AP course/exam: How do you determine which one to take?

[Holly IN]

Because of money we will have to be very selective on what courses son will take....I am looking at PA homeschoolers class. From what I remember he can't take the course until he is a junior. So in the meantime, I want him to prepare for an AP exam this year. Do we select the ones that will go for his major in college or just something to confirm what he is learning at home??

 

He is looking at the English/lit AP exam. However not sure what books he needs to read in regards to that. He is also thinking about AP Biology however we used Apologia Biology courses (both the Biology and the Anatomy/Physiology). I think he will need to get a secular text book to read over this year and perhaps the teaching company's Biology DVD. We got the human body one already. I pasted the requirements for HONORS diploma down below. It is required he takes an AP course and the exam.

 

Thanks!

 

Holly

 

 

Here is the requirement for our Indiana Core 40 HONORS program:

 

• Complete one of the following:

A. Complete AP courses (4 credits) and corresponding AP exams

B. Complete IB courses (4 credits) and corresponding IB exams

C. Earn a combined score of 1200 or higher on the SAT critical reading and mathematics

D. Score a 26 or higher composite on the ACT

E. Complete dual high school/college credit courses from an accredited postsecondary institution (6 transferable college credits)

F. Complete a combination of an AP course (2 credits and corresponding exam) or an IB Standard Level course (2 credits and corresponding exam) and dual high school/college credit course(s) from an accredited postsecondary institution (3 transferable college credits)

[Moira in MA]

Holly

 

Some APs are introductory courses that mimic a semester course in college and can be attempted without prior study of that subject. Human geography, US goverment and politics, economics, and (maybe) psychology are in this category.

 

The English courses are deceptively simple in concept but hard to score well on. They are best left to the last 2 years of high school, imho.

 

The foreign language courses obviously require multiple years of prior study; as do the calculus exams.

 

Sciences are often approached as second courses in the subject but people have successfully taken them after just one year of study. At least one of the physics courses requires calculus though. Likewise the history courses have lots of data to get a handle on.

 

I would suggest trying just one examination the first time to see if the high stakes testing format is a good fit for your son and choosing a course that it offered at a school locally so that you can get a testing site -- we had a hard time finding testing for human geography locally this year.

 

HTH

~Moira

[DebbS]

One of the reasons that we are going with Human Geography this year for 10th grade is that the Pennsylvania Homeschoolers site recommends their class for 10th - 12th graders while they recommend World History, which is the other one we were thinking of for just 11th - 12th grade. We reviewed the course descriptions on the college board AP site and decided that Human Geography actually looked more interesting because it is more closely related to the kinds of things that my son loves to read about outside of school courses. My son's interest, his grade level for his first AP exam and information from the Pennsylvania Homeschooler site were the factors that made our decision. On the other hand, if he was set on taking AP World History instead, we would've gone ahead with it. And probably will next year.

[DebbS]

Holly

 

..... and choosing a course that it offered at a school locally so that you can get a testing site -- we had a hard time finding testing for human geography locally this year.

 

HTH

~Moira

 

I had no idea this would be a problem. I thought that the college board would send which test we need to the testing site. I better get on top of this.

[Hannah C.]

I never actually used them, but the AP test guides put out by various publishers are apparently *very* helpful. Two of my siblings have used them on top of public high school AP classes.

 

For the AP English classes, there is AP Language and AP Literature. Most colleges will give you 6 credits of English for a 4 or a 5 on only ONE of the tests. If you take both, they will not give you any more credit. From what I remember from high school, the AP Lit is much more literature-focused. My AP English Literature class spent the year reading as much literature as they could, because one of the essay questions is very broad. If you go to the AP site you should be able to find some guidelines. These classes are usually taken in the junior and senior year of high school, however, so those may not be tests you want to take now!

 

AP Biology and Chemistry tests are *NOT* tests which can be taken after one year of biology or chemistry. At my public high school, the AP Bio and Chem classes were also referred to as Bio II and Chem II. The tests are more advanced than a one-year course could prepare you for.

 

The AP foreign language tests require a very high level of language competency.

 

The AP Psychology test is very challenging as well and could not be taken based on anything but a structured course of study. I actually took this test, didn't finish one of the essays, and got a 4 on it -- because the AP tests are graded based on averaged performance and not on an absolute scale. AP Psych is a junior or senior level class.

 

The most difficult part about the AP History tests is the Document-Based Questions, from what I remember. I never took one of the tests however.

 

Where I live, the AP testing took place at the public high school and homeschoolers would come to the high school for the test. So as someone else mentioned, making sure that the test is being offered locally is important.

[edithcrawley]

Because of money we will have to be very selective on what courses son will take....I am looking at PA homeschoolers class. From what I remember he can't take the course until he is a junior. So in the meantime, I want him to prepare for an AP exam this year. Do we select the ones that will go for his major in college or just something to confirm what he is learning at home??

 

He is looking at the English/lit AP exam. However not sure what books he needs to read in regards to that. He is also thinking about AP Biology however we used Apologia Biology courses (both the Biology and the Anatomy/Physiology). I think he will need to get a secular text book to read over this year and perhaps the teaching company's Biology DVD. We got the human body one already. I pasted the requirements for HONORS diploma down below. It is required he takes an AP course and the exam.

 

Thanks!

 

Holly

 

 

Here is the requirement for our Indiana Core 40 HONORS program:

 

• Complete one of the following:

A. Complete AP courses (4 credits) and corresponding AP exams

B. Complete IB courses (4 credits) and corresponding IB exams

C. Earn a combined score of 1200 or higher on the SAT critical reading and mathematics

D. Score a 26 or higher composite on the ACT

E. Complete dual high school/college credit courses from an accredited postsecondary institution (6 transferable college credits)

F. Complete a combination of an AP course (2 credits and corresponding exam) or an IB Standard Level course (2 credits and corresponding exam) and dual high school/college credit course(s) from an accredited postsecondary institution (3 transferable college credits)

 

 

Actually, he isn't required to take an AP class and exam to get the IN Core 40 w/ Acad. Honors. The requirement you posted says to complete ONE of the following (of course, you can do more).

 

The Eng Lit test wasn't all that easy just because there was so much stuff that could have been tested on. Also, most of the people that I knew that took AP Bio took a year of regular Bio and then a year of AP Bio-I've heard that class has lots of memorization involved

 

Based on his age, I'd suggest he take either Human Geo, World History, US History, or Environmental Science. While these exams aren't exactly a cakewalk, they'll help him get used to the AP style. There are some excellent prep books for each of the tests (will help explain how the AP board asks questions and how they want the essays formatted). You also can probably check around and see what books the local districts are using for these classes. A list of what should be covered in each of the AP classes can be found on the AP website.

Edited June 16, 2010 by jennifermarie
formatting

[Luckymama]

At my daughter's school, the first AP that students are allowed to take is AP US History as a sophomore (and those are only the top 40 or so in the class of 400ish).

 

My son just took APUSH as a junior (no APs allowed sooner at his school), along with AP English Language, AP Calc and AP Physics C (the one with calculus). Those classes were VERY rigorous and prepared him well for the exams-----we'll see next month when the scores are back! APUSH and Eng Lang are very writing-intensive, with the APUSH having two different types of essay questions in addition to the usual multiple choice questions. They are Free Response Questions (FRQs--short essay) and Document-Based Questions (DBQs). The DBQs require synthesis of primary sources (given to you) with knowledge from the class. A student needs to learn how to write a proper DBQ to do well on the exam.

 

At both kids' high schools, AP Bio and AP Chem require major time commitments during the school year, with additional lab periods beyond what would normally be scheduled for a lab science. The AP course is taken after the student has taken the regular version. I wouldn't recommend a core science as a first AP course/exam!

[Carol in Cal.]

I took the AP English exam and the AP Chemistry exam.

 

For AP English, our teacher recommended that we go into the exam with some complete, well-studied works firmly in mind. We had to be able to come up with examples that would prove our points from those works, and to be able to cite them accurately as the graders are other AP English teachers and would be familiar with that literature. I don't remember the test all that clearly, but I believe that we had to analyze some poetry and write several essays proving or disproving a thesis about life or something that was given, but using literature that we remembered to make those cases. Probably the most helpful thing we did to prepare was to take several old AP exams in class and discuss them as a group.

 

AP Chemistry was a very difficult class. I took it as second year chemistry, but some took an especially difficult class that covered high school chemistry AND college chemistry in the same year. I remember how stunningly more difficult the college book was from the high school book. I strongly recommend that if you are thinking of pursuing that course of study, you get ahold of a good college freshman chemistry text and an exam prep book and consider whether he is well prepared or not.

 

As far as college credit goes, getting that 5 in AP English got me out of Subject A (the semi-remedial English class that some freshmen took), and the two quarters that constituted introductory college English. It was great not to have to take those classes--I was able to take more advanced, fun literature classes instead of grinding through the 'one book and one paper per week' classes that most people took.

 

For chemistry, I was told that I could either skip the first quarter of Freshman chemistry, or go into Honors Freshman chemistry. Either way, I would have to take 3 instead of 4 quarters of chemistry, so I selected Honors Freshman Chem because it looked more interesting. My AP chem class was in no way comparable to the college chemistry that I learned in that class, but it stood me in very good stead in a number of areas. For one thing, it was instrumental in my getting a medium size Freshman Chem E scholarship. For another, the general knowledge that I picked up covered some subjects that I didn't run across again until, literally, 3rd year inorganic chem. It made some things familiar and greased the skids for all my chemistry classes through college. I'm really glad I took it. But it was really, really hard.

[Holly IN]

Actually, he isn't required to take an AP class and exam to get the IN Core 40 w/ Acad. Honors. The requirement you posted says to complete ONE of the following (of course, you can do more).

 

 

 

 

I just have to hope that he gets a 1200 for his SAT or a 26 on the ACT which I will not know until Junior year (spring). That is why I thought I would jump on the AP bandwagon.

 

However a friend of mine said that CLEP test is accepted here in Indiana as part of the Honors Track. I am not seeing this anywhere on the Indiana Dept of Ed website. She is adamant that it is there. :confused::confused::confused:

 

I am assuming it is because of the "transferable credit" part that she is going by as one of the choices??

 

I will have to ask her again where that info is.

 

Thanks for the reommendation of where to start at. That helps a lot!! I know Geography AP is done at my school district as my niece took it at my school district. My issue is that it requires a course in AP if that is the only option for my son (didn't meet SAT score or ACT score requirement).

 

Holly

[SS in MD]

Dd will be entering 9th grade in the fall. She wants to take 1 AP class. I've been looking at the course offerings on the PA homeschoolers website. We're considering AP Human Geography, but it's hard to understand why the course is $605 (early bird) while other courses are much cheaper (AP US Govt for example)... Anyone know why there is such a wide variety of pricing for their classes? While I really want dd to take the course online, $605 is a lot of us. So, I'm looking for insight if anyone has attempted doing it as self-study? (I know it can't be written as AP on hs transcript). I'd consider AP Govt, but dd wants to take that in 10th...

Any thoughts?... thanks!

[edithcrawley]

However a friend of mine said that CLEP test is accepted here in Indiana as part of the Honors Track. I am not seeing this anywhere on the Indiana Dept of Ed website. She is adamant that it is there. :confused::confused::confused:

 

I am assuming it is because of the "transferable credit" part that she is going by as one of the choices??

 

I will have to ask her again where that info is.

 

Holly

 

 

You might just want to call the Dept. of Ed. and ask about it. The Honors track diploma requirements have changed a bit since I graduated (2007). By reading it, it doesn't sound like a CLEP test. It sounds like the ACP classes they had at my school- there was an Eng comp. and some others class maybe that you could take during the school day and if you got a good enough grade and payed the transfer fee, you'd have 3 credits at IU (which could then be transferred to other IN colleges). It sounds like something like that is what the "Transferable credit" bit is referring to.

 

What colleges is your son looking at?

[Holly IN]

Right now he is looking at IUPUI or Indiana Weslyan. He really wants to do the LEAP at Indiana Weslyan but I do not think it is available to new college students.

 

He is going back and forth between communications or physics or Communications being his major and Physics be his minor. I know two very different fields. Not sure what he is thinking at this time. He wants to stay in the Indianapolis area for colleges and live at home with us.

 

I am getting a lot of conflicting information from several moms. One mom is adamant that we as homeschoolers can't award the Honors diploma but two other moms said we can. Nowhere on the Indiana dept of education website indicated that homeschoolers can't be awarded this. It only says all students....

 

Thanks!!

Holly

[MomsintheGarden]

Dd will be entering 9th grade in the fall. She wants to take 1 AP class. I've been looking at the course offerings on the PA homeschoolers website. We're considering AP Human Geography...

 

... So, I'm looking for insight if anyone has attempted doing it as self-study? (I know it can't be written as AP on hs transcript). I'd consider AP Govt, but dd wants to take that in 10th...

Any thoughts?... thanks!

 

A lot of parents want their students to have a classroom experience, and that is very valuable - we just didn't so we could save money and have a flexible schedule. My two oldest have self-studied for a total of 8 different APs, but not Human Geography, so I don't have a study plan for you. I feel that most APs could be studied for inexpensively at home, though.

 

Here is a general plan:

1. Gather information.

 

Go to the CB site and download and read the course description and anything else you think might be helpful. Look at their recommended textbook list and begin researching. Watch for updates to the test!

 

Look at online course providers and see what they're using. Research their books, too.

 

Research prep study guides on Amazon and at a local bookstore (take your student to look, too!).

 

Search for threads about your subject on this board and College Confidential. Post if necessary. Someone may have a plan already.

 

Search for high school teacher's syllabi and schedules. You will be amazed at how many there are!

 

If you really want to get into it, sign up for the "teacher's only" message board on the CB for your particular class. I was allowed to participate in all those I requested, and got some very helpful responses.

 

 

2. Buy your stuff.

 

We try to get the student book and the teacher's book if possible, usually a somewhat older edition to save a lot of $. We also usually buy two commercial prep guides for each test. The College Board released exams can be helpful, too, but all of their FRQs for many years are available for free on their website - it's the MC's and some extra info you're buying.

 

When buying, watch for recent and future test revisions that affect form and content!

 

 

3. Schedule.

 

Most AP classes begin with work over the summer, usually in August. This is because the tests are in early May - it comes around quickly!

 

You and your student are going to need to decide whether he prefers to work through a prep guide for review along with the text study or after. My two would typically finish by the end of March and spend April reviewing and taking practice tests. Your student will need review and prep time!

 

My daughter decided she wanted more time to review for Calculus BC and Physics C (both), so she double-timed it through the texts in order to be done with them at the end of February. Because she had more time, she was able to go through the material twice - once with the text, and once with the prep books.

 

We usually use one of the prep books for review and practice and the other for just the tests. We also download and use the College Board FRQs, often substituting them for the prep guide test FRQs.

 

 

4. Call high schools in January-February and find one to test your student.

 

This should be the easiest step, but it often isn't.:tongue_smilie:

 

Be prepared to pay for the exams in full when you sign up, and get a receipt that lists which exams will be taken. Write down the contact info for the AP coordinator and guidance office secretary. Schools usually order the tests around April 1, so have your final plans set by mid-March.

 

Be friendly, polite, specific, and persistent. For example, make sure they know your student is taking both Physics C exams, or Calculus BC, or English Language & Composition, or Comparative Government, or Spanish Language (you get the picture...).

 

 

5. Have your student show up on time (ask when to make sure!), and bring what she's supposed to and don't bring what she's not supposed to. Remind her that she may be the first homeschooled student who has ever taken an AP exam at that school, and that she is a homeschool "ambassador."

 

HTH,

GardenMom

Edited June 17, 2010 by MomsintheGarden
Info added

[Joan in GE]

A lot of parents want their students to have a classroom experience, and that is very valuable - we just didn't so we could save money and have a flexible schedule. My two oldest have self-studied for a total of 8 different APs, but Human Geography, so I don't have a study plan for you. I feel that most APs could be studied for inexpensively at home, though.

 

Here is a general plan:

1. Gather information.

 

Go to the CB site and download and read the course description and anything else you think might be helpful. Look at their recommended textbook list and begin researching. Watch for updates to the test!

 

Look at online course providers and see what they're using. Research their books, too.

 

Research prep study guides on Amazon and at a local bookstore (take your student to look, too!).

 

Search for threads about your subject on this board and College Confidential. Post if necessary. Someone may have a plan already.

 

Search for high school teacher's syllabi and schedules. You will be amazed at how many there are!

 

If you really want to get into it, sign up for the "teacher's only" message board on the CB for your particular class. I was allowed to participate in all those I requested, and got some very helpful responses.

 

 

2. Buy your stuff.

 

We try to get the student book and the teacher's book if possible, usually a somewhat older edition to save a lot of $. We also usually buy two commercial prep guides for each test. The College Board released exams can be helpful, too, but all of their FRQs for many years are available for free on their website - it's the MC's and some extra info you're buying.

 

When buying, watch for recent and future test revisions that affect form and content!

 

 

3. Schedule.

 

Most AP classes begin with work over the summer, usually in August. This is because the tests are in early May - it comes around quickly!

 

You and your student are going to need to decide whether he prefers to work through a prep guide for review along with the text study or after. My two would typically finish by the end of March and spend April reviewing and taking practice tests. Your student will need review and prep time!

 

My daughter decided she wanted more time to review for Calculus BC and Physics C (both), so she double-timed it through the texts in order to be done with them at the end of February. Because she had more time, she was able to go through the material twice - once with the text, and once with the prep books.

 

We usually use one of the prep books for review and practice and the other for just the tests. We also download and use the College Board FRQs, often substituting them for the prep guide test FRQs.

 

 

4. Call high schools and find one to test your student.

 

This should be the easiest step, but it often isn't.:tongue_smilie:

 

HTH,

GardenMom

 

Thanks for that summary GardenMom, esp the idea of starting in August which seems obvious but is new to me.

 

Joan

[DebbS]

Holly,

 

Another option on the list is to take a few dual credit courses from a college. You could even wait until his senior year for that.

 

Debb S.

[SS in MD]

A lot of parents want their students to have a classroom experience, and that is very valuable - we just didn't so we could save money and have a flexible schedule. My two oldest have self-studied for a total of 8 different APs, but Human Geography, so I don't have a study plan for you. I feel that most APs could be studied for inexpensively at home, though.

 

Here is a general plan:

1. Gather information.

 

Go to the CB site and download and read the course description and anything else you think might be helpful. Look at their recommended textbook list and begin researching. Watch for updates to the test!

 

Look at online course providers and see what they're using. Research their books, too.

 

Research prep study guides on Amazon and at a local bookstore (take your student to look, too!).

 

Search for threads about your subject on this board and College Confidential. Post if necessary. Someone may have a plan already.

 

Search for high school teacher's syllabi and schedules. You will be amazed at how many there are!

 

If you really want to get into it, sign up for the "teacher's only" message board on the CB for your particular class. I was allowed to participate in all those I requested, and got some very helpful responses.

 

 

2. Buy your stuff.

 

We try to get the student book and the teacher's book if possible, usually a somewhat older edition to save a lot of $. We also usually buy two commercial prep guides for each test. The College Board released exams can be helpful, too, but all of their FRQs for many years are available for free on their website - it's the MC's and some extra info you're buying.

 

When buying, watch for recent and future test revisions that affect form and content!

 

 

3. Schedule.

 

Most AP classes begin with work over the summer, usually in August. This is because the tests are in early May - it comes around quickly!

 

You and your student are going to need to decide whether he prefers to work through a prep guide for review along with the text study or after. My two would typically finish by the end of March and spend April reviewing and taking practice tests. Your student will need review and prep time!

 

My daughter decided she wanted more time to review for Calculus BC and Physics C (both), so she double-timed it through the texts in order to be done with them at the end of February. Because she had more time, she was able to go through the material twice - once with the text, and once with the prep books.

 

We usually use one of the prep books for review and practice and the other for just the tests. We also download and use the College Board FRQs, often substituting them for the prep guide test FRQs.

 

 

4. Call high schools and find one to test your student.

 

This should be the easiest step, but it often isn't.:tongue_smilie:

 

HTH,

GardenMom

 

Thank you for the detailed info! It's really helpful to get a general idea how to go about it all! Hs is new territory for us!

 

On another note, I PM'ed (a few weeks ago) about a history question (rhetoric year 3) I'm wondering if you had a chance to read it??

 

Thank you again for your help!

Sangita

dd(14),dd(12),dd(9),ds(6)

[MomsintheGarden]

Thank you for the detailed info! It's really helpful to get a general idea how to go about it all! Hs is new territory for us!

 

On another note, I PM'ed (a few weeks ago) about a history question (rhetoric year 3) I'm wondering if you had a chance to read it??

 

Thank you again for your help!

Sangita

dd(14),dd(12),dd(9),ds(6)

 

Oops - I'm so sorry, but I don't have your message.:blush: Would you mind PMing me again? We've had the busiest couple of months.

 

Thanks!

GardenMom

[SS in MD]

Oops - I'm so sorry, but I don't have your message.:blush: Would you mind PMing me again? We've had the busiest couple of months.

 

Thanks!

GardenMom

 

I just resent it - it should be in your PM inbox...

 

Thanks so much! :)

Sangita

[madrekts]

"We're considering AP Human Geography... So, I'm looking for insight if anyone has attempted doing it as self-study? (I know it can't be written as AP on hs transcript). I'd consider AP Govt, but dd wants to take that in 10th..."

 

Hi SS in MD,

I did both AP Hum Geo and AP Comp Gov this year with my 9th grader. MomsintheGarden gave you great advice. Just a couple of additions: the College Board List Serv for Human Geography is not very active. You can post questions yourself, and maybe you would generate more responses. We used the Pearson text, Cultural Landscape by Rubenstein (last year's edition) and the REA review book. Pearson's website (mygeoscience) was pretty good also. You'll want to add in some fun nonfiction books also. We read City of Joy, Three Cups of Tea, a couple of books on the UN, Mexifornia by Victor Davis Hansen, Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat, William Easterly's The White Man's Burden (a book debating the success of development aid.) There are many very important and interesting topics in this class.

 

And, by the way, after you design your syllabus, it is easy to submit it for approval by the College Board, even as an individual, and then you can put it on transcripts.

 

Where are you in MD? We are in Rockville. We'll be doing both AP U.S. Government and APUSH this fall in a small co-op at my home.

[SS in MD]

"We're considering AP Human Geography... So, I'm looking for insight if anyone has attempted doing it as self-study? (I know it can't be written as AP on hs transcript). I'd consider AP Govt, but dd wants to take that in 10th..."

 

Hi SS in MD,

I did both AP Hum Geo and AP Comp Gov this year with my 9th grader. MomsintheGarden gave you great advice. Just a couple of additions: the College Board List Serv for Human Geography is not very active. You can post questions yourself, and maybe you would generate more responses. We used the Pearson text, Cultural Landscape by Rubenstein (last year's edition) and the REA review book. Pearson's website (mygeoscience) was pretty good also. You'll want to add in some fun nonfiction books also. We read City of Joy, Three Cups of Tea, a couple of books on the UN, Mexifornia by Victor Davis Hansen, Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat, William Easterly's The White Man's Burden (a book debating the success of development aid.) There are many very important and interesting topics in this class.

 

And, by the way, after you design your syllabus, it is easy to submit it for approval by the College Board, even as an individual, and then you can put it on transcripts.

 

Where are you in MD? We are in Rockville. We'll be doing both AP U.S. Government and APUSH this fall in a small co-op at my home.

 

Thanks for the helpful advice! How did your dc like Human Geography? What does REA stand for? So, did you simply go thru' the Rubinstein book chapter by chapter? What about essays and FRQs? How did your dc prepare for those? I guess preparing a syllabus it seems a little daunting to me b/c I have never taken Human Geography lol! If dd doesn't do AP Human Geography I may have her consider AP US Govt in 9th and pick another AP history in 10th...ahh not quite sure what we're doing... :lol:

 

We live near Frederick, MD. Wow! that's great you'll be doing a co-op from your home.

 

Thanks for your help!

[Joan in GE]

a couple of books on the UN

 

Your other books sound quite interesting and I'm curious what books you found on the UN...

 

Thanks,

Joan

[Windmilldreamer]

As a veteran of a lot of AP exams (quite some time ago), I want to second what Momsinthegarden posted about the exams and preparing for them.

 

In regular schools, teachers learn (often by failing with several classes) how to prepare students for these exams. At least, the good ones learn. The not-so-good teachers just offer the exams on a sink or swim basis.

 

Obviously, homeschoolers can't afford to learn by trial and error--you only have the one batch of students, and you want them all to do well.

 

Unlike many standardized tests, the AP exams are worth teaching to. They are very rigorous tests (in most areas) and they cover the subject matter well. If you've studied hard, the multiple choice sections are not bad. The essay sections are another matter. Practice makes a huge difference here. My teachers had looked at years worth of essay exams, and identified certain kinds of topics which were very likely to come up. We practiced writing essays on those topics multiple times. So for example, when it came to Biology (my first AP exam, one that every student in my high school was required to take) I had drawn and explained diagrams of animal and plant cells, both alone and in compare and contrast mode, I had memorized and could explain the Krebs cycle, I could go through the steps of cell division. I not only COULD do these things, I could do them quickly and without having to organize those essays from scratch. I didn't have the essays themselves memorized, but I knew that material COLD. That left me with time to concentrate on the essays that were more complicated, and less likely to show up from year to year. For what it is worth, we also spread that one year of college biology over two years of study--but my school was strange, and we took many subjects for multiple years.

 

Hope some of this helps.

[madrekts]

Your other books sound quite interesting and I'm curious what books you found on the UN...

 

Thanks,

Joan

 

Hi Joan,

We took sort of a pro/con approach to the U.N., and read two books... An Insider's Guide to the UN by NPR's Linda Fasulo and The U.N. Exposed by Eric Shawn. The dichotomy was a source of very interesting conversations! Given the topics in this AP class, there are so many issues and books that you could explore.

[madrekts]

Thanks for the helpful advice! How did your dc like Human Geography? What does REA stand for? So, did you simply go thru' the Rubinstein book chapter by chapter? What about essays and FRQs? How did your dc prepare for those? I guess preparing a syllabus it seems a little daunting to me b/c I have never taken Human Geography lol! If dd doesn't do AP Human Geography I may have her consider AP US Govt in 9th and pick another AP history in 10th...ahh not quite sure what we're doing... :lol:

 

We live near Frederick, MD. Wow! that's great you'll be doing a co-op from your home.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Hi SS in MD,

My daughter really enjoyed Human Geography because of the relevance to current events, etc. I spent quite a bit of time last summer reading the textbook, researching, etc. but I don't think it is absolutely necessary. There are four sample syllabi on the College Board site, as well as more available on-line. REA is "Research & Education Association," but I believe that they market as "REA."

 

I had her writing papers and paragraphs throughout the year, but having been through it once, now I would focus even more of the writing on teaching the AP format. There are 10 years or so of sample FRQs on the College Board site, in addition to several practice exams in the review book. This year I kind of "saved" the practice exams until we had gone through the material, but in my classes next year, sample FRQs and multiple choice sections will be integrated more fully throughout the year.

 

If Hum Geo is a bit daunting because it is unknown, my daughter liked Comparative Government even more. AND, after planning the syllabus for U.S. Government, I can't wait for that class.

[Joan in GE]

Hi Joan,

We took sort of a pro/con approach to the U.N., and read two books... An Insider's Guide to the UN by NPR's Linda Fasulo and The U.N. Exposed by Eric Shawn. The dichotomy was a source of very interesting conversations! Given the topics in this AP class, there are so many issues and books that you could explore.

 

Actually my ds just took the Human Geo this spring. But since my dh worked in the UN system a long time and we are still in Geneva, I thought they might provide food for thought - so Thanks for sharing!

 

I had her writing papers and paragraphs throughout the year, but having been through it once, now I would focus even more of the writing on teaching the AP format. There are 10 years or so of sample FRQs on the College Board site, in addition to several practice exams in the review book. This year I kind of "saved" the practice exams until we had gone through the material, but in my classes next year, sample FRQs and multiple choice sections will be integrated more fully throughout the year.

 

If Hum Geo is a bit daunting because it is unknown, my daughter liked Comparative Government even more. AND, after planning the syllabus for U.S. Government, I can't wait for that class.

 

Thanks for that too. I hadn't realized that there were all the sample FRQ's. I've got to visit that site more than I have.

 

 

Joan

Edited June 18, 2010 by Joan in Geneva

[Joan in GE]

Unlike many standardized tests, the AP exams are worth teaching to. They are very rigorous tests (in most areas) and they cover the subject matter well.

 

I am pro AP's myself (see this thread), but lacking experience.

 

You think they are better than other standardized tests because they are more rigorous...and more worth teaching to because the material is more worthwhile or?...(just trying to trying to dig a bit deeper here as we can't talk face to face.)

 

Thanks,

Joan