:: SCIENCE
Please note: The courses listed below are for the 2009 AP Summer Institutes. These course descriptions will remain posted for your reference, until December 2009.
Week One: No Science institutes are held Week One.
Week Two: July 20-23, 2009
In the course titles, “combined” means that the institute is open to both new and experienced teachers in that particular Pre-AP or AP subject.
Please note that all Science institutes are held Week Two.
SCIENCE WEEK TWO: JULY 20-23, 2009
Cancelled: AP Physics C: Mechanics—combined
This session will cover the Mechanics part of the Physics C curriculum. It will be focused on beginning AP teachers and those considering adding AP Physics, but experienced teachers are welcome. Sessions will include choosing topics to cover and how much time to devote to each, designing an assessment plan that is an effective predictor of exam success, incorporating demos and labs, and using technology effectively. Special sessions on the development and grading of the exams and how to prepare your students for the test will also be scheduled. If mostly beginning teachers enroll, we will do a calculus refresher and a session on stocking a physics lab. A large percentage of class time will be spent working AP Physics problems to refresh your content knowledge, to learn how to write AP-style exam problems, and to gain an understanding of the level of teaching and learning required in an AP Physics class.
Participants should bring the following:
- Calculator
- Twenty copies of a lab or activity handout to share with the group
Lead Consultant: Brian Monson
Brian Monson earned a B.S. in physics from the University of Missouri–Rolla and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Arkansas–Fayetteville. He has taught AP physics classes or the equivalent college courses for 18 years. He started his career at the University of Tulsa and has taught at the Oklahoma School for Science and Math. At OSSM he developed the physics curriculum for their regional centers and taught Physics C at their first remote site in Drumright, Oklahoma. He is currently the chair of the science department at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, in Hot Springs. He teaches Physics C as well as several other science classes, including courses on acoustics and optics, and is director of the West-Central Regional Science Fair.
AP Chemistry—combined
This summer’s AP Chemistry institute will include interactive and topic specific labs, several unique computer programs to aid in your students’ success, and an intensive look into several test topics which have been strongly emphasized over the last several years. It is my goal that participants take from this conference a renewed or even greater sense of classroom enthusiasm, as well as several unusual ways to approach traditionally student-unfriendly topics.
Participants should bring the following:
- Their laptop
- A calculator (if possible, a graphing calculator)
- Appropriate lab clothing (including close-toed shoes)
- Their own goggles (if they wish)
- One of their favorite labs
Lead Consultant: Brad Cast
Brad Cast has been a teacher of Chemistry and Pre-AP Chemistry for 22 years and has taught AP Chemistry for the past eight years. He has twice been nominated for the Siemens AP Teacher Award, and has also been named Distinguished Mentor from the University of Arkansas. Brad has been a College Board Consultant for three years. He is currently teaching at the academically 64th-placed school in America and second-ranked high school in Oklahoma, Booker T. Washington.
AP Biology for new AP teachers
This institute is full and we are not accepting any more wait list registrations for this institute.
Under Joan Rasmussen’s leadership, teachers new to AP Biology will find ways to
- make the course manageable for both teachers and students,
- add quality of instruction to the course syllabus,
- provide enrichment for students, and
- teach the curriculum with joy and excitement.
Nuts and bolts of the AP Biology Summer Institute include the following:
- Calendar work so that you can move at a reasonable pace during the year
- Hands-on lab work with the Dirty Dozen, using both traditional and new techniques and equipment to enrich the curriculum
- Ways to increase the critical thinking skills of your students
- Intense review of 2009 exam
- Activities that can help you get away from lecture…lecture…lecture
Joan will contact each member of the course to find out specific needs of each teacher. In this way, teachers can be assured that they will get the most out of their week at UT. Please be sure to include your e-mail address with your application.
Participants should bring the following:
- A laptop, since much of the material will be in electronic format. Although CDs with course material should be available for all participants, it is a good idea to bring your own flash drive or rewrite-type CD.
- Your 2009-2010 school calendar
- A calculator (if possible, a graphing calculator)
- Appropriate lab clothing (including close-toed shoes)
- Their own goggles (if they wish)
Lead Consultant: Joan Rasmussen
Joan has been teaching AP Biology for over 15 years and still loves it. She started her AP career in Fairfax County, Virginia. An opportunity to teach at an international school in Tokyo arose and Joan found herself teaching AP Biology and IB Biology for about five years. By the time she returned to the USA, the AP Program was in full swing and Joan dove right into the thick of it by becoming an AP Reader. She found a home at last with other teachers who love Biology and teaching AP Biology. She has been reading ever since and has enjoyed being a Table Leader, Question Leader, and a member of the AP Biology Test Development Committee. After teaching at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South for 17 years, Joan moved to Austin, Texas, where you will find her behind test tubes, spec 20’s and green plants at St. Andrew’s School.
Contact: jrasmussen@sasaustin.org
