AP Summer Institute

Day 1

• Registration open 7-7:45 a.m.
• Packet pick-up on the first floor of the Henry Student Center.
• Daily Sessions take place 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Lunch will be served daily on the 3rd floor of the Henry Student Center. The cost of lunch is included. Numerous restaurants are also within walking distance or a short drive from campus.

Special Needs

Wilkes University is committed to making all institute activities accessible to all attendees. For any special arrangements, such as specific dietary requirements or physical access needs, please contact the Center for Continued Learning.

APG 498B | The Teaching of AP Biology

The course will provide information and experiences on how to teach both the context and laboratory components of the course pairing these with the CED - (Curriculum Exam Design), especially the learning objectives.  Activities to support an understanding of the revised structure and redesign of the AP Biology Framework will be a major part of the summer institute.  There will be instruction on how to prepare an audit based on the new CED for new teachers to the course.  Teachers will do some of the inquiry based laboratory investigations in the AP Biology Student Laboratory Manual or alternatives to these labs.  Additional activities and strategies to support inquiry-based learning will be discussed.  The importance of the inclusion of math within the AP Biology Course will be emphasized.

The design of the AP Biology Exam and the importance of how to take the test based on experience with the grading process will be presented and discussed. We will review, analyze and discuss some of the multiple choice and free response questions from the 2021 exam. Teachers will learn methods to better prepare their students for writing the free response portion of the exam as well as analyze knowledge and skills involved in the multiple choice section.

The course will be taught by Valerie May.

APG 498C | The Teaching of AP Chemistry

This course is designed to maximize the learner experience, providing relevant AP content and pedagogy through meaningful engagement – all focused on best practices for preparing your AP students for success. It is geared toward, but not limited, to new AP Chemistry teachers. During the week, we will look at the unique features of AP Chemistry, review content, and explore the depth of content required by the course. Considerable time will be spent reviewing the syllabus required by the College Board for all AP courses as well as conducting labs throughout the workshop specifically designed for the course requirements. Topics to be covered include kinetics, equilibrium, thermodynamics, and electrochemistry. In order to create a culture of collaboration and community, experienced teachers will have the opportunity to share what has worked well in their course as well as brainstorm solutions for any challenges faced. In addition, we will examine past AP tests with the goal to develop strategies to enable students to perform well on the exam.

Stephen Pulliam is a passionate educator inspiring and challenging students to reach their potential in the classroom and beyond. For nearly 25 years, he has been shaping the minds of his students in the sciences and other STEM classes. In 2003, he began teaching AP Chemistry, became an AP Reader in 2009, and a Table Leader in 2012. In 2015, Stephen piloted materials for the AP Insight Chemistry program and soon thereafter became a consultant conducting workshops across the country. Stephen also serves as a consultant for the National Math and Science Initiative, leading workshops and student study sessions nationwide. Currently Stephen is the Chair of the Science Department at Delaware County Christian School in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, in addition to teaching AP and Honors Chemistry. He also serves as the assistant coach to girls’ varsity basketball and middle school baseball. In his spare time, Stephen enjoys spending downtime with his wife and children, and especially venturing off on fishing trips with his son.

APG 498EN | THE TEACHING OF AP ENGLISH

AP English Literature and Composition is a skills course, and reading, writing, and thinking skills at the highest level are the heart of this challenging English program. Participants will closely and actively examine the AP English Literature exam format and the scoring of sample responses using the analytic rubrics. Once the skills are identified and resources are fully explored, the focus of this hands-on workshop will be the presentation, modeling, and practical application of strategies to teach close reading, analysis, questioning, grammar, rhetoric and writing. All strategies are adaptable to any material currently in use in the participant’s curriculum.

The course will be taught by Brian Sztabnik.

APG 498E | THE TEACHING OF AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

The AP Environmental Science Institute will emphasize the college board curriculum framework, using the Course and Exam Description (CED). We will develop an understanding of how the science practices and course content tie together, to provide students with an engaging science experience and prepare them for the AP exam. The main objective of the summer institute is to ensure you understand how to plan, teach, and assess the AP Environmental Science Course. The structure of the workshop will incorporate numerous lab experiences to demonstrate how to develop lessons that teach both content and skill. During the workshop we will complete a variety of field work, wet labs, and activities that will get you and your students energized. We will explore a variety of instructional strategies to create a more inclusive AP science classroom. Overall participants will have a clear path for what students need to know and demonstrate to be more successful on the AP exam and engaged environmental scientists. 

The course will be taught by Ricardo Viteri.

APG 498 | THE TEACHING OF AP Physics C Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism

AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism will include classroom study and activities as well as hands-on laboratory work as they explore concepts like change, force interactions, fields, and conservation.

The course will be taught by Patrick Diehl. Patrick has taught AP Physics B, AP Physics 1, and AP Physics C Mechanics & Electricity/Magnetism at Ashley Hall School (9 years) in Charleston, SC, Hong Kong International School (10 years), and United World College in Thailand (2 years). For the last four years, he has taught AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C Mechanics & Electricity/Magnetism at Walworth Barbour American International School in Israel. Before his secondary school science career, he was a researcher in Solid State Science, conducting materials research mainly using High-Resolution Electron Microscopy. In addition to teaching AP Physics, he has had a strong interest and background in incorporating Physics Education Research (specifically using Modeling Physics). He has also been a Reader of the AP Physics exams (since 2011) and an AP Physics Consultant for the College Board (since 2014).

APG 498 | WH THE TEACHING OF AP WORLD HISTORY

Whether you are a seasoned veteran or a novitiate to the course, participants will leave the workshop with plenty of teaching ideas to help students be more successful in the class. Pace, lesson plans, essay evaluations, and expectations are all clearly laid out here.  Key topics include: 

• The AP Classroom: College Board provides us with more than a teacher’s manual. From course description to Personal Progress checks, the technology is the most informative and up to date.
• To Lecture or Not: There are alternatives--to what extent do you have to repeat what the text already says?
• Note Taking Strategies: Most of your students don’t know how to do it. This workshop has several suggestions that will get your kids beyond Cornell and make the textbook relevant.
• Is The Course a Stairwell, an Elevator, or an Escalator: One is too slow, one is too exclusive, and one is just right for you! Let’s talk pace.
• When Do You Hold Their Hand and when do you kick them in the butt: After all, It is A.P...and sometimes they have to just do it!
• Essays, Essays, and More Essays! Strategies, evaluative techniques, and rubrics. How do they evaluate them In Kansas City and how should you evaluate them in your school? What are the trends? You will read and we will evaluate.
• To Review Or Not: You better do it. And this workshop will have some tried-and-true ideas, including test-taking strategies, graphic organizers, and review terms. Literally dozens of activities will be provided
• Sample Lesson Plans: A smorgasbord of lesson plans, some requiring as little as 5 minutes to prepare, will be modeled with the idea of melding content with skills and all geared toward the AP historical thinking skills.
• The Nine Commandments of Teaching AP History: This is no return from the mountain but in reading for the College Board since the 1980s I have put together a philosophy that might be worth sharing. I know they served me well over the years.

  Besides the above, you will be able to download best practices, sample essays and essay responses, multiple choice guidelines, over three hundred pages of AP-level multiple choice questions, and much more. Participants are asked to bring their laptop, and a copy of their classroom text (I also recommend a power strip for your laptop). If there are questions, concerns, or suggestions, please contact me at chazhistry@aol.com. I look forward to seeing you!

  The course will be taught by Charles Hart.

  APG 498H | THE TEACHING OF AP US HISTORY

  This session will inform teachers of the latest changes in the redesigned AP U.S History exam with the most recent revisions emphasized. It will review techniques for dealing successfully with the new multiple choice and essay questions, as well as for the revised Document-based Question (DBQ) and Free Response Essay. The new Themes, Historical Thinking Skills, and Rubrics, along with the Curriculum Framework will be major areas of discussion in the sessions. Both content and methodology will be emphasized throughout the course. This course provides the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in United States history, teaching students to assess historical materials and weigh the evidence. The course develops the skills to reach conclusions on the basis of informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay format. Many new teaching techniques and materials will also be examined and demonstrated.

  The course will be taught by Mark Digiacomo.