Name _____________________________ AP Biology 2014-2015
Welcome to Mr. Ewald’s “Summer of Biology” 2014
This is an evolving creation!
Unless otherwise noted this assignment is a collection of
materials from the following teachers and/or sites: Kim Foglia, Jean Becker, summer AP workshop, and
College Board.
Is it summer yet…are we free yet? NO! Like all great things (summer, a good book, a swim, a new
iPod…) work must be done in order to have success! Success is earned! Therefore, we must have an
AP Biology Summer Assignment!
Biology cannot be learned only from a book or a lab exercise! Go outside and learn biology from the
organisms around you. Use the first step to the scientific method…. what is that you say….you will need
to tell me on your first day back!
This assignment is not meant to torture you (I promise! I am not trying to make your life difficult during
the summer!), it is meant to get you to think, increase your curiosity, network, research, and study. With
these ideas in mind these assignments have been designed (and adapted) for six purposes:
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Assignment #
1
2
to get you to think during those summer months to keep your mind sharp, because I will expect a
lot out of it!
to expand your vocabulary by familiarizing you with terms and root words that we will be using in
class.
to introduce you to major concepts from AP Biology through non-classroom methods of learning.
To have you earn several strong grades to help you begin the first quarter with confidence.
to decrease the amount of new material that you will have to learn during the school year.
to see if you follow directions and meet deadlines
Due Date*
The first Friday back in
school 
Monday June 23
3 Part I
Monday July 28
3
(all parts
including I)
Friday August 8
Assignment
Adopt a plant – (20 points)
Send your e-mail “Letter of Introduction” to Mr. Ewald’s
Email: matthew.ewald@campbell.kyschools.us – (20 points)
#3 – only part I is due today If you need help email me and I will help, don’t
wait.
#3 Biological Collection – Final/formal Copy sent by email
*During the school year and summer, for AP Biology, I use my school email account which is
matthew.ewald@campbell.kyschools.us. I will be working hard myself and attending an AP workshop during the
summer, so if you need help email me! Because of this commitment, I will not have a lot of free time this summer
to meet personally with you during the day if you need major help. However, I am very willing to help in the
evening’s just email me! If you need help on small items, we can do this via email. If you are in the habit of
keeping your phone/email on at all hours, please tell me this in your email. I have been known to email answers at
very late/early hours, I don’t want to wake you up to tell you the answer!  Communication is critical for our
success this year. I can’t help you, if you don’t tell me you are struggling! If you find these assignments stressful,
communicate! I will help, and we can set up time to meet at school if necessary. Please, don’t wait until the last
minute. Look ahead and meet deadlines on time or even early.
“Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.”
-
Henry Ford
ASSIGNMENT 1
ADOPT A PLANT
(20 Points)
Meet your new responsibilities:
Coleus:
Begonia:
(pictures from wikipedia, prudue ed., and how stuff works)
My Objective:
To get you to experience that plants are living, breathing, growing, and responsive creatures.
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 parents, grandparents, or little sibling’s assignment. Specifically:…
Coleus: A prize for the biggest, bushiest Coleus. You don’t want this plant to
bloom!
Begonia: A prize for the biggest, bushiest, blooming Begonia. You do want this
plant to bloom a lot!
Questions:
How do I take care of a Coleus or Begonia? How do I transplant a Coleus or Begonia? How
do I stop my Coleus from 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? (yes keep a brief journal of your adventure
with your summer adopted plant).
Answers:
Look it up! Do some research! Have fun… yes it can be fun!
Extra Credit:
Propagate your Coleus and Begonia. Come in with a vegetatively propagated offspring from your plants,
including the written procedure you used for this process.
ASSIGNMENT 2
LETTER OF INTRODUCTION
(20 points)
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 about you.
Also, we will use the Internet and the Web a lot next year for this course, so let’s get you used to communicating
with me via e-mail. If you do not have web access or email, don’t worry. We will build a network for anyone
without internet access and the library will serve as your place for research.
Your first digital assignment is to successfully send me an e-mail. Due date: Monday June 23, 2014 (or earlier).
Draft an e-mail to me following these rules:
a. Use clearly written, full sentences. Do not abbreviate words like you sending text messages 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. Use font Times New Roman 12
c. Address it to me at: matthew.ewald@campbell.kyschools.us
d. Make the Subject: “2014-2015 AP Bio: Introduction to <Insert Your Name Here>”
(Do not include the quote marks or the brackets, just the words)
e. Begin the e-mail with a formal salutation, like “Mr. Ewald,” or “Dear Mr. Ewald,”
f.
Now introduce yourself (your name) and tell me a little bit about yourself, like:
 What grade are you going to be in this coming school year?
 What science courses have you taken?
 What math classes have you taken?
 Have you had Anatomy/are you going to take it this year?
 What do you like to do (hobbies, sports, music, interests, etc.)?
 Do you have a job?
 Tell me a little bit about your family (Mom? Dad? Guardian? Siblings? Pets?)
 What did you like about your earlier biology class?
 What didn’t you like about your earlier biology class?
 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?
 What are your plans for your Junior/Senior year?
 What are your plans for your future outside of high school? How can I help?
 How can I contact you? What is your email?
g. End the e-mail with a formal closing: “Cordially”, “Sincerely”, “Warm regards”, etc. and add your name
as if you signed a letter. Yes I expect complete sentences and not how you would text your friends. Make
it fun!
ASSIGNMENT #3
BIOLOGY COLLECTION
For this part of your summer assignment, you will be familiarizing yourself with science terms that we will
be using at different points throughout the year. The list of items/terms is on a separate page.
PART I
DEFINING THE ITEMS (100 pts)
A. Each term must be defined/explained and turned in individually (see teamwork below). These terms
do not have to be memorized by the start of school. However, the more you learn the easier the school
year will become. Having an extensive working vocabulary is critical to AP Biology! Terms should be in
your own words, do not simply copy them/cut and paste them. I understand that there are a lot of terms,
but if you work on them piece by piece, it should not be hard. Remember that this is meant to make your
life a lot easier when school starts back up!
Part II COLLECTING THE SPECIMENS (80 pts)
A. EACH ITEM IS WORTH 2 POINTS (so you are “collecting 40 items”):
 I strongly suggest that you email 6 or 7 finished items each week. Simply create them in a
word document and then attach them to an email to me. Be sure to put a title in the subject line
i.e. (your name) assignment 3 part II first email. This is a fun assignment if you don’t try to do
it all in one day! Again, this can be a really FUN assignment if you approach it that way!
 Points are earned by “collecting” 40 items from the list of items/terms.
 When I say “collect”, I mean you should collect that item by finding it and taking a
photograph (digital or paper printed) of that item. You will post your photographs with appropriate
explanations / descriptions/ definition (yes you will need to define it again – separate from
part I) on an email to me. Please create a word document to be attached to the email (don’t just
paste your information into the email), this will make it easier for me to compile the “master student
list”. *If you do not have a digital camera, email me immediately so that we can find a solution that will
work for you. If you have a problem with using a word document, then PowerPoint works well also.
B. YOU CAN BE CREATIVE:
If you choose an item that is internal to a plant or animal, like the term “phloem”, you could submit a
photograph of the whole organism or a close up of one part, and then explain what phloem is and
specifically where phloem is in your specimen.
C. ORIGINAL PHOTOS ONLY:
You cannot use an image from any publication or the Web. Lots are on the Web, You must have taken
the photograph yourself. The best way to prove the photo is yours is to place an item in all of your
photographs. This can be something that you might usually have on you like a pen, a key, your cell
phone, etc. I would like it to be unique to you and I would like to see the item in the fall.
4. NATURAL ITEMS ONLY:
All items must be from something that you have found in nature. Take a walk around your yard,
neighborhood, and town. DON’T SPEND ANY MONEY! Research what the term means and in what
organisms it can be found and then go out and find an example. Remember – be careful not to touch
something that can hurt you or that is not familiar to you (i.e. poison ivy, pit bull, wasp etc…). Also,
remember we are studying Biology and therefore how things affect our natural world. Do not
collect/hurt/move from their habitat any organisms during this biological scavenger hunt. I do not
want the cute turtle you found or your parents/guardians calling because you have poison ivy! Also, your
neighbor will not be happy if you pick her roses!
5. TEAM WORK:
You may work with other students in the class to complete this project, in fact I encourage you to work
together. This is supposed to be educational and fun!
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each student must turn in his or her own project with a unique set of terms chosen. So
working with other students’ means brainstorming, discussing, going on collecting trips together.
You can even work as a team to define the items initially. This does not mean one person
looks up 30 items and the next looks up another 30 and combine lists! Remember AP is
about being an Honor student, it also means a student who has honor. I know this may seem old
fashioned, but it is a standard I expect. I have high expectations for you, copying work is
plagiarism and will not be tolerated/zero’s will be assigned (we will discuss in detail). It doesn’t
help any of us if you split up the terms. Splitting up the list doesn’t help with retention and
comprehension. After all the terms are in the glossary for the most part. If you never look at the
glossary it doesn’t help you… if you allow someone else to look up the items…it doesn’t help
you… if you give your list to someone, it doesn’t help them or our class! However, if you want to
work in pairs/groups one or more can look up the term, and one person can type the terms. As
long as collectively everyone is hearing the definition and discussing the item, I don’t mind the
team work. In fact we all will have to work as a team to succeed with this class.
Team work also doesn’t mean using the same items/terms for your final part II assignment!
There are over 130 items, so probability says there is a very slim chance that any two students
will have the same items chosen for their 80 points…and I believe in the statistics!
BIOLOGY COLLECTION ITEMS/TERMS FOR ASSIGNMENT 3
INDIVIDUAL ITEMS
actin
adaptation of a plant
adaptation of an animal
allele
altruistic behavior
amniotic egg
analogous structures
angiosperm
animal that has a segmented body
annelid
anther & filament of stamen
antheridium
archaebacteria
archegonia
arthropod
asexual reproduction
ATP
autotroph
apical meristem
auxin producing area of a plant
aves
basidiomycete
Batesian mimicry
bilateral symmetry
blastula
bryophyte
C3, C4 and CAM plants
Calvin cycle
cambium
carbohydrate – fibrous
cellulose
chitin
chlorophyta
chondrichthyes
chordate
cnidarian
coelomate
commensalism
conifer leaf
connective tissue
cuticle layer of a plant
deciduous leaf
detritivore
deuterostome
dicot plant with flower & leaf
diploid chromosome number
dominant vs recessive phenotype
echinoderm
ectotherm
endosperm
endotherm
enzyme
epithelial tissue
ethylene
eubacteria
eukaryote
exoskeleton
fermentation
flower ovary
frond
fruit – dry with seed
fruit – fleshy with seed
gamete
gametophyte
gastropod
gastrula
genetic variation within a population
genetically modified organism
genotype
gibberellins
glycogen
glucose
gymnosperm cone – male or female
gymnosperm leaf
haploid chromosome number
hermaphrodite
heterotroph
homeostasis
homologous structures
hybrid
hyphae
insect
introduced species
k strategist
keratin
Krebs cycle
lepidoptera
lichen
lignin
lipid used for energy storage
littoral zone organism
long-day plant
meristem
monocot plant with flower & leaf
Mullerian mimicry
muscle fiber – striated
mutualism
mycelium
mycorrhizae
myosin
nematode
niche
nymph stage of an insect
osteichthyes
parasitism
parenchyma cells
phloem
platyhelminthes
pollen
pollinator
population
porifera
predation
prokaryote
protostome
pteridophyte
r strategist
radial symmetry
redox reaction
rhizome
scale from animal with twochambered heart
seed dispersal (animal,wind, water)
spore
sporophyte
stem – herbaceous
stem – woody
stigma & style of carpel
stoma
succession
taxis
tendril of a plant
territorial behavior
thorn of a plant
tropism
unicellular organism
vascular plant tissue
vestigial structures
xerophyte
xylem