How to Begin
"I wanted to thank you for your dilligence in 'kicking our butts' this year... I really felt good about my test performance. I didn't care about my score; I just felt good because I could answer most of what the test asked."
-- Quote from an e-mail message sent to Richard del Rio, a first-time AP U.S. History teacher, from his student, Jenna.
The Course
This was the most significant feedback a student could provide to me as a first-time AP U.S. History teacher. I was eagerly awaiting the 2001 results and she confirmed what was intuitively my single greatest achievement of my first year. I had prepared her for success by teaching the full range of material covered on the exam. As teachers, we all know the greatest challenge of teaching history well is balancing the competing concerns of depth versus breadth. The AP Program was invaluable in helping me to balance my teaching time.
Plan Ahead
Use this Web site to find the 2002 AP Course Description and date of the exam for the course(or courses) you teach. Align the course materials with your school calendar. This curriculum mapping before you start the school year should be structured rigidly and form an explicit contract between you and your students. As the old adage says, "If you do not know where you are going, any road will do."
Pacing is Paramount
Your students don't necessarily understand why it is so important to "cover" the material, but you do. There is a finite amount of time and a definite curriculum. Each scheduling decision has a consequence. Postpone a test? Spend another day re-teaching a concept? Wallow in your favorite topic? When my students begged for more time or a postponement, I asked them to exchange the day for additional independent study in the next chapter. Their decision-making became more realistic when it came with a price. The planning calendar from the previous summer remained intact more often than not.
Activities Develop Skills and Interest
It helps if you plan activities that will enable students to develop skills that they can then apply to subsequent course concepts. For example, this year my class spent time working on the "We The People" civics competition. While this pulled them immediately into the constitution, the analytical skills they developed as they learned to "think constitutionally" were practiced all year long.
Emphasize Primary Sources
Expose students to multiple examples in every unit. Practice critical reading repeatedly with formal and informal discussion formats. Students need to know how to ask the right questions. Follow up with continued writing to reinforce knowledge and skills. One of my most successful assignments was a fine arts gallery guide. It called for analyzing visual sources and writing effectively about the historical context in which they were produced. Learning to synthesize is an essential skill for success.
AP Assessments Help
The AP standards, rather than intimidate, can form a positive compact between you and your students. There will be no divided purpose if you agree to adopt them and hold each other to it. This Web site has examples of student work and how it is assessed by the College Board. Take the time to use these examples with your students. If you want your students to improve, you simply must show them how good is good enough. Practicing peer evaluation with anchor papers and actual rubrics helps students internalize the standards. You can then teach the next essay with specific skill areas in mind.
A Success Story
I thoroughly enjoyed teaching this course. Although I did not always feel up to the task, I know that my performance as a teacher will improve this year. I am revisiting my goals and preparing to "kick their butts" again. As for Jenna, she scored a well-deserved 5.
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