Somerville High School
AP Biology Summer Assignment 2014-15
Welcome to AP Biology! As you have heard already, this will be treated as a college course. Hence,
there will be a lot of work and reading that must be completed on your own. The summer
assignment below is required of all students taking AP Biology. PLEASE NOTE that there are several
assignments due BEFORE the first day of school. Make sure those assignments are submitted
correctly and ON TIME. This assignment was developed with four goals in mind:
1. To review a few basic chemistry and biology topics so that we can get into the content of the
course as soon as possible.
2. To evaluate your ability to gather information from a variety of sources and to present that
information in a coherent way.
3. To give you a sense of the pace and depth of AP biology.
4. To get you PUMPED for the class!
Have fun learning awesome science things and completing this assignment. I’ll see you in
September!
-Ms. Moore/Mrs. Valdes
Part I: Unifying Concepts (50 points)
DUE: Monday, August 25th
Using a variety of resources, complete each of the following questions. Each answer must be typed
and should be no more than 1.5-2 pages double spaced, size 12 fonts with 1-inch margin. See below
for a list of Internet resources. All assignments for this part must be either emailed as an
attachment or shared with me on Google at mvaldes@somervilleschools.org.
1. Water is essential for life on earth. Why?
Focus in on the role water plays in living things and the chemical properties of water that allow it
to perform as it does. You should be able to understand and write about polarity, surface tension
and specific heat.
2. DNA is the genetic information molecule. Describe the structure of DNA. Relate changes in DNA
to changes in genetic information and evolution.
Part II: Vocabulary Review (50 points)
DUE: First day of school
Use a variety of resources to explain or illustrate each of the following terms, ideas or structures.
Please be sure your explanation is complete and that you refer to both structure and function in
your answer. Be sure to use diagrams whenever possible but be sure you fully explain the diagram
used. All diagrams must be hand drawn and labeled. PUT ALL ANSWERS IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Do
NOT copy and paste from a website.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Emergent properties
Negative feedback
Prokaryotic cell
Electron shells
Valence electron
Polar covalent bond
Electronegativity
Hydrogen bond
Cohesion
Adhesion
Polar molecule
Kinetic energy
Evaporative cooling
Aqueous solution
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
Hydration shell
Hydrophilic
Hydrophobic
Colloid
Hydronium ion
Hydroxide ion
Organic chemistry
Hydrocarbons
Structural isomers
Geometric isomers
Enantiomers
Functional groups
Adenosine triphosphate
Condensation reaction
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
Dehydration reaction
Enzymes
Macromolecules
Monosaccharides
Disaccharide
Glycosidic linkage
Polysaccharides
Cellulose
Fatty acid
Triacylglycerol
Saturated fatty acid
Unsaturated fatty acid
Phospholipid
Steroids
43. Polypeptides
44. Amino acid
45. Peptide bond
46. Deoxyribonucleic acid
47. Ribonucleic acid
48. Polynucleotides
49. Pyrimidine
50. Purine
Part III: Quiz (50 points)
DUE: First day of school
I have shared a Google “Quiz” or Form with you on your school’s Google account. Sign in to access
and complete it. If you find any difficulty accessing or completing the quiz, please email me
immediately at mvaldes@somervilleschools.org. I will try to get back to you as soon as possible but
will be unavailable for most of August.
Part IV: Biology Current Event (50 points)
DUE: Monday, August 25th
You must collect a total of TWO articles relating to the living world. A valuable source is Tuesday’s
NY Times Science section. The articles can be of any length and you must supply a copy. A link to
an article is sufficient. All assignments for this part must be either emailed as an attachment or
shared with me on Google at mvaldes@somervilleschools.org. Once you have read and understood
the articles you must do the following: (no more than 1.5 pages in length, double spaced, size 12
font)
1. Summarize the article
2. Explain the significance of the article.
3. Detail how it impacts the living world and your life specifically.
Part V: Biology Photo Scavenger Hunt (100 points)
DUE: First day of school
This assignment should be a word document or Google doc with the pictures uploaded and
definitions and explanations typed. All “specimens” should be numbered in the order collected,
dated, and have the location specified by Town/City, State, Country. Below are the guidelines for
this portion of the assignment:
1. GRADING: Each item is worth 4 points. Earn 100 points by “collecting” 25 items from the list of
terms. When I say “collect”, I mean you should collect that item by finding it and taking a digital
photograph of that item for one (1) point. Then you must define and fully explain the term you
have “collected” for two (2) points and specify the date and location for one (1) point each.
2. 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.
3. ORIGINAL PHOTOS ONLY: You cannot use an image from any publication or the Web. You must
have taken the photograph yourself. The best way to prove that is original is to place an item in all
of your photographs that only you could have added each time, something that you might usually
have on you like a pen, jewelry, a coin, key, or your cell phone, etc. You must use the same item
in every picture to identify the photographs as your own work.
4. NATURAL ITEMS ONLY: All items must be from something that you have found in nature. Take a
walk around your yard, neighborhood, family vacation spot or town. DO NOT SPEND ANY MONEY!
Research what the term means and in what organisms it can be found... and then go out and find
an example.
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS MUST BE SCHOOL APPROPRIATE.
BIOLOGY COLLECTION TERMS: Below are the items you are to “collect”. An individual organism can
only be used once. Humans are acceptable for only one submission. You must take all photos
yourself; no Internet photos!
1. adaptation of an animal
2. adaptation of a plant
3. adaptive radiation
4. adhesion and cohesion
5. altruistic behavior
6. amniotic egg
7. analogous structures
8. animal that has a segmented body
9. anther & filament of stamen
10. aposematic coloring
11. artificial selection
12. asexual reproduction
13. ATP
14. autotroph
15. auxin producing area of a plant
16. basidiomycete
17. Batesian mimicry
18. bilateral symmetry
19. biological magnification
20. bottleneck effect
21. C3 plant
22. C4 plant
23. CAM plant
24. Calvin cycle
25. cambium
26. cellular respiration
27. cellulose
28. cephalization
29. chitin
30. coevolution
31. commensalism
32. connective tissue
33. cuticle layer of a plant
34. clade
35. coelomate
36. coleoptiles
37. countercurrent exchange
38. detritovore
39. deuterostome development
40. dominant vs. recessive phenotype
41. ectotherm
42. endosperm
43. endotherm
44. endergonic reaction
45. endosperm
46. epigenic inheritance
47. enzyme
48. epithelial tissue
49. ethylene
50. eubacteria
51. eukaryote
52. exoskeleton
53. fermentation
54. flower ovary
55. frond
56. gametophyte
57. genetic variation within a
population
58. genetically modified
organism
59. gibberellins
60. glycogen
61. gymnosperm cone – male or
female
62. gymnosperm leaf
63. histamine
64. hermaphrodite
65. heterotroph
66. homeostasis
67. homologous structures
68. hydrophilic
69. hydrophobic
70. introduced species
71. keystone species
72. Krebs cycle
73. K-strategist
74. lichen
75. lipid used for energy storage
76. littoral zone organism
77. long-day plant
78. mating behavior (be careful!)
79. meristem
80. modified leaf of a plant
81. modified root of a plant
82. modified stem of a plant
83. Mullerian mimicry
84. mutualism
85. mycelium
86. mycorrhizae
87. negative feedback
88. niche
89. parasitism
90. parenchyma cells
91. phloem
92. pollen
93. pollinator
94. population
95. predation
96. prokaryote
97. r-strategist
98. radial symmetry (animal)
99. redox reaction
100. rhizome
101. ruminant
102. sarcomere
103. seed dispersal (animal, wind,
water)
104. semelparity
105. sexual dimporphism
106. spore
107. sporophyte
108. stigma & style of carpel
109. succession
110. taxis
111. territorial behavior
112. tropism
113. turgor pressure
114. unicellular organism
115. vestigial structures
116. xylem
Suggested References:
www.kensbiorefs.com
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages
http://www.accessexcellence.org ( go to the graphics gallery section)
http://www.biology.arizona.edu
http://www.emc.maricopa.edu
http://web.mit.edu/esgbio/www/chapters.html
Any College level General Biology textbook or a scientific encyclopedia.
Contact Information:
I will be back in the school coaching cheerleading by August 25th. If you need me in person you can
come to the track, café or Aux gym. You can always contact me at mvaldes@somervilleschools.org
with any questions or concerns. Get pumped science friends! It’s going to be an awesome year!