Final Review

Please make sure that you check your grade on student vue and ensure that everything on canvas made it over to student vue.  You have until this Friday, May 15th to fix assignments.

Click here for the final review.  The final exam is Friday May 15th.  There will be a performance based assessment on the final exam day (May 19th or 20th).

Current Information

Good luck today on the AP Biology test!!

Grades are updated and entered into StudentVue.  You have until Friday May 15th, to submit assignments to canvas for "polish and refinement". Any assignment that has yet to be turned in is listed as missing.  Please also make sure that you have joined a group for those assignments where you worked with a partner or group to ensure all parties get credit.

Grid in answer review and formula sheet

Click here for the formula sheet for the test
Click here for examples of the grid-in questions & answers
Here is another example of more grid-in type questions

Click here for the released 2013 free response
Click here for the answers

Click here for the released 2014 free response
Click here for the answers

Review for the Exam

Here is a link to the review for the 2013 fall final.  
And, here is a link for the review for the Spring 2014 final. 

Between the two documents, the majority of the AP Biology objectives listed, with links to tutorials and information for those objectives that you feel you need help in reviewing.  

Also, all work is due by May 8th (that is next Friday)

yet another work day :)

Click here for the previous post for all of the assignments that should be turned in :)

ACT info & general test prep

http://www.sparknotes.com/testprep/act/


http://www.learnerator.com/

Reproductive and Endocrine systems

Once we have discussed the nervous systems, now you need to research the reproductive and endocrine systems.

• What is the life cycle of your phyla?  How are new individuals formed?  Is fertilization internal or external?
• How do hormones play a role in homeostasis?

Nervous systems

Discussion of what you learned from the last class on Respiratory and Circulatory systems, then moving onto the Nervous systems.
How does information get to all of the parts of the body?  Is there "thought" or is it all "instinctual"?

Circulatory and Respiratory Systems

Now that we have determined that most animals are basically tubes, we are going to look at circulatory and respiratory systems of the different phyla.  The questions for today are:

• How does gas exchange occur?
• How do nutrients and gasses get to all of the parts of the body?

Study in Comparative Anatomy

We are going to begin our study of comparative anatomy with two Crash Course Biology videos

• Animal Development: We're All Just Tubes
• Comparative Anatomy: What Makes Us Animals

Then, in groups, you will be given a few different groupings of animals to research their systems and how they work.  You will be presenting this information to the class as part of the discussion of how systems within animal groups differ.

Work Day

These are the assignments that are going to be on the progress report this Friday (that most people don't have complete, or at least not turned into Canvas)

• Becoming Human
• Natural Selection PHET (bunnies) simulation
• E.coli Insulin Factory (paper plasmid lab)
• Transgenic Fly Lab simulation
• Control of Gene Expression (remember this also includes the free response practice)
• How does Energy flow through an ecosystem?
• Chi-Square lab & problems

Chi Square candy simulation

Chi Square (X²) Modeling Using Candy

Borrowed from biologycorner.com

The Chi Square test is often used in science to determine if data you observe from an experiment is close enough to the predicted data. In genetics, for instance, you might expect to get a 75% to 25% ratio if you crossed two heterozygous tall plants (Tt x Tt). Calculating the X² values help you determine whether the results follow the prediction and if the variations from the exact ratio are due to random chance. It's the question of "how close is close enough?" If the numbers differ greatly from your expected results, then it's possible that other factors may be influencing your results.

A chi square analysis requires a scientist to propose a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis. In statistics, the only way of supporting your hypothesis is to refuse the null hypothesis. In other words, rather than trying to prove your idea right, you must show that the other idea (hypothesis) is likely to be wrong. That is your NULL hypothesis.

Chi square values are used to show that the likelihood that the outcome is due to random chance is very unlikely. A null hypothesis can never be proven, data can only reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis.

Materials: several bags of colored candy, such as M & M's, Skittles, Reese's Pieces, or Gummy Bears. You will need approximately 100-200 candies.

Procedure:

1) Look into the bag and determine how many colors are present and write them into Table 1

2) Without counting, estimate the number (percentage out of 100%) of each color and write them into Table 1 under "Percentage Expected"

3) Sort the candy and write down the number of each color into Table 1 under "Number Observed"

4) Complete the table by determining the total number of candies and number expected columns

Color of Candy	Percentage Estimate	Number Observed	Number Expected (total # of candy x percentage estimate)
		Total # of candies =

As you look at the data above, consider the two comparable numbers. The number you would expect to count if your percentage estimate was correct, and then the number you actually counted (number observed). For example, if you initially thought that you'd see 25% yellow candies, and you counted 200 pieces, you would then expect to see 50 yellow candies. You may have only counted 40 yellows.

In effect, your estimate is your hypothesis. A chi square analysis will determine if the observed number is close enough to the expected number to consider your hypothesis supported.

The Chi Square (X²) Equation

In order to complete the calculation, you sum each of the traits (colors) that you measured. To help you with this, we will break the process into steps.

	Classes (colors)	Expected (e)	Observed (o)	(o-e)2/e
1
2
3
4
5
	Sum (add the values from row 1-5); this is your X2 value

Use the chi square chart below to determine if your X² supports or rejects your hypothesis.
The degrees of freedom is determined by subtracting 1 from the number of colors you analyzed. (For example, if you had 4 colors to count, the degrees of freedom is 3) 

Summary and Analysis

1) What was your initial hypothesis?

2) How do you show that your hypothesis is correct (or incorrect)?

3) Explain what is meant by a "good fit"?

4) Propose a way that a chi square analysis could be used in other experiments, such as genetics or drug trials.

Also, complete these practice problems as part of the assignment (all of this info goes into one document to turn into canvas)

Energy & Ecosystems, transgenic flies and control of gene expresssion (. . .oh my!)

Finish up the virtual energy and ecosystems lab (Click here for the lab). 
Remember that the 
virtual transgenic fly lab was also due last week
the Control of Gene Expression is something that should be completed as well

How does energy and matter flow through the ecosystem?

Today we are going to start a virtual lab on energy and matter in ecosystems.
Click here for the lab
You need to create a document (or presentation) that has the answers to the journal questions, as well as a data table (screen shots of the completed pyramids would also be a good thing)

Ecology -- Listmania

Today we are going to do a "brain dump" gallery walk.
There are 8 whiteboards around the room with a title on each one. With a partner, write down everything that you know about the specific topic, and we will discuss.
Topics

• Environmental issues facing the world today
• Species of animals that should be saved
• College majors that relate to Ecology
• Placed to visit to enjoy the environment
• Ways that individuals can help the environment
• Movies that have an environmental theme
• Laws that protect the environment
• Products that have an environmental message

Free response practice

Some video links to help with your understanding of gene regulation

• Control of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes
• Processing of Gene Information: Prokaryotes vs Eukaryotes
• The lac operon
• The tryptophan repressor

Based on your work with the PHET simulation for lac operons, you should be able to answer the following free response question from the 2013 AP Biology test.  Please add your answer to your submission for the lac operon assignment before turning it in.  Remember, you are working in groups of 2 (or 3) for this assignment, everyone should equally participate in constructing your answer to the free response question.  Use this assignment as a way to discuss and practice what you will write for the free response portion of the test.

Operons in gene regulation

Welcome back!  Only 7 weeks until the AP Bio Exam! :)

Today we are going to focus on Operons in gene regulation. 

Please go to cengage and log onto the on-line resources.  Go to the text book and read section 10.5 (pgs 170 & 171). There is also an animation -- "10.10 the lactose operon" that you can watch. Take some notes, highlight information, reacquaint yourself with Gene Control in Prokaryotes (this is something you should have already read).

Once you have a basic understanding of this concept, go to the PHET simulation for lac operons (remember you have to download the simulation in order for it to run), click here for the sheet you need to complete as you are working through the simulation, you may work in groups of 2 or 3 (not more) for this simulation activity.

Work day!

Please work on any missing assignments, or standards that you need to fix.  This includes the virtual lab from Friday (Click here for more info)

Look up and research: 

Monsanto vs Schmeister

You have been learning about genetically modifying bacteria.  You will be researching the pros and cons of genetically modified organisms.  
You must:

• have viable resources

• use what you have learned in class to back up your claim.  

Here are some resources:

National Center for Biotechnology

Access Excellence

MedicalCollege of Wisconsin Bioethics Online

University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics 
Second half of block will be an active discussion of your view points.  
Use these questions to help guide you:

1.  What must we do as a society to handle the rapid changes of biotechnology?

  2.Have scientists really looked at the “big picture”?