AP Biology

Welcome to AP Biology

Welcome to AP Biology, 2025-2026!

You will find general information posted on this webpage. Most class resources will be shared through Google Classroom. I post assignments, announcements, slides, documents, and other needed items there. Be sure to join both Remind and Google Classroom. AP Biology is an amazing course! You will develop a deeper understanding of the concepts you learned in freshman biology and be able to make all kinds of connections between the concepts we learn and real-world applications. Science practices are a key component of the course, so we will be conducting investigations, analyzing data, modeling processes and engaging in scientific argumentation using evidence. I look forward to an amazing year!

Select the "+" in the upper right hand corner to join a class.

Class Code for 2025-2026: 2hiw2ppe

AP Biology Summer Assignment - All resources needed to familiarize yourself with the AP Biology curriculum and to review science practices, statistics and graphing will be posted in Google Classroom. These skills are all essential to success in AP Bio!

Please contact me if you have any questions: crystal.mcdowell@ccboe.net

I do check email and respond over the summer but I may be slower than normal because I am going to be out of the state and country a lot this summer.

During the school year, the best time of day to reach me is from 2:45 until 4:00 pm. Please know that I may be working with students after school, though, so I may respond later as well.

Please make sure you are enrolled in the class Remind. This should happen automatically at the beginning of the school year but please do not remove yourself or turn off notifications in Remind or Google Classroom. Students often message questions to me through Remind. That is a great way to reach me quicker.

Please review the course syllabus for additional information. The units of study are also provided on the syllabus.

Supplies Needed: 4 Function Scientific Calculator with Square Root (allowed on AP Bio Exam), 3-ring Binder, Dividers to Organize Notebook, Notebook Paper, Graph Paper, Colored Pencils, Highlighters, Note Cards, FRQ Notebook (Composition Notebook, preferably quad-ruled for graphing), an extra Composition Notebook for lab notes and other notes you wish to make, Pens (Exam Essays MUST be written in blue/black pen like on the AP Exam), Multi-colored pens and Pencils.

Please purchase a second 3-Ring binder to use as a Lab Portfolio. This binder can be kept at home until it is due but will be needed to organize all returned, graded labs and activities. College Board requires that we document your lab experience and some colleges may ask for that evidence to provide lab credit in addition to the lecture course.

The following donations are greatly appreciated: paper towels, disinfecting wipes, non-latex gloves, liquid chalk markers, Expo markers

Semester 1

Unit 1: Chemistry of Life (Intro to Science Practices and Statistics)

Unit 2: Cell Structure and Function

Unit 3: Cellular Energetics

Unit 4: Cell Communication and Cell Cycle

Unit 5: Heredity (Part 1 - if time or Review Units 1-4)

Semester 2

Unit 5: Heredity (Part 2)

Unit 6: Gene Expression and Regulation

Unit 7: Natural Selection

Unit 8: Ecology

Exam Review - After school this year due to very early exam date!

AP Biology Exam: May 4, 2026 (morning session)

Please keep in mind that the dates on the calendar are tentative. The best way to stay up-to-date is to read the agendas posted in Google Classroom. They are hyperlinked to many of the activities and labs we complete as well as to the notes for that unit.

The agendas are a great way to stay informed and on schedule!

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