AP Biology Summer Assignment
If you did not receive the access code from us prior to the summer break please
email Anat Schwartz or John Ernst for the code information.
Welcome to AP Biology! This course will open your eyes to the wonders of your
body and your world. We will cover the full range of the living earth from the molecular
level to our biosphere. By the end of the year many of your questions will be answered
and you will learn to ask about things that you have never contemplated before.
The purpose of the summer assignment is to get every one refreshed on the necessary
fundamentals that were covered in Chemistry and Biology. Please take your time with
the work because so much will build on it later.
The AP Biology curriculum emphasizes the following Four Big Ideas:
*The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life
*Biological systems utilize energy and molecular building blocks to
grow, reproduce, and maintain homeostasis.
*Living systems retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential
to life processes.
*Biological systems interact, and these interactions possess complex
properties.
Please keep these in mind as you review the material in the following assignment. These
themes will be woven into our course through -out the year.
1. You have received an Access Code. To set up account go to
PearsonSchool.com/access. Log in and commit your password to memory
(also write it down somewhere safe-you will need it and want it during the year)
This website is an invaluable tool both for learning material and doing practice
quizzes.
2. Access the Campbell Biology website ( http://portal.mypearson.com/home).
3. Select Mastering Biology. Select “Explore Study Area” On top of screen you will
find drop down menu: “Select Chapter”. On the website:
a. Review Chapters 1-3. Focus on the sections on evolution (an important
theme in AP Bio), molecular bonding, and properties of water.
b. Review Chapters 54 (Community Ecology) and 55 (Ecosystems and
Restoration Ecology). In particular note energy and nutrient transfers,
community relationships, trophic levels, and primary productivity in an
ecosystem.
c. Complete the “Practice Tests” for each chapter on line and submit your
results. Print out your score sheet only.
These are all due on the First Day of School (August 29). Any late work
will be deducted 10% for each day late. Assignments will not be accepted
after the test day on September 1. We will have an opportunity to discuss any
confusing concepts during the week.
On Thursday, September 1 you will be assessed on the material. This
Summative Assessment will have a value of 45 points.
4. If you have not taken Biology before, you need to review the following concepts:
meiosis and mitosis (overview); fundamentals of genetics including making and
using Punnett squares; cellular organelles and their functions; DNA and its role as
heredity material.
If you need to reach us this summer, our emails are [email protected] and
[email protected].
We look forward to seeing you all in August and for the opportunity to get to know you
during the year.
Have a great summer!
Anat Schwartz and John Ernst
“I know quite certainly that I have no special gift. Curiosity, obsession and dogged
endurance have brought me my ideas.”
-Albert Einstein