Tulsa Public Schools

Syllabus

Teacher: Mark Welker School: Booker T. Washington High School

Email: welkema@tulsaschool.org School Year: 2012-2013
Course Title: AP Biology/ IBHL-I Biology

Rationale and Course Description: AP Biology/IBHL-I Biology is a college level, laboratory-oriented

course. It is designed to prepare students to take the AP Biology exam, and it is the first year of the two-
year IBHL Biology course. Students interested in taking the IBHL Biology exam must take both IBHL-I
Biology and IBHL-II Biology and must be seniors at the time of the IBHL exam. The primary emphasis of
this course is on developing an understanding of biological concepts and an appreciation of science as a
process rather than as an accumulation of facts. Using the four unifying themes in biology (structure and
function, universality versus diversity, equilibrium within systems, and evolution), students will integrate
the major topics of biology and will use that knowledge and their critical thinking skills to address
environmental and social concerns.

The first semester of the course will explore the following topics: science as inquiry, energy and
enzymes, cellular basis of life, respiration, photosynthesis, mitosis/meiosis, Mendelian genetics,
molecular genetics, and genetic engineering.
The second semester of the course will continue with the following topics: evolution,
classification, and ecology.

At the end of the course, students are expected to take the AP Biology exam and/or enroll in the IBHL-II
Biology course. Weighted credit will only be issued to those students that sit for the AP exam and/or
enroll in the IBHL-II Biology course.

In order to be successful, students will be expected to take greater initiative and

responsibility for their own learning.

How will students be assessed?

Grades consist of homework, lab work, and quizzes/exams.
All work is due on the date stated; no late work will be accepted.

Homework:
Homework represents 20% of the overall grade.
Homework consists primarily of vocabulary, science articles, and big questions.
Vocabulary is assigned at the beginning of a chapter and due usually on a Friday.

Lab work:
Lab work represents 25% of the overall grade.
It is imperative that students be present on lab days; it is not possible to make-up many of our labs due
to the nature of the materials involved. Labs are generally scheduled on block days.
In some cases, the AP lab packet is completed and submitted for credit.
In some cases, a formal lab report is submitted for credit.
In all cases, data should be presented clearly; graphs/diagrams/charts must be drawn precisely. Where
possible, graphing software should be used.

Quizzes/Exams:
Quizzes/exams represent 55% of the overall grade.
Vocabulary quizzes will be administered weekly, usually on Fridays.
Unit exams are administered about once every four to six weeks and are announced in advance.
 Students are required to take the exam on the scheduled day even if they are absent the day before the
test.
Unit Exams will consist of a multiple choice section.
Free Response Exams will be more frequent (apporxamtly every chapter). The questions will be taken
from past AP and IB Exam.

Make-Up Work Policy:

If a student is absent for any reason, it is his/her responsibility to make arrangements to make up all
work missed. If the absence is unexcused, he/she will receive a 0 for any work assigned that day.
The student will have the same number of days missed to make up the assignments. If a student is
involved in school activities, then assignments/tests should be completed before leaving, when
possible.
If a student is absent on the day of a vocabulary quiz, then he/she must take the vocabulary quiz on
Monday or Wednesday morning at 8:25 am. The student will need to Check with me on a day due to
science meetings.
If a student is absent on the day of a unit exam, then he/she must make arrangements with the teacher
to take the exam on two mornings of the following week (W, Th, and/or F).
Make-up quizzes/exams may differ from the original in both structure and level of difficulty.
It is not possible to make-up many of our labs due to the nature of the materials involved; those labs
will recorded as an excused grade if the absence is excused. If the absence is unexcused, then a 0
will be recorded for the lab.

Grading policy:
100-90% = A, 89-80% = B, 79-70% = C, 69-60% = D, 59-0% = F
Grades will be determined as follows:
Exams (quizzes/unit exams) 55%
Lab work 25%
Homework 20%
Extra credit is rarely offered, and it is never available as a way to improve a grade at the end of a
semester.
Progress reports will be issued according to the Tulsa Public School Calendar.
Cheating - If a student chooses to cheat on an assignment/test, he/she will receive a "0" and
parents/administrators will be notified. If a student allows another student to use his/her work, then
that student will also receive a 0 on the assignment/test.

Plagiarism:
It is expected that all work submitted reflects your own thinking or is properly referenced. It is unethical to
use someones ideas (whether a friends or a published authors) and pass them off as your own. Any cited
works should be included in a reference list.

Learning Resources:
Biology (7th Edition), by Neil Campbell, Benjamin/Cummings Publishers