AP Biology
Vocabulary Notebook Guidelines
You will be creating a Vocabulary Review Notebook for AP Biology. You can choose either a spiral
notebook or a 3-ring binder.
1.
Decorate the cover of your notebook. Include your name, the course (AP Biology), the
school year, and at least one picture / drawing/illustration relating to the course! Please
make this legible.
2. On page 1 label it Table of Contents
3. On page 2 insert this instruction page.
4.
On page 3 insert the handout titled, “Big Ideas.”
5. Create a page for each of the “Big Ideas.” (These will be pages 4-7). Include in this the
“Big Idea,” a “one word” description of the “Big Idea,” and some key things that will be
studied under that “Big Idea.” You can be creative. Create concept maps, draw pictures or
illustrations to help. Use the “Appendix to the Curriculum Framework: AP Biology Concepts
at a Glance” to help you.
6. On pages 8 and 9 insert the page titled, “Biology Prefixes and Suffixes – The Language of
Science (2 pages). Complete these pages as directed.
7. Title the next page (page 10), Animal Behavior (Ch. 51), decorate the page and list the terms
to be defined (if not already given to you in a handout).

For each term do the “3 E’s”:
o
Explain the meaning (define the word)
o
Elaborate on the meaning of the term
o
Provide an Example of the term (in words first). Pictures may be
included and are highly recommended to help with the understanding of
the term.

The vocabulary term should be in a different color than the response. For
example if the vocabulary term is written in blue ink, the response should be in
black ink or pencil. The color choice is not what is important, but the contrast
between the colors. Please do not use light/fluorescent yellow or pink. These
are difficult to read.

Example: Fixed Action Pattern
Explain: a sequence of unlearned acts directly linked to a simple stimulus.
Elaborate: This behavior is usually in response to a sign stimulus, a type of
externa,environmental stimuli. These patterns are unchangeable and usually carried
to completion.
o
o
o
Example: A male stickleback fish attacks other male sticklebacks that invade its nesting
territory. The red belly of the intruding male acts as the sign stimulus that releases the
aggressive behavior.