Jefferson Forest High School
Research is to see what everyone else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought. --Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
2018 --19 AP Seminar Capstone Syllabus
Instructor: Debra Woodson
Contact Info: [email protected]
434-942-5089
#APSeminarJF
Click here for College Board brochure
Click here for Teacher Website
Click here for Summer Assignment
Our course is on Google Classroom also
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The AP Seminar course is an inquiry-based course that aims to engage students in cross-curricular conversations that explore real-world topics and issues from multiple lenses and perspectives. Students are empowered to collect and analyze information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments, both written and orally. The skills practiced and refined in this class are required in the AP Research course which is the followup course for the Capstone Diploma.
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Materials and Resources:
- Tissues
- Small journal type book (no spiral)
- Earbuds (bring every day)
- Thumbdrive (just in case)
- Turnitin.com account (which will be provided through College Board)
AP student websites:
apstudent.collegeboard.org includes the following information: Explore AP--student videos and infographics about the AP experience and benefits of the program. Many other features too numerous to list.
apscore.org: where students can go for information about their online score reports. Create an account and find sample multiple choice and free response questions there as well as test tips.
College Credit: Click here and plug in your colleges of choice in order to see the college credits you will receive based on scores.
The goals of the AP Seminar course include
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Engage students with rigorous college-level curricula focused on the core academic skills necessary for successful college completion.
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Extend students’ abilities to synthesize information from multiple perspectives and apply skills in cross-curricular contexts and in new situations.
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Empower students to collect and analyze information with accuracy and precision.
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Cultivate students’ abilities to craft, communicate both orally and in writing, and defend evidence-based arguments.
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Provide opportunities for students to practice disciplined and scholarly research skills applied to relevant topics of their interest and curiosity.
Skills Development through Inquiry Units
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Unit #
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Weeks
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Unit title
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College Board or county/class deadline(s)
Summatives Listed
Formatives will be practice for the Summatives & are not listed
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Unit 1
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Weeks 1 -- 6
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Smart Perception: Introduction to AP Seminar
Team Building
exercises
Vocabulary
Research Question
Development
Lenses/Perspectives
Scholarly articles
Lines of Reasoning
Evidence evaluation
Source evaluation
AP Exam components
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- 1--Lens Role play --August 30
- 2--Micro Individual Research Report -- Sept. 18
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Unit 2
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Weeks 7 -- 10
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Community Perceptions:
Team Research & Presentation Practice
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3--Lens/Perspective Dinner Party --Sept. 26
4--Practice Mock Exam Part A -- Oct. 10
************************ 1--Group Elevator Pitch--Oct 24
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Unit 3
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Weeks 11 -- 16
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MicroPerception:
Individual Research & Presentation Practice
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2--Practice Team Multimedia Presentation Oct. 30
3- Annotated Bib-- Nov. 8
4---Mini-Practice IWA &
Hot Seat Nov. 14
5- Debate Dec. 6
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Unit 4A
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Weeks 17 --18
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PT1 planning, IRR drafting
Mock exam prep
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Mock exam practice Part B
Mock exam Dec. 20
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Unit 4B
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Weeks 19 -- 21
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IRR completion, TMP script, practice, & presentation;
reflections & mock exam review
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IRR hard deadline Jan. 17
TMP hard deadline Jan 31
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Unit 5
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Week 23
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Stimulus materials
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Feb 14--completion (summative) |
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Unit 6A
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Weeks 24 -- 29
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IWA
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hard deadline March 31
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Unit 6B
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Weeks 30--33
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IMP scripts, practice, recorded performances, peer reviews
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IMP hard deadline April 27 -29, select a slot
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Unit 7
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Weeks 34
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Exam prep
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AP Seminar Exam May 12, 2019 at 7:45 AM
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Unit 8
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Weeks 35 -- 36
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Reflections, Research course prep, college recommendation prep, PR
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TBD |
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Expected Student Learning Outcomes
Throughout the program, students consider multiple points of view to develop their own perspectives on complex issues and topics through inquiry and investigation. The AP Seminar program provides students with a framework that allows students to develop, practice, and hone their critical and creative thinking skills as they make connections between issues and their own lives.
While helping students to develop and strengthen their critical and creative thinking skills, students learn to consider multiple points of view to develop their own perspectives on complex issues and topics through inquiry and investigation.
The inquiry process exposes students to a variety of primary and secondary print and non-print sources such as articles, research studies, and foundational literary and philosophical texts; speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; and artistic works and performances. The wide variety of academic sources provide the opportunity to gain a rich appreciation and understanding of issues as students collaboratively or independently analyze and evaluate the evidence to consider options, alternatives, solutions, or resolutions of real-world or academic problems.
AP Seminar / College Board Plagiarism Policy
Adherence to College Board AP policies is critical to producing valid AP scores. According to the College Board, “Violations of program policies and/or exam procedures may result in the cancellation of student scores and/or the school being withdrawn from the AP Capstone program by the College Board’s AP Program.”
A student who fails to acknowledge (e.g., through citation, through attribution, by reference, and/or through acknowledgment in a bibliographic entry) the source or author of any and all information or evidence taken from the work of someone else will receive a score of zero on that particular component of the AP Seminar and/or AP Research Performance Assessment Task. In AP Seminar, a team of students that fails to properly acknowledge sources or authors on the Written Team Report will receive a group score of zero for that component of the Team Project and Presentation. To the best of their ability, teachers will ensure that students understand ethical use and acknowledgment of the ideas and work of others, as well as the consequences of plagiarism. The student’s individual voice should be clearly evident, and the ideas of others must be acknowledged, attributed, and/or cited.
Big Ideas: QUEST 
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Big Idea 1: Question and Explore
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Big Idea 2: Understand and Analyze
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Big Idea 3: Evaluate Multiple Perspectives
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Big Idea 4: Synthesize Ideas
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Big Idea 5: Team, Transform, and Transmit
Three Performance Assessments
During the AP Seminar course, students complete the following AP Capstone Performance Based Assessments: two through-course performance assessment tasks and a written exam, while adhering to AP College Board policies to ensure the validation of their scores. Both Performance Assessment Tasks will be completed after unit 3.
*The following assessments are summative and are used to calculate a final AP Score (using the 1-5 scale) for AP Seminar.
Performance Assessment Task #1 [PT1]: Team Project and Presentation Weight: 20% of AP Score
Task Overview:
Students work in teams of three to six to identify, investigate, analyze, and evaluate an academic or real-world problem, question, or issue.
Each team designs and/or considers options, alternatives, and approaches, and develops a multimedia presentation to communicate its conclusion, solution, or recommendation.
Scoring (subject to change per College Board):
· Individual Research Report [IRR] (approximately 1,200 words): Internally scored, externally validated (50% of 20)
· Team Multimedia Presentation [TMP] (8-10 minutes) with follow-up questions: Internally scored (50% of 20)
Performance Assessment Task #2 [PT2]: Individual Research-Based Essay and Presentation Weight: 35% of AP Score
Task Overview:
The College Board’s AP Program will annually release cross–curricular source materials (texts) representing a range of perspectives focused on a single theme or topic. Students use these texts to identify a research question of their own; conduct research; analyze, evaluate, and select evidence to develop an argument; and present and defend their conclusions. The final paper must refer to and incorporate at least two of the provided sources.
Scoring (subject to change per College Board):
• Research–based Argumentative Essay [IWA] (approximately 2000 words): Internally scored, externally validated (70% of 35)
• Individual Multimedia Presentation [IMP] (6-8 minutes): Internally scored (20% of 35)
• Oral Defense of Presentation (two questions from the teacher): Internally scored (10% of 35)
Assessment Task #3: Written Exam (2 Hours) Weight: 45% of AP Score
Task Overview:
During the AP Exam administration window, students take the AP Seminar written exam. The exam consists of four items: three short answer questions and 1 essay question.
Scoring:
• Three Short Answer Questions (analysis of argument in a single source or document): Externally Scored (30 minutes)
• One Essay Question: Externally Scored (90 minutes)
o Synthesis/development of evidence-based argument
Published Materials*
To meet the course objectives, additional current media, magazines, journals, newspapers, and other secondary and primary sources may be included, as the instructor deems appropriate.
* The inquiry-based nature of the AP Seminar course requires activities and assessments from a variety of resources (library/internet research, audio/video equipment, etc.).
* Information used to address an issue may come from various print and non-print secondary sources (e.g., articles, other studies, analyses, reports, TED Talks, visual art, podcasts) and/or primary sources (e.g., original texts and works or personally collected data such as experiments, surveys, questionnaires, and interviews).
*Students will be expected to use technology to access and manage information from online databases (e.g., SIRS, GALE, JSTOR, Google Scholar) that grant access to secondary and primary sources.
Course / Teacher Assessments:
Skill-based assessments to prepare for the Performance Assessments include, but are not limited to:
1. Inquiry-based assessments
2. In-class timed writings: analysis, argument, synthesis
3. Reflections
4. Team projects: team building, cooperative learning, group presentations
5. Writing activities and assignments
6. AP preparation: skill-based activities, practice essays, mock exam
7. Online portfolios
Course Work:
This course requires students to complete a number of tasks in preparation for the AP Seminar formal assessments. It is expected that students thoroughly and thoughtfully complete all work assigned in this course, regardless of whether the assignment receives a grade in order to prepare for the assignments that count towards the final grade and also the exam score.
Class participation is extremely important. This includes attendance, reading comprehension activities, reflections, taking research notes, rewriting drafts, peer review (in class), and team meeting sessions (in class and at home).
Participation in Class Discussion:
Students must come prepared to participate actively in discussions, having read and annotated the material. Based on weekly readings, students will write a brief commentary (1-2 paragraphs) that addresses key questions raised in the readings. Evaluations will be based on how student participation (comments, ideas, and questions) helped to enhance and/or advance our overall collective understanding through critical discussion and listening. Time will be provided to read materials and prepare in class though depending on student pace, time may be needed outside of class time for reading and preparing.
The following criteria will be used to assign the participation component of the student’s overall grade:
A: Highly Effective Participant: near perfect attendance; insightful questions and comments; clearly completes the reading and goes beyond by introducing other relevant material.
B: Consistent Participant: good attendance; thoughtful questions and comments; clearly completes the reading.
C: Occasional Participant: regular attendance; sporadic involvement in discussions that is often based on personal opinion, rather than analysis of class material.
D: Observer: regular attendance, but does not get involved in class discussions.
F: Occasional Observer: sporadic attendance; no participation in class.
Expectations for Academic Success
This course is designed to have students work in groups/teams frequently. As such, some of the graded work will require students to function effectively as a member of a team. Issues regarding interpersonal communication and responsibilities to the group should be brought to the instructor’s attention immediately; do not wait for grades to suffer before informing the instructor of any issues.
A student’s grade for this course is based on several assignments for each semester of the school year. Given the nature of these assignments, each takes on increased importance. Each assignment is given a due date and is a building block for the next assignment.
It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements for any missed work outside of class time. If a student has an excused absence, he/she will be allowed to turn in the missed assignment and will be given another day for any work assigned and due while absent. All pre-assigned coursework is due upon return.
This course requires students’ active participation in all activities and discussions. Lessons have been designed to create an open forum for the exchange of thoughts and opinions. Students are expected to be on task at all times and to respect the thoughts and opinions of classmates.
Cooperative groups, discussions, debates, and projects involve daily participation. Absences could affect grade. Please be here and be on time.
If you need to conference with me, feel free to do so. I like to help you plan and organize for success.
Evaluation and Grading Percentages:
Formative (40%): class discussions, annotations, practice writings, reflections, team building exercises,
collaboration effectiveness
Summative (60%): Projects (both team and individual), essays, recorded (both team and individual) final
presentations, mock exam
*The Performance Tasks for College Board grades cannot be posted in the gradebook until May 1, 2018. So some summatives will be assessed but not posted in the gradebook until May 1 as College Board considers that information teacher/staff feedback. You will receive feedback prior to beginning those assessments to establish that you understand the skills that you need to to demonstrate research mastery to College Board. Hence, some grades may seem inflated until Performance Task grades are posted on May 1.
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AP Seminar: Curricular Requirements from College Board
CR1 Students explore complexities of one or more themes by making connections within, between, and/or among multiple cross-curricular areas and by exploring multiple perspectives and lenses (e.g., cultural and social, artistic and philosophical, political and historical, environmental, economic, scientific, futuristic, ethical) related to those themes.
CR2a The course provides multiple opportunities for students to practice and refine their skills by engaging with the QUEST process.
CR2b Students develop and apply discrete skills identified in the learning objectives within the Big Idea 1: Question and Explore.
CR2c Students develop and apply discrete skills identified in the learning objectives within the Big Idea 2: Understand and Analyze.
CR2d Students develop and apply discrete skills identified in the learning objectives within the Big Idea 3: Evaluate Multiple Perspectives.
CR2e Students develop and apply discrete skills identified in the learning objectives within the Big Idea 4: Synthesize Ideas.
CR2f Students develop and apply collaboration skills identified in the learning objectives within the Big Idea 5: Team, Transform, and Transmit.
CR2g Students develop and apply reflection skills identified in the learning objectives within the Big Idea 5: Team, Transform, and Transmit.
CR2h Students develop and apply written and oral communication skills identified in the learning objectives within the Big Idea 5: Team, Transform, and Transmit.
CR3 Students gain a rich appreciation and understanding of the issues through the following activities: reading articles and research studies; reading foundational, literary, and philosophical texts; viewing and listening to speeches, broadcasts, and/or personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances.
CR4 Students develop an understanding of how to ethically use others’ knowledge and ideas in their own work, avoiding plagiarism.
CR5 Students work collaboratively with a team to identify, investigate, analyze, and evaluate a real-world or academic issue; consider options, alternatives, solutions, or resolutions; and develop a written report, multimedia presentation, and defense to communicate a conclusion or recommendation.
CR6 Students work independently to identify a research question based on provided stimulus material; research the issue; analyze, evaluate, and select evidence to develop an argument; present and defend a conclusion; and produce a multimedia presentation to be delivered to their peers.
Field Trips
Sept. 19 Washington DC -- Library of Congress, National Museum of Art, Union Station, & Kennedy Center -- What the Constitution Means to Me
$90.00 due by August 30, 2019
March 19 -22 NYC Hadestown, Dear Evan Hanson, the Tenement Museum, Radio City Music Hall, NBC Studio tours, various Uptown sites
$1521--$1938 based on # of people in room.
$250 nonrefundable due by Sept. 27 to secure place
payment dates will be announced
Please print and sign the last page. Bring to class the first day of school with your supplies.
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Syllabus Acknowledgement
I have read, understand, and agree to the policies and procedures set forth in the AP Seminar syllabus. I will participate in the mock exam on Friday, Dec. 20, 2019 and take the AP Seminar exam on Tuesday, May 12, 2020. I will check the electronic gradebook for grading updates. I understand that some grades in Q3 and 4 cannot be posted until May 1 because of College Board's requirement of no specific feedback after the First Performance Task starts.
I acknowledge that I will adhere to the policies set forth in this syllabus
Student Name (print) ____________________________
Student Signature ________________________________ Date _______________
Student Email Address: __________________________________________________
Parent Names (print) _____________________________
Parent Signature ________________________________ Date ________________
Parent Email Address: ____________________________________________________
** Please return by Friday, August 16th **