Forming Lab Groups in AP Bio

Unit 1: Biochemistry

The first year I returned to the AP Biology classroom, my school sent me to an AP Bio training in our area hosted by the College Board. As the attendees walked into the room, each of us took an index card with a biology concept word on it. Each table had another card on it. We quickly figured out that the card in our hand correlated with a certain table.

Unit 2: Cells

By that time in the year (it was January), I realized that although most students liked choosing their own lab partners, some struggled to figure out who to go with. I hate that feeling and hate to have students have to experience every time we do another lab. I decided that I was going to use this card method to divide my students into lab groups to prevent this and to get them looking at some of the vocabulary.

Unit 3: Metabolism

Last year I asked my students to take a survey on the first day of class to help me get to know them better. One of the questions I asked was if they would rather choose their own lab partners or have me choose them. 7 out of 10 (yes, I have small classes) said they'd rather I choose their lab partners. I happily used this card method with this class all year, and it worked fairly well the whole time.

Unit 4&5: Cell Cycle and Mendelian Genetics

I've been pretty low tech with this, so all of the cards are index cards that I have handwritten. The colored cards are the ones on the tables and the white cards are the ones that students randomly choose from my hand that they have to match with the table card. I have a different set for each unit we do. At the end of the year last year, I knew the class was growing to at least 15, so I added some cards to the collection.

Unit 6: Molecular Genetics

This year I am also teaching Honors Biology to 8th and 9th graders. I haven't made cards like this for them, but I did start using playing cards to divide them into lab groups. The fun thing with playing cards is using the joker as a wild card--so one or two kids get to chose a group to join. What surprised me was their reactions the first day I used them. As I stood by the door holding the cards, many of them commented that they saw me having AP Bio students picking cards last year and wondered when I would do the same for them. 

Unit 7: Evolution

Unit 8: Plants

Unit 9: Ecology

Unit 10: Humans