AP Biology A/B

Advanced Biology – Course Overview Biology is presented as one form of scientific inquiry, the process of channeling human curiosity into purposeful exploration, discovery, and exploration of observable natural phenomena.  Biology is the study of life, but it is most important as a shared method of asking questions all humans have about life and living things, and communicating responses to the questions in clear and understandable forms.  In this blended online course (employing both online and face-to-face learning), students will be taught and encouraged to continually pose questions about the subject matter.  Through exploration and discovery of the phenomenon at the core of each lesson, students will be guided to answer their own questions and be able to discuss the phenomenon in ways that reflect sound scientific practices.  Biology is presented as a living process, one that carries a body of current understandings and a method of building on those understandings to either deepen them or replace them with better explanations.  In particular, we will explore these eight themes identified as the focus for AP-level Biology instruction: Science as a Process; Evolution; Energy Transfer; Continuity and Change; Relationship of Structure to Function; Regulation; Interdependence in Nature; Science, Technology, and Society.