Mr. N's AP Biology

Class News:

Click here for the Summer Assignment Article.

Welcome!

AP Biology is designed to meet the requirements of the typical introductory college-level course in life science. Upon completing AP Biology and taking the AP exam the student may be eligible for college credit, and as a result, move into more advanced areas of scientific study in college. Additionally, AP Biology will help a student who is considering a major other than science in their academic careers. For instance, most colleges and universities require that students take at least one laboratory course, regardless of their major. A student who does well in AP Biology and the associated AP exam may have fulfilled this requirement while in high school. Consequently, they may take more courses related to their major while in college.

AP Biology must be taught with the rigor of a college-level course. Colleges and universities must be reassured that credit given for a course taught in high school is the equivalent of that same course taught at their institution. It is for this reason that AP Biology differs significantly from the science courses that have already been taken. Furthermore, there are major time constraints of the academic year. We must address some topics that will appear on the AP exam quickly or sometimes not at all. It is imperative that students complete this work at home, outside of class. Students must be prepared to spend a significant amount of study time learning material not addressed directly in class.

We understand that it is often difficult for a student to make the transition in their academic approach to a college-level way of thinking. We are here to make certain the transition is as smooth as possible. Our goal is to ensure a seamless shift from the high school mind set to a college-level mind set. Knowing some of the strategies of successful students in the past may help in this paradigm shift before entering on the first day of class. Our students at the end of every year are asked this question, ‘What advice would you give students to be successful next year in AP Biology?’ The following is a list of responses from the students themselves:

• Take ownership and responsibility for your own learning.
• Don’t get hung up on just grades, focus on the learning.
• Meet the demands of a fast paced, rigorous curriculum
• Communicate between you and the teacher about your progress.
• Do the independent work that is assigned even if it is not covered in class.
• Assume responsibility for your successes and your failures.
• Go to the extra help sessions, they work!
• Study, study, study before quizzes and tests.
• You must keep up with the reading.
• Don’t ‘blow off’ the 4 th quarter projects after the AP test
• If you are absent, make up the work quickly or you will get behind.
• Meet the deadlines for all labs and projects.
• Don’t miss class if you can.
• Use the Power Point handouts as a guide and not as a substitute for note taking.