Category: AP Biology
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Inquiry in Genetics Using Wisconsin Fast Plants
Genetic Experiments can be intimidating for teachers due to the time and cost of breeding plants or animals in a classroom. These issues are further complicated in a public school setting which may have space issues, limited funds, and lack of access to labs. My favorite model for genetic experiments is the Wisconsin Fast…
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Meiosis Case: SRY not SRY
Students are given a scenario about a female athlete who was stripped of her medal when it was discovered that her cells contain a Y chromosome.
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Zoobiquity – Review and Discussion Questions
I try to read at least one non-fiction book per year to try to keep myself up to date and inspired with new knowledge and advances in medicine. I have a classroom set of “Stiff” that I require my AP Biology students to read during the unit on anatomy. Recently, in a graduate class…
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Case Study – What’s Wrong with Timothy?
The endocrine system can be a difficult subject to cover in anatomy. It isn’t as showy as the other systems where you can label organs or dissect an eyeball. Students must also memorize a number of hormones and their functions which have complicated names like thyroxine and tri-iodothyronine. When I first started teaching anatomy,…
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Case Study – Lice and Human Evolution
Google slides present a case of human evolution and the evolution of body lice. Students read details and data and answer questions in small groups.
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Toxicology Resources for the Biology Class
Resources for investigating how poison affects animal physiology. Students can read the “Poisoner’s Handbook” and perform experiments on worms.
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The Blue Bottle Demonstration
Most biology teachers must eventually accept the awful truth that they will need to include chemistry in their biology classes. For years, the only chemistry I had to worry about was the very simple photosynthesis equation which was fairly easy to explain and also presented in an “unbalanced” form. When I started teaching AP…
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Investigation: Cellular Respiration
Students set up respirometers to measure the oxygen consumption of germinating peas in cold and warm water, and compared to a living organism.
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Case Study – Are Nanobacteria Alive?
In this case study, students review the evidence of scientists on both sides of the controversy questioning whether nanobacteria are living organisms.