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Explanation of AP*, PRE-AP and ADVANCED TOPICS Course Levels: JULY 26-30 COURSES: AP* BIOLOGY - new teachers (Amy Cote): This course will emphasize the 12 required labs and other activities appropriate for the AP Biology classroom. Participants will be given an opportunity to become familiar with biotechnology techniques and the use of probeware/computers in the classroom. Teachers will also participate in field studies related to the ecology component of the AP Biology course. What participants should bring:
AP* CALCULUS AB - new teachers (Stacey McMullen): AB Calculus for New Teachers is a course designed for teachers who have little or no experience in teaching Advanced Placement Calculus. For five days, you will wear the hat of a student and learn the content of the course along with various teaching strategies and methods on how to prepare students for success in this collegiate course. The workshop will also include how to incorporate the pedagogy of the Advanced Placement program, technology, and the internet into their teaching for a more interactive classroom. In addition, teachers will collaborate together on discovery activities, gather information from labs, and play teacher-made games to emphasize retention of the calculus. Two major themes, rigor in the classroom and student thinking, will be stressed and modeled all week. You will need to bring a jump drive, and most importantly, your energy and enthusiasm to participate in this fun-filled learning experience! AP* CALCULUS BC (Alan Bernard): The institute will address issues and materials relevant to beginning and experienced BC Calculus teachers alike. The course will provide a complete overview of both the structure and content for BC Calculus with a major emphasis on the BC only topics. The course will investigate a multi-representational approach to calculus, including: symbolic, graphical, numeric and verbal. Resources for the teacher, such as: sample tests, worksheets, textbooks and review materials will be discussed, as well as the use of the graphing calculator. An analysis of the exams, scoring standards and procedures will be presented. Participants are asked to bring: 30 copies of their favorite demo and/or experiment to share with fellow participants. Participants are also asked to bring goggles and appropriate shoe attire for lab work. AP* COMPUTER SCIENCE A - new teachers (Glen Martin): This course is for new (less than three years experience) computer science teachers who are or will be teaching APCS A classes. It is designed to help increase the participant's knowledge of required course content, and to provide techniques and materials that can be used with students. A broad range of APCS A topics are covered including arrays, ArrayLists, Generics, Sorting/Searching, Efficiency, Testing, Recursion, Object Oriented Programming, AP examination free response problems, and the GridWorld case study. AP* ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION - new teachers (Mary Stanton): This AP English Language Workshop is for inexperienced AP teachers. It will focus on innovative methods, activities, and assessments to use in the AP English classroom. We will discuss strategies for the teaching of AP skills, including rhetorical analysis, close reading, writing and analyzing argument/persuasion, as well as ways to bring American classic and contemporary non-fiction and fiction into the AP Language curriculum. In addition, a simulated reading of the 2010 AP Language Test will enable us to look at the methods needed to prepare our students for multiple choice section and the exam essays-synthesis, analysis, and persuasion. I also want to designate time for each of you to share your best practices, as well as the challenges and concerns you face as AP teachers. Please bring ideas, topics, and materials you would like to discuss and share. AP* ENGLISH LITERATURE & COMPOSITION - new teachers (Pat Sherbert): The purpose of Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition is to provide the able, motivated senior an opportunity to do college-level work in high school. Since these students will be petitioning for college credit through the Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Examination given each May, the content of this course is closely aligned with English course offerings in universities and colleges. In this open forum, teachers to this AP course will review and contribute practical methods for teaching genre literature. Teachers will work though multiple choice questions and use the 2010 AP English Literature Released Exams to review multiple approaches to writing and to analyze close reading techniques. Using selected authors from the sixteenth century to contemporary times, participants will experience how to generate materials that are non-survey. All material will reflect the importance of understanding the literary genre of fiction, non-fiction, verse, and drama. AP* STUDIO ART (Patricia Winnard): In this course for middle and high school teachers, participants will investigate strategies and methods for starting, building, and growing a Pre-AP or Beginning Studio Art program. They will engage in hands-on activities as well as in-depth discussions designed to develop a program that fosters higher-level learning, technical skills, and advanced concepts required for students to succeed in the rigorous high school program. An overview of AP Studio Art portfolios will be discussed, and strategies for alignment will be investigated. What participants should bring:
PRE AP BIOLOGY – experienced teachers (Sharon Williams): This course is designed to provide teachers of High School Biology with instructional teaching strategies and laboratory skills necessary to successfully implement a school program that will prepare students for continuation into an Advanced Placement Biology class. Best practices for teaching topics will be demonstrated while also allowing time for teachers to share their ideas with the group. Assistance will provided to begin building a classroom foundation of academic rigor in a thinking curriculum for student success. Topics will include the following:
PRE AP ENGLISH H.S. – teachers new to PreAP (Brook Bullock): This course is designed to give new teachers practical help in making their individualized Pre-AP classes successful. The agenda includes adaptation of Advanced Placement concepts and skills specifically for Pre-AP classes of the freshman and sophomore high school student. Participants will have opportunities to examine the AP National Standards, to analyze grade level appropriate lessons and examples of student achievement, as well as construct their own lessons for Pre-AP students. PRE AP ENGLISH M.S. (Diana Bjornson): This Pre-AP English section, taught by an experienced Pre-AP teacher, delves into the introduction of analytical skills to middle school students. This workshop will explore several areas, such as novel units, writing skills, assessment writing, poetry analysis, and literary elements, and how these areas can generate thought-provoking, substantiated responses from students. Participants will also hear presentations on case-specific literature in the middle school. Age and grade appropriate activities and discussions to lead students to this type of higher-level thinking will be offered and experienced. PRE AP MATH H.S. (Lorie Moore): PreAP Mathematics is acourse thatis ideal for teachersof Algebra 1, Algebra 2,Geometry, and Pre-Calculus.The AP Calculus topics of functions, rate, accumulation, optimization, and limitsas well as the vertical alignment of theseconcepts across grade levelswill be mastered. Additionally,participants will explore topics necessary for success in AP Statistics such as graphical displays and distributions. A multi-representational approach will be used to help teachers look at problems algebraically, graphically, numerically, physicallyand verbally. Projects and activities will be used to supplement and enhance the topics covered. Graphing calculator technology, TI-84,will be an integral part of the institute. Participants should bring a graphing calculator and a favorite lesson to share and planto discuss best practices. Participants will be able to obtain an electronic copy of the materials provided in the institute.
Participants should bring the following:
AUGUST 2-6 COURSES:AP* Biology - experienced teachers ( Mark Adame): Over the course of the five days of the Experienced AP* Biology Summer Institute, teachers will be able to focus more on the topics that AP* Biology students may find more challenging. Some of these topics will include biochemical/metabolic pathways, statistical analyses of data collected in a typical AP Biology lab, and extensions to some of the twelve AP Biology laboratories. Some of these lab extensions will address biotechnology topics, such as, PCR, plasmid mapping, and ELISA. In addition, participants will have opportunities to hone their skills in any of the twelve AP Biology laboratories. Objectives are: To introduce teachers to (and hopefully become familiar with):
Participants should bring note taking materials & ideas and topics to be addressed throughout the week. AP* CALCULUS AB - experienced teachers (Nancy Grigassy): The intent of the AP Calculus institute is help teachers improve their AP Calculus courses and give them activities and labs that have been used through classroom-tested explorations, activities, and hands-on labs that are suitable for cooperative learning. The TI-84 graphing calculator will be used to explore, discover, and reinforce the concepts of calculus. Extensive discussion will take place regarding the AP Calculus exam and methods used to help students increase their scores on the exam. One of the goals of the course is to increase scores on the AP test. Grading procedures for the AP test will be discussed in depth. Please bring a copy of your text and an activity that you have used to share with the class. This class is targeted for the experience AB Calculus teacher. AP* CHEMISTRY - experienced teachers (Todd Abronowitz): This course 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 include kinetics, equilibrium (determination of pKa), several different methods for determination of molar masses, titrations, etc. Topics will include the following:
What participants should bring:
What participants will take with them:
AP* COMPUTER SCIENCE A - experienced teachers (Glen Martin): This course is for experienced (at least three years experience) computer science teachers teaching APCS A classes. It is designed to enhance the participant's knowledge and provide projects that can be used with students. A broad range of APCS A topics are covered including arrays, ArrayLists, Generics, Sorting/Searching, Efficiency, Testing, Recursion, Object Oriented Programming, AP examination free response problems, and the GridWorld case study. AP* ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION – experienced teachers (Norma Wilkerson): This course will provide an overview of the basic structure and content of an Advanced Placement English Language course. After a discussion of the 2010 AP English Language essays and the multiple choice questions in the AP English Language test, we will focus on strategies for teaching students to analyze prose, especially arguments, and to write their own arguments in response to prompts requiring them to synthesize sources provided for them or to prompts requiring that they provide their own appropriate evidence from a variety of sources. We will discuss rhetorical strategies used by writers and speakers with a special emphasis on grammar and syntax in students’ own writing and in the works they read and analyze. We will give particular attention to released AP English Language tests, both the essays and the multiple choice questions, strategize, and share ways to teach and provide opportunities to practice the skills these questions demand. Finally, we will discuss writing the audit for an AP English Language Class. Our approach will be less about what to teach and more about how to teach reading, thinking, and writing skills. Participants are asked to bring Post-It Notes. AP* ENGLISH LITERATURE & COMPOSITION – experienced teachers (Raylene Scott): Using novels, plays, poetry, and prose, my curriculum is designed to develop thinking and a deeper understanding of where we have been, who we are now, and where we are going. The purpose of the selected texts is to draw connections between philosophy, culture, and literary style relevant to historical ideology. Emphasis is given to the human condition past and present and the ontological questions raised by a variety of literary genres. The goals are to value literature, to reflect on themes, to read closely and to write with clarity, accuracy, skill, and assurance. The course is a journey through world literature with the strand of British literature woven throughout. A few of the works you will want to be familiar with are Crime and Punishment, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, King Lear, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, The Stranger, The Metamorphosis, The Awakening, Heart of Darkness, and Things Fall Apart. AP* HUMAN GEOGRAPHY (Susan Hollier): This course will focus on helping teachers prepare to teach a one semester college-level course in Human Geography. Employing a blend of content presentations, effective teaching strategies, and technology, the Institute will provide an overview of the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. In addition, strategies to help students prepare for the AP exam will be addressed. All materials are updated for 2010. Topics will include the following:
What participants should bring:
AP* MUSIC THEORY - Advanced Topics (Terry Eder): The AP* Music Theory course is designed to help students develop music literacy, i.e., the ability to recognize, understand, and describe the basic materials and processes of music that are heard or presented in a musical score. Oftentimes the first part of the music theory course is spent learning and reviewing the fundamentals of music theory, while more complex concepts are presented later during the year (usually the second semester of the course). This workshop will focus on some of the more advanced topics and skills of music theory and will seek to apply these concepts through the development of aural skills, compositional skills, analytical skills, and performance skills. This will be accomplished through the analysis of several compositions and excerpts of compositions. The scores will include works from the classical repertoire as well as some works from popular styles. Through the aural and written analysis of these music scores the workshop will engage participants in some of the more sophisticated and creative tasks in the development of music literacy. Participants will build a body of lessons that can be used in the AP Music Theory curriculum based on the analyses of the selected works and these lessons will also serve as templates for future lesson development. This advanced workshop will be the perfect next step for participants who have already attended a College Board music theory fundamentals workshop. AP* PHYSICS B (Dolores Gende): The goal of the Summer Institute is to help new and experienced teachers develop a successful AP Physics B course. The Institute will focus on instructional methodologies, textbook overview, course content and scheduling, problem solving, curriculum resources, and the selection and planning of appropriate lab experiments. A highlight of this Institute will be learning how to implement technology in an active learning environment as suggested by the latest physics education research. What participants should bring: Participants are encouraged to bring labs and/or demo ideas to share with the other teachers. A scientific calculator and a straightedge are required for this course. The four main topics of the AP Statistics syllabus – Data Analysis, Producing Data, Probability and Inferential Statistics will be introduced with an exploration/hands-on approach based on simulation, which will motivate students as well as teachers. The morning sessions will be devoted to the academic content of the AP syllabus, with the afternoon sessions stressing hands-on activities and explorations emphasizing computer/graphing calculator technology, computer software packages will include Key Curriculum’s Fathom, as well as extensive use of the TI-83/84 graphing calculator. Participants will have the opportunity to use a TI-Nspire graphing calculator during the institute. This is the new graphing calculator/computer software platform from Texas Instruments which allows you to create and save documents. This workshop will provide the first year AP teacher with all the materials necessary to successfully start an AP Statistics class, as well as offer the experienced AP teacher different and innovative approaches to presenting the traditional statistics topics using the latest computer and graphing calculator technology. All participants will receive copies of a variety of different AP Statistics textbooks. Participants are asked to bring their favorite textbook and a couple of their favorite projects/activities to share. Participants are expected to bring a graphing calculator with them (TI-83/84 or comparable). AP* U.S. HISTORY (Bill Shelton): Advanced Placement United States History teachers face a monumental task of covering the subject from Pre-Columbus to the present in both breadth and depth. The course will focus on preparing to teach AP, choosing strategies for teaching content and skills, and using the wide range of resources available to teachers. Topics
AP* WORLD HISTORY (Paul Philp): The purpose of the AP World History course is to develop greater understanding of global historical processes and contrasts viewed against the interaction of different types of human societies. The course highlights the changes in international framework, their causes and consequences, as well as comparisons among major societies. The course emphasizes relevant factual knowledge used in conjunction with leading interpretive issues, types of historical evidence, and appropriate analytical skills. Focused primarily on the past 1,500 years of the global experience, the course builds on an understanding of cultural, institutional, and technological precedents that, along with geography, set the human stage prior to 1000 CE. This AP Summer Institute in World History is for both novice and intermediate year teachers of AP World History. The assumption is that the teacher has never taught AP World History before attending this institute or has taught the course for three to five years. Nevertheless, experienced teachers are welcome and can lend their experience to the institute. My institute notebook will contain numerous methods of teaching the skills necessary to succeed on the May AP exams. Additionally, all participants will receive a CD-Rom containing hundreds of exercises created to teach the course. Presentation time is devoted to 50% pedagogy and 50% content. This is necessary because many teachers desire both the pedagogy of setting up and managing an AP course as well as want content specific to the new historiography of world history. Each year I pick a geographic region and concentrate all studies in that region. This year we will focus on Migration from the Paleolithic Era to the Contemporary Period. All examples and presentations will use as a starting point movement in history, themes, and primary sources. PRE AP ENGLISH H.S. (Lynne Weber): This course will support the ninth and tenth grade Pre-AP teacher who is looking for tried-and-true methods to prepare his or her students for advanced coursework in English. Objectives, texts, syllabi, activities, and assessment will be addressed, with time allowed to share ideas and network. Participants should plan to bring a copy of either Julius Caesar or Romeo and Juliet, depending on their grade level, so that we can work on Pre-AP lesson plans to use and to share. PRE AP ENGLISH M.S. – new teachers (Kristina Janeway): Practice Pre-AP and AP strategies through hands-on lessons for all facets of middle school and high school English/Language Arts. Spend quality time on the smooth integration of these ideas into existing lesson plans while learning to incorporate these techniques into student writing. Discover techniques to get varied sentence structure in student writing by understanding the basic concepts of syntactical analysis through several assorted activities. Find out how to help students understand the nuances of tone and style as it relates to the author’s purpose in diction, expanded vocabulary, and syntax to improve student voice in writing. Facilitate analysis and higher analytical cognitive skills in your students while having fun but not by reinventing the wheel. A comprehensive resource list will be provided. Participants, please bring a copy of your current literature textbook and any novel(s) units or books you teach. Also, bring a copy of the new ELA TEKS as we will use them in some of the activities. This APSI is all about YOU! What participants should bring:
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