AP Biology – New AP Biology Teachers (Amy Cote and Franklin
Bell)
This course is designed for teachers who have zero to three/four years of
experience teaching AP Biology. During this week, participants will explore the
many components of AP Biology including the new curriculum framework, labs, and
exam. Emphasis will be placed on the inquiry lab approach and methods of teaching
a college level class. Additionally, participants will be given an opportunity to
become familiar with biotechnology techniques and the use of probe-ware and
computers in the classroom.
What participants should bring:
•The textbook you will be using next year
•Calculator
•Laptops (helpful, but not essential)
•OPTIONAL - Small video camera
Tentative daily agenda for AP Biology
Monday
Introductions
New Course Overview; Look at CF; Big Idea and EU jigsaw – posters
Learning Objective’s activity
Examine Science Practices
Look at Campbell Test Bank – are questions in or out of scope?
Set up Whole Plant Transpiration Lab
Photosynthesis leaf disc – traditional; brain storm questions and design an
experiment.
The new multiple choice test
Tuesday
Discuss MC Test
Discuss Inquiry & Exp’al Design – Herron’s Model
Discuss the reading – what we learned from this year
New Osmosis Lab & Phenolphthalein activity
Respiration lab with CO2 probes
Computer lab: 2 hours
1. BLAST Lab
2. Syllabus development
Begin transformation Lab
Discuss writing mc items
Wednesday
Take Grid In discuss how this changes how we teach
Bozeman – transformation & chi square lectures
Using rubrics –grading questions
Mitosis root tip squash lab
GFP Transformation Lab
New Behavior lab (flies) or Isopods
Thursday
How will our classroom look? What will we not change, what will we change?
Computer Modeling
1. HW Modeling
2. BLAST
3. NABT miniposters
Discussion of miniposters as alternative assessment – NABT miniposters
Equity & Access – Above & Beyond
Writing new multiple choice items with science practices
Collect brine shrimp data (day 3); discuss inquiry with this lab
Run Inquiry Labs:
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Diffusion
Respiration
Photosynthesis
Friday
Collect final transpiration data; debrief
Photosynthesis demo – find the LO’s to explain it with, is it in scope?
Presentations of Inquiry Labs
Evaluations