2025-2026
Advanced Placement Biology
Triton High School
Classroom Expectations
The goal of any A.P. class is to provide you with the same learning experience you would receive in a college freshman level course. A.P. Biology is actually more rigorous than the freshman biology course taught at most colleges, because it must prepare you for the A.P. Exam. The A.P. Exam covers all aspects of biology, whereas most college biology final exams only concentrate on the topics that interest the specific instructor.
There are approximately 154 school days until the A.P. Exam. If you subtract days for assemblies, snow days, class meetings, etc., that leaves us with about 29 weeks to cover all our material and squeeze in some review. (notice that we don’t stop for the senior trip!!) There are about 56 chapters in your textbook; we would therefore have to cover more than a chapter and a half per week, including time for labs and tests. This is clearly impossible. Because of these time constraints and because you will be learning college level material, the structure of this course must be different from any other high school class you have taken so far in the following ways:
The pace of the course is fast, much faster Lab Biology. You must keep up or you will quickly become buried by the volume of information. The slowest student will NOT control the pace of the course. I am always available after school for extra help, but if you can’t keep up, I can’t slow down and jeopardize another student’s chance for a 5 on the A.P. Exam.
You must read the section of the textbook that we are discussing before you come to class. This allows me to reinforce what you have been exposed to rather than starting from scratch every day. It also allows us to discuss the material and have your questions answered or problems clarified, rather than just a lecture format where you are hearing the material for the first time. If you fail to read ahead, the class discussion will be meaningless and you will not have any lecture notes to fall back on.
The time constraints mean that some chapters will need to be assigned as outside reading that we simply won’t have much class time to discuss in any depth.
If you are conscientious about keeping up with the readings, listen carefully to the lectures, and are prepared to participate in class discussions. I can practically guarantee that you will pass the A.P. Exam. If you are not serious about this course, please reconsider now.
Academic Expectations
Each day you should be reading the section of your textbook that we will be discussing the next day.
There will be a test at the end of each chapter that we cover in class.
Some chapters will be assigned as outside readings. I will provide you with worksheets to guide you through these readings. There will be quizzes on these chapters.
4. The A.P. Exam format requires that you write essays to free response questions. To practice for this you will write many essays on chapters that we cover in class. The topics will be announced in advance, however the essay will be written in class without notes.
Depending on the topic covered, there will be a lab approx. once a week. Most of these labs are tested in the A.P. Exam. The lab write-up will follow the format prescribed in the A.P. Biology lab manual. The information from the labs will be included on the chapter tests.
Late assignments will lose significant points IF they are accepted late. Most assignments will not be accepted late.
I am available after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I am available during mustang time on B and C Days in room S-13, you can contact me via room S-13, google classroom, or email rhughes@bhprsd.org
Grading
Your marking period grades will be calculated using the following percentages:
Tests / Major assessments 40%
Quizzes / Minor assessments 15%
Labs 30%
Practice / Assignments 15%
AI POLICY
"In this class, we embrace artificial intelligence as a learning partner that can enhance your educational journey. Our approach to AI use is grounded in developing your critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity skills. You are encouraged to use AI tools
thoughtfully and transparently as you would any other learning resource, such as textbooks, calculators, or research databases. When using AI for assignments, you must demonstrate your learning process by explaining how the tool helped you think through problems, generate ideas, or refine your work. The goal is not to have AI complete tasks for you, but to use it as a thinking partner that helps you develop deeper understanding and stronger skills. All AI assistance must be documented and cited, and you should be prepared to discuss and defend any work you submit. We will regularly reflect on how AI tools are supporting your learning goals and adjust our approach as needed. Remember, the most important outcome is your growth as a learner and thinker, not the final product alone."
CELL PHONE POLICY
i. As a reminder, cell phones and earbuds are not permitted in the classroom.
ii. They should be powered off and placed in the cell phone holders; this is policy.
iii. If they are seen, it is an automatic referral.
COURSE SYLLABUS - Topics with major assessment to follow:
MP1 MP2 MP3 MP4
Introduction Cell Energy/Enzymes Inheritance Development
Ecology Cell Respiration Genetics Population Genetics
Biochemistry Photosynthesis DNA/RNA Evolution
Cells Cell Reproduction Biotechnology Review/Final Projects
Cell Membrane Functions