1. Information and summer assignment meeting.

2. Why you want to be in AP Biology? You could receive 8 college credits depending on your AP exam grade, college you attend, and major. Get used to college level work so that you are prepared for the real deal next year. Looks great on your college applications. Counts as super honors in calculating GPA. A=6.0 GPA.

3. The AP Biology Commitment Complete all the summer assignments with a minimum grade of C. Show up every day on time. It looks like we will have 2 sections of AP Biology. Period 1 (all days) and period 2(Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays).

4. The Summer Assignment You must complete all assignments to stay in the class. You must get a C or higher to stay in the class. 25% of 1 st Marking Period Grade Online homework 45%. Reading guides 45% Evolution essays 10%. YOU WILL AN EVOLUTION TEST WHEN YOU RETURN TO SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER.

5. Email: abernstein@cliffsidepark.edu Put your name for the subject of your email. I will respond to your emails within 24 hours. I will be on vacation from July 19 – August 2nd but will still respond to emails and will be able to access the book website.

6. Mastering Biology Website The Mastery Biology website is where a vast majority of the summer assignment will be done. You should have received an email from product.support@pearsoned.com with your username and password for Mastering Biology. product.support@pearsoned.com Please login ASAP and send me an email confirming that you have access to the website.

7. Mastering Biology Website If you click on assignments, you will see the assignments that are available and their due dates. The website also gives you access to an eText and a study area. If you go to my website, there are links for apps for Ipad and Android for the eText. For those who have Ipads or Android tablets, I need you to hold off on receiving your textbook until September. As of now, we are short textbooks. This will be taken care of by the end of the summer. I will give you the old version of the textbook and the chapters you need to read as part of the summer assignment. MyLab / Mastering Mobile Dashboard – allows you to check due dates for online assignments and grades. Check my website for links for iphone/android.

8. For each chapter you must: Read it. Complete the homework assignments for each chapter. They are all multiple choice questions. You get 2 attempts at each question. If you use a hint, you lose 10% credit. If you get the question wrong the first time, you will lose 50% credit for that question. Once you complete the assignment, you will not be able to access it again until after the due date. Complete the reading guides for each chapter. Use turnitin.com to submit completed reading guides.

9. Online test due dates: All assignments must be completed by midnight of the day due. Chapter 1Sunday, July 5 Chapter 19Sunday, July 12 Chapter 20Sunday, July 19 Chapter 21Sunday, July 26 Chapter 22Sunday, August 2 Chapter 23Sunday, August 9 Chapter 2Tuesday, September 8

10. Evolution Essays You must also complete 2 of 4 evolution essays and submit them using turnitin.com. They are due on Sunday, August 31. You will not see originality reports. Our class code is 10078245 Password biology

11. Very Important My email is abernstein@cliffsidepark.edu. I will respond to your emails within 24 hours. I will be on vacation from July 18 until August 1 st but will still respond to emails.

12. Big Ideas in Biology. A set of BIG IDEAS connects the concepts of biology Biology is the science most connected to the humanities and social sciences Underlying ideas provide a framework for understanding biology

13. BIG IDEA 1: The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life. Change in the genetic makeup of a population over time is evolution. Organisms are linked by lines of descent from common ancestry. Life continues to evolve within a changing environment. The origin of living systems is explained by natural processes.

14. BIG IDEA 2: Biological systems utilize energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain homeostasis. Growth, reproduction, and maintaining organization of living systems require energy and matter. Growth, reproduction, and homeostasis require that cells create and maintain internal environments that are different from their external environments. Organisms use feedback mechanisms to regulate growth and maintain homeostasis. Growth and homeostasis of a biological system are influenced by changes in the system’s environment. Many biological processes involved in growth, reproduction, and homeostasis include temporal aspects.

15. BIG IDEA 3: Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life processes. Heritable information provides for continuity of life. Expression of genetic information involves cellular and molecular mechanisms. Transfer of genetic information may produce variation. Cells communicate by generating, transmitting, and receiving chemical signals. Transmission of non-heritable information results in changes within and between biological systems.

16. BIG IDEA 4: Biological systems interact, and these interactions possess complex properties. Interactions within biological systems lead to complex properties. Competition and cooperation are important aspects of biological systems. Variation within biological systems affects interactions with the environment.