In AP Biology, students build the conceptual framework necessary to understand science as a process. The course is divided into three sections with correlating laboratory exercises: molecules and cells; heredity and evolution; and organisms and populations. Students will also explore evolution, energy transfer, continuity and change, the relationship of structure to function, regulation, interdependence in nature, and the balance of science, technology, and nature. The equivalent of an introductory college-level biology course, AP Biology prepares students for the AP Exam and for further study in health sciences.
Required Purchase: AP Biology Lab Manual For Students. The College Board, rev.2001, Prod. #991461
Optional Purchase: Biology. 7th ed,. Campbell and Reece, Benjamin/Cummings, c2005. ISBN: 080537146X,
Optional Lab Materials: Student can conduct either hands-on labs or dry labs. Hands-on labs require a lab supervisor, specified lab materials, and the lab manual. Dry labs require only the lab manual. To find a list of materials for the labs, go to http://support.apexlearning.com, choose the product you are using and click on Get Started, then click on Course and Lab Materials.
In AP Calculus AB, students learn to understand change geometrically and visually (by studying graphs of curves), analytically (by studying and working with mathematical formulas), numerically (by seeing patterns in sets of numbers), and verbally. Instead of simply getting the right answer, students learn to evaluate the soundness of proposed solutions and to apply mathematical reasoning to real-world models. Calculus helps scientists, engineers, and financial analysts understand the complex relationships behind real-world phenomena. The equivalent of an introductory college-level calculus course, AP Calculus AB prepares students for the AP Exam and further studies in science, engineering, and mathematics.
Required Purchase: TI-84 Plus, or TI-83 Plus Calculator. Read "Getting Started" and chapter 1 in the TI Guidebook before courses starts.
Optional Purchase: Calculus of a Single Variable. 2nd ed. Jeffery A. Cole, Michael Olinick, Dennis Pence, and Earl W. Swokowski. PWS, c1994. ISBN: 0534939244, .
Cracking the AP Calculus AB & BC Exams: 2004-2005. David S. Kahn. The Princeton Review, c2004. ISBN: 0375763813,
AP Chemistry builds students’ understanding of the nature and reactivity of matter. After studying the structure of atoms, molecules, and ions, students move on to solve quantitative chemical problems and explore how molecular structure relates to chemical and physical properties. Students will examine the molecular composition of common substances and learn to predictably transform them through chemical reactions. The equivalent of an introductory college-level chemistry course, AP Chemistry prepares students for the AP Exam and for further study in science, health sciences, or engineering.
Required Purchase: Inquiries into Chemistry, 3rd ed Michael R. Abraham and Michael J. Pavelich, c2003. Waveland Press, Inc. ISBN: 1577660617
Optional Purchase: Peterson's AP Chemistry. Brett Barker. Arco, Thomson Learning, c2004. ISBN: 0768918286
Chemistry & Chemical Reactivity, 6th Edition,. John C. Kotz and Paul Treichel, Jr. Brooks/Cole Thomson Learning, c2005 ISBN: 0534408001
Chemistry 7th Ed., Steven S. Zumdahl and Susan Zumdahl Houghton Mifflin Company, c2007. ISBN: 061852844X
Optional Lab Materials: Student can conduct either hands-on labs or dry labs. Hands-on labs require a lab supervisor, specified lab materials, and the lab manual. Dry labs require only the lab manual. To find a list of materials for the labs, go to http://support.apexlearning.com, choose the product you are using and click on Get Started, then click on Course and Lab Materials.
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
In AP English Language and Composition, students learn to understand and analyze complex styles of writing by reading works from a variety of authors. They’ll explore the richness of language, including syntax, imitation, word choice, and tone. They’ll also learn about their own composition style and process, starting with exploration, planning, and writing, and continuing through editing, peer review, rewriting, polishing, and applying what they learn to a breadth of academic, personal, and professional contexts. The equivalent of an introductory college-level survey class, this course prepares students for the AP Exam and for further study in communications, creative writing, journalism, literature, and composition.
Required Purchase: The Norton Reader. 11th ed. John C. Brereton, Joan E. Hartman, and Linda H. Peterson. W.W. Norton and Company , c2004. ISBN: 0393978877
Writing, A College handbook. 5th ed. James Heffernan, John E. Lincoln and Janet Atwill. W.W. Norton & Company, c2000. ISBN 039397426X
AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION
AP English Literature and Composition immerses students in novels, plays, poems, and short stories from various periods. Students will read and write daily, using a variety of multimedia and interactive activities, interpretive writing assignments, and class discussions to assess and improve their skills and knowledge. The course places special emphasis on reading comprehension, structural and critical analysis of written works, literary vocabulary, and recognizing and understanding literary devices. The equivalent of an introductory college-level survey class, this course prepares students for the AP Exam and for further study in creative writing, communications, journalism, literature, and composition.
Required purchase for both semesters: The Norton Anthology of Poetry. 5th ed. Ferguson, Salter et al, eds. W.W. Norton & Company, c2005. ISBN: 0393979202
The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. compact 7th ed. Ann Charters, ed. Bedford/St. Martins, c2007. ISBN: 0312442718
First Semester Required Purchase (other editions ok):
- Their Eyes Were Watching God. Zora eale Hurston. HarperCollins, c2006. ISBN: 0060838671
- Hedda Gabler. Henrik Ibsen. ISBN: 0486264696
- The Streetcar Named Desire. Tennessee Williams. ISBN: 0451167783
- Twelfth Night William Shakespeare. Mowat & Werstine, eds. Washington Sq. Press ISBN: 0743482778
Second Semester Required Purchase (other editions ok):
- The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Simon and Schuster, c1995. ISBN: 0684801523
- Annie John. Jamaica Kincaid. Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, C1997. ISBN: 0374525102
- Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte. Michael Mason. ed., Currer Bell, Preface. Penguin USAc1996 ISBN: 0142437204.
AP French Language students apply their French grammar and vocabulary knowledge and their listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills to a wide variety of real-world contexts. Students learn to speak fluently and accurately, write complicated compositions, and comprehend native speakers. The equivalent of a college-level language course, AP French Language prepares students for the AP Exam and for further study of French language, culture, and literature.
Required Purchase: Microphone/headset and speakers and any French-English, English-French Dictionary.
AP Macroeconomics students learn why and how the world economy can change from month to month, how to identify trends in our economy, and how to use those trends to develop performance measures and predictors of economic growth or decline. They’ll also examine how individuals, institutions, and influences affect people, and how those factors can impact everyone’s life through employment rates, government spending, inflation, taxes, and production. The equivalent of a 100-level college-level class, this course prepares students for the AP Exam and for further study in business, political science and history.
Optional Purchase: Macroeconomics for Today 4th Edition, Ed. Irvin B. Tucker, South-Western/Thomson Learning, c2005. ISBN: 0324301979
AP Microeconomics studies the behavior of individuals and businesses as they exchange goods and services in the marketplace. Students will learn why the same product costs different amounts at different stores, in different cities, at different times. They’ll also learn to spot patterns in economic behavior and how to use those patterns to explain buyer and seller behavior under various conditions. Microeconomics studies the economic way of thinking, understanding the nature and function of markets, the role of scarcity and competition, the influence of factors such as interest rates on business decisions, and the role of government in promoting a healthy economy. The equivalent of a 100-level college course, AP Microeconomics prepares students for the AP Exam and for further study in business, history, and political science.
Optional Purchase: Microeconomics for Today 4th Edition, ed. Irvin B. Tucker, South-Western/Thomson Learning, c2005. ISBN: 0324301928
AP Psychology provides an overview of current psychological research methods and theories. Students will explore the therapies used by professional counselors and clinical psychologists and examine the reasons for normal human reactions: how people learn and think, the process of human development and human aggression, altruism, intimacy, and self-reflection. They’ll study core psychological concepts, such as the brain and sense functions, and learn to gauge human reactions, gather information, and form meaningful syntheses. Along the way, students will also investigate relevant concepts like study skills and information retention. The equivalent of a 100-level college survey course, AP Psychology prepares students for the AP Exam and for further studies in psychology and life sciences.
Required Purchase: Psychology, 8th Edition. David G. Myers, Worth Publishing c2006 ISBN: 0716764288.
AP Spanish Language students practice perfecting their Spanish speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. They study vocabulary, grammar, and cultural aspects of the language, and then apply what they’ve learned in extensive written and spoken exercises. By the end of the course, students will have an expansive vocabulary and a solid, working knowledge of all verb forms and tenses. The equivalent of a college-level language course, AP Spanish Language prepares students for the AP Exam and for further study of Spanish language, culture, or literature.
Required Purchase: Microphone/headset and speakers and amy Spanish-English English-Spanish Dictionary
AP Statistics gives students hands-on experience collecting, analyzing, graphing, and interpreting real-world data. They will learn to effectively design and analyze research studies by reviewing and evaluating real research examples taken from daily life. The next time they hear the results from another poll or study, they will know whether the results are valid. As the art of drawing conclusions from imperfect data and the science of real world uncertainties, statistics plays an important role in many fields. The equivalent of an introductory college-level course, AP Statistics prepares students for the AP Exam and for further study in science, sociology, medicine, engineering, political science, geography, and business
Required Purchase: TI-84 Plus, TI-83, or TI-83 Plus calculator. Read Getting Started and Chapter 1 in the TI Guidebook before your course starts.
Optional Purchase: Barron's How to Prepare for the AP Statistics: Advanced Placemember Test in Statistics. 3rd ed. Martin Sternstien. Barron's. ISBN: 0764121936
Introducion to Probability & Statistics. 12th ed. William Mendenhall, Robert J. Beaver, and Barbara M. Beaver. Brooks/Cole Thompson Learning Incorportated. c2005 ISBN: 0534418708
AP U.S. Government and Politics studies the operations and structure of the U.S. government and the behavior of the electorate and politicians. Students will gain the analytic perspective necessary to critically evaluate political data, hypotheses, concepts, opinions, and processes. Along the way, they’ll learn how to gather data about political behavior and develop their own theoretical analysis of American politics. They’ll also build the skills they need to examine general propositions about government and politics, and to analyze the specific relationships between political, social, and economic institutions. The equivalent of an introductory college-level course, AP U.S. Government and Politics prepares students for the AP Exam and for further study in political science, law, education, business, and history.
Required Purchase: Lanahan Readings in the American Polity. 3rd ed. Ann G. Serow and Everett C. Ladd.Lanahan Publiching, c2003 ISBN: 1930398034
American Government, 9th Ed. Theodore J. Lowi, Benjamin Ginsberg and Kenneth A. Shepsle. W.W. Norton & Co. , 2006 ISBN: 0393927164
AP U.S. History analyzes and explores the economic, political, and social changes in America since Columbus. Students master historical knowledge and critical analysis, build reading, writing, and communication skills, and discover how historical events have contributed to American culture. In the process, they’ll learn how decisions and events of the past continue to have profound effects on the world today and how knowledge of the causes behind past events can influence future decisions. By the end of the course, students will be ready to put their factual knowledge to work by weighing evidence and interpreting problems presented by historians. The equivalent of an introductory college-level course, AP U.S. History prepares students for the AP Exam and for further study in history, political science, economics, sociology, and law.
Required Purchase: America, A Narrative History. 6th ed. George Tindall and David E. Shi. W.W. Norton & Co. c2003 ISBN: 0393978125