I am excited and honored to present at the Idaho APSI for Environmental Science. Our week will be an exciting mix of collaboration and improving our lab and critical thinking skills. The theme of the week will be implementing the AP Environmental Science Course Framework developed by the College Board: integrating content with science practices and connecting units through curriculum spiraling. You will understand the course framework, how to plan the course, teach the course and assess student work. Throughout the week we will explore together pedagogy and instructional strategies aimed at increasing rigor and access to the science practice skills students need to be successful on the APES exam. Participants will have a clear path for what students need to know and demonstrate to be more successful on the AP exam and engaged environmental scientists. Plan on a variety of labs and activities, the following is a day to day agenda:
I. Day 1:
a. Introductions/Agenda
b. Understanding the Course Framework
c. Integrating skills and Content
d. Set up Salinization lab and dive into Experimental Design and CER
e. Grading for Equity and Open access
f. FRQ practice and Utilizing FRQ in class
g. Syllabus/ Scope and Sequence development
II. Day 2:
a. Unit Guides and Topic Pages
b. Science Practice 2: Visual Diagrams
c. Lab work: Ocean Acidification & AP Classroom
d. Eutrophication Lab
e. Simpson’s Diversity Lab
f. Pedagogy Review
g. Syllabus/ Scope and Sequence development
III. Day 3:
a. Practice 3: Text Analysis
b. Population Resources
c. AP Classroom, Topic Questions, and Personal Progress Checks
d. Soil Testing
e. Science Practice 6: Math Calculations
f. Unit 9: Global Change
g. Syllabus/ Scope and Sequence development
IV. Day 4:
a. Lab Wrap-up
b. Water Testing
c. Spiraling the Content
d. Summative vs. Formative Assessment
e. IPR, AP Question Bank – Discussing Backwards by Design and Summative Tests
f. Logistics and Wrap up