Biology (for experienced teachers)

Whether a teacher is just beginning to teach an AP Biology course or has taught the course for years, there will be something for everyone at the Southern California Advanced Placement Summer Institute in 2012.

This comprehensive course will provide information and experiences on how to teach both the classroom and laboratory components of an AP Biology course. Activities to support an understanding of the revised structure and design of the AP Biology Framework will be a major part of this summer institute. There will be instruction on how to prepare an Audit based on the new curriculum framework. Teachers will be introduced to the new laboratory investigations that will be in the revised AP Biology Student Laboratory Manual. In addition, activities and strategies to support inquiry-based learning will be presented along with how to incorporate these inquiry activities into the coursework. Participants will learn how to organize the course in order to have time to present the material to the students as well as to conduct the laboratory investigations.

The nature of the AP Biology Exam and the importance of the grading process will be presented. A review and discussion of the standards for the four free response questions from the 2012 Exam will also be included. Teachers will learn methods to better prepare their students for writing the answers to the free response portion of the AP Exam. The new format for the 2013 AP Biology Exam will be presented.

The Biology APSI will provide participants the opportunity to:

• Understand the course and exam changes, which includes reviewing the course and exam description; developing familiarity with the curriculum framework; and sample exam items.
• Plan for the audit by examining sample syllabi and beginning to create their own original syllabus.
• Be introduced to Instructional Design and how to create summative and formative assessments.
• Investigate Inquiry-based teaching practices, including how inquiry looks in the daily classroom experience, as well as how to incorporate inquiry-based labs into the classroom.
• Review the new Lab Manual: A Review of AP Biology Investigative Labs: An Inquiry-Based Approach and experience some of the labs included in the manual.