AP BIOLOGY SUMMER ASSIGNMENT 2015
Hi everyone and welcome to AP Bio! I am pleased that you have decided to take on the
challenge of AP Biology. I am excited that so many students have such a strong interest in biology that
you are willing to dedicate the time and effort that it takes to master the material at the college level.
The AP Biology curriculum was completely redesigned over the past few years to focus more on the
ability of the students to think and act as scientists rather than memorizing facts. Traditional
“cookbook” labs have been replaced with inquiry based labs. These labs allow you to come up with
your own questions, design an experiment to test those ideas, and analyze your findings. I look
forward to an exciting year!
I had some of you in class before but for those of you who don’t know, my name is Ms. Hoey
and I have been teaching biology since 1996! We are going to be spending a lot of time together next
year so it’s best if we get to know each other a bit in advance. Like I said I’ve been teaching biology
for a long time and I’ve been in Saugus for 12 years. I grew up in Danvers and graduated from the
University of Miami (Florida) in 1995. I love my job and I will do my best to help you succeed and I
hope you will put in your best effort this year!
AP BIOLOGY SUMMER ASSIGNMENT: PART 1

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
o You will need a 1-1 ½“ binder with pockets
o Student Lab Notebook with Spiral Binding

Life Science (Hayden McNeil)

Can be purchased on Amazon

Search Life Sciences Student Lab Notebook: 70 Carbonless
Duplicate Sets on Amazon. It’s about $19.

Must have for the first day of school!
o AP Biology review book in line with the new curriculum
AP BIOLOGY SUMMER ASSIGNMENT: PART 2
Your next assignment is to write a letter of introduction and email it to me by July 15th at
khoey@saugus.k12.ma.us. Please use Microsoft Word!
Draft your letter following these rules:
a. Use clearly written full sentences. Don’t write to me like you are on AIM or Facebook with
a friend. Use spell check! Consider this to be a professional letter.
b. Make the subject of your email: AP BIO: Introduction to (put your name here)
c. Begin the email with a formal salutation, like Dear Ms. Hoey.
d. Include at least 3 paragraphs including the following topics:

Introduce me to you and your family

Tell me about your in school and outside school activities
 What do you like to do? (hobbies, sports, music, interests, etc)
 How are you involved in your school community? (sports, clubs, etc)
 Do you have a job? What do you do?
 What do you want to do after high school?

Tell me about why you chose to take AP Biology.
 Is there anything in AP Bio that you are looking forward to? Anything you
are anxious about?
 Does it relate to you future plans in terms of college/career?

What book did you choose to read and why?
e. End the letter with a formal closing (sincerely, cordially, etc) and add your name as if you
signed a letter.
If you are on twitter, please follow me for important updates and announcements during the school
year @MsHoeySHS. We can also set up Remind accounts to communicate as well.
AP BIOLOGY SUMMER ASSIGNMENT: PART 3
You will be responsible for the information in Chapters 1-4. This is a review of some basic biology and
chemistry concepts. This is a college course so you are free to learn the information in any way that
suits your learning style. You are welcome to make outlines, take notes, write down important
vocabulary terms, or complete the activities that will be posted on Mastering Biology.
During the first week of school, we will discuss these chapters and review any problems or questions
you encounter. You can access the book online with the following information: Go to
www.pearsonschool.com/access, and follow the simple steps for registering with the student access
code: SSNAST-SUNUP-SKELF-TURVY-COLZA-LUTES.
As you complete your registration for website access, click JOIN A CLASS from the Confirmation &
Summary (last) page of registration. When prompted, enter the class ID (MBHOEY2015) and confirm
the instructor name and class information is correct and click Next. From the Confirmation &
Summary page, click Enter Class Now to immediately access the class. After joining the class, you will
receive a class enrollment confirmation email containing your login name and password.
During the second week of school you will have a unit test on the summer work. Tentatively
scheduled for September 15th or 16th (long block day).
AP BIOLOGY SUMMER ASSIGNMENT: PART 4
Read one book from the list provided. Research them and choose a book that INTERESTS you as it will
make the reading much more pleasurable. If nothing interests you, then AP Biology may not be the
best course for you to take.
You will write a 3-6 page report for the book that you read. You paper will generalize the factual
information and give your opinions regarding the material that you found useful, interesting, or
controversial. I strongly recommend taking notes by chapter! Do not procrastinate. Start your good
study habits for AP Biology during the summer. You will notify me of your choice as part of
assignment #2.
This may help narrow your focus:

Summary of the story (1-2 pages)
o Summary of major events (reference events with chapter and/or page numbers)

Reflections about the book (1-2 pages)
o Interesting, thought provoking quotes (reference by page number).
o How did the events of the book make you feel?
o What did the events of the book make you think about?

Major scientific concepts covered (1-2 pages)
o How the events relate to the field of biology?
o What new information did you learn regarding biology (or science in general)?
AP BIOLOGY SUMMER ASSIGNMENT: PART 5 (JUNIORS ONLY)
The root of biology is the concept of evolution by natural selection. What a better way to learn about
Darwin’s concept than to walk in his shoes?? Visit http://www.explorica.com/Hoey-2093 to view the
Galapagos Islands trip taking place during February vacation 2016! Don’t miss this unique adventure,
sign up today!
AP BIOLOGY SUMMER READING BOOK LIST
1. In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall
Goodall’s story of her work with chimpanzees
2. Cry of the Kalahari by Mark James Owens and Cordelia Dykes Owens
Autobiographical book detailing two young American zoologists, Mark and Delia Owens
experience studying wildlife in the Kalahari Desert in the mid-1970s.
3. The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner
A book about the finches of the Galapagos Islands and evolution.
4. Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5 Billion Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin
Find out how a 375 million year old fossil provides a link between fish and land dwelling
creatures.
5. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Doctors took her cells without asking. Those cells never died. After twenty years, her kids found
out and their lives would never be the same.
6. The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story by Richard Preston
A frightening story of an Ebola outbreak.
7. Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities by Amy
Stewart
An A to Z of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate, and otherwise offend.
8. Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon’s Army and Other Diabolical Insects by Amy
Stewart
The most terrifying and titillating stores of bugs gone wild.
9. Bombardier Beetles and Fever Trees: A Close-up Look at Chemical Warfare and Signals in Animals
and Plants by William C Agosta
A book with excellent explanations of the use of chemicals in living organisms.
10. Cheating Monkeys and Citizen Bees: The Nature of Cooperation in Animals and Humans by Lee
Alan Dugatkin
An explanation of why animals help each other
11. E. coli 0157: The True Story of a Mother’s Battle with a Killer Microbe by Mary Heersink
A mother writes about the bacterial infection that nearly killer her son after he ingested
improperly cooked hamburger meat on a scout trip.
12. Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox
A very personal look at a brilliant scientist who never got the credit she deserved for her X-ray
crystallographs of DNA that helped Watson and Crick solve the mystery of the double helix.
13. Stalking Justice by Paul Mones
Mones chronicles the first time DNA fingerprinting evidence was used in the US to convict a serial
murderer.
14. The Silent Sky: The Incredible Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon by Allan Eckert
Eckert delivers a novel wrapped around a man’s role of the extinction of the passenger pigeon.
15. Darwin’s Ghost by Steve Jones
Wonderful and easy to read updated version of Origin of Species using Darwin’s exact table of
contents but replacing the 1800’s examples with modern ones.
16. Into Thin Air: A Personalized Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
Krakauer was part of the ill-fated Mount Everest expedition that resulted in nine deaths.
17. Coming of Age with Elephants: A Memoir by Joyce Poole
The story of elephants, their habitat, and how humans endanger them.
18. The Double Helix by James Watson
Watson's account of the events that led to the discovery of DNA structure.
19. The Sixth Extinction: Biodiversity and Its Survival by Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin.
There is uncertainty about the causes of the first five mass extinctions, but man is the culprit of
the present sixth mass extinction of species.
20. Zoo Story by Thomas French
21. Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo by Vanessa Woods
No more than 3 individuals can read each book. As I receive your choices, I will update the list on a
Google doc that can be viewed by all. Please check the list! Make sure you get your choice before you
buy a book. (I will send a link to the document to your email address).
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e9f1or6J5bG5rwL_HFAS_rDTlWVPolIu3GH8J5LKhKw/edit?us
p=sharing
FYI: If you cannot find the book at your local or school library, you can order a copy from Borders,
Barnes and Noble, and/or Amazon.com (probably the cheapest). (Or I might have it).