AP Bio 1

Basic Introduction Entering students should have A or B in Honors Biology and Honors Chemistry Equivalent of a two-semester college introductory biology course Curriculum is now based more on application rather than memorization Goal: Provide students with practical, inquiry-based skills

Teachers overwhelmingly feel that the revised AP Biology course has the right balance of breadth and depth Q1300/Q1545 AP Biology Teachers (n=475) Old Course Revised Course 20

Reduction in Content Breadth and Increase in Depth New approach: Essential content + skills + inquiry New structure: 4 Big Ideas, 17 Enduring Understandings New transparency into exam: Learning Objectives, Formula List, Usage of Calculators Breadth reduced in four ways: 1.Factual recall reduced for exam 2.Teacher choice of illustrative examples 3.Explicit exclusion statements in Curriculum Framework 4.Specific content reductions

Structure of the AP biology curriculum framework supports and furthers conceptual knowledge Big Ideas Enduring Understandings Essential Knowledge Science Practices: Science Inquiry & Reasoning Learning Objectives

Curriculum Framework: Big Ideas The unifying concepts or Big Ideas increase coherence both within and across disciplines. A total of Four Big Ideas: The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life. B I G I D E A 1 Living systems retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life processes. B I G I D E A 3 Biological systems interact, and these interactions possess complex properties. B I G I D E A 4 Biological systems utilize energy and molecular building blocks to grow, reproduce, and maintain homeostasis. B I G I D E A 2

Science Practice 1.4 The student can use representations and models to solve problems qualitatively and quantitatively. Learning Objective 1.6 The student is able to use data from mathematical models based on the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium to analyze genetic drift and effects of selection in the evolution of specific populations. Essential Knowledge 1.A.3 Genetic drift is a non-selective process occurring in small populations Learning Objectives provide transparency and boundaries for what content and science practices will be assessed 1. Factual recall reduced for exam 11

2. Teacher choice of illustrative examples Rather than trying to cover all topics, teachers have flexibility to focus on one specific example for in-depth study

3. Explicit exclusion statements in CF

4. Specific content reductions 14

AP Investigations (Labs)

AP Biology Investigative Labs: An Inquiry- Based Approach

AP Biology: Exam Updates

Organization of the New AP Biology Exam

Sample Multiple Choice Question

Sample Grid-In Question TastersNon-Tasters

Sample Single-Part Question In a short paragraph, describe how this figure justifies the claim that the role of tRNA is to carry amino acids that are then transferred from the tRNA to growing polypeptide chains.

Sample Multi-Part Question

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