Welcome+2013

= Welcome to A.P. Biology 2013! =

Mrs. McLoughlin Rm. C324 Sandwich High School jmcloughlin@sandwich k12.ma.us  August 31, 2013

Dear A.P. Students and Parents,

Welcome back! I hope you are excited to start the new school year. Congratulations on your decision to challenge yourself to pursue the study of biology at the college level. I hope that A.P. Biology will be a memorable and fun part of your high school experience.

The A.P. biology course includes seven major units: biochemistry, cells and cell processes, energy, genetics and molecular genetics, evolution, homeostasis, and ecology. The course follows the College Board Curriculum and is the equivalent of an introductory course for students majoring in biology. This year is the second year in which the revised curriculum is in place. It should be an exciting year as we refine the new approach which emphasizes the understanding of concepts over the memorization of details, as well as a more inquiry based approach to labs. We will be emphasizing a real world approach to science process including the maintenance of lab notebooks and a collaborative approach to conducting and publishing work. While the course will be challenging, students will be provided with the necessary skills to do well on the A.P. exam and to succeed in more advanced college courses.

Please review the course expectations carefully together. As former students will agree, if you give the course your best effort, you will succeed! Students will receive progress reports upon completion of each unit, so they will receive frequent feed-back regarding their progress.

Please feel free to contact me via email at any point if you have questions or concerns.

I look forward to a wonderful year!

Sincerely,