In Person 2024 Workshops | Week 1 | July 8-12

The workshop sessions are small, averaging fewer than 15 participants. Each session is designed to meet the needs of the individual participants to ensure that each teacher returns to the classroom with increased confidence and strategies for success.

 

The leaders are experienced AP teachers with outstanding reputations in public and private schools. All serve as readers at their respective AP readings and are endorsed by the College Board to lead AP workshops. Many of our consultants are table leaders and members of their respective course’s test development committee.

African American Studies — In Person

Instructor: Rachel Williams-Giordano

 

AP African American Studies is an interdisciplinary course that examines the diversity of African American experiences through direct encounters with authentic and varied sources. During the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to interact with the framework and learn new tools to recruit students to the course. In addition, they will have the opportunity to plan out their school calendar as well as familiarize themselves with each section of the AP Exam. The workshop will also give participants the chance to develop lesson plans that are based on the skills outlined in the framework and connect with a large network of people to support their transition into the course. Resources, instructional strategies, and tips for rolling out the project will also be shared.

Art & Design — In Person

Instructor: M. Colleen Harrigan

 

This workshop offers a dynamic blend of seminar sessions and hands-on activities tailored to suit both novice and seasoned AP Art and Design educators. Beyond covering essential details about the AP Art and Design program requirements, the sessions delve into the details of the three portfolios. They explore ideation techniques for crafting lessons geared toward the Selected Works and Sustained Investigation sections of the portfolios. Furthermore, adaptable classroom experiences and the latest updates from the AP Art program and its exam grading are presented. 

 

Since the College Board revamped the AP Art and Design course starting from the 2019-2020 academic year, the three AP Art and Design Portfolios will be distinguished through digital presentations and discussion. The aim is to define the components of each portfolio – Selected Works, Sustained Investigation – and thoroughly review the curriculum framework and scoring rubrics. To enhance understanding, a mock scoring exercise is incorporated. Throughout the workshop, participants will find ample opportunities for peer dialogue, discussion, and the creation of customized curricula to meet the individual needs of participants in Drawing, 2-D, and 3-D Art and Design in order to achieve student success. 

 

Moreover, insights on classroom organization and management within the AP Art and Design context, integrating individual and group critiques, effective use of technology and research, and the role of historical and contemporary art in image-making will be shared. This workshop offers numerous collaborative activities and resource development opportunities to enrich teaching approaches. Regardless of prior experience with AP Art and Design, active participation is encouraged, fostering the exchange of teaching experiences and methods among fellow participants. 

 

In addition to the College Board materials provided, you should come equipped with basic art supplies for studio experiences. Please bring your laptop, a sketchbook, two or three printed photographs (on standard 8.5 x 11 printer paper), and any favorite materials you enjoy using, along with a photo or video of your classroom space to share through group discussion. 

 

The ultimate goal is to tailor the workshop to meet the unique interests and needs of each participant, equipping them with the most current information to create a successful AP Art and Design class experience. Looking forward to the opportunity to collaborate and learn together!

Chemistry — In Person

Instructor: Jeanette Stewart

 

This institute will center on the AP Chemistry curriculum framework, guided inquiry activities, AP Classroom ®, and the development of course syllabi. There will be an emphasis on acid-base chemistry, atomic theory, electrochemistry, equilibrium, kinetics, and thermodynamics. These topics will be reinforced with nightly take-home assignments. The laboratory component will provide participants the opportunity to conduct guided inquiry laboratories and hands-on activities with traditional laboratory equipment as well as Vernier Lab Quest. Teachers will become part of a collaborative environment that fosters sharing of AP Chemistry teaching methodologies. Participants will receive materials such as College Board manuals, sample notes, guided inquiry activities, homework and laboratory exercises that can be immediately and easily integrated into their teaching of the AP Chemistry curriculum.

English Literature & Composition — In Person

Instructor: John Williamson

 

In this course participants will explore critical topics for student success on the AP English Lit exam or in other college level introductory literature courses.  Fundamentally, participants explore rhetorical contexts for literary texts, the role of critical interpretations and approaches to literary analysis, application of archetypal patterns across genre, and a review of literary devices and strategies.  Great focus will be on ways teachers can help students become successful writers of literary analyses and arguments:  generating analytical thesis statements, supporting claims with specific illustrative textual detail, and applying logical organizational patterns.  As participants move through the course, they will build a sequenced and scaffolded curriculum model for implementation.  Over the course, participants will examine fiction texts-both poetry and prose-from the 17th century through today.  Participants will have some opportunity to collaborate thought he sharing of successful practices or lesson plans that move students from reading literally to reading analytically. 

 

Course Objectives:

  • Develop an understanding of the AP Course Framework and College Board Resource and a year-long learning progression (scope and sequence) for literary analysis and writing skills

  • Design instructional activities that apply understanding of sequencing and scaffolding and apply a rubric to assess student work, analyze learning gaps, and develop a learning plan

  • Read and analyze fiction and poetry and share best practices and collaborate on the development of lessons, units, and instructional plans and identify and align texts with skill instruction

English Language & Composition — In Person

Instructor: Peter Durnan

 

Participants will spend the week exploring ways to develop the curriculum of their Advanced Placement English Language and Composition courses. A full review of the AP examination itself will serve as a basis for constructing and revising teaching methods suitable to the AP course. Class work will be discussion-based and involve small group activities aimed at sharing our best practices in the English classroom, and content will focus on elements covered on the exam including a review of recent changes to the exam. The week will allow teachers a chance to more clearly understand the AP examination and to exchange ideas both formally and informally. We will be visited by a guest writer and take advantage of local art to augment the experience. The week is intended to address the practice of inexperienced and experienced teachers.

English Literature & Composition For Experienced Teachers — In Person

Instructor: Richard McCarthy

 

In this APSI, the week will offer teachers a wide range of highly effective strategies for inspiring students to develop their voice as writers and critical thinkers.  Because students have an array of experiences and understandings, it is critical to take them “from what they know to what they don’t know” in a way that will help them create insightful understandings of literature. By grounding their literary experiences with some deep, universal tensions, the students can engage with complex poetry, drama, and fiction with a bit more confidence and understanding. In short, offering frames of understanding can help students “accelerate their insight” into meaningful works of literature.

 

Teachers will be offered an array of approaches for assessing student writing and methods for assuring that students are held accountable for content/skills while also fostering a healthy work culture for both students and instructor. As for exam specific direction, we will work with strategies for both the FRQ and MC questions that are direct and profitable for the students.  Furthermore, we will explore how to best utilize the CED and AP Classroom so that students can benefit from the content, and the instructors can make targeted adjustments to their lessons. 

 

And finally, Richard will share decades worth of materials for teaching poetry, drama, and fiction. We hope the week will allow teachers to reconnect with the ideas and passions that drove them to be English Majors and inspired them to become teachers.

US Government & Politics — In Person

Instructor: Rachael Ryan

 

This course is being offered for the new and experienced teacher of US Government and Politics who wants to learn how to teach the new course that went into effect for the 2018-2019 school year. We will also dive deeper into some of the content and skills of the course. You will learn how to prepare your students for the exam with specific tips and strategies for tackling the multiple-choice questions and FRQs. Participants will come away from the workshop with an understanding of the content of the course, how to pace the course and how to design assessments to maximize learning and AP exam preparation. Best practices and assessments will be provided and shared and at the end of the week, all participants will be able to return to their classrooms with new skills, unit assessments prepared and ready to implement, and a solid understanding of how to prepare your students for the exam. I will also weave quite a few technological resources into the course that can be used by both students and teachers.

Physics I — In Person

Instructor: Joe Mancino

 

Hello! I’m excited to be working with you this summer as you prepare for teaching AP Physics. This workshop provides a foundation in AP Physics 1. We’ll explore every part of the course and exam description (CED) and discuss how this giant document is useful to planning and pacing the course. We’ll create year-long plans to keep us on track for the school year. With a group of other teachers, you’ll create a general plan for a single unit so that we all leave with a general plan for the whole year. Together, we’ll practice and review many AP Physics test questions so that you know exactly what the expectations are for your students. You’ve certainly heard that a lot has changed, and we’ll address every aspect of the upcoming changes with a special focus on the fluids unit and the new styles of test questions. Most of all, we’ll be doing a whole lot of science and establishing a cooperative network of teachers who can support each other as we work through the first few years of this redesigned course.

Physics 2 — In Person

Instructor: Oather Strawderman

 

The AP Physics 2 Summer Institute is designed to help teachers build the foundation for a successful AP Physics 2 program. Emphasis will be placed on the rigor of the material that students need to be successful on the New AP Physics 2 exam. We will pay special attention to the mathematical and conceptual skills needed for the exam. Laboratory investigations will be incorporated throughout the workshop, with special emphasis on transitioning your laboratory into a guided-inquiry based program. We will also focus on the new exam and how best to prepare your students for it. We will review the requirements for the course audit and the syllabus requirements. Time will be allotted for best practices and for sharing ideas as a group.

 

What you will learn: 
  • New AP Physics 2 Course and Exam Description 
  • Hand-on Inquiry Labs 
  • Parts of the New AP Physics 2 Exam and Question Types 
  • Mathematic skills needed for the exam 
  • Learning Objectives and Science Practices 
  • Planning and Pacing 
How you will benefit:
  • Develop a course pacing guide by unit/topic to incorporate the full scope of your AP Physics course into your school’s academic calendar 
  • Examine formative and summative assessment item types to identify and explain how pairings of content and science practices are the focus of instruction and also the targets of the New AP Physics 2 exam 
  • Practice applying the scoring rubrics for the new Practice AP Physics 2 exams to samples of student work
  • Acquire ready-to-use strategies and pedagogical tools to use in your AP Physics 2 class 
  • Design and complete guided inquiry laboratory experiments

Precalculus — In Person

Instructor: Brendan Murphy

 
In this session we will explore this new course from the College Board which builds on a traditional college prep Precalculus curriculum. This is a modeling course with emphasis on constructing, interpreting, and understanding the limitations of the various model types.

The focus of this course will be on the 3 assessed units, which include:

1. Polynomial and Rational Functions

2. Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

3. Trigonometric and Polar Functions

Unit 4 (Functions Involving Parameters, Vectors, and Matrices) is in the Course and Exam Description but is not tested on the AP Exam.  Unit 4 will be addressed as needed based upon the needs of the group.
 
We will look at both FRQ’s and MCQ’s during the week and HW will be given each night. We will look at the scoring guidelines for the FRQ’s and discuss how to help our students write mathematically correct answers. We will review the various resources provided by the College Board including: AP Classroom, AP Daily videos, AP Central, and the Course and Exam Description (CED). We will review the practice exams created for this course as well as the exam format and types of MCQ and FRQ questions. A graphing calculator will be used to help participants understand the various concepts.

Psychology — In Person

Instructor: George Jackson

 

This hands-on workshop will provide participants with an overview of the Course and Exam Description of the AP Psychology course. Participants will use the college board online resources and participate in simulated AP readings in order to analyze past AP exams and plan activities to help students develop skills and master content. Interactive demonstrations, online resources and discussions will provide participants with opportunities to learn about how to integrate new research in psychology and best practices into their teaching. Participants will leave the workshop with a course outline and engaging curriculum to cover the topics and learning objectives in the AP Psychology exam. The course will also focus on the upcoming changes to the AP Psychology curriculum and exam.

US History — In Person

Instructor: Susan Pingel

This AP® United States History summer institute will focus on key takeaways involving Understanding the Course, Planning the Course, Teaching the Course, Assessing Student Progress and Understanding, and Becoming a Member of the AP Community. These include exploration of the course framework, the exam structure and preparation practices, and AP digital resources — including those providing yearlong class and individual student feedback. This session is relevant for teachers beginning their AP® United States History course and experienced AP® United States History teachers. Strategies to help create, and rethink or reorganize your APUSH class will be demonstrated and shared throughout the week. This includes insight into the creation and expansion of an APUSH program, selection of text and course materials, development of syllabi, pacing suggestions, lessons, and assessments. Expect instruction on the scoring of Free-Response questions (FRQs), including short answer questions (SAQs), the document-based question (DBQ), and long essay questions (LEQs). Please be ready to share ideas, ask questions, think broadly about your educational practice, work hard and enjoy your experience. A welcome letter, with an agenda, will be available prior to this workshop. Looking forward to a wonderful week!

World History — In Person

Instructor: Jonathan Henderson

 

This workshop is based on the philosophy that understanding the conceptual structure of the course and the interaction of its component parts is essential to creating effective lessons and assessments in the classroom. After briefly outlining the “architecture” of AP World History, we will consider proven lesson plans and how they serve as models for creating quality activities in the classroom. Teachers will leave with ready-to-go classroom materials, tech tools, curriculum guides, and assessment items as well as the informed ability to develop these on their own. A significant part of the week will be devoted to teaching the skills necessary for the writing component of the exam with special attention to recent changes in the rubric and essay prompts.