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Mrs. Ferguson

Biology is all around...


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Words of Wisdom

The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them."
--William Bragg

81days until
AP Biology Exam 2012

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all text and images by Lee Ferguson, copyright 2011-12, unless otherwise noted.

education is power
"Education is Power"
This is a sculpture carved from a tree damaged during Hurricane Ike.  Galveston Island, July 2011

Visitors Welcome!

For Parents

Welcome to our course site! I hope that it is an informative and helpful resource for both you and your student as they begin their studies in advanced biology.
 
You will probably notice that this year, your student may be watching an increased number of video podcasts and spending a lot of time with something called BILL.  In our AP Biology course, students keep an interactive learning log (also known as BILL), where they document their learning.  This document is a continued work in progress and will result in a homemade study guide for the course by year's end.  It is important that your student keep up with their BILL on a daily basis, since this learning log is the physical representation of their processing of course concepts.
 
Additionally, students will be spending time outside of class watching short video podcasts about each chapter in their textbook.  This allows for the students to generate questions about the course content, bring those questions to class the following period and allows the teacher to mediate a discussion where student questions are answered and further refined.  Students also have the opportunity to practice questions related to course content while the teacher mentors their learning.  This particular model of instruction is known as "flipping" and has its basis in research.  For a brief introduction to "flipping the classroom," check out this infographic.


You are your child's first and most important teacher, and even though your student is a high schooler on the brink of adulthood, your expertise as teacher at home is still needed. To help your student achieve their maximum success in AP Biology, your support at home is critical. Below are some tips that I share with parents each year that have aided my students in the past.
  • Ask your student what they learned in class today. Starting a conversation about what they learned in class is often the best indicator of what's going on at school!
  • Encourage your student to study and keep up with the reading.
  • Encourage your student to attend tutorials if you see that they are struggling with a concept or assignment.
  • Keep up with your student's grades on assignments by checking Skyward.  Be sure that the email address registered with the system is current so that you can receive notifications regarding your student's grades.
  • Keep an open line of communication with your student and with your student's teacher. The best (and preferred) way to reach me is via email, as I check it frequently during the school day and can get you a rapid reply.
  • Encourage your student to get an adequate amount of sleep each night...this is crucial to their success not just in this class but in ALL their classes! A well-rested student is a happier, better prepared student!
  • If your student is enrolled in AP Biology, encourage your student to buy (or buy it for them) the AP Biology Cliffs Notes Study Guide...it is an invaluable study resource!
  • Encourage your student to form study groups with other kids in their class.
  • At home, provide your student an environment conducive to study.
  • Make sure your student attends class each day.
  • If your student is absent, encourage them to come in and complete their makeup work in a timely manner.
  • Make sure your student has this site bookmarked so they have ready access to it while studying.
  • Finally, there is a weekly update that you can subscribe to via email that will keep you informed about events that take place in class each week.  If you are interested, the link to that page can be found at left under "For Parents." 
If you have questions about your child's progress, or want to know more about a particular unit of study or have any other concerns, please feel free to send me an email. I will respond within 24 hours of your message's receipt.

I hope that your student's experience in my class is a positive one!

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