Description:
This practicum is designed to support a student who is independently studying or enrolled in an ongoing AP Biology course. This course will facilitate a deep understanding of AP Biology themes through additional lab work and hands-on extension activities that follow the AP Biology "Big Ideas" of Evolution (changes in genetic makeup, common ancestry, changing environment); Energy (growth, reproduction, feedback mechanisms); Information (heritable information, genetic expression); and Systems (interactions, competition, cooperation). Tangible application of these concepts will be modelled through labs coming from this Instructor's Anatomy & Physiology course and Dissection Lab program, prior experience teaching AP Biology, and more. Students will write frequent lab reports to assess their understanding of the AP concepts and to practice the technical writing skills needed for the AP Free Response Questions.
Prerequisites: Co-requisite: enrollment in an AP Biology course or plan to independently study for the AP Biology exam. In addition, AP Biology students might want to co-register for the Compass Dissection Labs for additional, hands-on laboratory experience.
Workload: Students should expect to spend 3-5 hours per week outside of class.
Assignments: All assignments will be posted on password-protected Canvas classroom management site. There, students access assignments, upload homework, take automated quizzes and tests, track grades, and message instructor and classmates. Students will write lab reports and have AP-style multiple choice and free response questions as homework throughout the year.
Assessments: Full-length AP-style mid-term and final exams will be given to provide practice sitting for the full-length AP exam.
Textbook/Materials: Students should purchase Barron's AP Biology Premium (ISBN-13: 978-1438011721)
Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $145 is due payable to the instructor on the first day of class. The fee for the College Board's AP Biology exam in May 2022 is not included; each family is responsible for scheduling and paying for their student's AP exam.
What to Bring: Students should bring a paper or a notebook, pen or pencil, and a set of colored pencils to class each week.
What to Wear: Students should not wear any loose, drapey clothing to lab. They should also come to class with long hair tied back and should wear closed toe shoes.
