Mastering Your First Week as a Dual Credit Biology Teacher: Planning for Success

Teaching a dual credit (DC) biology course is both a rewarding and challenging experience. Many of us, who have years of teaching under our belt, now find ourselves in new territory, navigating the expectations of teaching a college-level course to high school students. In this post, I’ll share my journey in planning and executing my first week of lessons for DC biology students. Whether you’re a first-time DC biology teacher or looking for ways to improve, I hope this post will offer valuable insights and resources to help you kick off the school year successfully.

The Transition to Teaching Dual Credit Biology

After eight years of teaching various science courses, including biology and chemistry, I decided to pursue 18 graduate hours in biology to qualify for teaching dual credit biology. Gaining those hours in just eight months was a major accomplishment. However, once the school year started, the real challenge began: creating college-worthy lessons and labs for my students.

While I had resources from the district, I quickly realized that ownership of the course lies entirely in the hands of the teacher. The responsibility to make the content engaging, rigorous, and organized was mine. One of the first tasks I tackled was creating a pacing calendar. My big question was: “How do I sequence the topics in this advanced course?” Although I had taught freshman biology before, I knew this class would require more advanced content, but I also found that many students struggled with retaining basic concepts. This led me to design a detailed calendar, heavily influenced by guidance from experienced DC biology teachers in my district.

The First Week of Lessons

An organized, well-planned first week can set the tone for the entire course. I meticulously planned my first week to ensure that both I and my students would start on the right foot. Here’s a quick breakdown of what I covered:

Day 1:

• Human Scavenger Hunt (Click here for your copy)
• Syllabus Overview
• Safety Contract Review
• Textbook 

Day 2:

• Binder Expectations
• Review of the Scientific Method
• Null Hypothesis Card Sort
• Identifying Independent, Dependent Variables, and Constants

Day 3:

• Safety Quiz
• Understanding Which Graph Best Represents Data
• Graphing Scenarios Practice
• Experimental Design Notes

Day 4:

• Experimental Design Notes (Day 2)
• Identifying Variables Practice
• Representing and Describing Data Notes

Day 5:

• Descriptive Statistics Overview
• Statistics Review
• Standard Error of the Mean and Error Bars
• Introduction to Chi-Square Analysis

While many of these topics were reviewed from previous courses, it became clear that some students lacked basic skills, such as selecting appropriate graphs and identifying variables. As much as I anticipated challenges with new content, I didn’t expect the struggles with prior knowledge. This was a valuable lesson: never assume students are fully prepared.

Overcoming Challenges and Pushing Through

The first few weeks of teaching DC biology has been nothing short of exhausting. I’ve spent countless hours preparing lessons and reviewing content like the standard error of the mean and Chi-square analysis to ensure I can teach it effectively.

However, the hard work has paid off. My students are making progress, and they’re slowly grasping concepts with additional practice. While this journey has been mentally and physically draining, seeing the positive results in my students makes it all worth it. Despite the struggles, I take pride in knowing that I am delivering a quality education.

Teaching dual credit biology is not for the faint of heart, but it’s incredibly rewarding when you see your students succeed. The first few weeks might feel overwhelming, but you’ll find your rhythm with careful planning and dedication. Stay tuned for future posts, where I’ll share more insights, including details about the labs we’ve completed in weeks two and three.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my experiences. If you have any questions or suggestions, please share your thoughts in the comments. Teaching DC biology is a journey, and we’re all learning together. Keep planning and stay passionate!

Wishing you the best this school year—happy planning!