Improving APHG Student Achievement

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Mr. Harris PayneDirector of Social Studies

August 3, 2013NCGEDenver, Colorado

Mr. Aaron McLaughlin

Benson High SchoolOmaha Public

Schools

The Geo-Groupies 2004

2011

UNO Dual Enrollment StatsUNO Dual Enrollment Program

Currently partnered with 35 schools; 33 of which are in greater Omaha area

The program is continuing to grow with 2,320 individual students

participating in dual enrollment classes over the year. That amounts to over 14,347 credits earned!

AP Human Geography Study Session 2013 Stats

Eight schools, five school districts, and 170 attendees were present for the 2013 AP Human Geography Study Session at UNO

University of Nebraska at Omaha Geography Department

Incentives

$100

Costs for AP Human Geography Workshop per Kelly Malone, UNO Dual Enrollment Coordinator

• Costs for AP Human Geography Workshop per Kelly Malone-• Total $3500.00• Includes:• APHG review books for teachers- most costly item• Stipends for staff $100/each• Pencils• Folders• Highlighters• APHG review cards

AP Human Geography Study SessionLogistics

• Where: UNO Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom, 2nd floor

• Time: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.• What: A review session to help students

prepare for the AP Human Geography Exam.• Why: To improve student achievement.

Three Different Rooms – Three different activities. Students rotate to a different room after each session.

• Room A- Aksarben Room• Speed Dating – Student get a Barron’s AP Human

Geography review card. They teach someone else in the room the concept and then move on to someone else.

• Room set-up – chairs in a circle. Students will form an inside and an outside ring for the activity

• Teachers/Professors: Maria Walinski-Peterson- leader• Aaron McLaughlin- Omaha Benson• Scott Townson – Millard West• Others?

Description of the Activities for the day• Time Activity• 12:30-1:00 Students check-in and are assigned to one of three rooms. Students will rotate at the

end of each session to a different room. Students get packet of review materials.• 1 p.m. Introduction read in each room/ or over a speaker. Main points: 1.This is a college level

class. That is why this activity is being held here at UNO. We expect everyone to behave like mature college-bound students. 2. This is a cooperative activity not competitive. 3. We are here to help you understand how to prepare for the exam but it is still up to each student to continue to study and prepare. 4. Many of the educators present today are readers for the exam and will help you prepare but this review does not guarantee that you will score well on the exam. 5. You will leave today with some materials that will help you prepare. It is up to you to use them. 6. You know it all but this is to help you know more.

• 1:10Session One begins in three different rooms (session runs 33 minutes)• 1:43Students switch to a different room.• 1:45Session Two begins in three different rooms (session runs 33 minutes)• 2:18 Ten minute break (cookies and water served)• 2:28Session Three begins in three different rooms (session runs 32 minutes)• 3:00Students leave teachers and professors rest.

Room B – Nebraska Room

• How to whip an essay like a soggy French fry. • Activities• AP exam questions – Multiple Choice – Discussion of scoring and how to narrow down an

answer.• Review one past FQR(found on AP College Board website) by having students review 2-3

student anchor papers from the site.• Students use the FQU rubric and score the papers.• Students compare and contrast their score to the reader’s scores.• Round Circle Tables• Copies of the FQR, anchor papers and rubrics will need to be reproduced• Teachers/Professors: Bill Deardoff leader- Omaha Burke• Lonnie Moore- Westside• Lula Mc Caskill- Millard South• Dave Powers – Creighton Prep• Tom Allen – Omaha Bryan • Others?

Room C- Ball Room

• Room C- Ball Room• Can you picture-nary the key models in APHG?• Activities• Students are given a list of the major models in APHG and self-test

to see which they know and which they do not know.• Students raise their hand and the teachers/professors gather a

general idea of which if any models are troublesome for students.• Teachers/professors break into groups with students and help them

explain models – NOTE: need to prepare diagrams of models with key points

• Students break into groups and choose teams to play Pictionary using the models as the items to draw and guess.

Miscellaneous• A.V. Set up for each room• Tables/Chairs for each room• Name tag table and check-in• Big – Giganto-Post-It in each room with time schedule on it.• Color-coded student packet. Each color is the materials for a different room.• Time table for signing up – Total # of students from each school by April 16th, 2012• Materials – AP cards and review books for teachers• Teacher pay forms• Teachers/Professors meet at 12 noon to set up.• UNO pens/pencils/highlighters• Deadline for teachers to sign up• Need one teacher from each school.• Give prof’s copy of the APHG released exam so they have background knowledge on what we are preparing students to

do.• Permission from AP to reprint materials for the day.• Run off a packet of materials for each student.• One Giganto-pad for UNO• 6 easels and pads of paper on each easel. Also a couple of markers. This is for the model session in the Ball Room• Each teacher needs to have a parent sign their district’s parent permission form for field-trips. Harris can scan a copy

and send you OPS’s if your school does not have one.

Participation Estimate 2012 (295 Students)

1. Burke – Deardoff – 652. South – Walinski-Peterson – 153. Westside – Moore – 354. Millard South – McGuire – 305. Millard West – Townsley – 156. Millard North – Casey – 30?7. Prep- Powers- 158. Bryan High – Allen - ?9. Central – Synowiecki- 40?10. Benson – McLaughlin – 10

NEXT/FINAL MEETING:

• Wednesday, April 18th, 2012, 5:30 p.m., Milo Bail Student Center, Ball Room, 2nd floor (NOTE: This is 4 days before the review)

• Objective of meeting:1. Get to know everyone that is running the review.2. Work out all remaining details.3. Get any adjustment in numbers from teachers.4. Have each session practice what they are going to

do and make sure it fits the time table.

• Notes page for each session.• Room A- blank pages for notes• Room B – need specifics as to FQR and which student anchor papers, practice M/C

questions?• Room C – need list of models and key people – refine lists that we have• List of websites that teacher recommend that students can go home and visit on their

own for further study.• Nice cover page- UNO folder?• http://www.scoop.it/u/aphumangeog• Set of blank base maps of the world

Items for Student Review Packets

Packet on Wiki

Please feel free to visit my Wiki and download this power-point and word documents

https://socialstudiesne.wikispaces.com/home

Summary of 3 Activities

I. Essay writingBrief overhead presentation to familiarize students with “book map” of FRQ format, and sharing of web resources for study & review.Overview of test-taking strategies, time management, and key phrasing common to Free Response Questions.Given an FRQ and rubric, students score actual responses to the question and compare scores in the same way AP readers “calibrate.”Possible activities for future sessions: comparison and evaluation of various AP review books; writing and self-evaluating FRQs.

Picture-nary of key APHG models• In small group setting, students were asked to

share drawings of APHG spatial models on an easel.

• Students critiqued these models for accuracy, using notes and study guides as necessary.

• Teachers provide prompts for key models not covered and ask students which models they need help with.

Speed-Dating

• Students are given APHG flash cards and organized into inner and outer circles with partners.

• Given a short time to familiarize themselves with their vocabulary/concept, students must explain their terms to one another in under 1 minute.

• After explaining concepts to their partners, the inner and outer circles rotate in order to create new combinations of students, who again explain their vocabulary to new partners.

• Having explained their vocabulary term to several students after a few rounds, students are given new terms and shorter time intervals for future rounds.

Speed Dating Demonstration

Comparisons of year 1 and 2

2012 20130

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

82

125

Number of students attending the APHG Review Session

Strongly Agree & Agree 2012 Strongly Agree & Agree 2013

81.16%

51.40%

The date, time and location worked well with your schedule?

Strongly Agree & Agree 2012 Strongly Agree & Agree 201374.00%

75.00%

76.00%

77.00%

78.00%

79.00%

80.00%

81.00%

82.00%

81.97%

76.80%

The timing of this session prior to the AP exam was beneficial?

Strongly Agree & Agree 2012 Strongly Agree & Agree 20130.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

83.10%

58.00%

The Speed Dating session helpful to you in preparing for the AP exam?

Strongly Agree & Agree 2012 Strongly Agree & Agree 201385.00%

86.00%

87.00%

88.00%

89.00%

90.00%

91.00%

90.54%

87.50%

The Essay writing session helpful to you in preparing for the AP exam?

Strongly Agree & Agree 2012 Strongly Agree & Agree 201374.00%

76.00%

78.00%

80.00%

82.00%

84.00%

86.00%

88.00%

90.00%

88.46%

79.60%

The Picture-nary- Geography Models session helpful to you in preparing for the AP exam?

Strongly Agree & Agree 2012 Strongly Agree & Agree 201378.00%

80.00%

82.00%

84.00%

86.00%

88.00%

90.00%

92.00%

94.00%

93.65%

83.90%

Do you believe you are now better prepared for the AP Human Geography exam after completing this

study session?

Is there anything additionally you would suggest to improve this session in the future?

2013• Longer Sessions

2012• Longer Sessions

Teacher/Student FeedbackTeachers-“We had the first “5” ever at our school this year. I don’t think it would have happened without the review session.”“The kids came back from the review session with a new attitude- this really is a college level class.”“Student saw how other students really take this exam seriously.”100% of the teachers said it helped their students.Students-“I studied the material in the packet every night with my mom. I got a “4” on the test. ”“I hate to admit it Mr. Payne but the Speed Dating Session helped me the most.” “Mastering the vocabulary is important.”

The pictures tell a story

Staff 2012 Staff 2013

Thank you for attending today’s session