BIOLOGY

Kristi Sutton earned her undergraduate degree in Environmental and Forest Biology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. After working in the environmental testing field for a short time she returned to school at Syracuse University where she was awarded a Master of Science in Science Teaching. For 20 years Kristi taught AP Biology, Freshman Biology and Leadership in the Bellevue School District and for the last 3 years she has been an instructional coach.   Kristi also ran the Debate Team for 5 years, was a LINK coordinator, served as Science Department Head, was a mentor teacher, and advised more clubs than she can remember. In addition, Kristi has developed district-level curriculum in both Biology and AP Biology, as well as working collaboratively to develop a curriculum for teaching AP Biology using a problem-based learning focus. This work was funded through a grant from the Department of Education. She has also helped to create online resources in epigenetics and evolution for the Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah. In 2006 Kristi received her National Board Certification, which was renewed in 2015.

Kristi was an AP Biology Reader for 13 years, serving as a Table Leader for seven. In addition, she has written and reviewed questions for the new AP Biology exam. She resides in Bellevue, Washington with her husband and two children.
Kristi Sutton
suttonk@bsd405.org
AP* Seminars Silicon Valley Biology Institute, 2019
Participants in the AP Biology Summer Institute will increase their knowledge of, and comfort level with, the AP Biology Curriculum Framework.  We will perform most of the labs in the new lab manual and discuss how to tweak labs you currently use to make them student driven and inquiry based.  We will share best practices and hints on what works in the AP Biology classroom to improve student achievement.  During the week we will also look at sample syllabi, textbooks, and additional resources.  In addition we will spend time familiarizing ourselves with the format, sample questions and grading of the new exam.  If there is interest, time will also be provided to work on your course syllabus.
 
Class Prep: I will be sending out a link to access materials we will be using during the Summer Institute as we get closer to July.
Day 1 (morning)
• Introductions
• What do you have in front of you?
• Lab: Natural Selection Day 1 
 Discussion: What do you need to remember when you set this up yourself? What are some alternatives? More inquiry-based?
• Overview of the Curriculum Framework
• llegeBoard Support Materials (Teacher Community)
• Deconstructing the Learning Objectives
• The Exam
• Overview of the labs and expectations
• Preparing students for lab

 
 
Day 1 (afternoon)
• Overview of Big Idea 1
•  In margins, write down what you already do
• Highlight, or put a circle around things that you need  to work on adding
• Lab: Hardy-Weinberg (classic and new)
• Activity: Breeding Bunnies
• Online Resource: PopGen
• Lab: BLAST (alternatives on Google Drive)
•Other activities:
• POGIL Phylogenetic Trees
•  Evolution in Action: Statistical Analysis
• Other HHMI activities – rock pocket mouse 
 
Best Practices and share out for Big Idea 1
Day 2 (morning)
• Course Syllabus and AP Audit
• Equity and Access
• Lab: Bacterial Transformation Day 1
• My course introduction and Registration/Life Story
• Overview of my PBL course
• Using Case Studies in Class – NCCSTS, DNA to Darwin
• Lactose Tolerance
• Case Study Assignment
• Overview of Big Idea 2
• In margins, write down what you already do
• Highlight, or put a circle around things that you need to work on adding
• Lab: Diffusion and Osmosis – Agar, mix-up in the lab, root vegetables
Day 2 (afternoon)
• Discussion: Calculating Water Potential
• Discussion: Urinalysis/Kidney lab
• Lab: Photosynthesis and Respiration Bio-Rad
• Setup only: Other Photosynthesis Labs
• Setup only: Respirometers
• Lab: Transpiration using whole plants
Day 3 (morning)
• Let’s talk about the details: grading, test corrections, using the textbook, lab books/reports, summer assignments, etc.
• Activities: Immune Players Interactive, Antibodies
• Best Practices and share out for Big Idea 2 
• Overview of Big Idea 3 
• In margins, write down what you already do
• Highlight, or put a circle around things that you need to work on adding
• Lab: Restriction Enzymes and Electrophoresis
• Activity: Quorum Sensing
• Cell Communication resource
•Check pGLO results – Day 2
•Operons
•Stain Gels
Day 3 (afternoon)
• Overview of Mitosis/Meiosis Lab and Sordaria
• Activity: Modeling Meiosis and Fertilization
• Lab Intro: Mendelian Genetics
• Online Resource: Virtual Fly, Geniverse
• Demo: Blood Type
• Activity: Chi-Square and M&Ms or Skittles
• Lesson: Embryo Development
• Activity: Case of the three-spined stickleback,
• Modeling the Regulatory Switches of the PITX1 Gene in Stickleback Fish
• Nervous System Resources – GSLC (demos, Mouse Party)
• Analyze Electrophoresis Results
Best Practices and share out for Big Idea 3
Day 4 (morning)
• More pGLO results – Day 3
• Using the Instructional Planning Report
• Writing exam questions
•2017 FRQs
•Where to find former FRQs and rubrics
• Overview of Big Idea 4
• In margins, write down what you already do
• Highlight, or put a circle around things that you need to work on adding
• Lab: Enzymes – Yeast Spheres
• Activity: Toothpickase
Day 4 (afternoon)
• Discussion: How do you teach Ecology
• Protein folding activities
• Lab: Animal Behavior
• Online Simulations – pHet, Concord Consortium, McGraw-Hill, etc.
Best Practices and share out for Big Idea 4
• Wrap Up – Evaluations and Giveaways