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APSI Course Descriptions
Marshall "Mark" Welch
The AP Biology APSI will acquaint teachers with the four Big Ideas found in the AP Biology curriculum framework. Participants will take an in-depth look at the AP Biology curriculum framework and how it is organized into Big Ideas, Enduring Understandings, Essential Knowledge statements, Learning Objectives, and Science Practices. Each day will address a Big Idea found in the curriculum framework. Each day will also include an AP Strategy session designed to enhance an AP Biology learning environment by moving from teacher to student-centered instruction. AP Concepts will also be offered in a daily session to help teachers assist students toward skills needed in an AP Biology class. Select AP Biology labs that correlate to each Big Idea will be included. Additionally, inquiry investigation will be performed to help the teacher move from guided to more open-inquiry investigations for their students. Participants are asked to bring their current AP Biology textbook, a calculator, and a laptop computer if available. Through practice, sharing of ideas, discussions, and modeling, it is the intention that participants will become more skilled in instructing their students to become more successful in achieving the skills necessary in the AP Biology program of study.
James "Ed" Howell
AP Calculus - AB
This session is specifically designed to assist interested teachers build a successful AP Calculus AB course in compliance with the new redesigned AP Calculus curriculum. The week will include an analysis of the current curriculum, including an examination and discussion of various teaching strategies that reflect the current philosophy and goals of the course. An overview of the AP program will be included; suggestions for pacing and sequencing of concepts; a study of numerous AP level problems; activities with graphing calculators (TI84+, TI89); a review of the AP Exam including format, scoring standards, and student responses; a discussion of the grading process from the perspective of an AP Reader; and an overview of resources and materials available to AP teachers. Teachers should bring a graphing calculator and a USB memory stick with them.
The AP Chemistry institute is designed to assist AP teachers in building the foundations for success in teaching AP Chemistry. Emphasis will be placed on the rigor of the material that students need to be successful on the AP Chemistry exam. Time will be allowed for best practices and for sharing ideas as a group. Laboratory investigations will be incorporated with the discussion of the theory. Laboratory topics may include kinetics, equilibrium (determination of pKa), determination of molar masses, titrations, etc. The material covered (and the sequence) will be determined by the needs of the group as a whole, based on the results of a survey emailed before the conference.
Topics may include the following:
- Kinetics (non-calculator and calculator approaches)
- multiple choice strategies
- acid-base chemistry
- atomic structure and periodicity
- particle level diagrams
What participants should bring:
- Apron or lab coat
- Closed-toe shoes
- Device with a USB port
What participants will take with them?
- Access to everything developed for Pre-AP Chemistry and AP Chemistry by the lead consultant
AP English Language and Composition
AP English Language and Composition
This session will incorporate a full analysis of the annual AP English Literature and Composition exam, a discussion of practical strategies to help students prepare for the three types of essay prompts found on the exam each year, and a review of practical methods of preparing students for the multiple-choice section of the exam.
Sample essays from recent AP Readings will be covered and discussed in detail, through practice readings and practice analysis. Effective classroom lessons, designed to promote close critical reading, will be shared and practiced. Attendees will also spend time practicing new classroom techniques to promote both poetry and prose writing development.
In addition to the AP exam and program, this session will address such topics as student selection processes, the College Board policy on equity and access, selection of appropriate texts, the maintenance and expansion of the literary canon, the frequency and extent of composition and revision, the promotion of clear and cogent writing, the development of voice, Internet instruction, summer reading, syllabus development and audit expectations, vertical teaming, vertical alignment, using College Board materials and services, and other appropriate topics.
Short readings will be required during the program to promote discussion and to be used as pieces for analysis.
Attendees should visit the AP English Literature and Composition section of the College Board website: www.collegeboard.com/apcentral, and familiarize themselves with the online materials available there.
Teachers attending this session will be given some time to share best practices/best lessons with attendees and gain insights to improve their own practices and assignments.
Another objective for the week is that teachers will leave the session refreshed and prepared to return with enthusiasm to their students.
What to Bring:
- Piece (or pieces) of fiction with which you can construct meaningful lessons
- One or two of your best lessons/activities to share
- Laptop/tablet for Internet sessions
- Clothing for temperature fluctuations in the facility
- To Identify and Apply the Standards of the AP Literature and Composition Exam
- To Explore and Develop Effective AP Literature Units
- To Expand Participants’ Repertoire of Successful Methods and Activities
- To Explore Appropriate Print and Electronic Resources
- To Develop an Attitude Promoting Equity and Access
- To Develop a Collaborative Network of AP Teachers
- To Understand the Power of English Vertical Teams
AP English Literature and Composition
AP English Literature and Composition
Designed for the English instructor seeking to learn or improve teaching strategies pertinent to AP English Language, this course will focus on preparing students for the national exam but have an emphasis on application to the rhetorical situations present in communications “of the real world” so that students may also become critical thinkers beyond the classroom as well. Participants will leave the institute with lessons and strategies they can immediately incorporate into their curriculum.
Topics will utilize examples from fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama with an overall emphasis on improving students’ close reading/analysis skills and improving the syntactical maturity of students’ writing. Possible APSI discussion topics include:
- Developing an AP English Language course as part of an effective Vertical Team
- Improving close/ reading, critical thinking, and rhetorical/language analysis
- Improving students’ writing through their ability to read and analyze complex text
- Introducing/Improving Argumentative Writing (for the Eng Lang & Comp Exam)
- Classroom Discussion methods and Student Annotation methods
- Utilizing multiple genres in the AP English Lang & Comp classroom
- Utilizing high-interest non-fiction (including images and video as rhetorical text)
- Research time for lesson planning, enrichment pieces, and application
- Practical methods for preparing students for the Multiple Choice and Free Response sections of the AP English Lang & Comp exam
- A study of 2019 AP English Language free response questions with sample student responses for each participant and discussion of using those samples for instructional purposes
What to Bring for APSI Class:
- Writing tools, writing supplies, and note-taking resources (pens, pencils, highlighters, sticky-notes, etc, plus notebook paper, legal pad, or a writing journal) and your learning technology (laptop, ipad, etc).
- Please be familiar with the basic tenets of the AP English Course Description available as .pdf download at the AP Central website.
- A list of your District’s required curricular pieces (novels, short stories, poetry, etc) for the AP or Pre-AP course(s) taught, plus the major works of your vertical team, if possible.
AP is my favorite course to teach because it allows me the creativity and flexibility to touch on themes covered in other AP courses in a personalized and meaningful way. With reference to teaching AP, split-level classes are a reality for me and I am happy to share my resources and tips on how I address the III/IV split. Additionally, I am a fan of French music and cinema and enjoy sharing my latest interests and how I integrate them into my program. I like to present with a fully loaded website of materials that I encourage teachers to use in order to create a thematic unit while at the summer institute.
AP World History
AP World History
This 4-day course is designed for new and experienced AP World History teachers. Participants will review College Board policies and materials in order to decide how best to organize their courses, pace the materials in the time allotted and address the concerns of equity and access. Participants will explore the most recent revisions for the 2020 AP World History exam.
APSI World History Participants Will:
- Review the AP World History exam in order to understand its structure and content
- Learn how to assess student performance in a manner that reflects the most recent AP reading
- Consider how best to approach the teaching of skills and content necessary to be successful on the APWH exam
- Analyze the exam skills and tasks and use that to inform the sequencing of their course
- Expand their repertoire of successful teaching lessons and activities
- Understand the College Board mission of Access and Equity; consider how to make equitable access a guiding principle when designing instruction
- Expand their knowledge of print and on-line resources for the AP World History Course
- Design or enhance their AP World History syllabi and instruction (depending on experience) to meet the curricular requirements of the course
AP® World History Workshop Handbook. The College Board: New York, 2018 - 19.
Copied Material: Released AP® World History Exam questions.
AP U.S. History
AP United States History
This week will consist of a mix of pedagogy and content all focused on the successful implementation of the Advanced Placement United States History course. We will focus on the writing and the analytical skills needed for the course as well as the curriculum framework. Participants are encouraged to bring a flash drive (at least 16 gigs) or a laptop; they will receive numerous resources.
Day 1-Introductions/AP History Practices and Skills /Understanding the Structure of the Course Framework/Reading Comprehension activity (Inner outer circle)/Historical Reasoning Skill of Comparison (Comparison Activity) HOMEWORK-Bring your favorite primary and secondary source.
Day 2-Analyzing Primary and Secondary Sources/Writing Thesis Statements and the Document Based Question! Multiple Choice and writing our own Multiple Choice questions and mini-DBQ’s! Historical Skill of Change and Continuity. HOMEWORK-Bring your favorite Political Cartoon!
Day 3-The Short Answer Question/Long Essay Question/ Historical Thinking Skill of Causation and Argument Development. HOMEWORK-Bring your favorite lesson!
Day 4-Sequencing the Course/Syllabus Development/Bringing Skills and Content together with a lesson from the 1950’s! Share Best Practices
This course will provide participants with lessons that incorporate Advanced Placement concepts for increased rigor in the middle school classroom. Participants will work through a variety of lessons that address close reading and analysis, rhetoric, grammar, writing, synthesis, and research. Lessons will be presented in whole group and grade-level groups, and will include incorporating long-term projects, the use of Interactive Student Notebooks, small group instruction, and technology. Teachers will conclude the week by collaborating to create new lessons.
What participants should bring:
- Post-It notes
- poem, novel, short piece of literature, or non-fiction piece currently taught or that you plan to teach in the next school year
- laptop – fully charged for the final day
TITLE: Pre-AP High School Mathematics: Connecting and Representing the “Big Ideas” of School Mathematics
Presenter: Dr. Brian Wynne
Description: The building of mathematical knowledge and understanding can be a complex and daunting endeavor for students. In this course teachers will examine traditional mathematical topics from an advanced standpoint—with particular emphasis placed on instructional strategies for helping students understand the conceptual underpinnings of the content rather than just procedure. Problem solving and mathematical modeling will be discussed using numerical, algebraic, and graphical representations—coupled with appropriate uses of hand-held graphing technology. There will also be various opportunities throughout the week to meet and interact with middle school teachers in order to vertically alignment curriculum and create common assessment items.
Henry "Bob" Morgan
Pre-AP Science Summer Workshop
This Pre-AP workshop has been totally redesigned from the bottom up. It attempts to involve teachers in issues most critical to the teaching of science students today. All work is done in groups. Participants are urged to bring examples of their best and worst. These four days will be packed with examples, labs and discussions on a variety of important topics. The Next Generation Science Standards will be the focal point of the workshop and topics including cross disciplinary activities, real life situations integrated into activities, discussions on how to ensure coherent topic explanations across various grades, and investigations on how to create deeper exploration on a variety of core concepts. Participants are urged to bring their laptop computer and course materials for their specific subjects.