ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Susan Berrend
berrendsci@gmail.com
Susan Berrend is the Science Chair at Pacific Bay Christian School in Pacifica, California and has taught in a number of public and private schools in California and Utah. Her graduate work was in limnology at Uppsala University, and later in student motivation in science at Montana State University. She has been involved with the AP* Environmental Science exams since 2000 as both reader and a table leader, and has had the honor of being a consultant in Environmental Science since 2005. Believing in teaching as an ever-developing craft, Susan has recently incorporated her students' service learning projects into the AP with WE Service program, and she is eager to share her experiences in this opportunity for AP courses. She stays busy dabbling in calligraphy, backpacking, gardening and being a fantastic dog aunt.
AP* Seminars Silicon Valley
AP* Summer Institute 2020 (Online)
Greetings! This Environmental Science workshop will cover the Advanced Placement* course and recent changes in AP* including AP Classroom, the structure and grading of the examination, appropriate assignments, labs and texts, and the relationship of these materials to the preparation of students for college-level work. This course is designed to benefit both new and experienced AP* Environmental Science teachers. We will explore instructional strategies and assessments using a variety of texts. We will examine course syllabi, structure, and pacing. We will also explore the exam and instructional approaches for appropriate level vocabulary, logic, math skills and experimental design. We will discuss how to scaffold students’ development of expected science skills, helping prepare students for the tasks found on exams, and how to manage the workload of an AP* course. Participants will engage in researching, crafting and sharing new course materials using a variety of distance-learning platforms that will support student learning in situations requiring electronic instruction. We will share activities designed to cultivate the critical thinking skills necessary for student success in the AP* classroom and beyond.
We will participate in mock scoring sessions of the exam using current rubrics. Teachers with experience in the AP* program will review a variety of approaches to course structure, and they will gain numerous teaching strategies to add to their toolboxes. New AP* teachers will learn about the course requirements as well as various curriculum strategies and teaching techniques that will assist them in offering students a successful AP* Environmental Science course.
Distance learning will be delivered both synchronously and asynchronously. Participants will also have the opportunity to receive individual feedback during virtual office hours.
Technology: Instruction will be delivered through Zoom and Google Classroom. Participants will also use and evaluate platforms such as Pear Deck, Flipgrid and Padlet for content delivery and student learning. Materials will also be shared through Google Drive. Some materials may be better utilized in print format so access to a printer would be helpful.
Labs: This integral part of the course will be covered in a variety of ways: activities that participants will do and share during the workshop, videos of labs and field trips, sharing of successful labs, and brainstorming and crafting labs and data sets that would work in remote learning situations.
What to Bring: Participants should have texts they will utilize in their AP* class available to them as they work to develop lesson plans and units aligned to the curriculum requirements. A list of a few common items (plastic cups, empty 2-L bottles, a ruler, graph paper) will be sent out before the start of the workshop as well as a package containing items to help set up activities will be sent to participants ahead of time.
We will participate in mock scoring sessions of the exam using current rubrics. Teachers with experience in the AP* program will review a variety of approaches to course structure, and they will gain numerous teaching strategies to add to their toolboxes. New AP* teachers will learn about the course requirements as well as various curriculum strategies and teaching techniques that will assist them in offering students a successful AP* Environmental Science course.
Distance learning will be delivered both synchronously and asynchronously. Participants will also have the opportunity to receive individual feedback during virtual office hours.
Technology: Instruction will be delivered through Zoom and Google Classroom. Participants will also use and evaluate platforms such as Pear Deck, Flipgrid and Padlet for content delivery and student learning. Materials will also be shared through Google Drive. Some materials may be better utilized in print format so access to a printer would be helpful.
Labs: This integral part of the course will be covered in a variety of ways: activities that participants will do and share during the workshop, videos of labs and field trips, sharing of successful labs, and brainstorming and crafting labs and data sets that would work in remote learning situations.
What to Bring: Participants should have texts they will utilize in their AP* class available to them as they work to develop lesson plans and units aligned to the curriculum requirements. A list of a few common items (plastic cups, empty 2-L bottles, a ruler, graph paper) will be sent out before the start of the workshop as well as a package containing items to help set up activities will be sent to participants ahead of time.
Goals:
• To identify and apply the standards of the AP* Environmental Science Exam to classroom practices
• To explore and develop effective and engaging AP* Environmental Science units, lessons, and syllabi
• To expand participants’ “toolboxes” with successful instructional strategies
• To explore course resources
• To network with colleagues and learn from each other
• To explore and develop effective and engaging AP* Environmental Science units, lessons, and syllabi
• To expand participants’ “toolboxes” with successful instructional strategies
• To explore course resources
• To network with colleagues and learn from each other
• To return to classrooms with ready-to-use instructional
Tentative Agenda:
Day 1:
• CED framework elements and planning the AP* course
• Review and connections to curricular requirements
• Equity, inclusion, and access
• Common expectations for AP* Environmental Science
o The science practices
• Current events resources
• Beginning of the course labs and activities
Day 2:
• Lab skills and field trips
• Long-term labs
• AP Classroom
• Pacing guides and year-long plans
•The Math FRQ
Day 3:
• Multiple choice tips and practice
• Navigating the resources in AP* Classroom
• Building lessons, units, and year-long plans
• Rubrics for the investigation FRQ
• Activities for human population issues
Day 4:
•Online resources
o Data sources for investigations
• Review resources
o Vocabulary
o Concepts
• Pivoting units for e-learning
• Utilizing data from instructional planning reports
• Exam tips from readers
Day 5:
• Fostering student agency in AP* Environmental Science
• Results from lab investigations
• Project sharing
• Next steps