Dear Homeschooling Families,

       

I am offering an AP Biology Course by Zoom that will meet on Mondays & Wednesdays at 1:45 to 3PM EST from Sept 9, 2024 - April 30, 2025. I am a former Scientist with work experience in biotechnology, pharmacology, NIH research and teaching at Montgomery College. I am also a Homeschooling Mom. 

 

AP Biology differs from regular high school Biology, in that it covers the content of a college Biology course and requires the ‘application’ of new knowledge rather than the memorization of it. We will take one academic year to cover what colleges teach in one semester. The course will follow the exact outlines for course content published by the College Board, who designs the AP Biology Exam. 

 

Students wanting to take the AP Exam, need to register locally to take it at an approved testing site. Depending on your student’s test score and the college they will be attending in the future, the AP test can exempt them from taking a Biology class in college. The advantage of taking AP classes is the experience of taking a college level course, a more competitive HS transcript, saving time in your college career, and having more instruction time to understand the basic concepts of Biology. 

 

It is recommended that students have taken a lower level biology, chemistry or algebra course first, if not they need to be a strong student. Upon request, I will share review materials ahead of the class start date to help your student prepare. Students should plan to dedicate 1.5 hours a day or 6-8 hours/week, of independent study, to do well in this course.

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We will use Campbell’s Biology in Focus text, approved by the College Board for use in AP Biology Test preparation. There is an online component to this text as well as its virtual textbook option. Students are expected to use the online components to submit their answers to chapter homework questions. Labs, lab reports, Kahoot quizzes, tests and presentations will also be part of this course.

 

For each course topic, students will be assigned reading to do before the class discussion on that topic. Classes are conducted in a socratic teaching style, meaning the course content is often elucidated from the students through dynamic class discussions with the instructor. Throughout the course, students will practice the skills of data interpretation, deductive and inductive reasoning, critical analysis and both oral and written communication. These skills will ensure students earn a higher score on the AP test and their development of a stronger intellect.

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Feel free to call or email me with any questions.

  

Warm Regards,

   

Michele Forsythe, PhD

240-535-4263