AP BIOLOGY 2010-2011
SUMMER ASSIGNMENT
Islands High School, Savannah, GA
Mary R. Wells, Instructor
Dear AP Biologist,
I am very happy that you enrolled in AP Biology! This year is going to be a very busy and exciting time
for us. In order to “fit it all in” you must complete a summer reading assignment prior to our first class
meeting. The subject is interesting to read and not very difficult to understand. Your time spent learning
before the start of class will allow us to have more time for the “fun” of biology, and ensure that you will
be well prepared for the AP exam in May.
The textbook we will use is AP Biology, 8th Edition by Neil Campbell & Jane Reece, (ISBN #978-0-13135691-7). The lab manual we will use is AP Biology Laboratory Manual for Students: Exercises 1-12 by
The College Board. You will be assigned a school copy of the book and lab manual in September. The
textbook is also available online (see assignment 2 for instructions on accessing the online version). You
will not be allowed to write in the school copy of the textbook or the lab manual so if you like to write in
your books you may want to consider purchasing your own copy of the lab manual and/or the textbook
(this is not a requirement, just a suggestion). The lab manual can be purchased for around $18.00 through
The College Board website: www.collegeboard.com (go to “store”) and the textbook (new and used copies)
can be purchased through any bookstore, Amazon, E-bay, etc… I also suggest that you purchase an AP
Biology Review Guide so you can use it throughout the year. Again, purchasing the books are just
suggestions.
AP Biology requires a lot of reading and retaining massive amounts of information. You will do better if
you read along and keep up with the information and not resort to cramming. Our first quiz will be on the
Friday of the 1st week of school and will cover Chapter 1. Our first exam will be at the end of September
and will cover the four chapters on the Mechanisms of Evolution (chapters 22-25). I highly recommend
that if you finish the summer assignment early that you begin reading and studying chapters 22-25. You
will quickly learn that it is to your advantage to stay ahead of the game or at minimum keep up!
ASSIGNMENT 1 OF 4: EMAIL MRS. WELLS
*Due by July 31, 2010*
Email address: Mary.Wells@sccpss.com
Subject Line: Your full name, AP Biologist
The body of your email should be written as a letter to me introducing yourself. In your introduction letter
be sure to include the following items:
• The name you prefer to go by, what school you are coming from and what grade you will be
in this year.
• Have you taken an AP class before? If so, when, where, and what subject? How did you do
on the AP exam for that class? Will you be taking any other AP classes besides AP Biology
this year? If so, what subject?
• Why did you sign up for AP Biology? What are some things you would like to learn about
in AP Biology? Do you have any concerns about being in AP Biology? If so, please share
them with me.
• What are some of your favorite things, hobbies, foods, movies, sports, animals, plants, etc…?
• Is there any other information that you want to share about yourself?
Upon receiving your introduction letter I will reply to your email with a letter introducing myself. If you
don’t receive an email from me within a week of sending your letter then I probably didn’t get it so you
will need to resend your email.
ASSIGNMENT 2 OF 4: REGISTER TO USE THE ONLINE TEXTBOOK
*Due by July 31, 2010*
1. Register at http://www.phschool.com/access/
2. Click on Covered Title, then click on “Campbell, Biology 8e AP* Edition” from the list
3. Choose Student Registration
4. Click “I Accept” at the bottom of the License Agreement page
5. It will ask you if you have a Pearson account, check “no”
6. Access Information: * Create your username & password * Enter the below access code:
SSNAST-RANEE-HAVEL-MANNA-FACTO-TAXES
7. Click “Next”
8. Account Information – complete or verify your name & school information (zip code: 31410)
9. Confirmation & Summary – list of websites where you can now login will be emailed to you
*Email me to let me know whether or not you were able to successfully register.
ASSIGNMENT 3 OF 4: READ CHAPTER 1 AND COMPLETE THE TASKS LISTED
*Due on the 2nd day of school*
Chapter 1 is an introduction to the important concepts in biology as well as reviewing the scientific method
and the nature of science. For some of you, this will be a review. For others, you may have forgotten a lot
of this information and now is a good time to go back and reacquaint yourself with these very important,
basic concepts of biology.
Access the online textbook at: http://wpscms.pearsoncmg.com/bc_campbell_biology_8ap/
Login using the username and password you created in Assignment 2
In the drop-down menu select “Chapter 1: Introduction” and click “GO”
Open the pdf file “Reading Guide: Chapter 01” and Print it.
Click on “Overview: Inquiring about the World of Life” which is how you open the online textbook
to the first page of Chapter 1.
6. Read Chapter 1. Be sure to answer the Reading Guide questions as you go.
7. Complete the Activities and watch the Videos associated with each of the chapter Concepts.
8. Be sure to complete the GraphIt activity too. You should be able to distinguish between a line plot,
scatter plot, and bar graph and when you use each of those types of graphs. Answer the questions
and see how you do. If you miss some, go back and review the types of graphs again.
9. Take the Self-Quiz and record your answers at the bottom of the Reading Guide.
10. Explore the other links and study tools so you can become more familiar with the online resources
available for you to use throughout the year
11. On the 2nd day of school you will submit your Reading Guide to me for a grade.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
*You will have a quiz over Chapter 1 on the Friday of the 1st week of school*
ASSIGNMENT 4 OF 4: READ A NON-FICTION BIOLOGY BOOK AND WRITE A 2 PAGE SUMMARY
*Due on the 2nd day of school*
Choose a book from the following list. Notice these are non-fiction books. You are required to write a two
page summary of the book (12 font, 1.5 space, 1 inch margins). Your report should cover these 5 things:
a. complete bibliographic information with background information on author
b. a summary of the story/information
c. the major scientific concepts covered
d. a meaningful quotation from the book and why you chose the quotation
e. reflections about the book overall – how it influences you, recommend/not recommend and why
There are varied titles to suit your interest: cell bio, medicine, evolution, ecology, genetics, etc. Find
something on this list you are interested in and will enjoy reading.
Approved Book List:
Adler, Robert Medical Firsts: From Hippocrates to the Human Genome
Barnard, Bryn Outbreak! Plagues that Changes History
Bishop and Waldholz Genome
Bodanis, David The Secret Family: Twenty-four Hours Inside the Mysterious World of Our Bodies
Carson, Rachel Silent Spring
Coen, Enrico The Art of Genes: How Organisms Make Themselves
Collins, Francis The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief
Chimpsky, Nim The Chimp Who Would Be Human
Darwin, Charles On the Origin of Species
De Kruif, Paul Microbe Hunters
Diamond, Jared The Third Chimpanzee
Endersby, Jim A Guinea Pig’s History of Biology
Garrett, Laurie The Coming Plague
Goodall, Jane In the Shadow of Man
Gould, Stephen Jay The Panda’s Thumb – Ever Since Darwin (or any title by him)
Johnson, Steven Ghost Map
Kennedy A Brief History of Disease, Science, and Medicine
Krakauer, John Into the Wild
Leopold, Aldo A Sand County Almanac
Maddox, Barbara Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA
Moalem and Prince Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease
Mullis, Kary Dancing Naked in the Mind Field
Pepperberg, Irene Alex and Me
Preston, Richard The Demon in the Freezer: A True Story
Regis, Ed What is Life?
Reilly, Philip R. Abraham Lincoln’s DNA and Other Adventures in Genetics
Roach, Mary Stiff
Sacks, Oliver An Anthropologist on Mars
Sacks, Oliver The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (or any titles by him)
Schwartz, James In Pursuit of the Gene: From Darwin to DNA
Shreeve, James The Genome War: How Craig Venter Tried to Capture the Code of Life and Save The
World
Shubin, Neil Your Inner Fish
Thomas, Lewis The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher (or any titles by him)
Watson, James The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery and Structure of DNA
Weiner, Jonathon The Beak of a Finch, A Story of Evolution in Our Time
Weisman, Alan The World Without Us
Ward, Peter Life as we Do Not Know it: The NASA Search for Alien Life
Wingerson, Lois Mapping our Genes
Have a great summer! I look forward to working with you during this upcoming school year!
-Mrs. Wells 