About Us ...

Welcome to the Class Blog and clearinghouse for student blogs for the AP Biology course at Ridge High School!

Who we are?

We are THE BEST comprehensive public high school in NJ (no really, we are!). The students enrolled in this course are juniors and seniors who have shown a high level of interest and aptitude in the sciences. Many of them want to be a part of the scientific field for their careers, and most will take the AP Exam to get credit for college. My name is Jennifer Kaltenbach, and I have the pleasure of teaching these approximately 85 students for the next 10 months.

Why Blog in School?

Studies have shown that when students "own" the material, by maintaining their own blogs, the quality and character of their writing improves greatly. It is my hope that by asking students to use an individual blog to comment on articles and videos, think more deeply about a class discussion, or in general continue the conversation outside of class, they will not only become better biologists, but better thinkers and better students. By the end of the year each student will have their own "Blog Portfolio" of the major topics and areas of their own interest. This will hopefully make selecting a Final Project much easier, as students can peruse their portfolios to generate ideas.

Commenting

All comments should follow the Rules and Guidelines put forth on the Rules and Guidelines page. All of your blog posts are ASSIGNMENTS and should be treated as such. Spelling and grammar count, as do appropriate language. Please see rules page for details.