Online Resources Recommended by AP Teachers
We surveyed AP Biology teachers about the resources they find the most helpful, and the list below comes directly from their responses. It also includes teacher descriptions of what they liked the most. This is not a comprehensive list of available resources, nor is it an endorsement of any of these resources by the College Board.
- Online simulation/laboratory experiment; self-directed student practice; online instruction tutorials/resource pages for teachers
- Includes virtual labs, case studies, videos, and activities. Provides “amazing videos at just the right length and level. Great graphics. Great student sheets.” Also, the click-and-learns on the site are “fantastic at home lessons” and there are “a variety of graphic analysis options (data points).”
- Instructional videos for students and teachers; content
- Course content and series of videos on all the major topics in AP Biology. Teaches basics and beyond “in a clear, friendly, interactive, and humorous way. He isn't just teaching ‘what you have to know,’ he is showing how to enjoy learning and build connections.” Uses pictures, explanations, and practice problems in an informative style “for students to use either in a flipped classroom format or for reinforcement at home.”
- Online simulation/laboratory experiment; self-directed student practice
- Service provides many excellent lessons using real-world data in statistically meaningful ways.
- Online simulation/laboratory experiment
- Programmed simulations that let students manipulate variables and see the effect. Covers “photosynthesis, cell respiration, enzymes, cell cycle, fruit flies, etc.” The neurotransmitters simulation is a “great lab with lots of excellent modeling and math.” Also “gives students real examples of signal transduction pathways.”
- Instructional videos for students and teachers; content
- Provides asynchronous instruction and assessments for the AP Biology curriculum that “allow students to work independently.” Offers review of course units and “aligned with the new framework.”
- Self-directed student practice; instructional videos for students
- Online interactive tutorials with guided worksheets to walk students through the content step-by-step. Also includes review flash cards and MCQ/FRQ practice questions. “Occasional catchy and inspirational content-related music videos.”
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (NCCSTS): University of Buffalo $
- Case studies
- Provides a variety of case studies for use in all areas of biology. For a small annual fee, can get answer keys and teacher notes. The case studies “can be used in small, collaborative groups in breakout rooms in Zoom or in groups in the classroom.” The studies “help students make connections with real-world events.”
- Instructional videos for students
- Series of “short, topic-specific videos” based on the AP Biology curriculum. Videos are “good for introducing concepts” and have “clear, fun visuals/animations.” They address topics like biological molecules, plant cells, photosynthesis, heredity, ecology, etc.
- Online simulation/laboratory experiment; instructional videos for students
- Activities designed to bring contemporary research and authentic data into the classroom. “Includes a connection to the scientist behind the data and the true story of their research.” Each activity gives students practice working with “messy data” and interpreting quantitative information.
Learn Genetics: University of Utah
- Online simulation/laboratory experiment
- Provides multimedia educational materials including “virtual PCR, gel electrophoresis.”
PhET Interactive Simulations: University of Colorado, Boulder
- Online simulation/laboratory experiment; self-directed student practice
- Offers “online simulations that can gather data so students can analyze it.” The glacier simulation was helpful because you can’t see glaciers move “so it was a neat way to visualize something happening over a long time period.”
- Self-directed student practice
- Offers a collection of thousands of practice AP-type questions. Students “don’t have to search a lot of different sites” and can get questions in “one great spot.”
Biology! with the Amoeba Sisters
- Online simulation/laboratory experiment; instructional videos for students
- YouTube channel with ”videos, GIFs, and free companion worksheets.” The cartoon-based short videos provide a foundation for more exploring and are “fun, interactive, and help students learn and review content.”
- Online simulation
- Allows users to “create professional looking science diagrams in minutes. The diagrams “can be created from scratch for worksheets, tests, labs etc. The graphics are wonderful.”
$ = May require a fee = Account creation needed