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TEC WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS: E WEEK
July 27 – August 1, 2008

—AP BIOLOGY (continued)
—AP CHEMISTRY (continued)

08E01 AP CALCULUS AB

This workshop focuses on both the AP Calculus AB curriculum and innovative teaching strategies. It includes specifications of the AB Calculus course description and examination as well as the new Audit requirements. Related rates, the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, separable differential equations, slope fields and Euler´s Method will be significant topics. The goal of the workshop is to instruct teachers in new and innovative ways to teach mathematics both analytically and by using technology. Calculator activities will focus on the TI-83/84. Programs involving Reimann Sums, as well as complete classroom projects such as Discovering Derivatives, will be shared. Multiple choice and free response questions from past AP exams will be thoroughly analyzed as well as scoring guidelines. This course is geared toward teachers new to the AP program.

Instructor: Tom Tutor, Islesboro Central School, Islesboro, ME

08E02 AP COMPUTER SCIENCE AB (JAVA)

This workshop will extend the work begun in the AP Computer Science A workshop (see previous week) to encompass the concepts and skills tested on the AP Computer Science AB exam such as algorithms, efficiency, linked lists, trees and the APCS subset of the Java Collections framework. More complex design issues will be addressed, including the role of inheritance. We will also focus on the new GridWorld Case Study, preparation for the AP Computer Science AB exam, and creation of a course syllabus. Optional evening sessions on special topics may also be offered. Pre-requisites: It is anticipated that most participants will be taking this workshop as an immediate follow-up to the AP Computer Science A course described in the previous week, although teachers who have taught the A course or who have a working knowledge of Java and some background in data structures/algorithms may be admitted.

Instructor: Stephanie (Stevie) Lord, Bangor High School, Bangor, ME

08E03 AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE: ANALYSIS, ARGUMENT, AND SYNTHESIS

Important changes have come to the AP English Language and Composition Examination that affect the character and content of AP English Language courses. Through this workshop, both experienced and new teachers of AP English will be able to establish or revise their AP practice and curriculum around nonfiction, focusing on synthesis activities that accompany close reading, rhetorical analysis, and source-based argumentation. Participants will discover ways to bring new approaches and materials such as image-based texts into the course by designing model units. Personal essays, memoirs, speeches, and letters by authors such as Dillard, Zinsser, Momaday, White, Didion, Hazlitt, Capote, Sontag, Boswell, Mead, Gladwell, and Murray will be among those considered. Participants are urged to bring new units that they are in the process of developing. Recent AP examination questions and scoring practices will be reviewed.

Instructor: John Brassil, Mt. Ararat High School, Topsham, ME

08E04 AP ENGLISH LITERATURE (ADVANCED): POINT OF VIEW AS A GUIDE TO MEANING AND TONE

This workshop will focus on the concept of point of view in a literary work, especially as a guide to meaning and tone. Starting with the premise that the narrator is always in some sense the author´s invention, we will identify the main categories of point of view, based on the pronoun that the narrator uses to recount events: "I" (or, occasionally, "we" for the plural form) for the first-person; "he," "she" or "they" for the third-person; and "you" for the second-person. Within those major categories, we will examine such subtypes as the omniscient third-person, with its subdivisions the intrusive narrator and the objective narrator, and the third-person limited. We will also discuss the advantages and limitations of each type. Then we will apply that information to the analysis of passages from short stories, poems, and excerpts from novels, including some that have appeared on past AP English Literature exams. Finally, each participant will teach a thirty-minute lesson on the effects of the point of view in a poem, short story, or novel.

Instructor: Sharon Hamilton, PhD, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, Cambridge, MA

08E05 AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: CLASSROOM AND LAB (INTRODUCTORY)

This workshop is designed for teachers new to AP Environmental Science (APES). Because this interdisciplinary course incorporates elements from various sciences, the laboratory component of the workshop will focus on how to complement the classroom through appropriate laboratory and field investigations. The field investigations will stress data analysis through first-hand studies of local ecosystems, forestry management, water quality, sewage treatment, bioassays, soil analysis, and the role of long-term, independent field research projects. The latest AP Environmental Science Examinations will also be discussed, with focus on essay writing and grading. Each participant will develop a syllabus appropriate to their school´s schedule and calendar (if not already accomplished), in addition to our focus on lab/field data analysis and report-writing appropriate to the APES curriculum. Participants will need to bring their school calendar, an APES text, a calculator, ruler, field shoes, raingear, and one environmental field/lab experience (paper version) to share with other participants.

Instructor: Myra Morgan, Greater Hartford Academy of Mathematics and Science, Hartford, CT

08E06 AP JAPANESE LANGUAGE

World language teachers are moving towards a more real-world application of the knowledge and skills that students learn in their classrooms. In the traditional language classroom, contexts centered on vocabulary topics as teachers developed units on family, school, housing, past times, holidays, and capital cities. In today´s learning environment, world language teachers must identify the purpose behind studying such topics. This means, for example, that teachers must now extend their housing unit beyond the names of rooms and furnishings to, perhaps, using Venn diagrams to explore common and unique characteristics of housing in both cultures. This is the thrust of the AP Japanese Language and Culture Program. In this workshop, participants will engage in a professional exchange of ideas on the integration of the National Standards and ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines into instruction and assessment in support of the AP Japanese Language and Culture Program. Participants will review the AP Teacher´s Guide, exam specifications, technology requirements, and discuss classroom materials, technology-based teaching, content-specific strategies to address the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of communication and thematic ways to incorporate cultural products, practices, and perspectives into the AP Japanese classroom. Participants will also consider AP curriculum and syllabus development, and become acquainted with resources to support AP Japanese teachers.

Instructors: Kin Chee, New Paltz Central High School, New Paltz, NY; Tomoko Graham, Noble and Greenough School, Dedham, MA

08E07 AP LATIN: VERGIL

This workshop will give both new and experienced AP Latin teachers the opportunity to read excerpts from books 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, & 12 of Vergil´s Aeneid with special attention to strategies for teaching and grading short essays, grading literal translations, and ways to check on homework and content that give variety to instruction. Many texts will be available to sample, though teachers are encouraged to bring the one that they plan to use. Throughout the week they will compile an assortment of passages, test questions, scoring rubrics and essay templates to use in instruction. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop computer if possible. The work during the week is intended to meet individual needs, so those with questions are encouraged to send inquiries to jmcrooker@aol.com .

Instructor: Jill Crooker, Educational Consultant, Pittsford, NY

08E08 AP UNITED STATES HISTORY

This workshop is designed for the AP United States History teacher with 0-2 years of experience. Throughout the week, participants will become acquainted with the AP exam, the standards which govern the exam, ways to approach the syllabus and curriculum, different pedagogy, reading and writing strategies, and differentiated instruction. Participants will have time to reflect on this material to generate class activities and lesson plans. We will examine this past year´s exam and develop lists of possible resources to help with teaching this class. Active dialogues and sharing of ideas are essential. Participants are encouraged to bring their textbooks, any existing syllabus from their home schools, and favorite classroom activities (even from other preps) with them. (This workshop is also offered in B and C weeks)

Instructor: Robin Wanosky, Weston High School, Weston, MA

08E09 CALCULUS WITHOUT THE AP EXAM

This workshop is designed for new teachers of calculus as well as experienced calculus teachers looking to add a non-AP section. More and more students are ready to take calculus in high school yet are not capable of handling the AP curriculum. This workshop focuses on designing a course to teach those students, and answers two basic questions. Which topics should be covered in a non-AP calculus course? What are some proven methods to teach these topics to non-AP-caliber students? Participants will explore concepts, solve problems, and learn new teaching strategies using graphing handhelds.

Instructor: Anthony Wion, The Taft School, Watertown, CT

08E10 COLLEGE COUNSELING

This workshop presents the basics of planning and conducting a secondary school college counseling program. The workshop includes a visit to Trinity College or Yale University as well as an evening "Deans´ Forum" at Taft with representatives from such nearby colleges as Fairfield, Smith, Vassar, Wesleyan, and the University of Connecticut. Each participant will also have an individual writing conference with one of the instructors. Topics for the week include practical considerations like beginning the process, interviewing students and parents, writing college recommendations, constructing college lists, building relationships with college representatives and school officials, and helping students make good decisions, as well as ethical and legal considerations in the college process.

Instructors: Amy Grieger, Northfield Mount Hermon School, Northfield, MA; Bruce Hunter, Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School, Salt Lake City, UT

08E11 LITERATURE, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT

In this workshop, we will study some of the "classics" in poetry, nonfiction, and short stories that center on nature either as an untamed wilderness and the site of psychological projection and cultural fears or as a space to be preserved and honored. Readings include work by an eclectic group including Muir, Ehrlich, Wordsworth, Hemingway, Stegner as well as a significant focus on Native American poetry, song, and literature. The arts component will include nineteenth century landscape painting and the photography of Ansel Adams, Laura Gilpin, and Edward Curtis. As part of this workshop, we will also work on discovering ways to link the study of texts and the environment with Native American cultures in each participant´s geographical location. A goal will be to find ways to help students to leave the classroom to experience nature and learn about the Native American cultures of their region.

Instructor: Jen Zacarra, The Taft School, Watertown, CT

08E12 SATIRE IN FICTION, DRAMA, AND POETRY

Our students are not born with the ability to perceive satire. Some learn to hear the satiric voice via "The Simpsons"−and some even get all their news from Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert, but they are often deaf to the more subtle satire found in the fiction, drama, and poetry we teach. This workshop will examine examples, across a range of complexity, of the best satire of the experts on whose shoulders our modern cartoonists and comedians stand. Examples from gentle Horatian to acidic Juvenalian satire will be sampled, emphasizing close reading of literary devices to uncover both tone and technique. Participants will come away with much material to help add the satiric mode to their courses.

Instructor: Barbara Bloy, PhD, Educational Consultant, Indialantic, FL

08E13 THE COLD WAR

From 1945 to the late 1980s, most nations of the world grappled with the potentially horrifying impact of the Cold War. Participants in this workshop will carefully analyze a number of critical aspects of the Cold War experience, including various historical theories on why it began, its impact on countries besides the United States and the Soviet Union, and the ways that it impacted various aspects of American and Soviet life and culture during the period in question. During the week we will analyze the latest scholarship on the Cold War, study a number of primary source documents, and see or hear a number of songs and popular films that demonstrate American attitudes during the Cold War era.

Instructor: Stephen Armstrong, Hall High School, West Hartford, CT

08E14 THE RESEARCH PAPER IN THE HUMANITIES CURRICULUM

The cornerstone of college work in the Humanities is the independent research paper. How do we prepare our students for this college process while still meeting the other needs of our curriculum? This course is designed both for new teachers who wish to improve their skills in teaching research and writing and for more experienced teachers who wish to reshape their teaching methods to incorporate this important skill. We will explore the use of the modern library, including databases; the creation of a research thesis question and research proposal; the shaping of evidence and creation of a finished paper. Other topics include how to decide which citation technique to use and how to build these skills over a four-year high school curriculum.

Instructor: Greg Hawes, The Taft School, Watertown, CT