461 Advanced Placement Biology H

Gr 12 | 6 Class Credits 1 Lab Credit | Year-Long  6x per Cycle

PREREQUISITE: Students must have completed one year of chemistry and one year of biology at Wellesley High School. It is strongly recommended that students earn an A- or above in Biology 11 H to enroll in AP Biology.  This course is limited to seniors. 

AP Biology is a rigorous and fast-paced approach to the understanding of all aspects of biology, including molecular biology, genetics, evolution, ecology, anatomy and physiology, and animal behavior as defined by the Advanced Placement syllabus. The course focuses on exposing students to all the material covered by the syllabus, and helping them become independent learners. Students are expected to perform laboratory experiments and write reports with a minimum of support. They are expected to do independent reading on a nightly basis and develop a basic understanding of the reading that can be refined and built upon in class. Students will be expected to identify points of confusion and take responsibility for asking questions in class for clarification. Students are expected to be able to take the concepts that they learn and apply them to new situations, to work independently, to develop their factual and conceptual knowledge, to apply chemistry skills with a minimum of review and be able to express understandings in clear, coherent writing. Students are encouraged (but not required) to take the Advanced Placement exam in biology at the end of the year. In order to complete the A.P. curriculum, students will be assigned summer reading. A textbook, reading list, and assignment sheet will be issued in June, and students are expected to come to class having completed the work.

Essential Skills in the AP Biology Classroom

SKILL 1: Modeling and Visual Representation 

Students will be able to interpret or construct an effective model in familiar and unfamiliar contexts using all relevant biology content.  

SKILL 2: Concept Description and Explanation

Students will be able to construct an explanation for a scientific phenomenon using all relevant biology content in familiar and unfamiliar contexts.  

SKILL 3: Scientific Methods and Argumentation 

Students will be able to successfully follow all steps of the scientific method and communicate arguments that establish claims and use sufficient evidence and reasoning to support those claims.  

SKILL 4: Data Gathering,  Interpretation and Analysis

Students will be able to gather, graphically illustrate, analyze, and interpret data using all relevant biology content in familiar and unfamiliar contexts.