John Jay High School
AP Biology

Summer 2013

Dear Future AP Biology Students:

Welcome to AP Biology! It is hard to imagine that the school year is coming to a close and it is time to think about the 2013-14 school year. We are looking forward to another great year of AP Biology with another fantastic group of students. As you may know, there are some changes to the AP Biology program for 2013-2014, and we are ready! AP Biology is a challenging but very rewarding course and we will have a great year together.

To get off to a good start, you will need to complete a summer assignment. The assignment is posted on the school website, and also posted in the resources section of the AP Biology home page on echalk. IF you registered for AP Biology after May 31 of 2013, please be sure to send an email so you can add you to the echalk AP Biology class—that will give you access to the AP Biology Resources. Contact Ms. Lipisnky at alipinsky@klschools.org if you have questions or need assistance.

Please bring the completed summer assignment with you on the first day of school. The assignment counts towards your first quarter grade (part of class participation grade), but we will discuss grading in detail when school starts. You can expect a quiz on the readings the assignment soon after school begins.

Have a great summer!
Sincerely,

Ms. Lipinsky
AP Biology Teacher

ps on the first day bring: completed summer assignment: annotated articles loose leaf binder composition note book pens/pencils AP Biology
Summer Assignment

Read and annotate the following articles and complete the free response questions that are associated with the article. You can access the articles by going to the resources section on the AP Biology home page, OR by using the links provided. Please note that to use the links you need to be logged into the library media center at JJHS. This work is due on the first day of school.

You will need to annotate the following 4 articles. Here are the directions for annotating:

1. Gather your supplies. Annotation requires the use of highlighters as well as pens and pencils. Utilize a small pencil case to store all your annotating supplies. Sticky bookmarks and post it notes are also helpful to have on hand, although they are not necessary.

2. Read the first paragraph in the article or assignment and pick out the main idea. What sentence effectively sums up what the passage is saying? Underline or highlight it. Do this for the entire page.

3. Read over the highlighted main ideas and write a short summary of them in the margins. Use a pencil or a pen, and turn the book sideways to get more margin space for taking notes.

4. Pick out other important ideas in the passage such as recurring words, phrases or themes. Identify important scientific/biological terms and define them in the margins. Circle the main word or phrase the page in that article discusses. This will help you identify what the main concepts are when skimming the passage for review for a test or exam.

5. Continue with the remaining assignment pages. You have just learned how to annotate!

Tips: • Use different pen colors or highlighters for specific purposes. • Box an important passage or underline with a wavy line to make another one stand out. • Study notes and underlined portions for test and exam preparation • Do not overburden the page with so many notes that is becomes difficult to read or study from. Pick out only main ideas.

Read and annotate the following articles. Use the links below, but you must be logged into the library web site to access the links. The pdfs/word documents are posted in the resources if you can’t get the links to work:

Tiny Plants That once Ruled the Seas http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v308/n6/pdf/scientificamerican0613-40.pdf Read and annotate this article. Describe evidence provided