Frog Dissection, Cow Eyes & Your Biology Students: Pumping Up Your CP Biology Course PRESENTATION/ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION Time: 10:30 am - 11:45 am; Presenter: Rose James, MAT Biology Teacher Academy of Personalized Learning PRESENTATION/ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION Time: 10:30 am - 11:45 am; Presenter: Rose James, MAT Biology Teacher Academy of Personalized Learning

A Little History… Our school was part of another charter school K-12 Independent study w/few learning center classes, computer lab, library and main office Demographics include homeschooled and at risk students Biology was IS, with a 1x mo. lab AB 1994 required us to close all facilities in Shasta County

Elementary teachers formed a co-op High school level classes were closed (with one clandestine exception) Community college was resource for a non-majors chemistry, but no realistic alternative for biology Shasta County staff split off and sheltered under SCOE for one year until our new charter was picked up was our first year at our current site, ~7,500 sq. ft. and serves 400 students from K-12 grade

What we knew… Biology has a lot of “tricky” ideas Much of the terminology is difficult to say and apply Labs and discussion really help students to navigate this information Learning has a strong social component Three hours per month was not enough

Rethinking the Whole Process: 2010/2011 we moved to one class per week (we actually have a CP class and a remedial biology class) 2.5 hrs. per class One week of reading and homework to be done at home that preps the student for the weekly class All students in each class have the same textbook Glencoe Biology CA edition 2007 Bio Basic class uses AGS Biology: Cycles of Life

Improvements: We increased contact time with each student from 3hrs/month to 10 hrs/month I started my own website that serves both classes I did a parallel scope and sequence between both textbooks

Biology Scope and Sequence Rose James CP Biology Text: Gencoe Biology 2007 Class Dates Biology Basic Text: AGS Biology: Cycles of Life 2006 Agend a Labs/activitiesHomework:AgendaLabs/activitiesHomework: Start Lab Books Review syllabus Scientific method Asking testable questions Draw a scientist Scientific method – sid Egg towers Living things READ CH. 1 Q’s Web resources: NOTE: All Work ALWAYS due NEXT LAB, unless otherwise stated LP1 9-2 Start Lab Books Review syllabus Asking testable questions Draw a scientist Scientific method – sid Egg towers Living things Lab Aspire Measurement and Data Collection Poll Me Quiz Inquiry Cube READ CH. 1 & 2 Q’s Web resources: NOTE: All Work ALWAYS due NEXT LAB, unless otherwise stated Revie w ch. 1 Lab Aspire Measurement and Data Collection Poll Me Quiz Inquiry Cubes READ CH. 2 Q’s 9-10Ch. 1/2Investigating Cycles of Life Basic Chemistry READ CH. 17 Q’s Ch. 2EcologyREAD CH. 3 Q’s LP Ch 17Populations and Communities READ CH. 18 Q’s Ch3Communities and Biomes READ CH. 4 Q’s EcosystemsREAD CH. ____ Q’s ____

Lab Equipment 7 compound microscopes (Wolfe) Slides, methyl blue, lens tissues, cover slips Triple-beam balance 10 dissecting pans/kits Get the point, next to nothing, but better than nothing!

I Created a Class Website

I Got Some Fresh Ideas! SMART Grant Participation ARISE NSTA Membership Attended the CSTA Conference The NSTA Conference is in San Francisco March WASC Visiting Committee Exploratorium Teacher Institute

I Follow List Serves: NSTA Biology Group Pinhole I archive all digests and can search the archives for fresh ideas when I’m actually planning my next unit

Using Technology: I use interactive websites and download lesson plans I use YouTube in class quite a lot HHMI website has free books and DVDs on cutting edge research with interviews and lectures I’m working on a class Facebook Page All students have my cell phone number and are welcome to call or text We use cell/smart phones in class to collect/analyze data We are fiddling with PollEverywhere…

We do the “usual” lab activities: Cheek cells DNA Extraction Naked Eggs (osmosis & diffusion) Cell models Plant Lab & Flower Dissections Protozoa Lab Dissect Starfish, Crayfish & Frogs

New this year: Neurobiology of Addiction Research Project as part of ARISE, with Dr. Jack Goldberg of UC Davis as our consultant Sheep brain dissection Alcohol Impairment experiment on Crayfish Science Symposium at UC Davis

Addressing the Standards Break out the released test questions that pertain to the unit we’re working on and use it as a pre- and post-test I reword the standards into questions that I ask students to address during the unit Weekly quiz is standards aligned

Remaining Issues: Attendance Completing homework Time Continuing to evolve more meaningful activities to help students grasp complex concepts Missed labs Teaching students to ask meaningful questions Lack of dedicated space/equipment

Discussion Questions: What are you doing especially well in your science classroom?

What are your biggest hurdles?

What professional development would you appreciate most?

What do you consider your most essential laboratory equipment? How is it stored, who has access?

What texts or materials do you prefer?

What ideas or resource recommendations would you like to share with the group?

Are there any other burning questions?

THANK YOU! I’ll upload our notes to my class website at: /RoseJames/apt1.aspx Or, you can me at: