AP BIOLOGY www.mrshdppchs.com Mhernandez@pinescharter.net

What I want for my child: To be motivated and challenged To learn, grow and be college ready To get an “A” in AP Biology To pass the AP Biology College Board exam Get college credit and save me $$ To have a good experience in AP Biology Overall, to have a good learning experience

Gain skills that will help with college success. AP BIOLOGY WHY TAKE AP? Earn College credit (up to 8 ) and AP credit in high school (boosts your GPA). Stand out in the college admission process by showing maturity, commitment and willingness to take rigorous courses. Gain skills that will help with college success. Broaden your intellectual horizon and be part of a group of students and educators committed to academic excellence

AP BIOLOGY Philosophical goals – prepare for college and beyond Students will learn to seek outside resources (e.g. internet based) to improve their understanding of concepts Students will acquire skills in independent study and self-discipline In college, most prerequisite science course grading is exam-based Students must learn to prepare without continuous monitoring by instructors Students will acquire skills in time management Last-minute preparation will not be enough to succeed in rigorous courses.

AP BIOLOGY Specific Purpose Designed as a first-year general Biology college course that includes laboratory work, with a year-end cumulative AP exam Present in-depth college level study of biology with an enriching and rigorous laboratory experience Develop an awareness of the complexity and diversity of life through scientific inquiry Be able to apply biological knowledge and critical thinking to environmental and social concerns Understand that unifying themes that integrate the major topics of biology; evolution accounting for both unity and diversity of life

COURSE REDESIGN This course is structured around the four big ideas: Big Idea 1: The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life. Big Idea 2: Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce and to maintain dynamic homeostasis. Big Idea 3: Living systems store, retrieve, transmit and respond to information essential to life. Big Idea 4: Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties.  

COURSE REDESIGN Educators are faced with the challenge of balancing breadth of content with depth of understanding given the speed at which scientific knowledge is expanding. Students will spend less time on factual recall and more time on essential concepts using more inquiry-based learning. Students will develop reasoning skills necessary to engage them in their science practices. https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/ap-biology

7 Science Practices The student can use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific problems The student can use mathematics appropriately The students can engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or guide investigations within the context of the AP course. The students can plan and implement data collection strategies appropriate to a particular scientific question. The student can perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence. The student can work with scientific explanations and theories. The student is able to connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts, and representations in and across domains.

EXAM May 14th 8a.m. Students are excused from their classes and may go home. 90 minutes multiple choice section 64 multiple choice questions and 6 grid-in response question (50% of exam) 90 minute free response (2 long and 6 short) Allowed to use a 4 function calculator with square root & supplied with a formula sheet AP Bio has become the most difficult exam to earn a 5 PASSING RATES 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 PPCHS 76 82 82 55 55 Global 63 64 62 61 63.8

AP BIOLOGY Pre-requisites Successful completion of 1st year Honors Biology Teacher recommendation Students enrolled in AP BIOLOGY do not have to take the BIOLOGY EOC

AP BIOLOGY Study requirements Review of material and homework will take 5-10 hours per week 4 after-school & online review session beginning in April (after Spring Break) from 2:05-2:50 Required to stay after school to complete ongoing labs Winter and spring break assignments GRADING Assessment 70% Course work 30% Students need to work independently on their assignments

BCPC POLICY 600.1 According to policy, students enrolled in AP courses MUST sit for the examination at the end of the school year. If a student fails to sit for the exam, he or she is responsible for paying for the exam ($91 for AP exams). GPA will also be adjusted to reflect 1.0 weight instead of 2.0 weight. The only viable reason for missing an examination would be a clearly documented case of illness or bereavement

Mock Exams and Review Students will take 1 mock exam during the 2nd quarter They will analyze their results using a diagnostic provided by College Board to determine areas of weakness. They should purchase 5 steps to a 5 AP BIOLOGY test prep workbook 2018 ed. To be used in class during review sessions in April and throughout the course. Resources include Mastering Biology, Khan academy, Bozeman videos and others listed on my website.

College Board https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/ap-biology https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/ap-biology/exam-practice

Science Club & SNHS competitions: Science Bowl, SECME, Week of the Ocean, Science Day , Ten 80 racing challenge S.T.E.M. lectures (need parent volunteers in a S.T.E.M. field) SNHS officer’s lectures Community service: Beach clean up at Hollywood beach Book Club : sci-fi book TBA School-wide recycling Visit our website:ppchssnhs.com

Volunteer Hours Certify your garden/backyard Follow the criteria and print the certificate to earn 8 hours. http://www.nwf.org/How-to-Help/Garden-for-Wildlife/Certify- Your-Wildlife-Garden.aspx Or Purchase Holt Biology 2012 (used). 20 hours given based on purchase price

Thank you for your support! mhernandez@pinescharter.net WISH LIST 2-3 pack Paper towels Color Copy paper Gloves Tissue boxes Hand sanitizer Clorox wipes (or other brand) Individually wrapped candy-great incentive for review

What can we do to improve learning? TIME MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENT WORKING MEMORY Awareness Thinking LONG-TERM MEMORY Facts Procedures Pay attention► get information into WM Practice/rehearse ►soon after information first enters WM - produces new brain connections in LTM Learn in small pieces ► 20 minutes/3 days is better than 1 hour/1day revisit over 2-3 weeks review over 3-4 months, REMEMBER FOR YEARS! Sleep► Your brain reviews and “codes” info into LTM during REM sleep (dream time)