What are you covering right now?

[Lisa]

My class is just finishing up plants and moving on to animal structure and function. What is everyone else covering?

Also, if anyone else is starting animal structure and function and they are interested in collaborating I would love to work with someone. I have a google group that my students use to post the daily lesson, answer questions, and discuss difficult topics. If anyone wants to work together perhaps you class could join my google group and students from both classes could post daily lessons and discuss.

anyone want to jump in??

[Debra Garcia]

My school switched to a new schedule this year and I am behind by at least one unit which worries me. We are starting plants next week and then I will have to smash in animal form and function after that- Gah!!!

[Paula Courtemanche]

We are finishing a unit on the nervous/endocrine systems, then onto skeleton, muscular, repro and development. Last would be plants to end up around 1 week before the exam.

[David Knuffke]

Animal STF and ecology left. I'll be done by the third week of April, which is perfect for me. I never spend more than two weeks reviewing.

[Lisa]

David, I have exactly the same thing to cover. I'm right where I want to be also. How long do you spend on Animal STF vs Ecology?

[David Knuffke]

Hey Lisa,

I just mapped it all out this weekend. 35 class days (seven school weeks) until the AP -1 for a field trip for me, so 34 days. Two more weeks of STF, 2.5 weeks of ecology. My animal STF is about four weeks. Gives me at least ten class days to review. I have two periods a day, so two weeks of ecology is twenty periods, and since it's the last unit, most everything conceptually difficult is pretaught, so to speak (there really isn't too much in ecology that is conceptually difficult).

It's always nice to be comfortable with the pace. Last year I was a bit rushed at the end, which was not fun for me.

[scienceguru]

We are wrapping up Molecular Genetics right now...doing gene regulation next week and AP Lab 6 when we return from Spring Break on the 23rd. Then we have Animals and Plants left, and then we're done. Not a lot of time to cover two very big curriculum units but I'll do the best I can with the time I have.

[Jessi Van Der Volgen]

This year I decided to teach it in a completely different order, trying to put cellular and organismal chapters together. For example, I did macromolecules, enzymes, and the digestive system together. Cell communication, plant hormones, and animal hormones. Membranes, osmoregulation and transport in plants. It makes it harder to estimate where I am relative to last year, but I'm hoping it will make it easier for students to make connections. We shall see...

[Debra Garcia]

That's awesome! I have been thinking about redoing mine for next year and what you described is kind of where I am headed. I do some interweaving of units now but not enough. You'll have to let us know how you made out by May!

[Jen]

I'm considering re-organizing similar to this - could you let me know how it went for you this year? Not just in terms of scores, but if the students responded differently as well (i.e. - more interest??) Thanks!
Jen

[Gena Barnhardt]

I am JUST finishing evolution and feeling tremendous pressure. This year I have a combination class of Sophomores (taking class as 1st year Bio course) and Srs (2nd year bio class). I have them every day for 90 minutes for the full year.

I have all of classification, plants/animal systems, and ecology, although I did touch on immunity, digestion, and reproduction earlier. I also need to go more into depth with photosynthesis and respiration as they have only been exposed to the basics.

I do feel I have covered the topics that I HAVE covered well - cell, biochemistry, transport, classical and molecular genetics, and evolution well. Any suggestions to integrate/condense would be greatly appreciated. I have 44 students in 2 class sections.

Gena

[Debra Garcia]

Has it been tough w/ the sophomores taking this as a first year course? What was their chem background?

[David Knuffke]

You might think about condensing taxonomy way down and only dealing with it as it comes up in plant and animal STF. Likewise, if I was in your boat, I would limit myself to no more than two periods per plant and animal system. That's my basic limitation as is, and I am much further along, content-wise than you are.

You could require students to study the various systems before hand, with some sort of organizer and then use the organizer as the basis for coverage the next day. That helps keep you (and them) focussed. Ask yourself "what are the ~10 things that I want my students to understand about ?" Then tailor your organizer to fit that purpose.

I figure there are about five sections for plants: introduction to plant systems (ex. tissues and growth patterns), nutrition, transport, reproduction, responses to the environment. Ten periods of class time at minimum.

Likewise, there are about thirteen sections for animals: introduction to animal systems, digestion, circulation, respiration, immunity, osmoregulation, thermoregulation, reproduction, development, endocrine, nervous, skeletal/muscular, sensation. Some of these can be combined if necessary.

Ecology can be done in five sections: intro, pop. dynamics, animal behavior, community dynamics, ecosystem dynamics. I'd give conservation it's own day, but that's my sensibility.

2 periods per section is 36 periods for all of it. I don't know what your schedule is, but even on a 1.5 schedule, it's doable. Just don't get off schedule.

I guess my other suggestion would be to relax and not freak out about it.