In this episode, Melanie explains the main themes and skills that students will continually see throughout all eight units of the course.
In this episode, Melanie explains the main themes and skills that students will continually see throughout all eight units of the course. The four Big Ideas have specific abbreviations in the CED (1:40). She reminds students of buzzwords (2:20) and the common theme of structure and function (3:47). The six science practices that students need to demonstrate on the exam are unpacked (4:52) with examples on how to improve each skill. She reminds you to bring meaning to numbers and graph by hand (7:43).
The Question of the Day (9:38) asks “In the free response section, which science skill is most commonly represented?”
Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biology Edition!
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Hi and welcome to the APsolute Recap: Biology Edition. Today’s episode will recap the four big ideas and six science practices that the AP exam covers.
Its important for students to know this information because often it can get really foggy in all of the deals. The four big ideas in this course and on the exam are evolution, energetics, information storage and transmission and systems interactions. Why do I need to know this? And how does this connect to other things? These big ideas will appear in the multiple choice and FRQ sections, but in a very predictable way. For example, evolution is a common thread when discussing unit 2 - cell structure and function, unit 5 - heredity, as well as 7 and 8 - natural selection adn ecology. Energetics appear in nearly every unit, except for 5, 6, and 7. This information is useful for students because as you learn more information, you can link bigger ideas together. The final unit that is covered, ecology encompasses all four of the big ideas and it is the only unit to do so.
Lets zoom in
Big idea number 1 is evolution - or EVO as it's abbreviated on the course exam description. The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life. This can be seen through genetic makeup as well as competition for resources. When we are considering the ways in which all living things are connected and why multiple organisms have the same nucleic acid sequence for example, evolution will be the common thread.
Big idea number 2 is energetics - or ENE on the course exam description. Biological systems use energy and molecular building blocks to grow, reproduce and maintain dynamic homeostasis. Homeostasis - that's one of those buzz words we hear a lot. And unfortunately, it's often misdefined. Remember that organisms want to stay in their GoldiLocks zone, but things are always changing. So just as you need to keep the temperature in your house to feel comfortable, all organisms like to keep the right pH, water balance, sugar levels, and this will come back in many areas of study during this course. Buzzwords that you are going to hear in the energetics section include metabolism, cellular respiration and photosynthesis just to name a few.
Big idea number 3 is information storage and transmission. This is abbreviated as IST on the course exam description. Living things store, retrieve, transmit and respond to information essential to life's processes. If they didn't, they wouldn’t be living. Our definition of life ensures that this information must be passed on. DNA is heritable. It’s important for the continuation of a species that this information can be passed on as well as change over time.
Big Idea number 4 is systems and interactions, or SYI. Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions exhibit complex properties. This seems very obvious doesn’t it? And also a little vague. Obviously, every cause can have an effect. The reason this is a big idea on the exam is as a student you need to be able to predict and analyze these interactions. ONe of the most common themes that will come up with big idea number 4 is structure and function. All molecules and organisms that have unique structures will have unique functions. And therefore, we can expect their interactions to also reflect these structures and functions.
To Recap.
There are four big ideas on the AP Exam: Evolution, energetics, information storage and transmission, and systems interactions. All four of these big ideas tell the entire story of biology.
Students need to have certain scientific skills to be successful on the AP exam. These skills are known on the CED as science practices. They include concept explanation, visual representations, questions and methods, representing and describing data, statistical tests and data analysis and lastly argumentation. Of these science practices, the most heavily weighted are commonly concept explanation and argumentation.
Lets zoom in.
Science practice 1 - you need to explain biological concepts, processes and models in written format. So what does this actually look like and what do they need you to do? This is the skill that you’re probably most comfortable with - that which you can memorize. You’ve been using index cards and making vocab lists and making practice questions for a while. And some of that will help you be successful on the AP exam. But misconceptions can happen - and if you aren’t thinking about why the answers are the answers, you’re missing a piece of the puzzle. Here at the APsolute RecAP, remember, we focus to maximize the understanding. We want to minimize the memorization. So although you may be comfortable explaining information and concepts. Challenge yourself to do it in an unexpected way. Perhaps instead of listing a process in step form - draw a picture, label the parts, and then explain it to a friend.
Science practice 2 is to analyze visual representation of biological concepts and processes. I know this is a podcast, but a picture is worth a thousand words. And you will be expected to analyze, describe and at times draw your own pictures to explain and describe biological processes and concepts. How can you practice this skill? It's important to review mathematical models, diagrams, and flow charts that already exist, but also to draw your own. Remember, not all diagrams are created equal and 3D space and orientation are important. There is no up down and left and right when talking about processes in science.
Science practice 3 is to determine scientific questions and methods. This is going to be that in which you need to evaluate and at times pose your own scientific questions. A firm understanding of null and alternative hypothesis strategies as well as their future relationship to statistics is crucial. How can you practice this skill? Well - debate. You need to argue your position. You need to say why this particular answer on a scientific experiment is not only valid but the reasoning is sound. It's important to check your misconceptions and ensure that your questions and strategies are in line with scientific thought.
Science practice 4 is to represent and describe data. This is probably a skill you're comfortable with. You’ve been graphing, making tables, writing down data for quite some time. But have you always done it correctly? Have you created some shortcuts? Did that data table always have a title? Do you include units with all of your answers? Can you graph with the appropriate type of graph for your data? All of these are important skills to practice. rEmember, what you do in the lab, whether virtual or in the classroom directly correlates to the AP exam as well. It's important to ensure that you understand the numbers, how the numbers come together to tell a story, and how that story relates back to one of the four big ideas. How can you practice this skill? Well you need to graph - by hand! And why do you need to graph by hand? Because this exam will be on paper. There will not be a shortcut to type into Excel. I encourage you, even if you are submitting lab reports for your course digitally - do a quick sketch by hand first.
Science practice 5 is to perform statistical tests and mathematical calculations to analyze and interpret data. Remember, you can bring a calculator with you on the day of the test. There are several mathematical calculations that you need to be comfortable performing. But thankfully, you don’t have to memorize equations. The AP mathematics sheet will be included on the day of the test. How do you practice this skill? Trial and error! Well in fact error is one of the things you’re going to have to do on the exam - standard error bars, +- 2 Standard error of the means - all discussed on a future episode. Don’t forget, Chi squared, hypothesis testing, as well as rejection or failing to reject the null hypothesis is all part of this skill.
The final science practice is to develop and justify scientific arguments using evidence. It's no secret that students like to argue - many of their teachers have heard them try to get that extra point. So it should be a blessing that thjis is one of the skills that is heavily represented on the AP exam. Constructing an argument, in an appropriate way that uses evidence and scientific reasoning is something you should be doing on a regular basis. Ona future episode, we will discuss how CER - or claim, evidence, reasoning is a concise and consistent way to practice this skill.
To recap.
There are six science skills on the AP exam. These skills will be found in both the multiple choice and free response section. It is your responsibility as a student to shape your studying in a way that will allow you to practice these skills during the learning process.
Today’s question of the day is about hte free response question section of the exam.
Question: In the free response section, which science skill is most commonly represented?