Welcome to AP Biology!! 

My name is Paulette Smith-Haye and I will be your AP Biology teacher for the 25/26 academic year.

I am from the beautiful island of Jamaica, known for its Olympic sprinters and music. I, on the other hand, can neither run nor sing. After teaching in Jamaica for close to 10 years, I moved to Turkey in 2018, then to Egypt in 2021 before relocating to Jordan in 2024 with my husband Jude, who is an engineer on bulk carriers. 

Paulette looooves the beach (yet she can’t swim), She enjoys music, dancing, cooking and home decor. When not in the classroom you will most likely find her giving service above self through community outreach initiatives affiliated with Rotary, an international service organization. 

A foodie and an old soul with a passion for biology, I look forward to seeing you all in August. Until then, I have a few things for you to do to prepare you for the fall.

AP Biology is an introductory college level course with college level expectations for behavior attendance, participation and effort. This course is designed to help you develop a conceptual framework of modern biology, to gain a deeper appreciation of science as a process and to prepare you for the AP Biology Exam.

The AP Biology course and exam are organized around 4 underlying principles which are called the “Big Ideas”. 

You are responsible for knowing these Big Ideas and how they relate. 

▪ Big Idea 1 – The process of evolution drives diversity and the unity of life. 

▪ Big Idea 2 – Biological systems use 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 processes. 

▪ Big Idea 4 – Biological systems interact and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties.

As part of this AP Biology course, you will develop your understanding of biology through a combination of inquiry-based investigations and theory. The topics covered are divided into eight units as follows:

1. Chemistry of Life

2. Cell Structure and Function

3. Cellular Energetics

4. Cell Communication and Cell Cycle

5. Heredity

6. Gene Expression and Regulation

7. Natural Selection

8. Ecology

This course requires that 25 percent of the instructional time be devoted to hands-on laboratory work. As such, you will be spending a considerable amount of time taking part in experiments and demos, developing the following skills in the process:

• Designing experiments and procedures to test a prediction or theory

• Collecting and analyzing data

• Interpreting data to draw conclusions

• Developing and supporting a scientific claim with evidence

For more information about the AP Biology course, please refer to the Course and Exam Description (CED). You can also email me (psmith@acsamman.edu.jo) if you have questions/concerns. I can't promise that I will reply right away, but I will do my best!

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible!’’ —Audrey Hepburn

With that said, below you will find your task for the summer. The rationale behind this activity is to prepare you for Unit 1: Chemistry of Life while encouraging independent learning and time management. 

The completion of this assignment will also provide you with a strong foundation of knowledge and enhance information retention. 

Summer Assignment 2025