Ursuline Academy AP Class Guide

Ursuline Academy

Advanced Placement Courses

ADVANCED PLACEMENT BIOLOGY Course description:

The AP Biology course is a lab-based program designed to be the equivalent of a two-semester college introductory biology course taken by biology majors at most universities and colleges throughout the country. It differs significantly from a first high school biology course in the range and depth of topics covered and the time and effort required of the students. Mathematical modeling, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking are all incorporated into the AP Biology curriculum to facilitate students’ understanding of the rapidly changing science of biology. As outlined by the College Board, there is a wealth of information to cover, and students will be expected to study and learn some of the material on their own. The pace of the class is challenging but manageable; the time commitment varies considerably depending on the ability and study skills of the student. The course culminates in a rigorous 3 hour exam in May. All students participating in the class are required to take the AP Biology exam. The exam materials are usually designed to test students’ understanding and application of the concepts rather than only their memorization of facts.

Topics covered include biochemistry, cell structure and function, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, protein synthesis, classical genetics, molecular genetics, population genetics, evolution, ecology, diversity of life, animal structure and physiology and plant structure and physiology.

Laboratory assignments reinforce and extend concepts being taught in class, occupying approximately 25% of class time. Labs are designed to encourage higher-order thinking and offer the opportunity for students to learn about problem solving, the scientific method, techniques of research, quantitative reasoning and methods for communicating results and conclusions The class meets six periods a week. Additionally, AP Biology Club meets one afternoon a week during activity period to practice free response questions.

Time commitment outside of class: It is expected that students will spend some time studying every night even if there is no written work assigned to be handed in the next day. A variety of homework is assigned: study guides, exam type free response questions, prelabs, lab reports, article critiques and one longer report or project per term.

Students are encouraged to spend 7-12 hours a week outside of class studying the material, with extra time to prepare for tests, and write out assignments. The time required is different for each individual and is affected by the difficulty of the topic and by her ability, study skills, reading speed and desired grade. Students are required to study and complete written assignments for the unit on Ecology during the summer.

Grading: Tests usually cover 2-4 chapters, and are given every 2-3 weeks. Some homework assignments and all labs are graded.

Text(s): The textbook used is Biology: AP Edition, Ninth Edition by Campbell.

Periodically throughout the year information for other resources is incorporated into assignments as well. AP Biology: Investigative Labs published by the College Board is the main lab manual utilized.

Prerequisites: 1. A minimum grade of 91in both honors biology and honors chemistry 2. A minimum composite score of145on the PSAT 3. A minimum of 91% in the current honors elective science (juniors only) Note: Course description includes excerpts from the College Board AP Biology course description.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT CALCULUS Course description: This course covers all topics outlined for Calculus AB in the AP course description including limits, differentiation and integration. The students are expected to work rigorously to achieve a high level of understanding of underlying concepts of calculus. Concepts are often developed within the solutions of problems so they are not necessarily developed explicitly in class.

The pace of the course is manageable but the time commitment necessary to succeed varies greatly depending on the ability, intensity, and learning style of the student. We in corporate work on the graphing calculator to explore concepts, verify calculations and support many problems with visual representation. In selecting problems, the AP Assignment Guide provided in the AP Correlations guide which accompanies our text book: Calculus, Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic by Finney, Demana, Waits and Kennedy, is closely followed to ensure that students are exposed to AP level problems.

AP Calculus meets seven times per week including during two D periods.

Time commitment outside of class: Very early in the course students are introduced to Free Response Questions from past AP Exams. They are assigned to work on3 problems each week which will be graded. The students are encouraged to work in small groups of two to four to prepare these labs with the hope that this will develop greater comprehension and verbal communication skills for each student. The weekly assignment is in addition to the daily homework assignment. Students should expect that their homework assignments will not only give them the opportunity to reinforce concepts studied in class but also challenge them to develop their analytical skills by investigating, making connections and drawing conclusions. Time spent on homework depends on the difficulty of the topic and the ability, curiosity and patience of the student.

There is a summer assignment where students are assigned problems from the first chapter of the book. The problems are related to topics they should be familiar with from pre-calculus.

Grading: Students are graded on the weekly lab assignment described above. Students will usually have at least one quiz and a major test for each chapter in the text.

Longer chapters, such as chapters 3 and 4, will have additional assessments.

Homework is reviewed and a homework grade is also included each term.

Text(s): Calculus Graphical, Numerical, Analytical AP Edition, Finney, Demana, Waits, Kennedy (Pearson Prentice Hall), 2007 Prerequisites: 1. A minimum of 92 in pre-calculus (fourth quarter must remain high) 2. Strong recommendation of pre-calculus teacher 3. A minimum math score of 62 on the junior year PSAT 4. The demonstrated ability to work independently

ADVANCED PLACEMENT CHEMISTRY Course description: AP Chemistry is a challenging and demanding subject. The course is designed to provide a solid first year college Chemistry experience, both conceptually and in the lab. For some students, this course enables them to undertake, in their first year, second-year work in the chemistry sequence at their institution or to register in courses in other fields where general chemistry is a prerequisite. The labs generally serve to supplement the learning in the lecture section of the course. Problem solving skills both on papers and in the lab are emphasized. AP exam materials are usually designed to test students’ understanding of the concepts and how well these can be applied in situations rather than simply testing the memory.

Students in the AP Chemistry course should attain a depth of understanding of fundamentals and areas on able competence in dealing with chemical problems. The course contributes to the overall development of the students’ abilities to think clearly and to express their ideas, orally and in writing, with clarity and logic. The AP Chemistry course differs qualitatively from the sophomore chemistry with respect to the emphasis on chemical calculations and the mathematical formulation of principles, and the kind of laboratory work done by students. Quantitative differences appear in the number of topics treated, the time spent on the course by students and the nature and the variety of experiments done in the laboratory.

Labs support, convey and cement the chemical principles presented in lectures and demonstrations. All the experiments listed in the course require hands on work in the lab. Students have to collect, process and manipulate data taken from physical observation, in collaboration with other students, then develop that data and report their conclusions.

Time commitment outside of class: Students are encouraged to spend at least five hours a week for independent study and still more time to prepare for tests, complete assignments and project work and write up lab reports. Daily homework assignments are designed as a follow-up exercise from the topics covered in lectures to reinforce the learning process. All homework is collected and graded. Students also receive questions/problems from the AP Released Exam on the current chapter being studied. Students are assigned questions from Chapter 1 & 2 from the textbook as the required summer assignment. These two chapters are meant to serve as a smooth transition from Sophomore Honors Chemistry to college level Chemistry.

Grading: Tests are usually given at the end of every one/two chapters. Students are required to take a self-test at the end of every chapter given in the Study Guide/ Work Book. All homework assignments and labs will also be graded.

Text(s): Chemistry: Principles and Reactions by Masterton and Hurley ISBN 978-1-111-42710-8 (Primary Text) Study Guide/Workbook: Chemistry, Principles of Reaction ISBN 978-1-111-57059-0 Solution Manual: Chemistry, Principles and Reactions ISBN 978-1-111-57060-6 Other supplementary books like Chemistry by Zumdabl Labs come from a variety of sources including AP Chemistry Teachers’ Workshop organized by College Board. th Chemical Principles in the Laboratory, 5 Edition by Slowinski, Wolsey and Masterton Lab Experiments for World of Chemistry by Zumdahl Advanced Chemistry with Vernier: Experiments for AP ,IB and College General Chemistry by Jack Randall Chemistry with Computers: Third Edition; Chemistry experiments using Vernier sensor Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors.

1. A minimum of 92 in Honors Chemistry 2. A minimum of 58 on the math section of the sophomore year PSAT 3. A minimum of 91 in Honors Algebra II 4. (juniors only) A minimum of 91 in current elective science course

ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION Course description: AP Literature is an English class that highly motivated seniors may elect to take.

Taught at the college level, AP Literature is an in-depth and focused look at a variety of literary genres, and relies heavily on novels and plays. This is a reading and writing intensive course, and students are expected to complete much of the reading independently. Based upon their reading, students will discuss and write about the works they’ve read using the basic AP free essay format. A number of easily available paperback and on-line materials are used. As in any seminar style course, it is expected that each student will participate fully in discussions, and demonstrate that she has understood the material.

The AP English Literature course follows the requirements and goals as stated in the AP English Course Description provided by the College Board. Although the specific focus for this AP course changes every term, certain components resurface constantly. These include vocabulary enrichment, close readings of both prose and poetry, varied writing assignments, timed essays in response to a specific prompt and frequent practice on multiple-choice critical reading questions.

Time commitment outside of class: Students are expected to manage their workload so that all requirements are met on time. The following academic demands will be expected of all students taking the class: four to eight extended literary papers per semester; two independent readings (novels or plays) per semester as well as a number of short stories; one/two page practice essay weekly; written short answer responses to in-class readings done homework; an extended summer reading list; practice and timed essays. Although student reading and writing abilities vary, AP students should expect to devote an additional five to six hours per week to AP related studies.

Grading: Students are graded on all formal writing assignments, tests, quizzes, timed essay work and reading assignments. In addition, a class participation grade will be given each quarter. Since the class is taught seminar style, all students must contribute to class discussions. At midterms, all AP students will take a shortened form of the standard AP examination.

Text(s): Multiple Choice and Free Response Questions in Preparation for the AP th Literature and Composition Examination, 7 edition, Dr. Richard Vogel Material used in addition to that used in British Literature course: Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy Oedipus Rex, Sophocles MacBeth, William Shakespeare several short stories and three additional novels to be announced Prerequisites: 1. A minimum of 60 in both Critical Reading section of the junior PSAT 2. A minimum of 90 in both sophomore and junior English 3. A minimum of 90 Honors History III 3. Excellent writing and grammatical skills 4. A strong recommendation from the junior year English teacher 5. A demonstrated ability to work independently.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT ART HISTORY Course Description: The AP Art History course is designed to be the equivalent of an introductory college-level art history survey course. Students will engage in the critical analysis of art works from the Paleolithic to the 21ST Century and learn to place the art within its historical and cultural contexts. On a broader scale, AP Art History should involve students in higher levels of conceptual analysis and analytical thinking. This course is an overview of art history and the goal is to enable students to place a work of art in the era it came from through a basic understanding of the elements of art and the historical era itself.

Time Commitment Outside of Class: Students will be required to read about 50 pages a week from their textbook plus (occasionally) additional handouts. They will have one written analytical homework assignment per unit (usually one unit per week). Students will also be required to research and give several small presentations over the course of the year. They will need to be reviewing material all of the time.

Grading: Art History will use the “point system” and points for tests and assignments will range from 10 to 100. Many of the tests will be taken from old AP multiple choice and essay questions.

Texts: “Janson’s History of Art” seventh edition. The four part paperback version is recommended but any version is acceptable.

Handouts on selected topics.

PREREQUISITES 1. A minimum of 88 in junior year History.

2. A minimum of 88 in junior year English.

3. A minimum of 60 in reading and writing sections of junior year PSATs.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT EUROPEAN HISTORY Course description: A college level survey course examining the political, economic, social and cultural life of Europe from1450 to the present day. The course is divided into topical units of one to two weeks each. The units roughly correspond to the chapters in the main text. Frequent essay writing and class discussions are built around the analysis and evaluation of ideas and data from primary sources, and different scholarly viewpoints. Course themes include the development of democratic systems, the movement away from warring states to cooperative states, advancements and improvements made by intellectual and scientific inquiry, the power of economics as a motivating factor in the deeds o nations and the spirit of it all captured in the glorious music, art and literature of the times. The course is offered to sophomores and seniors.

Time commitment outside of class: 1. Reading the assigned reading selections per unit of study. (20-70 pages per week) 2. During each unit of study, students will write one or two analytical essays.

The essays should give students a deeper insight into the material and familiarize them with the style of the AP Exam questions. Many questions will be old AP DBQ or FRQ questions.

3. “Cultural Units”: students are required to research the art, music, literature, philosophical or scientific ideas of the historical era studied and present to class.

Grading: Multiple Choice tests on the style of the AP Exam will be administered after every few units of study. Some tests will consist of a DBQ or old AP Essay Question.

Misc. quizzes such as “Fact Check” (10-15minute quizzes given in the morning before school starts), graph analyses, cartoon analyses, etc.

Text(s): 1. Main text: “A History of the Modern World” 10th Edition, Palmer, Colton, Kramer ISBN13-978-007-325720-4 2.Packets for each unit consisting of some combination of primary and secondary source excerpts such as those from “Voices of the Past: Readings in Modern history” by Hanscom, Hellerman, & Posner; “Western Civilization” and “World Civilizations” by Dennis Sherman;“32Problems in World History” by Edwin Fenton; “Makers of Western Tradition” by J. Kelly Sowards; maps, art works and/or literature.

3.PowerPoint presentations, videos, recordings and analyses of period music.

Prerequisites: 1. A minimum of 88%in freshman history 2. A minimum of 88% in freshman English 3. Strong recommendations from freshman history and English teachers.

4. A minimum score of 55 in critical reading on the freshman year PSAT. 5. High level of motivation to complete extensive readings from text and supplemental material.

Summer Assignments: Reading: Text: pgs. 49-55 Written:(Possible assignments.): 1.An essay based on the text which explains the social, economic and political impact on Europe of: “The Black Death,” “The Hundred Years War,” “The Babylonian Captivity,” and “Great Schism.”

2. Practice Document Based Question which requires no research.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT UNITED STATES HISTORY Course description: The AP US History course is structured as a college freshmen survey course in American history. The admission criteria are based on the five guidelines established by the Ursuline Social Studies Department. The scope of the course is from early European exploration and colonization through the second Bush administration. The course will cover the major topics, debates and issues in American history. Students will be expected to present their research and analysis during class.

Time commitment outside of class: At least an hour of homework is expected every night. Tests, quizzes and papers will be based on the AP style and format. Tests and quizzes will be taken in the morning before, in the afternoon after school or during D period. There will be a take-home test due and a comprehensive test given at the end of each term. The take-home test will require research and analysis beyond the scope of what is covered during class. A Document Based Question will be given each month, following the above testing schedule.

Summer reading: to be determined. Test the first week of school in September.

Text(s): American History: A Survey 13th Edition, Alan Brinkley, McGraw-Hill ISBN 978-0-07-338549-5 Outside reading and documents will be provided through the school year.

Prerequisites: 1.88% minimum in History I and History II 2.88% minimum in English I and English II 3. Strong recommendations from sophomore history and English teachers 4.A minimum score of 60 in the critical reading section of the PSAT in sophomore year 5.A demonstrated ability to work independently and to complete extensive readings from the text and supplemental readings Note: While a grade of 3 on the AP European History test automatically qualifies the student for AP US History, it is not necessary that the student has taken AP European History to qualify for AP US History.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT SPANISH Course description: AP Spanish Language is intended to develop proficiency in three communicative modes: Interpersonal (interactive communication); Interpretive (receptive communication); and Presentational (productive communication) (AP College Board course description). Goals of thest course include the five standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21 Century: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons and Communities. The AP Spanish Language course at Ursuline Academy includes intense expansion of vocabulary and refinement of structural and grammatical control, intensive development of writing in both informal and presentational modes, extensive reading of a variety of factual and fictional sources to develop critical reading skills, and intense practice in narrative and auditory skills. The class is conducted exclusively in Spanish and students are expected to honor the language code. This course is equivalent to an intermediate college level course. Successful performance on the exam is considered equivalent to completion of five or six semesters of college Spanish language courses.

AP Spanish Language class meets six times a week. Two of the classes are held in the Language Lab to focus on intense development of listening comprehension and oral proficiency.

Time commitment outside of class: AP Spanish students must be firmly committed to prepare thoroughly for all classes. Assignments will include reading comprehension, weekly essays, review of grammar and development of extensive vocabulary in Spanish.

Students will be required to work independently on audio and speaking skills by viewing and listening to audio and visual sources outside of the classroom.

Each term they will complete a project which will have both written and oral presentational components. The time commitment will vary according to the student’s ability but should average about one hour of preparation for each class.

Pre-AP Spanish Language required summer assignments include: reading Crónica deuna muerte anunciada, watching at least two movies and four television programs (telenovelas, news, game shows, etc.) in Spanish, reading newspapers, magazines,(online and/or printed) in Spanish and listening to music and reading and completing written assignments in Album. Students will be tested on both the novel and the short stories when school begins in September.

Grading: Students will be evaluated on their proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing. Testing will include the following areas: vocabulary, structure (grammar), reading comprehension, including critical reading and interpretation, and writing, including both informal and presentational modes.

Proficiency in speaking will be evaluated in lab as well as in oral activities in class and formal presentations on assigned topics. Listening comprehension will be evaluated both in lab and in completion of outside listening assignments. Writing skills will be measured in weekly written essays and informal writing tasks as well as term projects. Reading proficiency will be measured by testing on weekly readings and other assignments.

Text(s): 1. AP Spanish Preparing for the Language Exam (3rdedition), José M. Díaz, Margarita Leicher-Prieto, Gilda Nissenberg (Pearson Prentice Hall; ISBN 0-13-166094-2) 2. Album,(3rdedition) Joy Renjilian-Burgy and Rebecca M. Valette (Houghton Mifflin; ISBN 0-618-50718-3) nd 3. Spanish Four Years Advanced Spanish with AP Component (2 edition), Janet F. Hiller, (AMSCO; ISBN978-1-56765-809-5) 4. Crónica deuna muerte anunciada, Gabriel García Márquez, (Vintage español) Prerequisites: 1. Minimum grade of 90 in Spanish III 2. Strong recommendation of Spanish teacher(s) 3. Minimum grade of 88 in English III 4. Minimum PSAT score of 60 in Critical Reading and Writing 5. Firm commitment to: Work consistently and independently on listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in Spanish Use Spanish exclusively in class and all activities Attend and actively participate in all classes Prepare all assignments promptly and thoroughly 6. Complete all summer assignments prior to the opening of school

ADVANCED PLACEMENT LATIN Course Description: This course follows the syllabus outlined by the College Board Advanced Placement Program. Students (who qualify) translate selections from Vergil’s Aeneid and Caesar’s De Bello Gallico, analyze the authors’ literary styles, and interpret these passages in their literary and historical contexts. Assessments include tests and essays similar to those which students will encounter on the AP exam. All students are expected to take the AP exam in May; in addition, they are expected to read the English translation of the Aeneid during the summer prior to the course Time Commitment Outside of Class: Students will have approximately 45 minutes of homework each night. During this time, students will translate new passages and revisit earlier work. Students will study high-frequency vocabulary words (approximately 15 a week), grammar, and syntax for a weekly quiz.

Grading: Students will be accessed through homework, weekly quizzes, tests, and papers.

Texts: Boyd, Barbara W. Vergil's Aeneid: Selected Readings from Books 1, 2, 4, and 6.

Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc. Mueler, Hans-Friedrich. Caesar: Selections from his Commentarii De Bello Galico.

Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc. Prerequisites: 1. A minimum of 85 in junior year Latin.