AP SeminarMrs. Minich

Welcome, Juniors!

• Teacher and Course Introductions• Course Syllabus• Classmate Introductions• Homework: Bring in an object tomorrow that represents a

personal passion, interest, or hobby / Finish reading the syllabus, highlighting important info

Partner Questions• Find someone in this room you don’t know very well and jot down their

responses to the following questions. In about 5-7 minutes, we’ll introduce each other to the class:• If given $100,000 to donate to your cause/ charity of choice? What type of

organization would you give it to?• Choose a living person who would be in your top 5 to invite to a dinner party. Why?• What is your biggest guilty pleasure?• At this moment in your life (knowing it could and probably will change a hundred

times) what career is most appealing to you?• If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?

Tuesday, August 2nd

• Finish up partner introductions• Share individual “inspiration” objects

Wednesday, 8-3-16

• Ted Talk: “Why you think you’re right – even if you’re wrong” by Julia Galef

• Summer Reading Share: NY Times Articles – • Choose 2 to present to your table, walk your group through your

entire reflection sheet for both articles• Turn in all 5 reflections at the end of the period

Thursday, 8-4-16

• QUEST Group Jigsaw:• Grab a piece of butcher paper and write your letter / skill. How

does your letter/ skill of the QUEST Acronym apply to the process of reading and writing for research and argument? Basically, what does your skill involve? Break it down into smaller skills and sub-components. Create a jot list.

• Present your QUEST poster to the class.• Handout: QUEST broken down

Friday August 5th PAARC and EOC Section 1

• Strategy for Source Analysis: PAARC (handout and e-copy on blog)

• HW: Using CDL, choose a credible article that takes a stance on your class choice of social issue (6th Period: Refugee crisis; 7th Period: Gun Control). Use the PAARC strategy to evaluate the author’s position and be ready to concisely present your findings to the class. (Due Tuesday, August 9th)

Friday, con’t.Close Reading Practice & Intro to Argument

Teams: NY Times article examination: • Annolighting• Text Features• Rhetorical Triangle Rhetorical Triangle

EOC Part A (questions 1, 2, 3)• Identify the author’s argument, main idea, or thesis.• Explain the author’s line of reasoning by identifying the claims used to build the argument

and the connections between them.• Evaluate the effectiveness of the evidence the author uses to support the claims made in the

argument.

Monday, August 8th Please set up your binder this week:

• Section 1: QUEST Skills• Section 2: PT1: Team Project• Section 3: PT2: Individual

Written Argument (IWA)• Section 4: EOC

• You can sub-divide for Section I and Section II of the EOC, if you’d like.

NY Times Article: In Teams…EOC Part A (questions 1, 2, 3)• Identify the author’s argument, main

idea, or thesis.• Explain the author’s line of reasoning by

identifying the claims used to build the argument and the connections between them.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the evidence the author uses to support the claims made in the argument.

• Turn in when finished writing these three sections in teams

Tuesday, August 9th • Present Refugee Crisis / Gun Control Article Perspectives:

• Organize yourselves into groups based on the writer’s position in your articles (2 groups)

• Take 3 minutes each, and share your article with your group, including PAARC analysis, rhetorical triangle (context of your article), main argument, line of reasoning, and evidence, discussing similarities and overlaps or new perspectives.

• Group source comparison• Are there some sources among the group that are more credible than others?

What are the top 3 MOST compelling arguments for your position? What makes them strong?

Wednesday, August 10th

• Debate Preparation:• Scene from Old School: Old School Debate• Align supporting evidence with arguments• Anticipate counterarguments, rebuttals• Determine speakers (3)• Prepare opening statements

• HW: Set up binders into 4 sections by Friday (see previous slide)

Thursday, August 11th • Issue Debate!

• Winning team will be determined by substantive use of credible evidence, source attribution, quality of arguments (including counterarguments), presentation style, speaker’s ability to articulate ideas, formal conduct

• Speaker 1: Team 1 (Affirmative): Opening Statement / Team 2 (Negative): Opening Statement

• Speaker 2: Second Affirmative / Second Negative• Speaker 3: Affirmative Rebuttal (and closing statement) / Negative

Rebuttal (and closing statement)

Friday, August 12th • Debate **winners** and debrief:

• Did your opinion change at all after the debate? What made some arguments more effective than others? What was the hardest part the debate for you personally? What is challenging about effective public speaking?

• QUEST Handout (highlight key questions)• AP Seminar Vocabulary

• Use symbolic rating system (cover the definitions with a piece of paper) to rate your knowledge of our critical vocabulary• + I know it• / Heard it before• ? No clue

• Mini-Project/ Quiz: For each term, create a scenario or determine an example (you can even include a meme or comic strip if applicable). Type and turn in by Friday / Term quiz Friday.

Monday, August 15th

• Read EOC Section I article from 2015 exam, “Snoozers are in fact losers” by Maria Konnikova (from The New Yorker)• Mark: line of reasoning (LR), evidence (E), claims (C)/ argument (A)/

thesis (T)

• HW: Score range-finders w/ rubric (2 sets)- Due tomorrow (Tuesday)• Use rubrics to mark evidence in student samples as

justification for your score choices

Tuesday, August 16th

• Rangefinder Score Breakdown / Justification (EOC Section I)

• Look at another 3-6-6 example / Observations & differences between the two perfect scores

• Reflection: How does this compare to your groups “first stab” at this last week? Based on these high scoring samples, what would be a good approach in tackling this portion of the assessment?

Wednesday, August 17th • Group Word Association: POWER• Questioning Technique: OPTIC - Molly Crabapple’s “Big Fish Eat Little

Fish Eat Big Fish” • In teams, generate as many questions as you can on the painting• After, fine-tune the wording and cut questions that aren’t “researchable” or worth

exploring• Narrow your list to 1-3 well-crafted, pointed questions about the painting

• Share questions/ class discussion• Website for reference:

https://cirt.gcu.edu/research/developmentresources/tutorials/question

Thursday, August 18th

• Identifying Perspectives activity (choose 2 perspectives in teams, brainstorm 3 stakeholders)

• Lenses activity (examine the question “should there be a limit on financial contributions to political parties?” through your assigned lens)• Handout sample ideas

• PT1: Examine sample IRR, WTR (not scored), and Team Presentation Rubric

Friday, August 19th

• AP Seminar Terms Quiz / Mini-project due

Monday, August 22• Assign Definition-Argument Paper

• Decide on teams of 3-4• Choose a genre of film, for example: Sci-fi, Horror, Romance, Independent, Dystopia,

Musicals, Westerns, War, Crime Drama, Thriller/Mystery, Chick flicks, etc.• Each member should find and annotate one scholarly journal article on the chosen film

genre; each article should be incorporated somehow in the group presentation• Decide on 3-4 quintessential films that reflect the characteristics of that genre and divide

amongst the group• Work on developing a research question that explores the treatment of power in your

chosen genre of film• Individual Research Reports should be approximately 300-450 words and are due Monday

Tuesday, August 23rd

• This paper will be assessed as a separate/ individual grade from the team project

• Make sure to quote significant and relevant lines from the movie

• 300-450 words• Make sure to contextualize your film within the scope of the

assignment and your team’s genre• Include a thesis of some kind to organize your ideas

Wednesday, August 24 – Friday, August 26

• Work on watching individual films and drafting the IRR

Monday, August 29th • With your team, establish group norms to follow over the next 3 days in

order to ensure team success• Today’s focus should be each team member presenting/ reading his/her

IRR followed by a brief team discussion• If time allows, move on to:

• A collective introduction that includes and contextualizes your research questions• A plan for merging ideas with thought given to adding, deleting, organizing, and

transitioning

• Tonight, create a folder in Google Drive or MS 365 for your team that includes all IRRs

Tuesday, September 6th

• Team Film Team Presentations: Two Groups• Intro to Political Power: Which nations wield the most power in

our world? Why? Has it always been this way? What has changed throughout history? What threats do currently powerful governments pose to our country, if any? What is our country doing to achieve a balance of power or maintain a majority of power?

• Write other relevant questions worth looking at when exploring governmental power

Wednesday, September 7th

• Finish team presentations (3 groups)• “American Political Decay or Renewal?”(Foreign Affairs,

Ebsco) – print, read and annotate by tomorrow

Addition Power Questions (student brainstorm)

• To what extent does the government impact the economy?• How does the government play a part in social

stratification?• What is the individual’s role in shaping government?• What triggers or impacts the formation of political

systems? How did major political systems begin and evolve?

Thursday, September 8th

• Sit with people other than your film team• At your table apply EOC Section 1, questions 1, 2, and 3 to

the article “American Political Decay or Renewal?” by Francis Fukuyama

Readings Next Week:• Niccolo Machiavelli – “The Qualities of the Prince” (due Monday,

Sept 12)• Class discussion on “suggestions for critical writing” #s 4 and 5

• Lao Tzu – excerpt from the Tao-te-Ching (due Wednesday, Sept 14)• Annolight and choose 4 critical reading questions on page 215 to

answer• Class discussion on “suggestions for critical writing” #s 3 and 5

Friday, September 9th

• Harkness Table Discussion on “American Political Decay or Renewal”

Monday, Sept 12th – Tuesday, Sept 13th

• Harkness table discussion: Machiavelli – from The Prince• General reactions / difficulties with the text• Critical Reading Question # 4• Critical Reading Question # 5• Overarching Argument

Wednesday, September 14th

• OPTIC method for analyzing visual art• CNN Digital Art Gallery: Power

• Overview of 3 paintings• Establish groups of 5 / choose painting / team assignment (make

sure to draw conclusions)

• Present OPTIC visual art analyses to the class• Brief class discussion following each presentation

Thursday, September 15th

• Harkness table discussion on Lao-Tzu article:• General Reactions/ difficulties with the text• Critical Reading Question # 3• Critical Reading Question # 5• Overarching Argument

Friday, September 16th: “Get to Know Mackinvia” Day

• Ebscohost Tutorial Videos (on blog)• Set up JSTOR account• JSTOR labs, classroom readings, snap, etc.• Explore other databases in other academic disciplines and

what each has to offer (checklist?)

Tuesday, September 8th• Announcements:

• Grades (participation, articles from last week, WRT)• HW this week: Find an article (use CDL) on any aspect of social power and perform

the CRAAP test – be ready to present articles to teams on Monday

• Look at EOC Section 1, Part B (C/C) prompt from 2015 / use as a guide to brainstorm the following for Machiavelli and Lao-Tzu:• Identify the primary argument of each writer• Outline major points• Draw major comparisons / overlaps• Indicate obvious differences between both texts

Friday, September 11th

• “Social Power” article reminder – Monday (CRAAP Test)• Hand back Machiavelli and Lao-Tzu article analyses (score

embeds discussion grade)• Participation grades are in (grades are final for the 6

weeks)• Today: Look at rubric and prompt for C/C essay (EOC

Section 1 Part B)• Work on this in partners or on your own today / due at the end of

the period on Monday (no taking it home )

Monday, September 14th

• Finish Compare/Contrast – due at end of period• Focus on a strong thesis in the intro paragraph that will guide the

major sections of your essay• Use the language of the prompt in your essay• Double check with the rubric to make sure you’re at least

addressing all parts of the “6” rows• Questions?

Tuesday, September 15th • Find a table for article presentations• Essential Questions for Social Power Unit:

• What does it look like to be socially powerful? What does power look like in school? How big of a problem is bullying and is it stoppable? What does power look like among adults in our suburban community? Are there trends among the powerful? Do any people or groups of people defy those odds/ trends? How does race factor into the discussion on social power? What is linguistic power? Does effective communication give us power? How have people used language to exploit others?

• Watch Ted Talk: “To this day…for the bullied and beautiful” – class reactions• https://www.ted.com/talks/shane_koyczan_to_this_day_for_the_bullied_and_beautiful?

language=en#t-704613

Tuesday, 9-15 Continued

Article Presentations:• Each table member should take about 2-4 minutes to present

his/her article, walking the table through the CRAAP test (don’t forget to give and defend your score)

• As a table, make a top 5 list of new information you learned about social power from your articles – share with the class

Wednesday, September 16th • Take 5 minutes to finish your social power article “Top 5” lists/

share• Table Data Analysis – Bullying Statistics

• With your table, discuss and analyze the 5 graphs on the AP Seminar page – make detailed notes about each one according to Bedford Researcher, chapter 5 (evaluating sources)

• Synthesize the data from all 5 graphs, focusing on the theme that connects them and the different perspectives each represents. Then, write a well-written argument that presents your table’s perspective on the issue based on your analysis of the data.

Thursday, September 17th

• Academic Letter Ceremony – Study Hall

Friday, September 18th

• Shortened schedule• Teams present written analyses of bullying data to the

class• Observations/ class discussion

Monday, September 28th • Hand back Machiavelli / Lao-Tzu EOC Section 1, Part B

• Scoring / Areas to improve:• Use the language of the prompt• Avoid “you,” passive voice (has, have), text• Point-by-point• Substantive intro and THESIS• Transition words (subsequently, moreover, additionally, nevertheless, notwithstanding,

furthermore)• Introduce titles of texts and authors• Pronoun/ antecedent agreement (number issues)

• Books ($35 by Wednesday) / reading reminders

Early October

• Mini – Performance Task 2• Use Bedford Researcher• CB Plagiarism Policy

Mid-October

• Individual Presentations (3 days) / score with rubric / teacher conferences after

Tuesday, 10-20-15 / Wednesday, 10-21-15

• Finish Presentations• Score the medium sample response for PT2 (from

intelligence stimulus materials) – groups /use rubric• Go over actual scores at the end

Thursday, 10-22-15

• Read Forbes Article, “Why Tesla’s Power Wall is for Rich Green People” by Chris Helman

• Apply EOC Section 1, Part A (in groups)• Identify the Argument• Explain the Line of Reasoning• Evaluate the Evidence

Friday, 10-23-15• Class Discussion: Forbes Tesla Article “Why Tesla’s Powerwall is Just

Another Toy for Rich Green People” by Chris Helman – EOC Section 1, Part A

• Essential Questions and Essential Knowledge for Environmental Power• Essential Questions for this Unit:

• Essential Questions: What does our planet currently use as dominant sources of power? How sustainable are these? Are some more sustainable than others? What new power sources are being explored? Who is leading the charge behind these? Are they equally realistic, cost-effective, popular, etc.?

• Adam Frus Art: Is he making an argument?

Is this an argument?What arguments are potentially made here?

Is this An Argument?

What arguments are made here?

Is this an Argument?

What arguments are made here?

Is this an Argument?

What arguments are made here?

Monday, 10-26-15HW This Week: Find a credible article on sustainability and

annotate

• General pointers on presentations: sources (credibility / citing), pacing, visuals, argument, research question / context

• Forbes article “Why Tesla Batteries are Cheap Enough to Prevent New Power Plants” by Jeff McMahon – read together / annotate• Use “Putting the Argument in Context” organizer to evaluate the article first• Then, decide which Forbes article makes the better argument – why?• Draw at least 1-2 conclusions about the Tesla Powerwall based on the two Forbes

articles

• If you’re in band and have been absent, please try to catch up by reading the article above and taking notes (you can Google it)

Tuesday, 10-27-15

• Spend a few minutes talking about yesterday’s article analysis: Tesla batteries• How would you rate McMahon’s evidence?• Does he make a compelling argument?• Who makes the better argument? Helman or McMahon? Why• What conclusions can we draw from both articles about Tesla

batteries?

• Start documentary “Future Earth: Energy” – take notes on important info• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhSC7LyEbjU

Wednesday, 10-28-15

• Finish “Future Earth: Energy” Documentary• Group Discussion:

• What did you find the most shocking and why?• What did you find the most compelling in terms of evidence?• Is there a relationship between what we’ve read about Tesla

batteries and this documentary? What are possible connections?• In your opinion, what needs further research or clarification for

scientists moving forward? What are next steps?

Thursday, 10-29-15: Evaluating the credibility of web resources• Look at info in book on evaluating sites• Here is your research question: To what extent is creating “carbon neutral” homes

beneficial for the average consumer?• First of all, what perspectives would be worth exploring here? • In teams, evaluate the following websites with the research question in mind: (20 minutes)

• http://www.citizensfor.com/• http://www.eia.gov/electricity/policies/legislation/california/• http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33544831• http://www.motherearthliving.com/mother-earth-living/make-your-home-carbon-neutral.aspx• http://

eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=19647f68-d811-4b04-9850-13bd639b755d%40sessionmgr111&hid=122&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=90507730&db=a9h

• http://www.energy.gov/eere/success-stories/listings/homes-success-stories

Friday, 10-30-15

• Present articles on sustainability to your group (2 large groups)• Everyone create a jot list that includes title, author, primary

thesis, and Raven score

Monday, 11-2-15

• Students take 2-3 minutes each to present their articles to their groups. Presentations should include:• Title, author, a brief analysis of source credibility, summary of the

article’s content, and usefulness in research (students should also write this on the BACK of their article for me before they hand in at the very end of class)

• All students should write down basic bibliographic info and a brief summary on their organizer for EACH article presented (we’re creating a bibliography of sources for them to possibly use down the road).

Tuesday, 11-3-15

• Register for AP Capstone Digital Portfolio• Board Brainstorm: What do we know about GMO’s?• Discuss purposes of documentary film (to expose, to

persuade, to inform, call to action) Begin Documentary: “GMO OMG”

• Assign chapter 10 (excerpt): Writing to Speculate from Critical Thinking, Thoughtful Writing• See next slide for assignment info

Critical Thinking, Thoughtful Writing: Chapter 10, “Writing to Speculate”

• By Friday, read and annotate pages 344 – 356• Annotate/ mark important information• Complete the following two “Thinking-Writing Activities” (ignore the rest)

• Identifying Causal Patterns (p. 348): You only need to identify; no need to draw a chart.• Diagnosing Causal Fallacies (p. 355): Full sentences not necessary, but identify the fallacies in each example

and make notes on errors in reasoning.

• By Monday, read pages 356-362 and annotate the articles: • “GMOs: Fooling - Er, ‘Feeding’ – the World for 20 Years”• “Do Seed Companies Control GM Crop Research”

• We’ll talk about the circled questions at the end of each article, so keep those questions in mind as you annotate.

• By Wednesday, read pages 362-364 and annotate the article, “Eating the Genes: What the Green Revolution did for Grain, Biotechnology May do for Protein” – make notes in reference to the circled questions at the end of the article.

Wednesday, 11-4-15

• AP Seminar ASE – this will be offered next semester if you’re interested in switching.

• Continue watching documentary: GMO: OMG• Hand back sustainability article reviews and IWAs

Thursday, 11-5-15

• Finish documentary OMG: GMO• Hand back remaining IWA papers

Friday, 11-6-15• AP Seminar ASE – this will be offered next semester if you’re

interested in switching.• Round-table discussion on GMOs / conversation about causal

relationships from beginning of chapter 10 (Critical Thinking, Thoughtful Writing)• Thinking-Writing Activities on p. 348 and 355 – what did we decide?• How do we feel about GMOs?

• Read and annotate two GMO articles for Monday (with circled questions in mind)

Monday, 11-9-15

• Reminders:• Choose Mock PT1 teams by Thursday (3-5)• Survey (1st Period) on Wednesday• ASE AP Seminar – next semester• Register for the Portfolio if you haven’t done so • Final GMO article due Wednesday • If absent today, answer the circled questions for each article

• Class discussion on 2 GMO articles and documentary

Tuesday, 11-10-15

• Reminders:• Establish Mock PT1 teams by Thursday• Read “Eating the Gene” article by Wednesday• Write 2 discussion-provoking questions for the seminar on

Wednesday on GMOs (what still needs to be discussed?)

• College Board Plagiarism Activity (9 scenarios)• Reorganize the Argument (team activity)

Wednesday, 11-11-15

• Final discussion on GMOs generated by student questions and questions from the end of the article “Eating the Gene”

• Survey – 1st period

Thursday, 11-12-15

• Practice Team Projects/ Practice Mini-IWA (through the end of first semester)