AP Seminar |
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AP Seminar is a foundational course that engages students in cross-curricular conversations that explore the complexities of academic and real-world topics and issues by analyzing divergent perspectives. Using an inquiry framework, students practice reading and analyzing articles, research studies, and foundational, , and philosophical texts; listening to and viewing speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances.
Students learn to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual, both individually and as part of a team. Ultimately, the course aims to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments. Access to the full AP Seminar Course and Exam Description from the College Board available here. |
Q.U.E.S.T. Framwork |
Core Seminar Skills |
AP Digital Portfolio |
Course Outline
Semester 1: Course Welcome, Team Building, Core Skills, Mock Performance Tasks
Unit 1 – Course Intro, Team Building, Cores Skills [Teacher Provided Theme] – Sept – Oct
Unit 2 – Team Performance Project [Teacher/Student Theme Choice] – Oct – end of Nov
Unit 3 – Individual Research Project [Student Theme Choice / Teacher provided Stimulus Packet] – Dec – end of Jan, [including winter break]
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Semester 1 |
Semester 2: AP Performance Tasks and End of Year Exam
The work during this semester is devoted almost entirely to the preparation and performance of the 3 graded components of the AP exam, 2 through-course research and presentations tasks, as well as an end of year exam. The schedule will largely consist of benchmarks and completion markers for evaluation and tracking grades for Performance Tasks 1 and 2 respectively. Task 1 – Team Project and Presentation – Feb - March
Task 2 – Individual Research Essay and Presentation – March – April
By End April: All through-course [Perf. Tasks 1 and 2] is completed and uploaded to AP Digital Portfolio [Major + AP] Task 3 – End of Course Exam review and student – end of Apr until mid-May exam
AP Seminar Exam date: May 12, 2020 |
Semester 2 |
The AP Seminar Exam - 3 Parts, 2 Projects, 1 Score
Students of AP Seminar are assessed by the College Board, with two through-course performance tasks and one end-of-course exam. The process-to-product oriented assessments will begin sometime January and will be completed in a carefully managed sequence and then submitted through the AP Digital Portfolio by the end of April. These through-course assessments will require in- and out-of-class research, writing, and revising. Students will spend significant amounts of this time working cooperatively and independently and will be expected to use all available class-time to prepare and produce the AP Seminar performance assessments as well as complete any group or class-wide assignments.
All three assessments are summative and will be used to calculate a final AP score (using the 1–5 scale) for AP Seminar. More information will be provided for each assessment later, but it is important to acknowledge that a significant portion of these assessments are completed as coursework for the Seminar class and will be the major responsibility for students during the second semester. The breakdown is as follows:
All three assessments are summative and will be used to calculate a final AP score (using the 1–5 scale) for AP Seminar. More information will be provided for each assessment later, but it is important to acknowledge that a significant portion of these assessments are completed as coursework for the Seminar class and will be the major responsibility for students during the second semester. The breakdown is as follows:
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