LO 1.10, SP 5.2]

Design a plan to answer scientiﬁc questions

regarding how organisms have changed over

time using information from morphology,

biochemistry, and geology. [LO 1.11, SP 4.2]

Connect scientiﬁc evidence from many

scientiﬁc disciplines to support the modern

concept of evolution. [LO 1.12, SP 7.1]

Campbell and Reece,

Chapter 22: “Descent with

Modiﬁcation: A Darwinian View

of Life,” pp. 448–452

Weiner, The Beak of the Finch:

A Story of Evolution in Our Time

Web

“Lesson 3: What is the Evidence

for Evolution? Activity 1:

Evolution and Time”

Video

Beyond Genesis:

The Origin of Species

Instructional Activity:

Students work through the online PBS activity “Evolution and Time,” following

the instructions to create a journal entry to evaluate and describe the

geological ecosystem of a particular time period.

Instructional Activity:

Students read teacher-selected excerpts from Weiner’s The Beak of the Finch

(either aloud in class or as a homework assignment) and highlight evidence

that supports evolution by natural selection as an explanation for the observed

differences in beak sizes over several seasons.

Formative Assessment:

Using excerpts from The Beak of the Finch, students write a brief narrative

explaining how evidence from many scientiﬁc disciplines supports the

observations of Charles Darwin as well as Peter and Rosemary Grant regarding

differences in beak sizes and, thus, supports evolution by natural selection.

Then, in small groups, students share and discuss their explanations.

Summative Assessment:

Thirty-minute quiz consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions and two short

free-response questions based on (1) the application of the Hardy-Weinberg

equation and (2) evidence for evolution by natural selection within a

population(s).

Time scales can be difﬁcult for students to

interpret. The PBS online activity helps students

appreciate that the biodiversity we see today

reﬂects millions of years of evolution.

Many students think that natural selection is

purposeful and goal-driven. Stress that new

phenotypes result from random mutation and

sexual recombination; a trait that increases

the ﬁtness of individuals in their environment

likely will persist in the population. Having

students read excerpts from Weiner’s The Beak

of the Finch helps dispel misconceptions while

putting a modern twist on Darwin’s historical

observations.

The summative assessment addresses the

following essential questions:

•How does evolution by natural selection drive

the diversity and unity of life?

•What scientiﬁc evidence from many

disciplines, including mathematics, supports

models about the origin of life on Earth and

biological evolution?

Unit 5:

Evolution

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How does evolution by natural selection drive the diversity and unity of life? ▼ What scientiﬁc evidence from

many disciplines, including mathematics, supports models about the origin of life on Earth and biological evolution?

▼ How can phylogenetic trees and cladograms be used to graphically model evolutionary history among species?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Construct and/or justify mathematical

models, diagrams, or simulations that

represent processes of biological evolution.

[LO 1.13, SP 1.1, SP 2.1]

Pose scientiﬁc questions about a group of

organisms whose relatedness is described by

a phylogenetic tree or cladogram in order to

(1) identify shared characteristics, (2) make

inferences about the evolutionary history of

the group, and (3) identify character data that

could extend or improve the phylogenetic

tree. [LO 1.17, SP 3.1]

Construct explanations based on scientiﬁc

evidence that homeostatic mechanisms

reﬂect continuity due to common ancestry

and/or divergence due to adaptation in

different environments. [LO 2.25, SP 6.2]

Campbell and Reece,

Chapter 25: “Phylogeny and

Systematics”

Waterman and Stanley,

“Tree Thinking”

AP Biology Investigative

Labs (2012), Investigation 3:

Comparing DNA Sequences

to Understand Evolutionary

Relationships with BLAST

Instructional Activity:

“Tree Thinking.” An inquiry-based, investigative set of activities that introduces

students to cladogram and phylogenetic tree construction and then asks them

to apply systematics and biotechnology to a forensic study.

Instructional Activity:

AP Biology Investigation 3: Comparing DNA Sequences to Understand

Evolutionary Relationships with BLAST. Students use BLAST to compare

several genes from different organisms and then use the information to

construct a cladogram to visualize evolutionary relatedness among species.

This lab introduces students to methods of bioinformatics with many

applications, including to better understand genetic disease. This lab is student

directed and teacher facilitated.

Formative Assessment:

Provided with a data table identifying shared characteristics among a group

of organisms, students construct a phylogenetic tree or cladogram to reﬂect

the evolutionary history of the group. Students then share the cladogram with

peers for review and revision.

Students often cannot distinguish between

homologous and analogous structures. Ask

them to explain why bird and bat wings are

homologous as vertebrate forelimbs but

analogous as wings. Clarify for students that

complex structures evolve step-by-step by

natural selection and modiﬁcation of pre-

existing variation. Many examples can be used

to provide clariﬁcation, including the evolution

of tetrapods and the move of vertebrates from

aquatic to terrestrial habitats.

Unit 5:

Evolution

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How does evolution by natural selection drive the diversity and unity of life? ▼ What scientiﬁc evidence from

many disciplines, including mathematics, supports models about the origin of life on Earth and biological evolution?

▼ How can phylogenetic trees and cladograms be used to graphically model evolutionary history among species?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Origin of Species

Analyze data related to questions of

speciation and extinction throughout the

Earth’s history. [LO 1.20, SP 5.1]

Design a plan for collecting data to

investigate the scientiﬁc claim that speciation

and extinction have occurred throughout the

Earth's history. [LO 1.21, SP 4.2]

Use data from a real or simulated

population(s), based on graphs or models

of types of selection, to predict what will

happen to the population in the future.

[LO 1.22, SP 6.4]

Justify the selection of data that addresses

questions related to reproductive isolation

and speciation. [LO 1.23, SP 4.1]

Describe speciation in an isolated population

and connect it to change in gene frequency,

change in environment, natural selection,

and/or genetic drift. [LO 1.24, SP 7.2]

Describe a model that represents evolution

within a population. [LO 1.25, SP 1.2]

Evaluate given data sets that illustrate

evolution as an ongoing process.

[LO 1.26, SP 5.3]

Campbell and Reece,

Chapter 24: “The Origin of

Species”

Instructional Activity:

Students conduct online research to identify examples of recent or ongoing

speciation events and prepare a poster or PowerPoint slide(s) to share their

speciation event with the class for discussion.

Instructional Activity:

Back to the Birds. Students make predictions about what the data might reﬂect

and what conclusions might be drawn about natural selection and evolution

if researchers were to visit the Galapagos Islands today and reexamine beak

sizes in ﬁnches.

Formative Assessment:

Beginning with an extant, familiar species, students imagine its evolution to a

new species and create a mini-poster showing their ideas. They should include

at least ﬁve intermediate stages that reﬂect concepts of speciation explored in

class. Students then share the posters with peers for review, discussion, and

revision.

Summative Assessment:

One-hour test consisting of 20–25 multiple-choice questions, two short-

response questions, and one long-response question drawing from data

pertaining to evidence supporting natural selection and evolution.

Students often think that although extinction

of species is occurring, no new species are

forming. To dispel this misconception, use

examples of speciation involving organisms that

are familiar or local.

Students often struggle with relating

evolutionary change to genetic change.

Reiterate that biochemical pathways,

morphological features, physiological traits,

and behaviors evolve step-by-step by natural

selection, with each step conferring a ﬁtness

beneﬁt.

The summative assessment addresses the

following essential questions:

•How does evolution by natural selection drive

the diversity and unity of life?

•What scientiﬁc evidence from many

disciplines, including mathematics, supports

models about the origin of life on Earth and

biological evolution?

•How can phylogenetic trees and cladograms

be used to graphically model evolutionary

history among species?

Unit 6:

Biodiversity

and Ecology

Laboratory Investigations:

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 11: Transpiration

• AP Biology Investigative Labs (2012), Investigation 12: Fruit Fly Behavior

• Field Study: Seals of La Jolla

Estimated Time:

10 weeks

Essential

Questions:

▼ How are growth and homeostasis of a biological system inﬂuenced by the system’s environment? ▼ How do

interactions among living systems and with their environment result in the movement of matter and energy?

▼ How do interactions between and within populations inﬂuence patterns of species distribution and abundance?

▼ How does human activity affect the biodiversity of ecosystems?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Origin of Life

Describe a scientiﬁc hypothesis about the

origin of life on Earth. [LO 1.27, SP 1.2]

Evaluate scientiﬁc questions based on

hypotheses about the origin of life on Earth.

[LO 1.28, SP 3.3]

Describe the reasons for revisions of scientiﬁc

hypotheses about the origin of life on Earth.

[LO 1.29, SP 6.3]

Evaluate scientiﬁc hypotheses about the

origin of life on Earth. [LO 1.30, SP 6.5]

Evaluate the accuracy and legitimacy of data

to answer scientiﬁc questions about the

origin of life on Earth. [LO 1.31, SP 4.4]

Justify the selection of geological, physical,

and chemical data that reveal early Earth

conditions. [LO 1.32, SP 4.1]

Campbell and Reece,

Chapter 26: “The Tree of Life:

An Introduction to Biological

Diversity,” pp. 512–520

Instructional Activity:

Provided with a list of terms, deﬁnitions, and descriptions of processes,

students construct a concept map of conditions on the early Earth that support

scientiﬁc hypotheses about the origin of life-forms.

Students likely have exposure to myriad ideas

and beliefs about the origin of life on Earth

but need to be able to separate non-scientiﬁc

ideas from those supported by evidence drawn

from numerous scientiﬁc disciplines. That

evolutionary change in organisms has occurred

over 3.8 billion years is fact.

Unit 6:

Biodiversity

and Ecology

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How are growth and homeostasis of a biological system inﬂuenced by the system’s environment? ▼ How do

interactions among living systems and with their environment result in the movement of matter and energy?

▼ How do interactions between and within populations inﬂuence patterns of species distribution and abundance?

▼ How does human activity affect the biodiversity of ecosystems?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Viruses versus Cells

Construct an explanation of how viruses

introduce genetic variation in host organisms.

[LO 3.29, SP 6.2]

Use representations and appropriate models

to describe how viral replication introduces

genetic variation in the viral population.

[LO 3.30, SP 1.4]

Campbell and Reece,

Chapter 18: “The Genetics of

Viruses and Bacteria,”

pp. 334–345

Waterman and Stanley,

“The Donor’s Dilemma”

Instructional Activity:

“The Donor’s Dilemma.” Students engage in an inquiry-based, investigative

set of activities that explore the transmission of West Nile virus with an

application to genetic engineering techniques.

Instructional Activity:

Students list and describe characteristics that viruses share with living

organisms and then provide evidence for why viruses do not ﬁt our usual

deﬁnition of life. Students share answers with peers.

Formative Assessment:

Working with a partner or small group, students compose responses to the

following questions and then share and explain their answers with the entire

class for feedback: While there are many different antibiotics for treating

bacterial infections, there are relatively few drugs available to treat viral

infections. Why are anti-viral drugs difﬁcult to manufacture? How do viruses

differ from bacteria?

Teaching about viruses provides an opportunity

to familiarize students with common health

issues and treatments. Ask them to assess the

concerns of some parents regarding mandatory

vaccination.

This activity provides an opportunity for

students to review concepts they studied

previously about characteristics of life and the

cell theory.

Unit 6:

Biodiversity

and Ecology

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How are growth and homeostasis of a biological system inﬂuenced by the system’s environment? ▼ How do

interactions among living systems and with their environment result in the movement of matter and energy?

▼ How do interactions between and within populations inﬂuence patterns of species distribution and abundance?

▼ How does human activity affect the biodiversity of ecosystems?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Maintaining Homeostasis

Connect how organisms use negative

feedback to maintain their internal

environments. [LO 2.16, SP 7.2]

Evaluate data that show the effect(s) of

changes in concentrations of key molecules

on negative feedback mechanisms.

[LO 2.17, SP 5.3]

Make predictions about how organisms use

negative feedback mechanisms to maintain

their internal environments.

[LO 2.18, SP 6.4]

Make predictions about how positive

feedback mechanisms amplify activities and

processes in organisms based on scientiﬁc

theories and models. [LO 2.19, SP 6.4]

Justify that positive feedback mechanisms

amplify responses in organisms.

[LO 2.20, SP 6.1]

Justify the selection of the kind of data

needed to answer scientiﬁc questions about

the relevant mechanism that organisms

use to respond to changes in their external

environment. [LO 2.21, SP 4.1]

Design a plan for collecting data to support

the scientiﬁc claim that the timing and

coordination of physiological events involve

regulation. [LO 2.35, SP 4.2]

(learning objectives continue)

Campbell and Reece,

Chapter 1: “Introduction:

Exploring Life,” pp. 9–12;

Chapter 39: “Plants Responses

to Internal and External Signals,”

pp. 791–812; Chapter 40: “Basic

Principles of Animal Form

and Function,” pp. 832–841;

Chapter 45: “Chemical Signals

in Animals”; and Chapter 54:

“Ecosystems”

Heitz and Giffen, Practicing

Biology: A Student Workbook,

Activity 45.1

Video

Life, Programme 9: “Plants”

Instructional Activity:

Students work through Activity 45.1 in the Heitz and Giffen workbook to

investigate the questions, How do hormones regulate cell functions? What is

the link between hormone activity and cellular response?

Formative Assessment:

Students create a visual representation to illustrate the regulation of blood

sugar levels, growth spurts in teenagers, and events associated with labor

and childbirth. Students then explain how disruptions to these regulatory

processes (e.g., failure to produce insulin) affect homeostasis in the organism.

I provide verbal and/or written feedback to each student regarding their visual

representation and explanation. This assessment informs my decisions about

next instructional steps.

Instructional Activity:

Based on an example of phenomena described in lecture, students design a

plan for collecting data to support the claim that the timing and coordination of

physiological events involve regulation.

Instructional Activity:

Earth has seen its share of recent environmental disasters, including

hurricanes, ﬂoods, drought, wildﬁres, oil spills, earthquakes, tsunamis, and

disease epidemics. Students investigate the short-term and long-term effects

of two of these types of disruptions to populations or ecosystems. Students

then present the results of their investigations in the form of a mini-poster.

Instructional Activity:

Students create a mini-poster to compare, contrast, and analyze one

physiological process in three different organisms from three different

environments (e.g., osmoregulatory mechanisms in marine ﬁsh, desert reptiles,

and tropical plants).

Students often think of plants as static and

unresponsive to their environment when, in

fact, they are plastic. Time-lapse ﬁlm clips show

that plants are active and that their responses

result from hormonal activity.

Rather than have students memorize names and

functions of hormones, guide students to look

for patterns in hormonal control pathways and

means of regulation in both plants and animals.

Here’s an opportunity for students to compare

and contrast physiological processes in

different organisms to accommodate the

reduction in content in “march through

the phyla,” most of which is represented

as illustrative examples in the curriculum

framework.

Relating homeostasis and the regulation of

physiological events to familiar phenomena

such as jet lag in humans or ﬂowering in plants

provides real-world relevance for what can be

difﬁcult concepts to grasp.

Unit 6:

Biodiversity

and Ecology

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How are growth and homeostasis of a biological system inﬂuenced by the system’s environment? ▼ How do

interactions among living systems and with their environment result in the movement of matter and energy?

▼ How do interactions between and within populations inﬂuence patterns of species distribution and abundance?

▼ How does human activity affect the biodiversity of ecosystems?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

(continued)

Justify scientiﬁc claims with evidence

to show how timing and coordination of

physiological events involve regulation.

[LO 2.36, SP 6.1]

Use representations or models to analyze

quantitatively and qualitatively the effects

of disruptions to dynamic homeostasis in

biological systems. [LO 2.28, SP 1.4]

Explain how the distribution of ecosystems

changes over time by identifying large-scale

events that have resulted in these changes in

the past. [LO 4.20, SP 6.3]

Analyze data to identify phylogenetic patterns

or relationships, showing that homeostatic

mechanisms reﬂect both continuity due

to common ancestry and change due to

evolution in different environments.

[LO 2.26, SP 5.1]

Connect differences in the environment with

the evolution of homeostatic mechanisms.

[LO 2.27, SP 7.1]

Summative Assessment:

One-hour test consisting of 20 multiple-choice questions, two to three

short-response questions, and one long free-response question consisting of

scenario and data analysis based on homeostasis and regulatory mechanisms

in biological systems, from cells to ecosystems.

The summative assessment addresses the

essential question, How are growth and

homeostasis of a biological system inﬂuenced

by the system’s environment?

Unit 6:

Biodiversity

and Ecology

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How are growth and homeostasis of a biological system inﬂuenced by the system’s environment? ▼ How do

interactions among living systems and with their environment result in the movement of matter and energy?

▼ How do interactions between and within populations inﬂuence patterns of species distribution and abundance?

▼ How does human activity affect the biodiversity of ecosystems?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Interactions with Environment

Reﬁne scientiﬁc models and questions about

the effect of complex biotic and abiotic

interactions on all biological systems,

from cells and organisms to populations,

communities, and ecosystems.

[LO 2.22, SP 1.3, SP 3.2]

Design a plan for collecting data to show

that all biological systems (cells, organisms,

populations, communities, and ecosystems)

are affected by complex biotic and abiotic

interactions. [LO 2.23, SP 4.2, SP 7.2]

Analyze data to identify possible patterns

and relationships between a biotic or

abiotic factor and a biological system (cells,

organisms, populations, communities, or

ecosystems). [LO 2.24, SP 5.1]

Campbell and Reece,

Chapter 50: “An Introduction

to Ecology and the Biosphere”;

and Chapter 36: “Transport in

Vascular Plants”

AP Biology Investigative

Labs (2012), Investigation 11:

Transpiration

Web

“Mathbiology: How to Model a

Disease”

Instructional Activity:

For ﬁve different terrestrial or aquatic biomes, students create a visual

representation to describe each biome and factors that affect its climate. Then

they explain unique adaptations for one plant and one animal in each biome

that help those plants and animals survive.

Instructional Activity:

Students use a basic mathematical model to study disease in an idealized

population of rabbits. The SIR (susceptible, infected, and recovered) model

allows students to investigate the mechanisms of transmission and predictions

about future outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Instructional Activity:

AP Biology Investigation 11: Transpiration. Students design and conduct

experiments to investigate the effects of environmental variables on

transpiration rates. This lab requires minimal teacher facilitation and is student

directed and inquiry based.

Formative Assessment:

Provided with a data table reﬂecting the results of an experiment investigating

the effect of a biotic or abiotic factor on transpiration in plants, students graph

the data and draw conclusions. Students work in teams and present their

conclusions to the class in the form of a mini-poster for review and discussion.

Students underestimate the interdependence

of populations within communities. The

importance of the network of interactions

among organisms and with their environment

cannot be overemphasized.

Unit 6:

Biodiversity

and Ecology

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How are growth and homeostasis of a biological system inﬂuenced by the system’s environment? ▼ How do

interactions among living systems and with their environment result in the movement of matter and energy?

▼ How do interactions between and within populations inﬂuence patterns of species distribution and abundance?

▼ How does human activity affect the biodiversity of ecosystems?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Behavior

Justify scientiﬁc claims, using evidence, to

describe how timing and coordination of

behavioral events in organisms are regulated

by several mechanisms. [LO 2.39, SP 6.1]

Connect concepts in and across domain(s)

to predict how environmental factors affect

responses to information and change

behavior. [LO 2.40, SP 7.2]

Analyze data that indicate how organisms

exchange information in response to internal

changes and external cues, and which can

change behavior. [LO 3.40, SP 5.1]

Create a representation that describes how

organisms exchange information in response

to internal changes and external cues, and

which can result in changes in behavior.

[LO 3.41, SP 1.1]

Describe how organisms exchange

information in response to internal changes or

environmental cues.

[LO 3.42, SP 7.1]

Campbell and Reece, Chapter 51:

“Animal Behavior and Behavioral

Ecology”

Heitz and Giffen, Activity 51.1

AP Biology Investigative Labs

(2012), Investigation 12: Fruit Fly

Behavior

Video

March of the Penguins

Instructional Activity:

Students work through Activity 51.1 in the Heitz and Giffen workbook to

investigate the question, What determines behavior? The scenarios in the

activity help students differentiate between proximate and ultimate causations

of behavior in a variety of organisms.

Instructional Activity:

AP Biology Investigation 12: Fruit Fly Behavior. Students use choice chambers

to explore behaviors that underlie chemotaxis. This lab is student directed and

teacher facilitated.

Instructional Activity:

Seals of La Jolla Field Study. Students design and conduct a ﬁeld study in

animal behavior and/or interactions between seals and biotic or abiotic factors

based on observations of a colony of harbor seals off the coast of San Diego.

Clarify to students that proximate and ultimate

questions are legitimate approaches to the

study of behavior — proximate is the “how”

and ultimate is the “why” behaviors occur.

Students recall that fruit ﬂies are often used to

study genetics. They may raise questions about

the relationship between genetic makeup and

behavior. Explain that genes do play a role(s) in

behavior. Students may have the misconception

that single genes determine complex human

behaviors such as depression or alcoholism.

Animal behavior can be studied in nearly every

environment. Field studies can be conducted in

a local park, zoo, athletic ﬁeld, playground, or

anywhere on campus, even in the classroom.

Unit 6:

Biodiversity

and Ecology

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How are growth and homeostasis of a biological system inﬂuenced by the system’s environment? ▼ How do

interactions among living systems and with their environment result in the movement of matter and energy?

▼ How do interactions between and within populations inﬂuence patterns of species distribution and abundance?

▼ How does human activity affect the biodiversity of ecosystems?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

Responses and Defenses

Create representations and models to

describe immune responses.

[LO 2.29, SP 1.1, SP 1.2]

Create representations or models to describe

nonspeciﬁc immune defenses in plants and

animals. [LO 2.30, SP 1.1, SP 1.2]

Construct an explanation, based on scientiﬁc

theories and models, about how nervous

systems detect external and internal signals,

transmit and integrate information, and

produce responses. [LO 3.43, SP 6.2, SP 7.1]

Describe how nervous systems detect

external and internal signals. [LO 3.44, SP 1.2]

Describe how nervous systems transmit

information. [LO 3.45, SP 1.2]

Describe how the vertebrate brain integrates

information to produce a response.

[LO 3.46, SP 1.2]

Create a visual representation of complex

nervous systems to describe/explain how

these systems detect external and internal

signals, transmit and integrate information,

and produce responses. [LO 3.47, SP 1.1]

Create a visual representation to describe

how nervous systems detect external and

internal signals. [LO 3.48, SP 1.1]

(learning objectives continue)

Campbell and Reece, Chapter

39: “Plant Responses to Internal

and External Signals,”

pp. 812–814; Chapter 43: “The

Immune System”; and Chapter

48: “Nervous Systems”

Heitz and Giffen, Activity 43.1

ABO-Rh Blood Typing with

Synthetic Blood Kit, Carolina

Biological Supply Company

Waterman and Stanley,

“Shh: Silencing the Hedgehog

Pathway,” Part IV

Video

Life, Programme 1:

“The Challenges of Life”

Stimulus Response

Instructional Activity:

Students create a mini-poster to compare non-speciﬁc defense systems in

plants and animals.

Instructional Activity:

Students work through activity 43.1 in the Heitz and Giffen workbook to

investigate the question, How does the immune system keep the body free

of pathogens? Students develop a dynamic model (or Rube Goldberg cartoon-

type diagram) to demonstrate how components of the animal immune system

interact.

Instructional Activity:

ABO-Rh Blood Typing. Students use simulated blood and sera to investigate

the relationship between antigens and antibodies.

Instructional Activity:

“Shh: Silencing the Hedgehog Pathway,” Part IV. An inquiry-based set of

activities that asks students to investigate the role of hedgehog antibodies in

chemotherapy. The activity supplements exploration of the immune system.

Formative Assessment:

Don’t Eat Fugu: Understanding the Neuron. Students create a model of a

neuron to explain how the vertebrate nervous system detects signals and

transmits information. (Students should use the clips from Stimulus Response

for inspiration.) Students use the model to predict how abnormal cell structure,

drugs, and toxins can affect impulse transmission. Students should explain the

differences in nervous system physiology in two different animal phyla. They

present their models to the class for discussion and peer feedback.

The sequence of events during the generation

of an action potential can be confusing to

students. Here’s an opportunity to review

the formation of ion gradients along cell

membranes and the role of membrane proteins

in transport.

Clips from videos such as Stimulus Response

reinforce the link between animal behavior and

the nervous and endocrine systems. During the

presentations, I provide feedback to students

and note common issues or questions that

arise. This informs my decisions about next

instructional steps.

The animal immune system is complex. Begin

by discussing how the system recognizes cells

that are “self” and cells that are “non-self.”

(This is an opportunity for students to review

the functions of proteins associated with cell

membranes.) When students think of plant

defense systems, they immediately think of

thorns or cactus spines. Help them make the

connection between plant chemical defenses

and pharmaceuticals such as digitalis.

Unit 6:

Biodiversity

and Ecology

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How are growth and homeostasis of a biological system inﬂuenced by the system’s environment? ▼ How do

interactions among living systems and with their environment result in the movement of matter and energy?

▼ How do interactions between and within populations inﬂuence patterns of species distribution and abundance?

▼ How does human activity affect the biodiversity of ecosystems?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

(continued)

Create a visual representation to describe

how nervous systems transmit information.

[LO 3.49, SP 1.1]

Create a visual representation to describe

how the vertebrate brain integrates

information to produce a response.

[LO 3.50, SP 1.1]

Summative Assessment:

One-hour exam consisting of 20 multiple-choice questions, two to three

short-response questions, and one long-response with emphasis on behavior,

defense, response mechanisms, quantitative skills, and data analysis.

Living Together

Evaluate scientiﬁc questions concerning

organisms that exhibit complex properties

due to the interaction of their constituent

parts. [LO 4.8, SP 3.3]

Predict the effects of a change in a

component(s) of a biological system on the

functionality of an organism(s).

[LO 4.9, SP 6.4]

Reﬁne representations and models to

illustrate biocomplexity due to interactions of

the constituent parts. [LO 4.10, SP 1.3]

Justify the selection of the kind of data

needed to answer scientiﬁc questions

about the interaction of populations within

communities. [LO 4.11, SP 1.4, SP 4.1]

Apply mathematical routines to quantities

that describe communities composed of

populations of organisms that interact in

complex ways. [LO 4.12, SP 2.2]

(learning objectives continue)

Campbell and Reece, Chapter 52:

“Population Ecology”; Chapter

53: “Community Ecology”;

Chapter 54: “Ecosystems”;

Chapter 40: “Basic Principles

of Animal Form and Function,”

pp. 828–831; and Chapter 55:

“Conservation Biology and

Restoration Ecology”

Heitz and Giffen, Activities 53.1

and 53.2

Video

Life, Programme 7:

“Hunters and Hunted”

Instructional Activity:

Students conduct an online investigation of the relationship(s) between two

vertebrate organ systems (e.g., circulatory and respiratory) and/or between two

plant systems (e.g., leaves and roots). They then explain how a change in one

system can affect the other. Students create mini-posters to share results.

Instructional Activity:

Students work through activity 53.1 in the Heitz and Giffen workbook

to investigate the methods that scientists use to determine population

density and distribution. Students apply quantitative skills to determine the

composition of populations.

Instructional Activity:

Students work through activity 53.2 in the Heitz and Giffen workbook to explore

models that scientists use to calculate population growth rates. Students apply

the growth model dN/dt=rN to several different populations.

Instructional Activity:

Introducing a new species into a community can have a number of possible

effects. Students design an experiment to predict some of these effects that

should be conducted before the importation of the non-native species. (Use

clips from “Hunters and Hunted” for inspiration.)

Since the curriculum framework no longer

requires an exhaustive and often superﬁcial

study of myriad organ systems in myriad

phyla, this is an opportunity for students to

explore structure and function in systems and

organisms of their choice.

Students who are not as strong in math may

not fully understand the exponential and

logistic models of population growth. There

are numerous online resources for introducing

students to these skills in addition to Activity

53.2.

Students recognize that organisms have

adapted to survive and reproduce in their

native environments. Point out that the

metabolic activities of organisms also modify

the environment. Ask them to consider the

statement, “Life itself has created the world in

which we live.”

The summative assessment addresses the

essential question, How do interactions

between and within populations inﬂuence

patterns of species distribution and abundance?

Unit 6:

Biodiversity

and Ecology

(continued)

Essential

Questions:

▼ How are growth and homeostasis of a biological system inﬂuenced by the system’s environment? ▼ How do

interactions among living systems and with their environment result in the movement of matter and energy?

▼ How do interactions between and within populations inﬂuence patterns of species distribution and abundance?

▼ How does human activity affect the biodiversity of ecosystems?

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

Learning Objectives Materials Instructional Activities and Assessments

(continued)

Predict the effects of a change in the

community’s populations on the community.

[LO 4.13, SP 6.4]

Predict the effects of a change of matter or

energy availability on communities.

[LO 4.16, SP 6.4]

Use data analysis to reﬁne observations

and measurements regarding the effect of

population interactions on patterns of species

distribution and abundance. [LO 4.19, SP 5.2]

Predict consequences of human actions on

both local and global ecosystems.

[LO 4.21, SP 6.4]

Make scientiﬁc claims and predictions about

how species diversity within an ecosystem

inﬂuences ecosystem stability.

[LO 4.27, SP 6.4]

Campbell and Reece, Chapter 52:

“Population Ecology”; Chapter

53: “Community Ecology”;

Chapter 54: “Ecosystems”;

Chapter 40: “Basic Principles

of Animal Form and Function,”

pp. 828–831; and Chapter 55:

“Conservation Biology and

Restoration Ecology”

Instructional Activity:

Don’t Trash the Campus. Students investigate the impact of school litter on a

surrounding ecosystem. They use data to create a proposal of short- and long-

term solutions to the trash problem. Students may submit their proposal to the

Student Council for consideration.

Formative Assessment:

The Fox and the Chicken. Working in small teams, students think-pair-share

a solution to the following question: When stranded on a space ship, in what

sequence would you consume your cargo — a red fox, 10 kg of corn, and two

chickens (a hen and a rooster) — to ensure the best chance of surviving until

help arrives? Students share their answers with other groups, and then the

class as a whole determines the best possible solution to the problem.

Formative Assessment:

An ecosystem consists of earthworms, heterotrophic soil bacteria, grass,

deer, beetles, and a lion. Students create mini-posters to describe the trophic

structure of the ecosystem, how each organism receives inputs of energy and

nutrients, where outputs (e.g., wastes) go, and the effect(s) each organism has

on the others. Students should include all energy transformations and transfers

based on the hypothetical assumption that 9,500 J of net energy is available at

the producer level. Students then present and explain their descriptions to the

class for peer feedback.

Summative Assessment:

One-hour exam consisting of 25 multiple-choice questions, two to three short

free-response questions, and one long free-response question based on a

scenario and data analysis with application of quantitative skills and science

practices.

The summative assessment addresses the

following essential questions:

•How do interactions among living systems

and with their environment result in the

movement of matter and energy?

•How do interactions between and within

populations inﬂ uence patterns of species

distribution and abundance?

•How does human activity affect the

biodiversity of ecosystems?

During the presentations, I also provide

feedback to students and note common issues

or questions that arise. This informs my

decisions about next instructional steps.

Energy accountability in food chains, food

webs, and ecosystems can be a difﬁcult

concept for students. Clarify that the pyramid of

production is based on the productivity of each

trophic level and is measured in energy per unit

area per unit time or in biomsass added to the

ecosystem per unit area per unit time.

Students often think that environmental

damage is irreversible. This activity provides

a “close to home” practical example of how

ecosystems can recover from moderate levels

of human-caused disturbance.

AP Biology ■ Course Planning and Pacing Guide 4

General Resources

AP Biology Investigative Labs: An Inquiry-Based Approach. New York: The College Board,

2012.

AP Biology Lab Manual. New York: The College Board, 2001.

Campbell, Neil A., and Jane B. Reece. Biology. 7th ed. San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin

Cummings, 2005.

Waterman, Margaret, and Ethel Stanley. Biological Inquiry: A Workbook of Investigative

Cases. 3rd ed. (Supplement to Campbell Biology). San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin

Cummings, 2011.

Unit 1 (The Chemistry of Life) Resources

No unit-speciﬁc resources.

Unit 2 (The Cell) Resources

Chen, Irene A. “The Emergence of Cells During the Origin of Life.” Science Vol. 314,

no. 5805 (2006): 1558–1559. Accessed December 19, 2011.

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/314/5805/1558.full.

The Domains of Life: Life’s Three Branches: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. Beaufort,

SC: BioMedia Associates, 2006. Video program with CD-ROM Learning Guide.

(Available for purchase at

http://v1.ebiomedia.com/The-Domains-of-Life/View-all-products.html?limitstart=0.)

The Domains of Life: The Eukaryotic Cell Evolves. Beaufort, SC: BioMedia Associates,

2006. Video program with CD-ROM Learning Guide. (Available for purchase at

http://v1.ebiomedia.com/The-Domains-of-Life/View-all-products.html?limitstart=0.)

Unit 3 (Cell Processes: Energy and Communication) Resources

Redding, Kelly, and David Masterman. “Respiration of Sugars by Yeast.” In Biology with

Vernier. Beaverton, OR: Vernier, 2007.

Unit 4 (From Gene to Protein) Resources

Cracking the Code of Life. 2001. Boston: Nova/WGHB, 2004. DVD. (Available online at

http://video.pbs.org/video/1841308959/.)

DNA Necklace Kit. Carolina Biological Supply Company.

http://www.carolina.com/product/dna+necklace+kit.do?keyword=dna+necklace+kit&s

ortby=bestMatches.

Gattaca. Directed by Andrew Niccol. 1997. Culver City, CA: Sony, 1998. DVD.

Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Random House, 2010.

Watson, James D., and F. H. C. Crick. “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure

for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.” Nature 171 (1953): 737–738.

“Who’s the Father?” Wisconsin Fast Plants. Accessed December 19, 2011.

www.fastplants.org/pdf/WTF_mono.pdf.

Supplementary Resources

Clone. Washington D.C.: National Geographic, 2002. DVD.

Unit 5 (Evolution) Resources

Beyond Genesis: The Origin of Species. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities and

Sciences, 1994.

Genovese, Guilio, David J. Friedman, Michael D. Ross, Laurence Lecordier, Pierrick

Uzureau, Barry I. Freedman, Donald W. Bowden, et al. “Association of Trypanolytic

ApoL1 Variants with Kidney Diseases in African Americans.” Science. 13 August 2010.

Vol. 329, no. 5993: 841–845.

Leslie, Mitch. “Kidney Disease is Parasite-Slaying Protein’s Downside.” Science. 16 July

2010. Vol. 329, no. 5989: 263.

“Lesson 3: What is the Evidence for Evolution? Activity 1: Evolution and Time.” PBS.

Accessed December 19, 2011.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/lessons/lesson3/act1.html.

Weiner, Jonathan. The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time. New York:

Random House, 1994.

Unit 6 (Biodiversity and Ecology) Resources

ABO-Rh Blood Typing with Synthetic Blood Kit, Carolina Biological Supply Company.

http://www.carolina.com/product/700101.do.

Heitz, Jean, and Cynthia Giffen. Practicing Biology: A Student Workbook. 4th ed.

(Supplement to Campbell Biology). San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin Cummings, 2011.

Life. BBC Earth video series. BBC Natural History Unit and Discovery Channel, 2010.

March of the Penguins. Directed by Luc Jacquet. Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video,

2005. DVD.

“Mathbiology: How to Model a Disease.” Houston Teachers Institute. Accessed

December 19, 2011. http://hti.math.uh.edu/curriculum/units/2002/04/02.04.01.php.

Stimulus Response. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 1997.

(Available online at http://www.teachkind.org/sr-resources.asp.)

Resources