Name: _______________________
Welcome to a Summer of Biology
(Adopted from Mrs. Foglia and the AP Biology listserve)
Just when you thought it was safe- Dun, dun, dun- AP Biology summer assignments lurk around
the corner. These assignments are designed for four main purposes:
 To whet your appetite for AP Biology
 To get you thinking like a biologist and keep you mind sharp over those summer months.
 To give you a foundation to help you with all those biology terms. (Did you know a first
year biology course has more new vocabulary than a first year German Language course?
–phew!)
 To help you start with four strong grades for first quarter.
The Assignments
#
1
2
3
Assignment
Letter of Introduction to be emailed to
[email protected]
Please be sure to give me your school gmail
account. I will be emailing your online textbook
access code from that.
. Go to the class blog and print out the Scientific
root, word, prefix and suffix.
Find 20 biology terms that use one of them, define
and email them to me.
Read a book from the list below
Due Date
July 15th
August 3rd
First day of school
And respond; Complete the School Writing
Rubric for essay
Textbook Website: www.masteringbiology.com
Class Blog: This is found http://blog.whps.org/mrscaruk/ This can be found on the school
website.
Assignment 1: Letter of Introduction (Quiz Grade)
Welcome to AP Biology!
We will be spending a lot of time together this year, so it is best I get to know you a bit now!
Also we go at a pretty fast pace in this class. Therefore I do expect you to email me frequently
with questions so that you don’t fall behind in your understanding of material. Self advocacy is
an important skill that you will need to develop this year in AP Biology.
Your first assignment is to send me this letter by: July 15th
a. Use clearly written, full sentences. Do not abbreviate words like you are texting with a
friend. Use spell check! This is a professional communication like you would have with
a college professor, so let’s practice for your rapidly nearing future!
b. Address it to me at: [email protected] and add my contact in your address book.
(Please, share this information with your parents so they also know how to contact me
during the school year.)
c. Make the Subject: “AP Bio: Introduction to <Insert Your Name Here>”
(Do not include the quote marks or the brackets, just the words)
d. Begin the email with a formal salutation such as “Mrs. Caruk”
e. Now introduce yourself (your name) and tell me a little about yourself: (This should be at
least three paragraphs)
f.

What do you like to do (music, sports, hobbies)?

What was your favorite class last year? Why?

What was the last book you read?

What are you the most anxious about AP Biology? What are you looking
forward to the most?
End your letter with a formal closing: “Cordially”, “Best Regards”, “Sincerely” and your
name as though you were signing a letter.
g. Your letter should be a page long. (I will check)
School supply list:
(2) 2 ½ to 3 inch binder (One for labs and one for notes) Traditional spiral notebooks are not
adequate for this class
loose leaf paper
(1) 4 file folders to store notes at the end of each quarter. You will have a lot of notes.
(1) Review book for AP Biology: Preparing for the Biology AP* Exam (School
Edition) Paperback – April 16, 2014
AP Biology Summer Assignment Part 3 (Test Grade)
Summer Reading Assignment: Book Report: Three pages typed not including the
title page.
Choose one of the following books to read and then complete a book report on that book
according to the following guidelines. Use- 12 font—1-inch margins to type this report.
1. Write a one-page summary of the story or events.
2. What biological issue is presented in the book? Write a one-page position paper on the
issue. (Note a position paper presents both sides to the biological issue—this is not your
view—this is the author’s view and then explain the opposite view point).
3. Write one half page discussing your personal opinion concerning the biological issue
discussed in the book. Defend your position.
4. Write one half page and discuss if you liked/disliked the book. Would you recommend
this book –defend your position. Lastly, discuss the author in this part of the report.
(Give a brief biography of approximately 6-8 sentences).
5. Title page must include the following items:
Title of the book, Author, Student’s Name,
Date Due—First day of school-no exceptions.
6. Attach the Hall high school writing rubric to the back, with your self-grade. You can
find the writing rubric. You can find the school wide rubrics on the Hall High School
website under “For Students”.
http://hall.whps.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=2325779&pageId=2716976
**If you find a different book that you are interested in, email the title to me and I will
approve it****
AP Biology Suggested Reading List
A Walk in the Woods
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Endless forms Most Beautiful
Chromosome 6
The Selfish Gene
The Ancestors Tale
The Sports Gene
Complications: A Surgeons Notes on an Imperfect Science
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
The Violinist Thumb
Oxygen, The Molecule that Made the World
The Triple Helix
King Soloman's Ring
Rosalind Franklin the Dark Lady of DNA
Inheritance
Survival of the Sickest
Bryson, Bill
Bryson, Bill
Carroll, Sean
Cook, Robin
Dawkins, Richard
Dawkins, Richard
Epstein, David
Gawande, Atul
Kolbert, Elizabeth
Kean, Sam
Lane, Nick
Lewontin, Richard
Lorenz, Konrad Z.
Maddox, Brenda
Moalem, Sharon
Moalem, Sharon
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Alex and Me
Botany of Desire
The Hot Zone
The Demon in the Freezer
The Song of the Dodo
Genome
Gulp
Packing for Mars
Stiff
Island of the Colorblind
The Minds Eye
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Your Inner Fish
Rosalind Franklin and DNA
The Lives of a Cell
The Journey of Man
Letters to a Young Scientist
Mukherjee, Sidharthe
Pepperberg, Irene
Pollan, Michael
Preston, Richard
Preston, Richard
Quammen, David
Ridley, Matt
Roach, Mary
Roach, Mary
Roach, Mary
Sacks, Oliver
Sacks, Oliver
Skloot, Rebecca
Shubin, Neil
Sayre, Anne
Thomas, Lewis
Wells, Spencer
Wilson, E.O.