D’Iberville High School
AP Biology Summer Assignment
Part One:
1. Write a personal reflection essay that will include:
a. past biology and chemistry grades, teachers, interest in those classes,
impressions of content.
b. Why you want to take AP Biology, what motivated you to sign up, what
you expect to get from the class, how the information in the class might
benefit you.
c. An honest assessment of your current learning skills, your strengths, your
approach to homework, your attitude about exams, your attendance
pattern, your own integrity and how you feel about honesty of other
students.
d. Your current lab skills with equipment, how you handle lab reports, and
your ability to analyze lab data (be specific as possible, use examples)
e. Describe your academic expectations, and your family’s expectations for
you in this AP class.
f. How many AP’s you are planning to take for the 2013-2014 school year?
What are your career or college dreams? Is success in AP Bio a part of
those plans?
g. Limit your remarks to 3 pages and put this in your portfolio (in personal
essay section)
Part Two:
Gather information on two typical AP Bio topics. Yes, you can go to the internet, books
and other students for information about these two topics. Bring your ideas and notes to
class for a simulated AP essay question. You will be asked to look over your notes one
last time, and then write a sample essay answer in class. This is a simulation. I will give
you 20 minutes for writing your essay.
This is not a research paper. Your essay will be used as a sample so you can grade
yourself and others with an AP Biology style rubric. You will staple your notes or outline
information to the essay when done. You will not get to use your information during the
actual writing of the tow essay.
These are the two essay topics:
1. Describe the following five major groups of compounds that compose the human
body. Include their function in your essay, by focus on how their chemical
structure promotes a human cell and a human body to function.
a. carbohydrates b. lipids c. proteins d. nucleotides e. steroids/hormones
2. The unique properties (characteristics) of water that make life possible on Earth.
Select three properties of water and:
a. for each property, identify and define the property and explain it in terms
of the physical/chemical nature of water
b. for each property, describe one example of how the property affects the
functioning of living organisms.
Part Three:
Make flashcards concerning organic chemicals. As you make these cards, think about
each of their relationships to biology. For example: what are organic chemicals? How do
molecules interact to create life processes? What are the five most important elements for
biological life?
Make sure that the name of the chemical, descriptions, and the facts, are written on the
lined side of the flashcard; and the chemical structure and name is drawn on the blank
side of the card. You will be quizzed randomly on these flashcards, so you need to know
all of them, or else be very lucky.
There are approximately 50 molecules you need to make into flash cards.
Methyl
Primary protein structure
Hydroxyl
Secondary protein structure
Carboxyl
Tertiary protein structure
Amino
Quaternary protein structure
Aldehyde
Hemoglobin
Ketone
Deoxyribose
Phosphate
Nucleotide
Methane
Adenine
Ethane
Guanine
Butane
Thymine
Glyceraldehyde
Cytosine
Ribose
Uracil
Alpha Glucose
Polypeptide
Maltose
Beta Glucose
Sucrose
Ribulose
Amylose
Alpha Fructose
Amylopectin
Beta Fructose
Cellulose
Chitin
Glycerol
Fatty Acid
Fat Molecule
Cholesterol
Testosterone
General Formula for any amino acid.
4 specific amino acids (from list of 20 amino acids) of your choice.