AP Biology Workshop

1
AP Biology Workshop

• Experienced Teachers
• Rob Hamilton-consultant

2
Getting to Know You

• What is your Name?
• Where are you from?
• What is the state of the AP Biology Program at
  your school?
• Issue(s) or concerns you would like to discuss
  today.

3
Recent AP Exam Questions

• What is the theme that College Board is trying to
  send to us?
• How can we as teachers, improve our students
  scores?
• What should be the vital components of
  Experimental Design?

4
College Boards Components of Experimental Design

• Search the Literature
• State your hypothesis
• CB has been sending this message for years. Why
  are our students scores low?
• Manipulate one variable
• Make quantitative measurements
• Verify your results (incorporate replicates)
• Control the variables (uniform conditions)
• Statistically analyze the results
• Relate results to the hypothesis

5
Tested Lab Questions

• 2001 3 12 Dissolved Oxygen Productivity
• 2000 1 2 Enzyme Catalysis
• 1999 1 4 Plant Pigments and
  Photosynthesis
• 1998 1 1 Diffusion and Osmosis
• 1998 2 6 Molecular Biology
• 1997 4 78 Population and Organism
  Genetics
• 1997 3 11 Animal Behavior

6
Tested Lab Questions Cont.

• 1996 4 3 Mitosis and Meiosis
• 1995 4 6 Molecular Biology
• 1994 3 2 Enzyme Catalysis
• 1993 3 10 Physiology and Circulatory
  System
• 1992 1 1 Diffusion and Osmosis
• 1991 2 9 Transpiration
• 1990 1 5 Cell Respiration

7
What Is the Message?

• The lab portion of the course is important.
• Data indicates that students who do labs perform
  better on lab based questions.
• We are putting our students at risk if we dont
  do all the labs.

8
Resources and Hints for Labs

• Supplier and Supplies
• Diagram/take pictures of lab stations
• Dedicate equipment if possible

9
Lab 1 Osmosis Diffusion

• Reduce length of dialysis tubing (reduces waste)
  
• Tie tubes with dental floss. (Prevents leaking
  and doesnt absorb water.)
• Prep students with water potential handouts
• Reduce the number of trials for each lab group
  (Speeds up the Lab)
• Post class data (Allows students to catch
  errors)
• Use a wet test. (Allows students to apply
  concepts)

10
Labs 2 Enzyme Catalysis

• Prep students with toothpick simulation.
• Skip 360 second trial. Increase Catalase
  solution to 1000 units. 40 H2O2 converted to
  product in 10 second trial.
• Demonstrate Proper Titration Have Students
  Practice producing a Baseline
• Pair Student Roles Starter/Swirler Timer
  Stopper
• Do trials one at a time.

11
Lab 3 Mitosis Meiosis

• Lab 3 Prep students with pop bead demonstration.
• Use Crossing over in Sordaria worksheet
• Have students view Sordaria slides but get ideal
  data from handouts.

12
Labs 4 Photosynthesis

• Practice using spec 20 by preparing an action
  spectrum.
• DPIP 0.144g 100 ml H2O(stock)
• 35ml stock 465ml H2O(working conc.)
• Incubate all the tubes together.
• Have students design an experiment with different
  colored light.

13
Lab 5 Respiration

• Use corn that has been germinating 48-72 hours.
  (Some peas are cold adapted)
• Demonstrate respirometer construction
• Assign students to room or cold temperature
  groups.
• Have students design an experiment with seeds
  that have been germinating different lengths of
  time.

14
Labs 6 Molecular Biology

• Get DNA Science and attend a summer workshop.

15
Lab 7 Genetics of Organisms

• Use carbon dioxide tank to put flies out.
• Use handout to discuss Chi Square.
• Purdue will supply free flies is you attend their
  summer workshop

16
Lab 8 Population Genetics

• Prep students with many Hardy-Weinburg problems.
  
• Use squirrel sheet to differentiate between gene
  and genotypic frequencies.
• Use Data Tables that allow students to calculate
  P q each generation.

17
Labs 9-12

• Lab 9 Use Plant with a woody stem.
• Lab 10 Use automated blood cuffs. Use pencil
  tap method for determining heart rate of Daphnia.
• Lab 11 Use different Choice Chambers.
• Lab 12 Use Ankistrodesmus and Algae grow. Turn
  aquarium into dark bottle for minimum of 48
  hours. Use corrected nomograph

18
Low Tech Transformation
19
Maximizing Available Time

• Double Period
• Avoid block 8 or block 4
• 0 hour/period
• After school
• Saturdays
• Be Innovative/Please Share

20
Effective Teaching Strategies

• Never Lecture
• Use Prepared Notes/Study Guides
• Create/use conceptually rich models
• Avoid Factoidal Spew
• Emphasize Labs and Important Concepts (from Acorn
  book)
• The Textbook is Not the Curriculum

21
Ending the Program

• Morgan and Ramist Report
• Questions and Answers
• Picture
• Program Evaluation
• Thanks