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What would you add to Apologia's Biology to consider it an AP course?


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You're talking about two different things.

 

Your student can sit for the AP exam without any definite coursework.

 

Calling the course AP on the transcript requires an act of congress, er, the College Board :) Here's more information.

 

FWIW, my dd sat for the chemistry and English language AP exams a few weeks ago. Her transcript won't say Advanced placement chemistry - I may call it Honors Chemistry or something like that - but her transcript *will* have her AP test scores. Clear as mud? ;)

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I'm pulling transcript info as I type and wonder what, if anything, those of you who have used Apologia have added to it to prepare your student for the AP exam.

 

Thanks, y'all. :)

 

We did not use Apologia, but my son did take the AP Bio Exam in '08. We used the big Campbell Bio text.

 

May I recommend that you download course information from the College Board, then examine several online syllabi for courses that have passed the AP audit. Your library may have several prep books on their shelf, otherwise you can buy one from your favorite book seller. Additionally you will need the lab manual for the twelve recommended AP Biology labs. Your home classroom may not have all of the equipment to perform these labs (haven't encountered electrophoresis equipment in anyone's kitchen yet!) but websites like Lab Bench will help you work through virtual versions of those labs for which you lack materials.

 

There is great breadth to the material covered on the exam. In some ways, it is all quite overwhelming. With the aforementioned materials in front of you (course description from the CB, sample syllabi, lab outlines), you can determine a plan of attack and perhaps see the gaps which may be in your selected curriculum. It may be to your advantage to choose an alternate text, one of the recommended books on the College Board list. Your gaps may be fewer.

 

Best,

Jane

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Some PDF links to help from the DIVE science folks ~

 

I don't think most would consider Apologia as AP material (and we use it). And yes, to put AP on the transcript, you must get it approved in advance by the College Board. However, here is a link I'm using to bump up the Apologia Chemistry this year to an AP type course (which I will call honors) and some information to adapt Biology as well that may be helpful ~ one using internet resources and one combines the Apologia Anatamony and Physiology to the couse: (this is from the DIVE folks)

 

http://www.diveintomath.com/clipart/3027AuWn.pdf

 

Or

 

http://www.diveintomath.com/clipart/525AuWn.pdf

Edited by debbiec
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You've offered enough to keep me busy for a while. :) I can see that I have my work cut out for me, but I am looking forward to tackling this project. I think. :)

 

Nevertheless, thank you for taking the time to post your many detailed responses. I will use them all as I take the next step on this, my last leg of the journey.

 

Kindest regards,

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Also, in my experience, AP bio is a ginormous step up from Apologia biology (and we use and like Apologia ;)). Ds1 took AP bio after completing Apologia bio and chemistry. I expected an indepth bio class; I was surprised by the chemistry required as well as the sheer amount of time it took ds to complete it each week. IMO, you can't really make Apologia into an AP bio class. You need another college-level text altogether (or additionally at least) and resources for the 12 labs. If my other dc end up doing AP bio, I'll definitely have them complete Apologia bio and chemistry first.

 

HTH,

Lisa

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I teach the Apologia's Advanced Biology (anatomy and physiology) in our homeschooling co-op. I gave the following testimonial to my students. Some wanted to take the AP exam and others wanted to take the CLEP exam. To date, one of my student's took the AP exam after following the instructions below. She felt that Apologia's Biology and Advanced Biology along with covering the evolutionary chapters & population biology in Campbell's book (see below) thoroughly helped her prepare for this exam. She felt very comfortable with the questions on the AP exam.

 

Here is the testimonial:

 

To take the AP Biology exam and do well on it after using both

Apologia Biology books, you would need to supplement in the areas of

evolution, population biology, and a few other topics. I would

recommend getting a copy of Campbell's Biology -- cheap on eBay and

reading the chapters that aren't covered by Apologia. I would also

highly recommend doing a virtual lab experience such as Biology Labs

Online. Be aware that if you want the teacher's edition, you are

probably going to have to keep asking "may I speak to your supervisor"

at Pearson until you get someone with a brain - not easy. It's very

useful.

 

Also, you need to remind your child that the AP readers just want to

know do they understand the theory of evolution. This is not the time

to share your worldview or try to convince someone, but merely

state... "according to evolutionary theory..." An awful lot of the

essay questions focus on evolution.

 

This is what we did and my son made a 5.

 

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In addition to following the college board suggestions, my son had to write 6 position papers and his teacher really beefed up the evolution material (they used Bob Jones.) He had to read portions of Darwin's The Voyage of the Beagle, and a number of articles by Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould.

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