In Person 2024 Workshops | Week 2 | July 15-19

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.

 

 
In Person Week 1: July 8-12
In Person Week 2: July 15-19
In Person Week 3: July 22-26

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.

Biology — In Person

Instructor: Elizabeth Cowles

 

Dear Fellow Biology Educator: Welcome to St. Johnsbury Academy during a time when biology is constantly in the news! This course is designed for teachers who are new to teaching AP Biology and experienced teachers who are looking for information about the changes in curriculum and the new resources. The course will focus on the following: 1) the foundation of AP Biology as articulated in the Curriculum Framework (the four Big Ideas, six Science Practices, etc.), 2) Inquiry-based lab instruction, 3) mentoring students be more successful on the AP Biology Exam. We shall discuss the College Board-instituted changes regarding student course enrollment, formative and summative assessments, laboratory ideas, and the resources that are available for teachers and their students. We will perform several laboratories and discuss the results.  We will review the many resources available from publishers, science supplies, and research institutions. The new AP Biology Course and Exam Description (CED) is accessible online: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-biology-course-and-exam-description-0.pdf. Each participant will share a “best practice” idea of a favorite activity or demonstration. I look forward to meeting you in July.

Calculus AB — In Person

Instructor: Eliel Gonzalez

 

In this institute, participants will experience a complete overview of the AP Calculus AB curriculum with emphasis on appropriate use of graphing calculators, content and pacing of all 8 Calculus AB Units, and global review for the AP exam. We will also review content and pedagogy in many topics including: related rates, area/volume, differential equations/slope fields, the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, implicit differentiation, and L’Hopital’s Rule. A special focus on assessment and motivation will help participants incorporate new strategies to build a successful AP Calculus program. We will examine changes to the AP Calc AB with emphasis on the new Course Exam Description guide as well as AP Resources. Participants are asked to bring a graphing calculator.

Calculus BC — In Person

Instructor: Brendan Murphy

 

This session is designed for beginning (new) as well as experienced AP Calculus BC teachers and will focus on the four major themes in calculus: Limits, Derivatives, Integration, and Series. Strategies and pedagogy to effectively present the calculus concepts covered under the BC curriculum will be discussed. Using numerous Free Response questions and Multiple Choice questions, we will discuss the scoring rubrics and how the exam is scored/read. We will also discuss in detail the AP Calculus Exam and how these calculus topics are “tested.” 

 

We will review the College Board resources provided to all teachers including: 

AP Central

AP Audit 

AP Classroom 

AP Daily Videos 

AP Reading 

 

Homework will be given each evening to practice the concepts in the BC Curriculum.

English Language & Composition for Experienced Teachers — In Person

Instructor: Steve Klinge

 

During our AP Summer Institute for experienced teachers, we will share our expertise and best practices and add to our toolboxes of resources and strategies. We will share insights into each of the main areas of the English Language exam—the multiple choice questions (both the reading and the writing questions), synthesis essay, rhetorical analysis essay, and argument essay—and discuss ways to prepare our students with the skills they will need on the AP test. We will examine the Course and Exam Description book and the resources available on AP Central and in AP Classroom. We will also discuss the scoring process for the test and review the current year’s Language exam essay questions.

 

As a community of peers, we will collaborate on strategies, practice test-taking, analyze readings and share best practices and other resources. We will place ourselves in the position of our students and then explore how we, as their teachers, can improve their skills as writers, as thinkers, as close-readers, as test-takers.

 

Readings will come from a variety of pre-20th century and 20th-century / contemporary sources; although the emphasis will be on non-fiction, we will discuss the use of poetry and other fiction within the Language course. Prior to the course, I will share a list of essays to read so we have a set of common texts to discuss.

English Literature & Composition — 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.

Environmental Science — In Person

Instructor: Andrew Milbauer

 

This workshop is suitable for both new and experienced AP teachers. The daily schedule will include a balance of exploring lab activities, using AP Classroom, becoming familiar with the CED, and sharing resources with each other. Please bring your laptop so we can get some work done for the next school year. The goal is to help each person plan their course for next year. If your course is already planned and works there is no need to rewrite your course. 

 

Instructional time favors getting every teacher in the room to share their insights, experiences, challenges and solutions. A schedule will be posted for the week, but it is always flexible based on the needs of the teachers in the room.

 

We will cover a bunch of affordable and easy to set up labs, discuss the CED, work with AP Classroom, and plan for the following year. The only assignment will be working on the pacing guide and developing an audit for the course. Other discussions throughout the week will include supporting students with diverse backgrounds in your class, supporting language learners and bringing current events into the classroom. 

 

By the end of the workshop, you will have a good plan for how to teach the class. We will go over strategies to save money while providing laboratory experiences. We also will explore grading methods that will reduce your workload as an educator.

Physics I — In Person

Instructor: Joe Mancino

 

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 C (combined)— In Person

Instructor: Oather Strawderman

 

The AP Physics C: Mechanics and E&M Combined Summer Institute is designed to help teachers build the foundation for a successful AP Physics C program. Emphasis will be placed on the rigor of the material that students need to be successful on the New AP Physics C exams. 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 exams 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. As an AP Physics C: Mechanics and E&M Combined workshop, options will be presented during each activity to help prepare you to teach either or both courses. So, no matter what combination of the two C exams you prepare your students for, this workshop is for you! 

 

What you will learn 

  • New AP Physics C Course and Exam Descriptions 

  • Hand-on Inquiry Labs 

  • Parts of the New AP Physics C Exams 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 C exams 

  • Practice applying the scoring rubrics for the new Practice AP Physics C exams to samples of student work 

  • Acquire ready-to-use strategies and pedagogical tools to use in your AP Physics C class 

  • Design and complete guided inquiry laboratory experiments

Precalculus — In Person

Instructor: Mark Littlefield

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 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.

Statistics — In Person

Instructor: Laura Marshall

 

AP Statistics is an incredibly fun course to teach — if you have the tools and fun activities from which to draw upon. We will accomplish much together this week. The first goal of the week is to examine the College Board’s Curriculum and Exam Description (CED), review AP Classroom, discuss the course expectations, discuss equity and access, and share strategies for success on the AP exam. Additionally, we will review and clarify important concepts in statistics, and provide guidance and answer questions about the subject matter. We will review all of the changes that were introduced in the summer of 2019 with the re-articulation of the curriculum. Most importantly, we will work through the curriculum by doing problems and participating in activities that you can bring directly to your classroom. These activities are designed to improve the conceptual understanding when introducing a new idea, and also to reinforce concepts throughout the entire curriculum. You will learn how your students’ responses are scored on the AP exam and how you can use the AP rubrics to score responses of your own students. Not only will you become more comfortable with the topics in AP Statistics, but you will take away ideas to help enhance the learning of your students and subsequently help them to improve their scores on the AP exam. Whether you are new to AP Statistics or a veteran educator, you will come away with valuable insight (and have fun too!). Hope to see you at the super fun Camp St J!