A.P. Biology Mentoring Cadre

updated March 19, 2008

 
News from College Board: If you have submitted an approved syllabus, you can access the AP Audit site and download a complete AP Bio exam, one that your students can't access. I've checked out . It's a great practice tool you can use. Go to the AP Course Audit website.

We're now in the "home stretch!" I have a few more chapters to do, then begin my test review. (See the schedule in my Study Guide.)

Good luck!

The first meeting of the A.P. Biology Mentoring Cadre, under the auspices of the College Board, and sponsored by the State of Delaware Department of Education took place on Saturday, October 27, 2007. Six present and future A.P. Biology teaches were in attendance in Phil Vavala's biology lab at Salesianum School.

Participants were given Materials from the College Board A.P. Bio Exam Resources and Program Information, a special focus booklet on Evolution and Change, Phil's A.P. Biology Study Guide that he uses with his own classes, as well as a CD with Phil's PowerPoints and other materials. The CD also included Excel spreadsheets for the A.P. Bio labs; updates for these spreadsheets can be found at the link in the left column below.

Our second (morning) and third (afternoon) meetings were held on Saturday, January 5, 2008. We started the morning session with a discussion of Evolution as the pivotal theme in modern biology, and spent some time on the sometimes controversial issues associated with evolution education today. We followed up with work on AP labs, including alternative strategies. The afternoon session was devoted to studying the AP Biology exams, particularly on the grading of the free response questions from the 2007 exam.

To contact:
  • Phil Vavala by e-mail or telephone (302) 654-2495, VM 213
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Return to Mr. Phil Vavala's Home Page
 
 
 

Phil Vavala's
A.P. Bio Page
(aka Phil's Syllabus...)
 
 


 
For teachers only:

Lab Spreadsheets 
 
 
Download a cover sheet for lab write-ups


 
Get information   on the University of Delaware's
Summer
A.P. Biology Institute

 

Some cool pages on the WWW...
 
 

(under construction...)







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Tentative Schedules

Day
Scheduled Time
Topics
Saturday
October 27, 2007
  


  8:30     Workshop

10:00     Break

10:15     Workshop

12:00     Lunch

12:30     Workshop

  2:00     Break

  2:15     Workshop

  3:30     Adjourn......  
              Keep in touch!
              Collaborate!
  •   Introductions, Agenda, Details
  •   Purpose of A.P., Equity
  •   Syllabus, Audit, Time
    •   Management, "Triage"
  •   The Exam – Multiple Choice
  •   The Exam – Free Response
  •   Best Practices, including…
  •   Several Lab Investigations
  •   Several Sample Lessons
  •   "Cheap" lab alternatives
  •   Schedule future meetings
  •   Wrap-up, Evaluation
Post-Conference
"Homework":
  • Read booklet on evolution
  • Think of items for the agendae for the January conferences
  • Email or call Phil if you have any questions on anything in A.P. Biology
Saturday
January 5, 2008
Morning Session		  
  8:30     Workshop
 
10:00     Break

10:15     Workshop

11:30     Lunch

  •   Agenda, Details for the morning session
  •   Best Practices, including…
  •   Lab Investigations (will be based on
    •   feedback received from the participants)
  •   Sample Lessons (will be based on
    •   feedback received from the participants)
  •   More lab alternatives and ideas
  •   Wrap-up, Evaluation
Saturday
January 5, 2008
Afternoon Session		  
 12:00     Workshop

   1:30     Break

   1:45     Workshop

   3:00     Adjourn......  
              Keep in touch!
              Collaborate!
             
  •   Agenda, Details for the afternoon session
  •   The Exam – Multiple Choice
  •   The Exam – Free Response
  •   Sharing of Best Practices
  •   Future planning
  •   Wrap-up, Evaluation

Post-conference
Keep in touch with Phil and other A.P. teachers. Go to conferences. Collaborate!

As issues and questions arise, please forward them to Phil Vavala. He will post answers here, and will alert the entire group when new postings occur.

See if you can attend an A.P. Biology Summer Institute session. Information here.


If you have any questions or comments for Mr. Vavala, telephone (302) 654-2495, VoiceMail 213, or...send an e-mail.