Transcript AP Parent Night

AP Parent Night
Welcome!
Why Take AP Courses?
 Lessen College Class Load
 Rigor
 Align College/Career Goals
 Deeper Learning
 Utilize talents/interests
What Makes A Successful AP
Student?
Research says: Persistence
Key Things to Consider
 Are you qualified? Pay attention to suggested
preparation requirements
 Be sure! (average of 200 AP courses are
dropped). There may be a possibility that you
cannot drop the class due to confines of master
schedule.
 Difficult to tell within two/three weeks if this
class is what you want. Be sure prior to
enrolling in the course.
 Consequences for dropping after drop date –
“W” + current grade in class, may not be able to
drop, messy schedule
Frequently Asked Questions
 Q – How many AP classes should I take to get into a
good college?
 A – To be a competitive applicant for selective colleges,
students should design course schedules that are
academically challenging and, simultaneously, not
overwhelming. Students are encouraged to take the
most challenging courses available while keeping in mind
the academic rigor and time required to learn the content.
Consulting with students currently enrolled in Honors and
AP courses and the teachers of those courses can reveal
valuable information in making course selections. Also
keep in mind the time and effort required by co-curricular
involvements.
Frequently Asked Questions
 Q – Don’t colleges require a certain
number of AP courses?
 A – The number of AP and Honors
courses offered by high schools
throughout the nation differs
tremendously. College Admission
Officers evaluate a student’s course
selection within the context of the
educational opportunities available at the
high school s/he attends.
Frequently Asked Questions
 Q – Do colleges care whether I take the AP
exam for the course?
 A – Yes, the colleges consider this to be the
completion of the course, and would rather see
a student attempt the exam than not take the
exam.
 Q – Do all colleges give course credit for
passing the exam?
 A- The credit given by colleges and universities
for completion of AP coursework/exam varies
by college. The link for information on college
credit for completed AP coursework is:
http://collegeboard.com/apcreditpolicy/index.jsp
AP Language &
Composition
Overview
Curriculum
Summer Assignment
Gaining Perspective
 AP English Language & Composition engages
students in becoming skilled readers of prose
written in a variety of rhetorical contexts, and in
becoming skilled writers who compose for a
variety of purposes.
 Both their writing and their reading should make
students aware of the interactions among a
writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and
subjects, as well as the way genre conventions
and the resources of language contribute to
effectiveness in writing.
Goals
 Upon completing the AP English Language and Composition
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course, then, students should be able to:
analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and
explaining an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and
techniques;
apply effective strategies and techniques in their own writing;
create and sustain arguments based on readings, research
and/or personal experience;
write for a variety of purposes;
produce expository, analytical and argumentative compositions
that introduce a complex central idea and develop it with
appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or secondary
sources, cogent explanations and clear transitions;
demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written
English as well as stylistic maturity in their own writings;
Goals Cont.
 demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing
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primary and secondary sources;
move effectively through the stages of the writing
process, with careful attention to inquiry and research,
drafting, revising, editing and review;
write thoughtfully about their own process of composition;
revise a work to make it suitable for a different audience;
analyze image as text; and evaluate and incorporate
reference documents into researched papers.
Daily Assignments
 The daily work in and out of class in AP
English Language & Comp. can be
extensive at times. Expect more than
one hour per day of reading, writing,
and/or other activities that pertain to the
class.
 There is an expectation that student
work is completed on time and with a
level of sophistication and maturity that
reflect the rigor of the class.
Summer Assignment
 In years past, the assignment has focused on
the bridge between fiction and non-fiction.
Memoirs, poetry, fiction, have all been utilized
in the past.
 Students should also read the course text
(Chapters 1-3) with attention to the foundations
of rhetoric.
 In years past, students did not have to produce
any work during the summer. However, the first
week of class the teachers assessed the
students through quizzes, tests, and timed
essays.
AP Literature and Composition Syllabus
Course Description and Goals
Welcome! Looking forward to reading, analyzing, discussing, and writing about some challenging and
imaginative literature? Then you’re in the right place.
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Much of our course work involves in-depth style analysis in the literary genres of poetry, novels,
drama, and short stories.
Our historical journey will begin in the Classical Era and continue through the 21st century. We’ll
consider how the historical and social context influences the literature, as well as study the universality
of the many themes and issues contained therein. We shall absorb the wonderful richness of meaning
as we delve into a work’s complexity.
We will learn to recognize and write effectively about a variety of literary techniques, and our studies
will be focused on helping you become effective writers, critical thinkers, in-depth analyzers, attentive
readers, and engaging presenters.
AP English is a skills-based class, so you will be developing your skills with timed, in-class essays and
ongoing literary device analyses. Much of this analysis focuses on components such as tone, diction,
syntax, structure, the use of detail, language, imagery, figurative language, and narrative perspective.
There are various and sundry writing assignments (expository, personal, persuasive, creative,
imitative), close reading/passage analysis activities, and—finally—several creative/interactive projects
(1 per quarter).
Summer Assignment
 A Greek tragedy
 Dialectical Journals from a novel of literary merit (you’ll pick from a
list of classic and contemporary literature that often shows up on the AP test and in survey
courses of literature in college)
 Annotations of often-anthologized poems from all the major
literary eras: Renaissance to 21st Century.
The journals and poetry annotations will be due on the first day of
school.
During the first week, there will be an AP style test on the Greek
tragedy, as well as an in-class essay on the novel
A Snapshot of the Workload
Oct. 18
Final Personal
Essay DUE
19
In-class essay on
Beowulf or Sir
Gawain
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Introduction to
Victorian Era,
Dickens, and A
Tale of Two
Cities (ATOTC)
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Due: ATOTC,
books I, II
chapters 1-6
(about 100 pp.)
Reading Quiz*
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Due: Book II,
chapters 7-12
(44 pp.)
Reading Quiz
Lit. Device also
due today (mini
analysis)
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Due: Book II
Chapters 13-24
(90 pp.)
Go over AP
poetry multiple
choice practice
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Reading Quiz
*expect a quiz whenever reading is due, but there may not always be one
Advanced Placement Social
Science Courses
 European History – 10th grade only. A history of
Western Civilization-1350s-1990s
 United States History – 11th grade only. 1490s1990s
 Government/Economics – One Semester Each
– Study of operation of US, state, and local
governments and macroeconomics.
 Psychology – 11th and 12th grade. Elective
Psychological facts, principles, and phenomena
associated with each of the major subfields
within psychology
Commonalities of AP Social
Science classes
 Rigor - College level introductory courses like
those taken in the first or second year.
 Outside of Class Preparation – 1 to 2 hours per
day per class daily, including weekends.
 Summer Assignments – Required only for AP
Government and Economics.
 Teaching Methods – Lecture/Discussion
seminar style courses that demand student
engagement and active participation.
AP Music Theory
Theory
Rhythm
and Pitch
Harmonic Analysis
Compositional Techniques
Musicianship
Rhythmic Accuracy
Ear Training
Sight Singing
AP Music Theory
Homework Level Moderate
Practical
application of concepts
Written Practice
Summer Assignment
1-4 of Tonal Harmony
Covers the basic music concepts needed
Chapters
AP Spanish
Instructor: Marian Price
Email: [email protected]
Course Description:
 Course taught completely in Spanish. Students must
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also use the target language.
Students are expected to:
Engage in and understand conversations, lectures,
oral presentations.
Express themselves orally by convincing, discussing,
inquiring, apologizing, describing and even using
humor.
Understand radio & video interviews, news,
documentaries, TV series, songs, commercials.
Read magazine and newspaper articles, letters and
emails, fiction, short stories.
Improvise in different situations, dialogues and
scenarios.
Participation
(homework, projects & presentations)
 HOMEWORK: Students will have homework every
day. The load of homework will go from moderate to
Heavy. A good amount of homework includes: Writing
a short essay; doing 3 or 4 grammar exercises and
memorizing a list of vocabulary.
 PARTICIPATION IN CLASS: (class work): Includes:
Oral Practice; Oral Presentations: Listening
Comprehension exercises; Grammar Drills; Reading or
Correction of Essays; Reading Comprehension
questions; Debates or Discussions & Vocabulary
Practice. Extra Participation points will be given for
Tutoring students from lower levels.
Literature
 1 Spanish novel of their choice from a
list given.
 “Mi pais Inventado” by Isabel Allende.
 Journal/log where to record answers and
comments in every chapter.
STUDENTS will be tested on:
 Vocabulary: 10 different & frequent scenarios
 Grammar
 Listening Comprehension skills
 Reading Comprehension skills. Read and
discuss literature.
 Speaking skills
 Writing skills
 Ability to read and listen to different sources
based on the same topic and synthesize
information.
Summer Assignment
 In the summer students will write a Journal in
Spanish about their vacation. There will be
three entries per week for two months.
Students will earn 20 points of Participation
Assessment Guidelines:
Per quarter:
 4 quizzes on vocabulary (oral or written)
 4 oral tests
 3 grammar tests
 1-2 Graded Essays & 4 Essays corrected in class
Weighted Grading Scale:
 Final Tests (1st & 2nd semester)
20%
 Written Tests:
15%
 Oral Tests:
25%
 Quizzes, Class work & compositions: 20%
 Participation
20%
Textbooks
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Spanish Three Years by Stephen Levy & Robert Nassi. 1988 Amsco School
Publications Inc.
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Workbook and Textbook.
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A.P. Spanish. A guide for the Language Course. José Diaz, Margarita Leicher-Prieto,
Glenn J. Nadelbach. 1989. Longman
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Triángulo. Manual para Estudiantes. Barbara Gatski & John McMullan. 1994 Wayside
Publishing.
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Conversación y Repaso. John G. Copeland, Ralph Kite & Lynn A. Sandstedt. 2001.
Thomson & Heinle
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The Best Preparation for the A.P. Spanish. By Christina Bedoya, George Wayne
Braun, Lana R. Craig, Candy Rodo & Diane Senereth. 1996 Research and
Education Association.