AP Biology Students Spread Knowledge Through Books

This April marks an exciting event for both Gayhead Elementary School and John Jay High School as Ms. McFarland’s and Mr. DiVittorio’s AP Biology classes gear up to present their self-authored science-based books to the eager fifth and sixth graders. The culmination of a ten-week project, these books aim to ignite a foundational passion for science among the elementary school students.

Inspired by a certified Master Teacher in New York State from Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School, who spearheaded a similar initiative with her math students, Ms. McFarland, affectionately known as MJ among her students, pioneered the "Bio Book'' tradition in 2016. Every participant, be it elementary or high school student, is brimming with anticipation to witness the fruits of their labor.

Reflecting on her own experience presenting a Romeo and Juliet-inspired story to the elementary schoolers, senior Anaya Pandya, a former AP Biology student, said, "The kids were all really invested in the topics of the books and asked a lot of interesting questions about not only the science behind the books, but the storyline too."

Each book, crafted by groups of up to four AP Biology students, explains a distinct scientific concept at an elementary reading level. This year, the narratives cover a range of topics, from the journey of an electron through a circuit to the intricacies of a garden ecosystem while gathering flowers for Mother’s Day. Transformed into authors, these high school students wield full control over their narratives and the eventual outcome of their books.

Co-authors Arnav Mishra and Alex Zhu remark that their book is "a work in progress," yet the structured and staggered deadlines have rendered this substantial project "very doable despite busy schedules."

The process of crafting these books unfolds through a series of carefully planned steps, each submitted for approval on Fridays during class. Following the selection of their topics, students begin a thorough examination of existing children’s science literature, reviewing their structure, illustrations, reading level, and representation of minorities.

Addressing questions like "Can a child read the book alone, or must a parent read it to them?" and "Count the number of characters of each gender and make generalizations about what they are doing. What does this say about gender roles?," the student-authors identify elements they wish to incorporate into their own narratives.

Upon completing the review of relevant literature, the authors craft outlines of their stories before diving into rough drafts. Subsequent rounds of revision, addition, and alteration refine their drafts until they achieve a semblance of perfection.

The final copies of these books manifest in a variety of forms. Some are meticulously handwritten, adorned with hand-drawn illustrations, while others are printed on copy paper embellished with photographs. Binders, folders, and scrapbooks serve as covers, while the internal content embraces diverse formats from strictly factual non-fiction books to narratives with named characters and story lines. 

Final presentations occurred at Gayhead Elementary School on April 18th with the student-authors moving from class to class reading their own stories and fielding questions regarding the contents of their books and many unrelated subjects such as the type of car they drive and their favorite type of fish. Ms. McFarland recognizes that it was an “exhausting but rewarding day,” as the younger students look up to the high schoolers and form excited expectations of what they will learn in their years to come.

When asked about their favorite part of the day, the AP Bio students had a variety of answers from the actual reading of the book, to answering unrelated questions and seeing the excited looks on the students faces, to playing on the Gayhead Elementary School playground one last time.