June 2013
Dear 2013-2014 AP Biology Student:
Welcome to AP Biology! Here you will find your summer assignments and some information on how class will be
run next year. This is a rigorous and challenging course, so learning will be a cooperative effort and you are
expected to do a lot of pre-class work at home. This course is designed to provide you with the scientific principles,
concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of living organisms and their
environment. You should plan to spend 5-10 hours each week outside of class on independent work. If throughout
the year there are any problems that develop, it is your responsibility to deal with them as quickly as possible.
What to expect next year
Our classroom will be “flipped”. This means that you will be responsible for completing assignments at home
before we discuss topics in class. These pre-class assignments will include reading scientific articles and chapters
of books, completing pre-lab questions, watching videos online, responding to questions posted on the class wiki,
blogging on the wiki, responding to posts written by your peers, or outlining a section of our textbook. Most preclass assignments should not take more than 30 minutes, and some will be even shorter than that. You will also
know what the assignments are in advance so you can better manage your time. You will need to ensure that you
have met the pre-class assignment before the class meets to discuss that topic.
We will utilize our class time to elaborate on the concepts learned and to clarify misconceptions. In our class, I will
expect you to demonstrate your knowledge on the topic. Content discussion is unavoidable, and you are expected
to interface with the content prior to coming to class. Following content discussion, we will move on to our other
tasks for the day. These tasks could be an activity, a lab, or a formative assessment of your pre-class assignment.
Whatever the task, you will be expected to do your best. You are also expected to self-reflect on your learning and
to let me know if you are struggling. I will do my best to help.
I will be creating and maintaining a wikispaces page to help you keep track of all assignments. You will also find
links to our pre-class assignments and the class blog. You will receive information on how to access this page once
you have completed the first part of your summer assignment (an introductory email from you to me). Send this
email by July 15th. An email response from me signifies a completed task one.
The Big Ideas
Everything we discuss this year will relate to the four big ideas:
1. The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life.
2. Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce, and to
maintain dynamic homeostasis.
3. Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life processes.
4. Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties.
The Exam
The AP Biology exam is designed to assess your ability to think like a scientist. You will be tested on course content,
but there will be situations and content on the exam that will not be specifically discussed in class prior to
appearing on the exam. This exam is different from any other exam you have taken. So how do we deal with this?
Keep up with the pre-class assignments throughout the year, study independently throughout the year, and let me
know the moment you fall behind so we can strategize on how to bring you back.
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Summer assignments*
*You must complete the first assignment in order to gain access to the others (with the exception of
reading Genome. Start that as soon as you acquire a copy of the book). Complete the first task (an email of
introduction) by July 15th. An email response from me signals that your first task is completed. If you do
not get a response from me within three days, it is your responsibility to try again or contact the guidance
department to get in touch with me. “I never got your email so I couldn’t complete the assignment” will not
be an acceptable excuse in September.
1. Successfully send an email of introduction
I want you to introduce yourself to me in an email, following this format:
A. Use clearly-written, full sentences. Do not abbreviate as if you are texting with a friend. This is a
professional communication from you to me and it needs to reflect that.
B. Make the subject AP BIOLOGY INTRO
C. Begin and end the email with formal salutations
D. Introduce yourself. This gives me a chance to get to know you a little bit before September. Tell me
why you are taking AP Biology, what you are looking forward to, if you have any anxiety about the
class, and what you are expecting. Tell me if you have a job, if you are taking other AP classes, and if
you play sports or belong to any clubs. You can include interests, such as books you read, shows you
watch, or music you listen to. Share anything you think I should know. We will be working together
very closely next year, and I am looking forward to getting to know you. Due July 15th.
E. Your email should be sent to me at megan.ohagan@wwrsd.org
2. Gain access/log in to my wikispaces page.
You will only be able to gain access using the information in my response to your introductory email.
You are responsible for checking this page continuously throughout the summer to make sure you have
completed all assignments that are expected of you by the due date.
3. Read Genome by Matthew Ridley, and complete the tasks outlined on my wikispaces page.
You will be responding to questions from each chapter. You will also choose your “favorite” gene and
write a short essay on this gene and why it is your “favorite”. There might also be blog posts you will
need to respond to. Internet access is required for this assignment.
4. Watch vodcasts and complete assignments on wikispaces.
You will find the links to the vodcasts and the assignments once you have gained access to the
wikispaces page.
SUMMER ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES WILL BE POSTED ON THE WIKISPACES PAGE.
EXPECT A FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT OF YOUR SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS
WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL.
Due dates for other assignments will begin by the second week of July.
As with any assignment, please do not wait until the last minute to do any of the tasks. It will cause you undue stress
and not give you a good start to the year.
I’m looking forward to our class! It will be a challenging year. It is my top priority to do everything I can to help you
be successful on the AP Biology exam. This class requires demands that go beyond a typical high school class. I will
make sure I provide you with the opportunity to understand, experience, and appreciate the field of biology.
Sincerely:
Mrs. O’Hagan
Megan.ohagan@wwrsd.org
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