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®
Biology Daily Lesson Plans (samples)
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1
AP
®
Biology
Daily Lesson Plans
(samples)
This full-year curriculum includes:
• 142 sequential lesson plans covering the entire College Board curriculum
including laboratory skills and test preparation
• A pacing calendar, a materials list, student handouts and grading rubrics
• 100% hands-on learning so the teacher can provide a student-centered
classroom environment with no lecture
• Lab experiments, games, model building, debates, projects and other
activities designed to promote critical thinking
• A curriculum that exceeds all the expectations of the AP College
Board Redesign for 2012
Please visit our website at www.CatalystLearningCurricula.com to download
additional sample lesson plans or to place an order.
AP
®
is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does
not endorse, this product.
© Kristen Daniels Dotti 2005, 2009, 2015 AP
®
Biology Daily Lesson Plans (samples)
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2
AP
®
Biology
Daily Lesson Plans Curriculum
Table of Contents
(with three sample lesson plans to follow)
I. Fostering Student-driven Learning in an AP
®
class
II. Year Calendar and Adapting to Class Schedules
III. Materials List
IV. Daily Lesson Plans
A. Daily Lesson Plans – Biochemistry – 15 class days
B. Daily Lesson Plans – Cell Biology – 34 class days
C. Daily Lesson Plans – Genetics – 28 class days
D. Daily Lesson Plans – Evolution – 16 class days
E. Daily Lesson Plans – Anatomy and Physiology – 26 class days
F. Daily Lesson Plans – Ecology – 19 class days
H. Review for AP
®
Biology Exam
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®
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AP
®
Biology Daily Lesson Plans
Cell Biology Unit
(A sample lesson plan)
Day 9 – Extended Class Period
I. Topic: Membrane Transport
II. Warm-up: 5 minutes
Assign the students to groups of 2 to 3 people and distribute the
team challenge instructions.
III. Activity One: Diffusion and Osmosis Team Challenge 85 minutes
Objectives:
a) The learner will (TLW) review and integrate the concepts of diffusion
and osmosis.
b) TLW collaborate and function with a group in a self-directed manner
to answer a scientific question.
Materials:
Students will need the sucrose solutions prepared on Day 12 of the
Biochemistry unit. Beakers, cups, stir rods, mass balances, hot
plates, water-based food coloring and all of the other supplies that
were available to the students in the last two days of class.
Procedure:
1. Prior to class, change the labels on the sucrose solutions to A, B, C, D and
E so that there is no indication of the molarity. Mix up the order of the
solutions before labeling them so that the labels do not indicate the
concentration of the solutions. Be sure to write down in a secret place the
name that is used for each solution, so that you know which molarity
corresponds with each letter. Add the same number of drops of water-
based food coloring to each container so that each solution has a different
and easy to recognize hue (do not make the colors any deeper than
necessary, because the dyes may impact the rate of diffusion through the
dialysis tubing if they have an additive that adheres to the tubing pores).
Keep the sucrose solutions in the refrigerator or in an ice bucket so the
sucrose is completely dissolved but the solutions are cold (this will impair
the rate of diffusion for any lab group that does not heat the solutions).
Based on the number of teams that will be sharing the solutions, determine
the maximum amount of each solution that can be used by any one team
(for example, if you have 1 liter of each of 1.0 M, 0.8 M, 0.6 M, 0.4 M and
0.2 M solutions of sucrose and ten teams, then each team can use up to
© Kristen Daniels Dotti 2005, 2009, 2015 AP
®
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4
100 ml of each solution, max). Only ~20ml will fit into a 16 cm section of
dialysis tubing so all teams should have the ability to answer each challenge
if they have access to ~25 ml of each sucrose solution.
2. Prior to class, obtain enough equipment so that teams do not have to wait
long to use common materials and have enough beakers or cups to make
comparisons for reactions conducted at the same time. Make available
enough spools of dialysis tubing as well as enough rulers and scissors such
that the students can access these supplies quickly, as needed.
3. Pass out the team challenge questions. Both questions can be answered
using only one well-designed experiment, however many lab groups will
address each question separately, taking up the time needed for the
challenge and putting them at a distinct disadvantage. Do not give the
students any help or any hints. Take note of the communication,
cooperation and teamwork aspects of their progress. Note the level of
creativity and flexibility each team uses to address the challenge.
4. Let the students know they are receiving a grade for their ability to function
as a lab group and that safety as well as cooperation with the wider class
are components of their grade. Penalize any team that monopolizes
supplies or does not use appropriate lab techniques (mixing solutions or
pipettes, mishandling glassware or hot items, not using goggles, taking
shared supplies from common areas, etc.)
5. Ask the teams to each submit a mini-lab write-up of their procedure, a
diagram or photos of their experimental set-up, a chart of their collected
data and the conclusions they made based on their results. Each team
should include self-reflection notes on their group, mentioning the strengths
and weaknesses of their communication, group function, direction of
scientific exploration and laboratory techniques. All teams must also clearly
state the order of the solutions from lowest to highest concentration and all
teams must submit evidence (photo or video) of their maximum change in
mass. The mini-lab write-up can be in the form of a submitted paper or
shared digital document.
HW: Complete the Diffusion Team Challenge mini-lab write-up and prepare for the
first test on Cell Biology Unit topics.
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®
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5
Diffusion and Osmosis Team Challenge
Your two goals are to:
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("/)9"/'5)8*,$))
)
The winners from each class will receive recognition and a prize.
Strut your scientific method!
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®
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AP
®
Biology Daily Lesson Plans
Genetics Unit
(A sample lesson plan)
Day 14
I. Topic: Prokaryotic Genomes
II. Warm-up: 5 minutes
Prior to class, write the following on the board: “Check your bacterial
plates for results. (While students obtain their lab results, walk around the
room questioning students individually to verify their understanding.)”
III. Activity One: Prokaryotic Operons 40 minutes
Objectives:
a) The learner will improve (TLW) their understanding of gene regulation by
making models of inducible and repressible operons.
b) TLW realize the usefulness of models in explaining scientific phenomena
and processes.
Materials:
Each lab group will need: 2 foam pool “noodles” in different colors; 7
different colors of electrical tape or 7 different colors of Sharpie markers; 1
wire coat hanger; wire cutters; 2 racquet/tennis balls; 6 stick-on Velcro
tabs.
Procedure:
1. Lead the lab groups through the process of making a model of a repressible
operon using the above supplies and the following sample diagrams of a
prokaryotic tryptophan operon. For the repressible operon, use the prokaryotic
tryptophan operon as an example:
er
Operator
Promoter
trp E
trp D
trp C
trp B
trp A
trp R
Ball fits into extra noodle piece and
acts as tryptophan co-repressor
The extra piece of noodle
cut to fit operator and
tryptophan acts as the
repressor protein
Taped or colored gene
domains with labels
Electrical-taped
regulatory gene
Tryptophan operon
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®
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a. Using a serrated knife, cut an 8-inch segment from the first noodle (steps 1a-i
will apply to this noodle). This segment will be used as the repressor protein.
b. Each end of the noodle/operon should feature an unlabeled/ untapped section
to show the continuation of the DNA strand.
c. Wrap spirals of colored electrical tape (or shade the noodle with colored
Sharpies) where each of the five gene domain regions would be found (trpE –
trpD – trpC – trpB – trpA), using a different color for each gene domain.
d. Tape or shade in the regulatory gene (trpR) region as far upstream of the
promoter region as possible.
e. Using a Sharpie, draw the shape of the active form of the repressor protein
onto the lower portion of the noodle/operon, in the operator region. Make the
shape simple, like the one in the diagram, since you will need to carve it out
using a serrated knife. Also, carve a matching shape into the regulatory
repressor protein piece that you cut off in step “1a” above.
f. On the bottom side of the repressor protein, carve a “U” and wedge the
racquet/tennis ball into the “U”.
g. Cut a piece of wire from a coat hanger and shove the wire into the repressor
protein and bend it into a shape so that this piece will not fit the operator
region if the co-repressor (tryptophan) is not in place.
h. Write the word “tryptophan” on one of the racquet/tennis balls. Write
“repressor protein” on the carved foam piece. Now label the various parts of
the noodle/operon using a Sharpie: “regulatory gene – trpR”,
“promoter/operator”, “trpE”, “trpD”, “trpC”, “trpB” and “trpA”.
i. Place stick-on Velcro tabs on the parts of the operator and the repressor
protein that fit together, so that they can stick together without being held in
place. You may do the same for the repressor and the co-
repressor/tryptophan ball.
2. For the inducible operon, use the prokaryotic lactose operon as an example:
a. Using a serrated knife, cut an 8-inch segment from the second noodle (steps
2a-i will apply to this noodle). This will be used as the repressor protein.
b. Again, each end of the noodle/operon should feature an unlabeled/untapped
section, to show the continuation of the DNA strand.
c. Wrap spirals of colored electrical tape (or shade the noodle with colored
Sharpies) where each of the three gene domain regions would be found (lacZ
– lacY – lacA), using a different color for each gene domain.
Operator
Promoter
lac Z
lac Y
lac A
lac I
Similar set-up as
tryptophan, but with
different labels and an
inducer that distorts the
repressor protein.
Repressor protein in
distorted shape
Allolactose inducer
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d. Tape or shade in the regulatory gene (lacI) region which is immediately
upstream of the promoter region.
e. Using a Sharpie, draw the shape of the active form of the repressor protein
onto the lower portion of the noodle in the operator region. Make the shape
simple, like the one in the diagram, since you will need to carve it out using a
serrated knife. Also, carve a matching shape into the regulatory repressor
protein piece that you cut off in step “2a” above.
f. On the bottom side of the repressor protein, carve a wide, semi-circle shape
that is a little too wide to accommodate the racquet/tennis ball. You want the
repressor protein to have two shapes, one that fits the operator shape
perfectly when the inducer is NOT present and one that distorts the repressor
so that the carved top shape appears to pop out of the operator when the
inducer fits into the bottom (you can shove a piece of coat hanger wire into
the repressor to make it hold two different shapes).
g. Write “allolactose” on one of the racquet/tennis balls. Write “repressor
protein” on the carved foam piece. Write “regulatory gene – lacI”,
“promoter/operator”, “lacZ”, “lacY” and “lacA” at the appropriate places along
the noodle.
h. You may place stick-on Velcro tabs on both the operator and repressor
protein parts so that they can stick together without being held in place. You
may do the same for the repressor and the co-repressor/allolactose ball.
3. Use these models as props during class, when discussing the operon
hypothesis. Have pairs of students use the props as they simulate and narrate
the process of inducing or repressing an operon to regulate the genes. Make
sure everyone has a chance to run through a simulation with each operon.
4. Ask the students to take notes on inducible operons and repressible operons.
5. Ask some questions to verify the depth of their understanding and clarify any
misconceptions:
a. What is more common for each type of operon—the gene non-repressed
state or the repressed state? (inducible operons are more commonly found in
the repressed state while repressible operons are more often actively
transcribing, thus are not repressed)
b. Which type of operon would be used for anabolic reactions (reactions that
make new molecules)? (repressible operons that are turned off when there is
an excess of product)
c. Which type of operon would be used for catabolic reactions (reactions that
break down other molecules)? (inducible operons that are only turned on in
the presence of the metabolite)
d. Are operons examples of positive feedback or negative feedback? (negative
feedback)
HW: Ask the students to write a FR essay to question #1 from the 2003 Form B AP
Biology Exam.
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®
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AP
®
Biology Daily Lesson Plans
Ecology Unit
(A sample lesson plan)
Day 2
I. Topic: Population Growth
II. Warm-up: 5 minutes
Prior to class, write the following on the board: What does the
capital letter K represent in ecology? What does it mean to be a K-
selected species?
III. Activity One: Population Dynamics Game 45 minutes
Objectives:
a) The learner will (TLW) play a memorable game that clearly shows
how a single population can fluctuate according to the condition
and carrying capacity of its habitat.
b) TLW practice drawing and interpreting population growth graphs.
Materials:
One “Population Dynamics” handout per student; enough small,
wrapped hard candy to allow six per student; one pie pan to hold
the candy; one large piece of sidewalk chalk to make a circle on
cement, or a long piece of yarn to make a circle in grass/dirt.
Procedure:
1. Prior to class, find a concrete surface that is a large enough surface on
which to draw a 20-ft diameter circle with chalk, or find a grass or dirt area
on which to place a 20-ft diameter circle of string. Place 6 pieces of candy
per student in the pie pan. Place the pie pan in the center of the circle
when you start the game with your class (it helps to draw a chalk line
around the pie pan, so that it stays in the correct place if the game gets
rowdy).
2. Have the students space themselves out along the circle perimeter.
3. Tell the students that they are a population of elk and that each student
represents one elk family that lives in a habitat together with the others
that are on the circle.
4. Ask them the following questions to generate a short discussion before
you begin:
a. What do organisms in a population need? (resources: food, water,
territory/space)
b. How do they get these resources? (by competing for them)
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c. How many organisms of a population can a given environment
hold? (it depends on the amount of resources)
d. What do we call this number? (carrying capacity, or “K”)
5. Explain the guidelines of the game:
a. Each student represents one elk family.
b. One round of play equals one year of time.
c. The pie pan holds the resources that are available in a single year.
d. Only one resource (piece of candy) can be collected at a time. The
student must return to the perimeter of the circle—touching it with
both feet—after each resource has been collected to deposit it on
the edge of the circle before returning to the pie pan for another
resource.
e. Every adult elk needs two resources (candies) to live through one
year and every juvenile elk needs one resource to live through one
year.
f. For the first round of play every family has only one adult member.
g. Each year, half of the families will each produce one offspring.
h. The first year that the offspring is born it is a juvenile (and thus
needs one resource).
i. The second year the family does not produce any offspring;
however the juvenile, if it lived through its first year, is now full-
grown (and thus needs 2 resources).
j. Each family must collect the needed number of resources from the
pie pan in order for the members of the family to survive for that
year. If they collect less than that number, they need to determine
how many individuals actually survived on the lower number of
resources, with juveniles dying off first (ex: if a student/elk family
has 3 adults and one juvenile, the student must collect 7 resources
for the entire family to survive for the year; if the student only
collects 4 resources, then the juvenile and one adult will have died,
since the juvenile was the most vulnerable and the 4 resources can
only sustain two adults).
k. The population will be counted at the end of every year/round of the
game, when the students hold up the number of fingers that
represent the elk in their family that survived that year.
l. If a family dies off completely, they will have to wait to come back
into the game when it is their turn to reproduce a juvenile.
6. Begin the game by writing down the number of elk in the starting
population at time 0 on the data chart. (This will be equal to the number of
students in the class.)
7. Remind the students that they each need 2 resources, but they must
collect them one at a time and return to the perimeter (with both feet
touching the line) to drop off their resources one by one.
8. Start the first round by saying “Go!”. In the first round there is an
abundance of resources, so all the elk should live. Tally the number of
survivors and write that number on the data chart for year one.
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9. Divide the circle in half and tell the students on one half that they have
reproduced this year and so they now must gather enough resources for
one adult and one juvenile (3 pieces of candy in total). Start round
two/year two.
10. Count and record the population totals for the end of year two/round two
and repeat steps 9–10 over and over until the population plateaus for 3-4
rounds.
11. Ask the students why the population has hit a plateau? (because this is
the carrying capacity of the environment with this amount of resources)
Ask them why the elk continue to reproduce even though the carrying
capacity has been hit? (biological potential is high even when it meets
environmental resistance; Thomas Malthus pointed out that all organisms
have a greater reproductive potential than can actually be sustained by
their environment)
12. Tell the students that a fire has occurred in the forest and the amount of
available resources has dropped. Explain that the fire has served as a
density-independent population control. Now take 2 resources out of the
pie pan for every student in the class. Ask the students what will happen
to the carrying capacity. (it will be lower) Ask them if this change is
permanent. (no, it will gradually go back up) Ask them to name another
density-independent population control. (any abiotic change such as a
flood, hurricane, freeze, change in humidity, or sunlight, etc.)
13. Play several more rounds of the game, adding a few resources back to the
pan with each round, until they are up to their original carrying capacity.
14. Simulate a density-dependent population control by telling the students
that their area has been hit by a disease. The resources stay the same
but every elk family loses a certain number of members that year. Ask the
students to predict what will happen to the population over time. (it will
drop and then, eventually, rise again slowly) Since the availability of
resources has not decreased, how will the rest of the ecosystem be
affected? (other organisms will prosper due to a decrease in competition
for resources) Ask the students to give you examples of other density-
dependent population controls. (any biotic factor, such as a new predator
population in the area, another organism that competes for the food, water
or space resources, etc.)
15. Allow several rounds to occur so that the elk population recovers from the
disease losses.
16. When you stop playing, have the students graph the population dynamics
and answer the reflection questions on their handout to turn in tomorrow.
HW: Ask the students to complete the “Population Dynamics Game” handout.
HW: Ask the students to complete the “Population Dynamics of the Kaibab Deer”
handout.
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®
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12
Population Dynamics Game
Results:
Adults need 2 resources per year to survive.
Juveniles need 1 resource per year to survive.
Year
Population
Notes
Year
Population
Notes
1
21
2
22
3
23
4
24
5
25
6
26
7
27
8
28
9
29
10
30
11
31
12
32
13
33
14
34
15
35
16
36
17
37
18
38
19
39
20
40
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®
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Graph the data collected during the game.
Reflection Questions:
1. What is the carrying capacity of the elk habitat in this game?
2. How much was the population able to fluctuate around the carrying
capacity? What were the constraints?
3. How was the elk population affected by the fire? By disease?
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4. How do density-independent and density-dependent population controls
differ?
5. How could the carrying capacity of this environment increase?
6. How could the carrying capacity of this environment decrease?
7. Above are graphs that show two common patterns of population growth.
What type of growth pattern most closely resembles the elk population
growth prior to the fire?
8. Consider the exponential growth curve. Is it possible that a population
growing exponentially might eventually level off and have a logistical
growth curve?
9. What would it take for this to happen?
Logistical Growth Curve
Exponential Growth Curve
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15
Population Dynamics Game
Teacher’s Version
Results:
The students’ data charts and graphs will vary some, however the
population should be depicted climbing to reach carrying capacity, holding steady
at carrying capacity until the fire, going down after the fire and then climbing
again slowly to return to carrying capacity. The simulated disease will cause the
graph line to dip and return to carrying capacity slowly, just as with the fire.
Check that all students are graphing correctly—labeling axes with units, depicting
steady increments on each axis and smooth curves, and providing their graph
with a title.
Dynamics of a Elk Population Over a 30-year Period
Reflection Questions:
Time (in years)
Elk Population
© Kristen Daniels Dotti 2005, 2009, 2015 AP
®
Biology Daily Lesson Plans (samples)
Kristen.Dotti@CatalystLearningCurricula.com This product is licensed to a single user.
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1. What is the carrying capacity of the elk habitat in this game?
Answers will vary, but should match the plateau of the student’s graph.
2. How much was the population able to fluctuate around the carrying
capacity? What were the constraints?
Very little, because the food resources were limited.
3. How was the elk population affected by the fire? By disease?
In both circumstances the carrying capacity of the habitat dropped, so the
population dropped significantly. As more food became available, the
population climbed again.
4. How do density-independent and density-dependent population controls
differ?
Density-independent controls affect all the organisms in an ecosystem,
while density-dependent controls usually affect organisms unequally.
5. How could the carrying capacity of this environment increase?
Answers may include: the elimination of competing species, expansion of
the size of the habitat, a reduction in the individual needs of each
organism, or an increase in the availability of resources.
6. How could the carrying capacity of this environment decrease?
Answers may include: an increase in the needs of the organisms, an
increase in the populations within the ecosystem, an introduction of more
species or another population, a reduction in the amount of resources
needed at the bottom of the food chain (such as caused by drought).
© Kristen Daniels Dotti 2005, 2009, 2015 AP
®
Biology Daily Lesson Plans (samples)
Kristen.Dotti@CatalystLearningCurricula.com This product is licensed to a single user.
17
7. Above are graphs that show two common patterns of population
growth. What type of growth pattern most closely resembles the elk
population growth prior to the fire?
A logistical growth curve.
8. Consider the exponential growth curve. Is it possible that a population
growing exponentially might eventually level off and have a logistical
growth curve?
Yes.
9. What would it take for this to happen?
The population growth would have to slow as it approaches the carrying
capacity and then level off, to plateau around the carrying capacity.
Logistical Growth Curve
Exponential Growth Curve
© Kristen Daniels Dotti 2005, 2009, 2015 AP
®
Biology Daily Lesson Plans (samples)
Kristen.Dotti@CatalystLearningCurricula.com This product is licensed to a single user.
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Biology Daily Lesson Plans (samples)
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