AP Course:

AP BIOLOGY

CONSULTANT: Mark Little

Mark Little had been a science teacher at Broomfield High School in Colorado for 32 years and has taught AP Biology for over 18 years and retired at the end of 2018.  He has been very involved with the AP Biology re-design, including and not limited to field-testing some of the laboratory investigations and helping with the new CED.  Mark is currently a member of the AP Biology College Board Instructional Design Team. He has been an AP Reader and Table Leader for over fifteen years at the reading along with being an item writer for the exam. He saw a need and also started the AP Environmental Science program at his school for 9 years.  He also has taught Chemistry and Anatomy and Physiology. Mark received his BS degree from Colorado State University and his Masters from the University of Denver

Mark incorporates the new curriculum framework ideas in his workshop and his focus for his institutes is to help the AP Biology come alive for students.  Mark was a member of the first cohort of the BSCS/NABT AP Leadership Academy and he incorporates the information learned in his workshops and stays current using research-based, pedagogically sound instructional strategies.  He is National Board Certified and has been recognized for his teaching by receiving various awards, including the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for the state of Colorado in 2005.  He has worked for National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) and the Colorado Science Initiative, helping students and teachers prepare for AP science exams. He has been a College Board Consultant since 2014. Mark was President of the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) in 2013 and currently still very involved with NABT by holding a couple leadership roles including AP Section chair. I look forward to working to returning to Tucson remotely this summer and working with and learning from all the great teachers.

Course Description:

Day 1: Understanding AP Biology

• Understanding the AP Biology Curriculus

  • Course Framework, Unit Guides, Topic Pages

• Planning Your Course-Schedule Challenges

• Content and Skills:  Teaching for Understanding

• Science Practices: (Skills) Teaching for Transfer

• Scaffolding and Spiraling the Science Practices

• Investigations and Science Practices

• AI Discussion

  • Transpiration

  • Exploring Mendelian Genetics

  • Primary Productivity/Photosynthesis

  • Hardy Weinberg Modeling

  • Artificial Selection

Day 2: Planning and Teaching AP Biology 

• Equity and AP

• Instructional Approaches in AP Biology

• Notebook use and Grading Strategies

• Scaffolding and Spiraling Concepts in AP Biology

• Planning Your Course

• Science Practices

  • Statistics and Data Analysis

  • Visualizing Information

• Investigations

  • Enzyme Catalysis

  • Diffusion

  • BLAST

Day 3: Planning and Teaching AP Biology 

• Science Practices

  • Representing and Describing Data

  • Question and Method

  • Statistics and Data Analysis

  • Argumentation

• Investigation Reports (CER/CEJ…) Write Ups

• Investigations

  • Gel Electrophoresis-DNA Restriction Analysis

  • Transformation

• Planning Your Course

• Using Scientific Argumentation to Make Connections 

Day 4: Planning, Assessing Progress and Understanding 

• Science Practices

  • Concept Application

• Investigations

  • Cellular Respiration

  • Signal Transduction of Taste

  • Animal Behavior

• Assessments

  • AP Exam Structure

  • Formative vs Summative

  • Assessing Student Responses

• AP Course Audit and Curricular Requirements

• AP Teacher Community and Resources