Adapted from Kim Foglia
AP Biology-Summer assignment
Welcome to Mrs. B’s “Summer of Biology Fun” 2014
An evolving creation!
Daduh…daduh…daduh…daduh…
Is it safe to go back in the water?
NO! I hate to tell you this, but like Jaws, there
lurks the AP Biology Summer Assignment!
s
This summer you will delve into the world of biology! We will explore a few topics to prepare you for the
coming year of hard grunt work. This summer assignment has been designed for four purposes:
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to get you thinking during the summer months and to keep your mind sharp… I will expect a lot
out of you come August!
to introduce you to major concepts from AP Biology through non-classroom learning
to help you earn strong summer grades so that you begin first quarter with confidence
to decrease the amount of new material you will have to learn initially during the school year
Schedule in Brief - deadlines are every 3 weeks, so plan ahead. If you wait until the
last minute, you may be overwhelmed. Start your AP class the right way!
# Due date
1. Before school is
out…Before finals!
Assigned Task
1. Write your summer contact information on Mrs. B’s textbook sign-out sheet
2. Adopt a plant and prepare to care for it over the summer (see instructions)
2. Fri. June 27
Send your e-mail “Letter of Introduction” to Mrs. B
e-mail: ebrigg@mariemontschools.org (see instructions)
3. Fri. July 18
1. Read Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900-1975) "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense
Except in the Light of Evolution"
2. Respond to this reading via email to ebriggs@mariemontschools.org in a
one page reflection
4. Fri. Aug 8
Finish reading the Evolution unit chapters (22-25) so we know where we are
going this year. Finish reading the Chemistry chapters (2-5) so we know
where we are beginning.
6. Wed., Aug 20
Welcome back to school…this will be a CHALLENGING year. Adopt a Plant
Show-and-Tell!!!
You will hear from me in June and periodically until mid-August. Check email!!
ASSIGNMENT #1: ADOPT A PLANT begins TODAY
Objective:
To experience that plants are living, gas exchanging, growing, responsive creatures. This is your first
experiment in AP Biology. Collect data: make a graph(s) noting responsiveness to the environment by
determining growth. All this data should be kept during the summer so you can prepare your report
when you get back to school. Think about what you need and make sure you collect the information.
*Some places you might check for ideas (there are many others):
Bozeman Biology: http://www.bozemanscience.com/science-videos/category/biology
Khan Academy http://freevideolectures.com/Course/2548/Biology#
Kristina Gremski http://www.youtube.com/user/kristinagremski
Hippocampus.org
Your Goal:
To nurture your plants successfully throughout the summer. Get them to grow, get them to
branch, grow them big and bushy! This is not your standard AP experiment. Your hypothesis may be a
little different because this is an observational lab. This is very much like observing chimps or birds. You
have put them in an interesting situation, and you now want to see how they respond. Specifically…?
***Begonia: A prize for the biggest, bushiest, bloomingest Begonia. You do want this plant to bloom!
Questions:
What is my hypothesis? What am I going to control? How do I keep everything else constant? How do I
take care of a Begonia? How do I transplant a Begonia? How do I keep my Begonia blooming? How do I
get my plant to branch and get bushier? Do these plants like lots of sun or do they need some shade?
How/when do I feed them? What is the major problem with growing this begonia? (I have one plant.
What have I left out of this experiment that should be part of the experiment?) Why is this an
observational lab and not a “traditional” experiment? You will need to know this information.
Answers:
Look it up! Do some research! Use your book and on-line resources. This is research, so get the
information that you need. Ask a gardener…This could be fun! How is an observational lab different?
Extra Credit:
Propagate your Begonia. Come in with a well rooted, growing vegetatively propagated offspring from
your plant. (How did you do this? You will have to look this up, too.)
ASSIGNMENT #2: LETTER OF INTRODUCTION Due Fri. June 27
Welcome to AP Biology!
We are going to spend a lot of time together next year, so it’s best if I get a head start on learning a bit
(or a bit more) about you. Also, we will use the Internet and Blackboard a lot next year so let’s get use to
communicating via e-mail.
Your first digital assignment is to successfully send me an e-mail. Due date: June 21
a. Use clearly written, full sentences. Do not abbreviate words like you are texting or tweeting 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 approaching future! Be creative with this assignment!
b. Send it to me at: (memorize this address!) ebriggs@mariemontschools.org
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 e-mail with a formal salutation, like “Hello Mrs. Briggs,” or “Dear Mrs. Briggs,”
e. Now introduce yourself (your name) and tell me a little bit about yourself…such as:
• What do you like to do (hobbies, sports, music, interests, etc.)?
• Do you have a job?
• Tell me about you and your family (Mom? Dad? Guardian? Siblings? Pets?) Are other
members of your family “science geeks”, too (I hope so!)? What influences have your family
experiences had on your thoughts about your future career?
• Was there anything that you liked about your earlier biology class? What other courses do
you like?
• Why are you really taking this class? (because you love biology, just for the credit/status,
because your friend is??? Think about your true motivation for being here…because it’s not
an easy credit to earn!!!)
• What was the last book you read for fun?
• What are you looking forward to the most in AP Biology?
• What are you most anxious about in AP Biology?
• Tout your strengths as a student:
•
•
How biology is used in your life; and the qualities that you bring to this class.
“My goal is to achieve a grade of ________ for this class. And a score of __ on the AP exam”
How does AP Biology fit into your future plans?
What else do you think I need to know about you?
f. End the e-mail with a formal closing: “Cordially”, “Sincerely”, “Warm regards”, etc. and add your
name as if you signed a letter.
ASSIGNMENT #3: SUMMER READING 1 Due July 18
Time to figure out what Biology is all about and how it fits in our world. Read Theodosius Dobzhansky
http://people.delphiforums.com/lordorman/light.htm (1900-1975) "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense
Except in the Light of Evolution" and respond to this reading. Let me know what you think. Evolution is
THE unifying theme throughout biology and will help you make sense of why organisms are the way they
are.
SUMMER READING 2: Chemistry Chapters Due 1st week of school
Read the Chemistry Chapters 2-5. These are textbook readings (it may be slow going). Do not take short
cuts…do not rely only on the chapter summaries…get use to actually reading the textbook! We will have
a smattering of “popular science” writings from a variety of authors during the year to introduce you to
other ways of looking at science. Yes, there are people who love science so much that they spend their
time researching and writing books about it…and there are people who love science even more, such
that they spend their time reading these science books. You too may become one of these people. But
we will save these for times during the year when you are so sick of learning the science that you need
to be reminded of why you love biology!
SUMMER READING 3: Evolution Chapters Due 2nd week of school
I will be gentle with you this summer and merely ask you to read Evolution Chapters 22-25 from this
unit. Reflect back on these chapters as we progress through the year.
ASSIGNMENT #4: BIOLOGY VOCABULARY ***(1st Quiz on day 1)***
Study the first 40 terms from your vocabulary list (see attached list).
ASSIGNMENT #5: Welcome Back PLANT SHOW and TELL
Bring in your begonia. If it is dead, bring it in as well! You are going to write a lab about this begonia so
make sure you have all of your data so that you can write an observational lab. This is something like
growing a garden and seeing what you get. However, you will have recorded some data measuring your
plant. Look up observational labs on line. This is the first step of the lab, and since you need to be a
scientist, this may be the hardest part of the project.
OKAY…that is it! I’m guessing these activities will keep you somewhat intellectually active this summer.
Have fun, get some rest, play outside and come back ready to learn in August. See you then 