Exam Day Info for CFHS Students

This Monday, you'll be taking the AP Psych Exam. I know you're ready to rock that test, so here's what Chippewa Falls AP Psych students need to know:

• The exam begins at 12:00 at the Korger Chestnut School Building. (See Map below) Arrive a few minutes early, if possible, to locate your testing room, as there will be more than one testing room for this exam. 
• You will be automatically excused from 2nd hour onward (10:40 AM) for testing. If you wish to use the earlier morning hours to prepare at home, your parents will need to call you in to excuse you.
• EAT BEFORE YOU TEST. You can't bring food into the exam rooms, so this means you'll need to get something to eat before you arrive (and since school lunch isn't served until noon, that's not an option). You may pack a snack in your backpack to eat during the break, though. 
• NOTE: If you are also taking the AP Chem exam in the morning you will DEFINITELY want to pack a lunch to eat quickly between exams. You will NOT have time to leave the test site to get food.
• You need to provide your own transportation to the test site. Arrange carpools ahead of time, if necessary. Don't wait until the last minute!
• Be sure to practice a solid pre-test regimen: get plenty of sleep the night before, eat healthful meals, and of course, review your course materials!
• In case you lost them, these directions were provided by Ms. Ebner during pre-registration.

BRING:

1. A couple of #2 pencils (for the MC part). Maybe your lucky pencil?
2. A couple of pens (blue or black) for the FRQs. Be sure to have a couple in case one runs out of ink!
3. A photo id (government issued or school id)
4. I recommend bringing a NICE eraser. You don't want to smear up your scantron form with a crappy, dry, ineffective one if you wish to change answers.
5. A watch (that does not beep!), in case you are seated in a place where the clock is not easy to see. NO smartwatches, or any type of watch that can communicate externally.
6. A sweatshirt? It's ideal to dress in layers so you can adjust if you're too hot/cold.

DO NOT BRING:

1. Cellular phones, smart watches, music players, or personal data assistants (PDAs)
2. Books, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters, or notes
3. Scratch paper (notes can be made on portions of the exam booklets)
4. Calculators
5. Watches that beep or have an alarm
6. Portable listening or recording devices (even with headphones) or photographic equipment
7. Clothing with psych-related information on it (e.g. sorry, even Psych Club shirts are a no-no)
8. Food or drinks

HOW TO GET THERE:

The Korger Chestnut School building is located at 140 W. Elm St. (See map below). Enter through the back doors (the parking lot entrance). Look for signs to direct you to your testing room. You will need to bring a picture ID.

Tips for Preparing for Your AP Psych Exam

There are SO many things you can do to help you review for your AP Psych Exam, and it can be hard to know where to start. Never fear! Here are some links and general tips, including some important "Do's" and "Don'ts" to help you out.

What NOT to Do:
The following strategies have been shown by researchers to be ineffective (people using them don't do much better than people who hadn't studied at all), so DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ON THEM.

• Re-reading your textbook. Skimming over previously read passages of your text is a terrible way to study, in part because 1.) it is time-consuming, 2.) you don't actually retain any more info after doing this, and 3.) (even worse) it fosters the "illusion of mastery,"  which leads to WORSE performance. For example, you may think you "know" something just because you think to yourself, "oh, sure, that seems familiar," when actually you aren't able to answer questions about it correctly. Of course, this tip assumes you read the textbook the first time. Also, note that there is nothing wrong with looking up a specific topic that you don't understand in order to get a question clarified or answered. Just avoid passive re-reading of whole chapters (or the whole book).
• Highlighting stuff in your notes. While it sure makes stuff look pretty, there is little processing going on when you highlight terms or ideas in your notes. Since memory is the product of thinking about something, you're better off doing something that forces you to think about the material.

What works?

• Distributed Practice. You may remember this being called "the spacing effect" in your textbook. Spacing out study of your material, rather than planning one giant cram session, leads to better memory. In fact spacing is most powerful once a little "forgetting" has set in. So, study a topic until you feel you've "got it," then come back to it in a day or two and quiz yourself. This strategy can also be a time-saver, since less overall time is needed to achieve the same result as cramming. However, it takes more planning, which is the hard part.
• Retrieval Practice or Self-Testing. There is NO BETTER way to prepare yourself for a test than to practice pulling information from memory. There are LOTS of online tools to help you do this, and I've included some of them below.
• Use what you've learned this year about memory! If you are continuously stumbling over the same term, researcher name, or list of things you need to recall, use encoding strategies to help you! Mnemonics, acronyms, chunking, and DEEP PROCESSING/ELABORATIVE REHEARSAL (thinking about connections between course concepts and what you already know.

So...where do I start?

1. Take a practice test. This will help you identify areas of strength and weakness and provide you with feedback about how "far" you have to go yet to achieve mastery. If you haven't already taken advantage of a weekend practice exam, here are some options to get you started:
• There are online full-length practice tests available for free.
• You have two full-length practice tests in the back of your Strive for a Five and one in the back of your textbook.
• The College Board also has publicly released two previously given tests, and you could print these for your own practice: the 1999 Released Exam and the 1994 Released Exam. Granted, these are pretty old, but they still aren't bad for practice purposes.
• I've also generated practice exam banks for CFHS students in Canvas.
2. Narrow your focus and make a plan. If you found out that you rock at Abnormal Psychology, but are not exactly comfortable with Developmental Psych, use that to plan your study sessions! 
• Write in "Study Time" on your calendar, and the topic you plan to work on each day.
• Plan to review your weakest areas more than once. You may need to go back and watch a video about a topic that is particularly confusing before testing yourself on it again. Some more tricky topics are explained here, too. 
• Brush up on the vocab for a topic by using Quizlet flashcards.
• Then, try out some practice multiple choice questions on a topic that has been troublesome. 
3. In the last couple of days before the test, plan time for "polishing." 
• Review Famous Psychologists to help practice many different areas of the course. Can you identify how these people are similar to each other? Different? 
• Use the "combine sets" feature on Quizlet to study multiple topic areas at once.
• Study with a friend: take turns quizzing each other on major course topics (using flashcards or term lists).

Want a helpful list of the NEED-TO-KNOW terms for the AP Psych Exam? This list won't probably get you a 5, but it will make sure you've got the absolute basics down.

AP Psych Exam: Final Reminders

This Monday, you'll be taking the AP Psych Exam. Here's what Chippewa Falls AP Psych students need to know:

• The exam begins at 12:00 at Korger-Chesnut School (an old district building). (See Map below) Arrive a few minutes early, if possible, to locate your testing room, as there will be more than one testing room for this exam. 
• You will be automatically excused from 4th - 7th hours (release @ 11:12 AM) for testing. If you wish to use the morning hours to prepare at home, your parents will need to call you in to excuse you from hours 1-3.
• Since there will be little time between the end of your 3rd hour class and the exam start, consider packing a LIGHT lunch to eat on the way/before the exam begins. However, you can't bring food into the exam rooms. You may pack a snack in your backpack, though. Like maybe your Juicebox Robot? 
• You need to provide your own transportation to the test site. Arrange carpools ahead of time, if necessary. Don't wait until the last minute!
• Be sure to practice a solid pre-test regimen: get plenty of sleep the night before, eat healthful meals, and of course, review your course materials!

BRING:

1. A couple of #2 pencils (for the MC part).
2. A couple of pens (blue or black) for the F-R part. Be sure to have a couple in case one runs out of ink!
3. A watch (that does not beep!), in case you are seated in a place where the clock is not easy to see.
4. A sweatshirt? It's ideal to dress in layers so you can adjust if you're too hot/cold.

DO NOT BRING:

1. Cellular phones, beepers, MP3 players, or personal data assistants (PDAs)
2. Books, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters, or notes
3. Scratch paper (notes can be made on portions of the exam booklets)
4. Calculators
5. Watches that beep or have an alarm
6. Portable listening or recording devices (even with headphones) or photographic equipment
7. Clothing with psych-related information on it (e.g. sorry, even Psych Club shirts are a no-no)
8. Food or drinks

Good luck, everyone! You can do it!

Map to testing site:

AP Exam - Last Minute Reminders

This Monday, you'll be taking the AP Psych Exam. Here's what Chippewa Falls AP Psych students need to know:

• The exam begins at 12:00 at the National Guard Armory. (See Map below) Arrive a few minutes early, if possible, to locate your testing room, as there will likely be more than one testing room for this exam. (NOTE: Not all AP subject exams will be at this location. If you are taking a different subject AP exam later in the week, be sure you know where to go for that).
• You will be automatically excused from 4th - 7th hours (release @ 11:12 AM) for testing. If you wish to use the morning hours to prepare at home, your parents will need to call you in to excuse you from hours 1-3.
• Since there will be little time between the end of your 3rd hour class and the exam start, consider packing a LIGHT lunch to eat on the way/before the exam begins. However, you can't bring food into the exam rooms. You may pack a snack in your backpack, though. Like maybe your juicebox robot? 
• You need to provide your own transportation to the test site. Arrange carpools ahead of time, if necessary. Don't wait until the last minute!
• Be sure to practice a solid pre-test regimen: get plenty of sleep the night before, eat healthful meals, and of course, review your course materials!

BRING:

1. A couple of #2 pencils (for the MC part).
2. A couple of pens (blue or black) for the F-R part. Be sure to have a couple in case one runs out of ink!
3. A watch (that does not beep!), in case you are seated in a place where the clock is not easy to see.
4. A sweatshirt? It's ideal to dress in layers so you can adjust if you're too hot/cold.

DO NOT BRING:

1. Cellular phones, beepers, MP3 players, or personal data assistants (PDAs)
2. Books, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters, or notes
3. Scratch paper (notes can be made on portions of the exam booklets)
4. Calculators
5. Watches that beep or have an alarm
6. Portable listening or recording devices (even with headphones) or photographic equipment
7. Clothing with psych-related information on it (e.g. sorry, even Psych Club shirts are a no-no)
8. Food or drinks

Good luck, everyone! You can do it!

Map to testing site:

Summer in AP Psych Land

This summer I've been pretty busy getting ready and renewed for what I hope will be a banner year for AP Psych in 2014-15. Just thought I'd give you a brief summary of all that has been happening to prepare for your arrival in rm 136.

AP Exam Reading

In early June, I joined 400+ AP Psychology teachers and Psych Professors from across the country at the AP Exam Reading in Kansas City, MO. This is my third year of participating in the Reading, and it was great to connect with my colleagues from across the country, see old friends, make new ones, and (of course), score endless stacks of FRQs from the 2014 exam.

I was assigned to Question 1, which was a research methods question, and was happy to be scoring lots and lots of bar graphs much of the week. In all, over a quarter million exams were read by the crew that week. 

With the recently retired (from teaching) Charlie Blair-Broeker at the AP Reading. 

Steve Jones and I take a serious selfie during lunch at the Kansas City Convention Center.

Brad Wray, Mike Ray, and I can't figure out why there are no cars in downtown Kansas City on Sunday afternoon. Or at least cheering crowds to celebrate the end of the AP Psych Reading.

Then, after the end of the school year, I did attempt to become a hermit for about 2 weeks. I got caught up on sleep and was able to clean my house for once. How nice, right?

Chi-Hi AP Psych Exam Results

In early July, scores for our AP Psych students at Chi-Hi became available, and we had a lot to celebrate! The 2014 crop of AP Psych students was our largest group of test takers yet: 95 students took the AP Psych Exam! And, they did quite well. 

As a group, we can boast a 86% percent pass rate (which was substantially higher than the national pass rate of 65%), and 33 of our 95 test takers earned 5's (the highest possible score). This is impressive, given how much instructional time we lost due to snow days over the 2014-15 school year. 

AP Annual Conference

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the AP Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA. It was an invigorating conference, as I picked up a lot of great ideas for use in my own classroom and for growing and supporting AP programs in general. 

As a side bonus, during non-conference hours I tried to squeeze in as many Philadelphia tourist activities as possible, including a run up "Rocky's" steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the early morning hours. 

I've got the Eye of the Tiger...

Now that mid-July is upon us, however, it's time to get focused again. I'll be at school more days than not over the next few weeks updating my plans for the year and getting things ready for textbook pick-up in mid-August. If you visit the blog during that time, you'll notice many pages and features are "under construction" as I make adjustments and updates for the 2014-15 school year.  

I'm looking forward to the planning and preparation, since it means I'll be seeing AP Psych students again soon.

AP Psych Exam - Last Minute Reminders

This Monday, you'll be taking the AP Psych Exam. Here's what Chippewa Falls AP Psych students need to know:

• The exam begins at 12:00 at the National Guard Armory. (See Map below) Arrive a few minutes early, if possible, to locate your testing room, as there will likely be more than one testing room for this exam. (NOTE: Not all AP subject exams will be at this location. If you are taking a different subject AP exam later in the week, be sure you know where to go for that).
• You will be excused 4th - 7th hours (release @ 11:12 AM).
• Since there will be little time between the end of your 3rd hour class and the exam start, consider packing a LIGHT lunch to eat on the way/before the exam begins. However, you can't bring food into the exam rooms. You may pack a snack in your backpack, though. Like maybe your juicebox robot? 
• You need to provide your own transportation to the test site. Arrange carpools ahead of time, if necessary. Don't wait until the last minute!
• Be sure to practice a solid pre-test regimen: get plenty of sleep the night before, eat healthful meals, and of course, review your course materials!

BRING:

1. A couple of #2 pencils (for the MC part).
2. A couple of pens (blue or black) for the F-R part. Be sure to have a couple in case one runs out of ink!
3. A watch (that does not beep!), in case you are seated in a place where the clock is not easy to see.
4. A sweatshirt? It's ideal to dress in layers so you can adjust if you're too hot/cold.

DO NOT BRING:

1. Cellular phones, beepers, MP3 players, or personal data assistants (PDAs)
2. Books, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters, or notes
3. Scratch paper (notes can be made on portions of the exam booklets)
4. Calculators
5. Watches that beep or have an alarm
6. Portable listening or recording devices (even with headphones) or photographic equipment
7. Clothing with psych-related information on it (e.g. sorry, even Psych Club shirts are a no-no)
8. Food or drinks

Good luck, everyone! You can do it!

Map to testing site:

View Larger Map

Online Practice Tests - Check Your Progress!

As we enter into the final days of preparation prior to the AP Psychology Exam, don't dismiss the benefits of taking practice tests. There are a number of reasons these help with later performance, including:

1. Practice testing/retrieval practice is one of the BEST ways to promote learning & memory. Now, full-length practice exams are not the only way to do this (flashcards can be used, too), but they are a great option, especially when reviewing outside of class.
2. Reviewing items you missed may be a good way to pinpoint topics in need of further study or practice. Getting all the neurotransmitter questions wrong? Time to refresh your memory on that before doing more practice testing.
3. And, unlike simple use of flashcards, practice tests present questions in the way they are likely to appear on the AP Exam: questions require application (not just recognition) of concepts, mix many topics from various parts of the course together, and force you to identify differences between correct and "almost correct" choices.
4. Also, if you are concerned about pacing, some tests allow you to time yourself. If this is a source of anxiety for you, you can get a sense of what "feels" like the right pace.

Okay! I'm convinced! Where do I start?

Here are some FREE online AP Psych practice tests.

• Kaplan's AP Psychology Pod - Includes TWO free tests and topic-specific practice questions. Can get immediate or delayed feedback about correct answers. You also get diagnostic feedback about which topics you need to review the most.
• Barron's AP Psychology - Free, full-length practice exam. Can take timed or in "practice" mode where immediate feedback about correct answers is available.
• Old AP Psych Tests from the College Board (1999 and 1994 versions) - If you prefer the paper and pencil route, and don't mind printing these publicly released versions, they can be a good option.

Good luck!

Reviewing for the AP Psychology Exam

There are SO many things you can do to help you review for your AP Psych Exam, and it can be hard to know where to start. Never fear! Here are some links and general tips, including some important "Do's" and "Don'ts" to help you out.

What NOT to Do:
The following strategies have been shown by researchers to be ineffective (people using them don't do much better than people who hadn't studied at all), so DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ON THEM.

• Re-reading your textbook. Skimming over previously read passages of your text is a terrible way to study, in part because 1.) it is time-consuming, 2.) you don't actually retain any more info after doing this, and 3.) (even worse) it fosters the "illusion of mastery,"  which leads to WORSE performance. For example, you may think you "know" something just because you think to yourself, "oh, sure, that seems familiar," when actually you aren't able to answer questions about it correctly. Of course, this tip assumes you read the textbook the first time. Also, note that there is nothing wrong with looking up a specific topic that you don't understand in order to get a question clarified or answered. Just avoid passive re-reading of whole chapters (or the whole book).
• Highlighting stuff in your notes. While it sure makes stuff look pretty, there is little processing going on when you highlight terms or ideas in your notes. Since memory is the product of thinking about something, you're better off doing something that forces you to think about the material.

What works?

• Distributed Practice. You may remember this being called "the spacing effect" in your textbook. Spacing out study of your material, rather than planning one giant cram session, leads to better memory. In fact spacing is most powerful once a little "forgetting" has set in. So, study a topic until you feel you've "got it," then come back to it in a day or two and quiz yourself. This strategy can also be a time-saver, since less overall time is needed to achieve the same result as cramming. However, it takes more planning, which is the hard part.
• Retrieval Practice or Self-Testing. There is NO BETTER way to prepare yourself for a test than to practice pulling information from memory. There are LOTS of online tools to help you do this, and I've included some of them below.

So...where do I start?

1. Take a practice test. This will help you identify areas of strength and weakness and provide you with feedback about how "far" you have to go yet to achieve mastery. Some options:
• There are online full-length practice tests available for free.
• Others will provide you with some free content, but charge for full-length versions.
• The College Board also has publicly released two previously given tests, and you could print these for your own practice: the 1999 Released Exam and the 1994 Released Exam. Granted, these are pretty old, but they still aren't bad for practice purposes.
2. Narrow your focus and make a plan. If you found out that you rock at Abnormal Psychology, but are not exactly comfortable with Developmental Psych, use that to plan your study sessions! 
• Write in "Study Time" on your calendar, and the topic you plan to work on each day.
• Plan to review your weakest areas more than once. You may need to go back and watch a video about a topic that is particularly confusing before testing yourself on it again. Some more tricky topics are explained here, too. 
• Brush up on the vocab for a topic by using Quizlet flashcards.
• Then, try out some practice multiple choice questions on a topic that has been troublesome. 
3. In the last couple of days before the test, plan time for "polishing." 
• Review Famous Psychologists to help practice many different areas of the course.
• Use the "combine sets" feature on Quizlet to study multiple topic areas at once.
• Study with a friend: take turns quizzing each other on major course topics (using flashcards or term lists).

Review Help Tool: Crash Course Psychology

Psychology students should be excited to learn that the friendly folks over at Crash Course have been working on creating videos for psychology topics. This is a great development, since the things that make Crash Course so popular (namely, Hank Green's upbeat and engaging style coupled with fun animations) are now being harnessed to help you learn psychology!

As the AP Psychology Exam approaches, students might find these videos to be a helpful review of topics presented in class. So far, there are 11 videos on major topics in psychology, all of them about 10 minutes long. I've put them together in a playlist below. I've also written up some tips on how to best use them to enhance your study for the AP Psych Exam, should you choose to do that.

How to use these videos to enhance review:

• Use them to prime retrieval of content topics before studying that topic more in depth. So, for example, you might watch the video on The Chemical Mind before doing some retrieval practice (flashcards, practice questions) on neurons and neurotransmitters.
• Use them to identify topics for a particular unit that are very "dusty." For example, maybe you had forgotten all about structuralism and functionalism. When Hank mentions these terms, and you realize they don't sound familiar, make a note to practice applying them later.
• Use them to help spread out your studying. For example, consider picking one topic to review each night, and incorporate that video into your review.

How NOT to use these videos:

• Do not make them your only strategy for study. There are a number of reasons for this. For one, not all topics in an AP Psych course are yet represented in this playlist (though more are on their way!). Secondly, however, just as research has shown that re-reading (especially re-reading chapter summaries) is an inefficient study strategy, it is unlikely that passively viewing video after video will lead to better retrieval. There are research-proven strategies for study (e.g., distributed practice and practice testing/retrieval practice), so USE THOSE, too!
• Avoid passive viewing. Just pointing your eyeballs at the screen and hitting play WILL NOT help you remember this material for the AP Psych Exam. In fact, that's probably just wasting valuable study time and, even worse, perhaps convincing you that you know more than you really do. The cognitive science is clear on this, the most effective study strategies are the ones that often feel the most difficult, so if this feels too easy, it is.

Online Resources for AP Psych Review

If you are the type that prefers to use online tools for your test preparation, you've got plenty of options in preparing for the AP Psych exam. You might find yourself gravitating toward "old reliables," like Quizlet flashcards, or perhaps you're looking for something new. Look no further.

However, keep in mind that at this point (with just days or hours remaining until the AP exam), you are looking to develop MASTERY of course content, not simple familiarity. Strategies that you used to develop familiarity with content when first presented with it are now best replaced with methods that put your understanding to the test by requiring you to recall or manipulate information in the same way you will be expected to on the AP Exam. For example, some research has suggested that simply re-reading text actually results in WORSE performance on tests because when you read something that is familiar, you may mistake that familiarity with true understanding and fail to adequately prepare.

That means, be cautious about simply reading chapter or topic summaries (for example, in an Exam Prep manual) or passively viewing a video, thinking to yourself, "Oh yeah. I know this," and then moving on. Those resources may be helpful for clarifying misunderstandings or as a reference ("What is the 3rd stage in Piaget's model of cognitive development? Oh here it is...") BUT, to find out how much you really know, PUT YOURSELF TO THE TEST. Here are some ways to do that:

Quizlet Links

You may have used these before for familiarity (just flipping through them?). This time, try using one of the study modes that forces you to commit to answer before revealing correctness: the "Learn," "Spacerace," and "Test" modes are good for that.

Remember, if you take a few minutes to sign up for a free account, you can combine different sets to create a more random review sequence!

• History and Approaches (Prologue)
• Research Methods (Ch. 1)
• Neuroscience (Ch. 2)
• Nature & Nurture of Behavior (Ch. 3)
• Developmental Psych (Ch. 4)
• Sensation & Perception (Ch. 5 & 6)
• Learning (Ch. 8)
• Memory (Ch. 9)
• States of Consciousness (Ch. 7)
• Thinking & Language (Ch. 10)
• Testing & Intelligence (Ch. 11)
• Motivation (Ch. 12)
• Emotion (Ch. 13 & selected portions of Ch. 14)
• Personality (Ch. 15)
• Psychological Disorders & Treatment (Ch. 16 & 17)
• Social Psychology (Ch. 18)
• And....most challenging of all, FAMOUS PSYCHOLOGISTS!

Videos

Need a quick review of a difficult topic? Try some of these sites.

Mr. Schallhorn's Review Videos - YouTube videos that give you a quick, but accurate overview of some of psychology's most challenging topics.

Education Portal Academy - Brief lectures on almost every major topic in AP Psych, with quizzes to follow. Not as detailed as in class lectures, but PLENTY for those needing a difficult topic re-explained.

Games

AP Psych Jeopardy - Play with up to five teams! (Requires Flashplayer)

Psychology Vocab Game - Challenging, timed vocabulary quiz. You can select the length depending on time available. FYI: Requires Flashplayer.

Famous Psychologists - Only 20 psychologists, but some fun interactive games. Good for beginners?

Jeopardy Reviews by Topic - Access this psychology course's home page and scroll down to find "Jeopardy Reviews for the AP Exam." These are Powerpoint files. Kudos to their creator (not me)!

Practice Questions

Online Practice Tests on Specific AP Psych Topics - some of these I have posted previously as we encountered them during the year. Good opportunities to return to difficult content and try again.

Previous FRQs - The College Board releases free-response questions from previous years, along with scoring rubrics and samples of student work. I'll have these available for viewing at our study session, but if you're working from home they're worth a look. 

Previously Released AP Psych Exams - Although these are only available in .pdf form (meaning there is no online or automatic scoring), this would be another opportunity to take a practice test. Keep in mind, these exams are OVER TEN YEARS old (that's why they are available to the public), so they may not be totally current in their content). However, you may find it a helpful challenge to take and score the 1999 or 1994 exams.

AP Psych Exam: Final Reminders

This Monday, you'll be taking the AP Psych Exam. Here's what Chippewa Falls AP Psych students need to know:

• The exam begins at 12:00 at the National Guard Armory. (See Map below) Arrive a few minutes early, if possible, to locate your testing room, as there will likely be more than one testing room for this exam. (NOTE: Not all AP subject exams will be at this location. If you are taking a different subject AP exam later in the week, be sure you know where to go for that).
• You will be excused 4th - 7th hours (release @ 11:12 AM).
• Since there will be little time between the end of your 3rd hour class and the exam start, consider packing a LIGHT lunch to eat on the way/before the exam begins. However, you can't bring food into the exam rooms. You may pack a snack in your backpack, though.
• You need to provide your own transportation to the test site. Arrange carpools ahead of time, if necessary. Don't wait until the last minute!
• Be sure to practice a solid pre-test regimen: get plenty of sleep the night before, eat healthful meals, and of course, review your course materials!

BRING:

1. A couple of #2 pencils (for the MC part).
2. A couple of pens (blue or black) for the F-R part. Be sure to have a couple in case one runs out of ink!
3. A watch (that does not beep!), in case you are seated in a place where the clock is not easy to see.
4. A sweatshirt? It's ideal to dress in layers so you can adjust if you're too hot/cold.

DO NOT BRING:

1. Cellular phones, beepers, MP3 players, or personal data assistants (PDAs)
2. Books, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters, or notes
3. Scratch paper (notes can be made on portions of the exam booklets)
4. Calculators
5. Watches that beep or have an alarm
6. Portable listening or recording devices (even with headphones) or photographic equipment
7. Clothing with psych-related information on it (e.g. sorry, even Psych Club shirts are a no-no)
8. Food or drinks

Good luck, everyone! You can do it!

Map to testing site:

View Larger Map

One Week To Go!

Next Monday students will take the AP Psychology exam! It is hard to believe the year has gone by so quickly, but this means the next week will be devoted to some pretty important preparations.

Some reminders:

• Your Motivation & Emotion test is Tuesday, April 30th. Finish strong on your LAST unit test! No study session the evening prior, as Mr. Leahy tells me there was little interest.
• You will review in class Wednesday - Friday.
• On Sunday, from 1-5 PM, I'll host your FINAL review session for AP Psych!

Since that last review is a pretty extensive one, I've created a guide for you to use in planning how you wish to spend that time. As always, you are invited to stay for as much of the session as you can, but are free to arrive and leave when you need to, for any reason.

Later this week I will be composing a post with a bunch of online review tools for students. There will be a computer lab available during the study session for students who wish to use them. Of course, by posting them early I also hope to let students use them at home over the course of the week, as needed.

Good luck this week! Hope to see you all soon!

We're in the Home Stretch!

Having just wrapped up a weekend review session focused on Developmental Psych and Learning Theory, I can really feel that exam prep is "in the air" in the AP Psych room. However, with prom dominating most people's schedule's next weekend, our next major review session outside of class will be May 5th (1-5 PM)- only ONE DAY before the exam! I'm super excited to be planning this final practice session, and I promise there will be something for everyone (including cake?).

However, you've got some things coming up on your schedules before that, including some important events this week:

• On Tuesday (4/23) during 2nd Hour, you'll complete your pre-registration paperwork for AP Testing. You'll also get all the info about testing locations, when to arrive, how to get there, etc.
• On Wednesday (4/24), you'll take your LAST quiz, on Chapter 13 (Emotion). Hooray!
• On Friday (4/26) your Emotion Theory Posters are due.
• Your TEST for Motivation & Emotion (& Stress) is Tuesday, April 30.

Students complete practice AP Psych exams on 4/14/13. What a crew!

Now, there's no need to panic. You'll be doing some in-class review on May 1-3, and we may even be able to squeeze in a review session on Motivation & Emotion prior to your test (depends on my schedule at my internship site). You'll also continue to work on your 40 Day Packets and 200 Analogies Packets on your own.

Keep up the good work as you continue your preparations for the AP Psych exam! We're now only two short weeks away!

Psychology Related Updates from the College Board

As an AP Psychology teacher, I regularly receive updates from the College Board with pertinent information about AP testing, credit policies, commissioned reports, and the like. This past week I got a couple of messages with information that may be useful to current AP Psych students, so I'd like to pass it along.

The first significant update concerns an issue that students should be very excited about: accessing AP score reports online! Previously, in order to find out their scores, students had to wait for printed score reports to arrive via snail mail in July OR fork over $8 to use a clunky, automated phone system to hear their scores earlier. Scores still are likely to be unavailable until July 1 or later, since the Free-Response Questions are scored by readers throughout most of the month of June and student reports probably cannot be compiled any faster than they already are. However, students will be able to view their scores online for free starting this summer. Though more information is likely to be forthcoming, the College Board has launched this website to help students set up their accounts and get ready to use the online system.

The second item concerns the physical layout of the Free-Response sections of the AP exams. As last year's students discovered, the College Board changed the layout of this section of most exams, for reasons having to do with test security and ease of test administration. However, some students reported being confused by the new format, since all the Free-Response questions now appear in one booklet with multiple pages (and with each question being repeated "for convenience" multiple times). In order to reduce confusion, the College Board has made available Free-Response booklet maps so that students can preview the layout of that section of the test. In general, I'll be telling my students in AP Psych that, despite the look at first glance there really are still two FRQs, so when you are done answering the first, you may have to go a couple of pages to find the next one. Pay attention to numbers (they should be prominently labled "Question 1" and "Question 2") and you should be fine. However, this map should be helpful, especially for students more used to the old format of that section of AP tests.

AP Exam Reading

Mrs. Welle & fellow WI AP Psych Reader, Michael Ray

The AP Psychology Exam Reading wrapped up on Friday, June 8th, and I could not be happier to have been a part of it.

Some of you might easily dismiss this praise as stemming from my inordinate nerdy devotion to AP Psychology, but I don't think that's the whole picture.

Certainly the process was daunting. Reading student responses to the same question for 8 hours a day seems intimidating to a lot of people, and it is undoubtedly a lot of work. (For those interested, the process is described in greater detail in this article from CNN.com.) But the level of energy that accompanies the endeavor is quite remarkable.

I think Jordan Bienstock, author of the CNN article, captured it perfectly: "The AP Readings take place at four sites around the country with an all-star team of graders. You know that scene in an action movie, when the team of heroes has been assembled and walks in slow motion together while an electric guitar wails on the soundtrack? Replace the actors with academics, and you’ve got the general idea."

It was great to be a part of such a tremendous undertaking--in all, AP Psych Readers scored 218,812 student exams, each of which contained two Free Response Questions--and it was amazing to share the experience with so many talented high school and college-level faculty.

I was able to reconnect with friends that I had met at previous conferences and institutes, meet in person several teachers I had only communicated with via email and other electronic means, and make many new friends and professional connections.

Perhaps even more surprising to me? At the end of an exhausting school year, when I felt like I had really been run completely out of fuel by the many nights of little sleep and days of peak energy expenditure, at the AP Reading I began to look forward to next year. And that's saying something, this early in June.

The Home Stretch

Looking for some online review tools for brushing up on your AP Psychology knowledge over the weekend? In addition to topic area Quizlet sets that we've been using all year, here are some links you might find helpful:

1. ShortYouTube Clips on Difficult AP Psych Topics - These were created by a fellow AP Psychology teacher for the benefit of psychology students everywhere. At the time of this post, he's uploaded 33 brief (3-5 minute) videos on some of the most tricky concepts in AP Psych, including reviews of Standard Deviation, Neurotransmitters, Schedules of Reinforcement, Types of Memory, and more.
2. Famous Psychologists Quizlet - for reviewing all those people and their work!
3. Practice Multiple Choice Questions - sorted by topic area
4. Twitter as a last resort? - Twitter users, if you are stuck, you can compose a Tweet with a question and the hashtag #appsychreview. There are a number of psychology teachers that have been answering questions from AP Psych students via that hashtag, including myself (@Welle_APpsych).

I hope to see a number of you at Sunday's review session, too!

6th Hour Students review Stage Theories of Development

 

The Weeks Ahead

As I write this, only 26 days remain until the AP Psychology Exam on May 7^th! That means the next three and a half weeks will be extremely busy as we conclude our final curricular units and continue to intensify our reviewing.

No doubt, these last few weeks leading up to the exam will be a challenge for all. We’ve been building to this point all year. The content from our latest unit – on Psychological Disorders and Treatment – will be the most challenging we’ve faced to this point. Students will have to master many new vocabulary words (over one hundred) and apply concepts learned in previous units in order to differentiate between 27 different psych disorders and 9 different treatment approaches. They will have to know names of many common psychiatric drugs and the mechanisms by which they work.

Additionally, students will continue work on their 40-Day Countdown Packets. These comprehensive (but lengthy) review guides, which were distributed in early March, should be worked on DAILY from now until their completion. They are due on May 8^th (the day following the exam), and students have been marking their progress on charts in our classroom. While many students have been impressive in their progress to date, others are now finding themselves making up for time lost due to procrastination. Parents might help encourage their students to make steady progress on this assignment, as delaying it only means risking future nights of anxiety, panic, and despair as the exam date approaches.

It will also help to remain alert to a number of upcoming opportunities for review, engagement, and mastery over the next few weeks. These include a chance to take a full-length practice exam, two evening study sessions for our (two) remaining unit tests, and two weekend study opportunities for the AP Exam itself. Here are the “big” calendar items:

·        Thursday, April 12^th – “Out of the Shadows” Event @ Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire (5:30 PM). Interested students have already registered for this event, which focuses on child and adolescent mental health in the Chippewa Valley.

·        Friday, April 13^th – Psych Club Team Trivia – Lunch B in rm 136. Get together a group of (no more than 5) fellow psych enthusiasts and test your knowledge of psychological terms, people, and concepts while reviewing for the AP Psych exam. Prizes and glory for the winners…but doesn’t everybody win when we learn? J

·        Monday, April 16^th – Psych Disorders & Treatment Test Review Session – 5:00 – 7:00 PM in rm 136. One final review with classmates and Mrs. Welle as you prepare for a very challenging unit test!

·        Tuesday, April 17^th – TEST: Psych Disorders & Treatment

·        Sunday, April 22^nd – Optional Practice AP Exam - 3:00-5:00 PM in rm 136. Take a full length practice test for the AP Psych Exam. Results (scored before you leave) will help you determine areas of relative strength and weakness (i.e. you will identify which topics need the most review in the final two weeks before the real thing). This also will help calm the nerves of first-time AP test takers (through simulated practice).

·        Tuesday, April 24^th – LAST Chapter Quiz (Ch. 18); Mandatory Pre-administration Meeting 2^nd Hour for all AP Testers. During 2^nd hour on this day all students registered for AP exams (in all subject areas) will complete pre-administration procedures for test day in the cafeteria, with the help of Student Services Staff. (Note to my 2^nd hour students…we’ll come up with a work-around for your quiz.)

·        Sunday, April 29^th – OPTIONAL AP EXAM REVIEW SESSION - 5:00 – 8:00 PM in rm 136. Prepare for the AP Psych Exam with the help of Mrs. Welle and your classmates. We’ll be taking suggestions for topic areas to be covered during the week prior.

·        Monday, April 30^th – Social Psychology Test Review Session – 5:00 – 7:00 PM in rm 136. Join us for our LAST review session for a unit test! Vocab, flashcards, & practice Free-Responses!

·        Tuesday, May 1^st – TEST: Social Psychology

·        Saturday, May 5^th = PROM… Have fun, but for goodness sake use good judgment and don’t wear yourself out too much.

·        Sunday, May 6^th – FINAL (OPTIONAL) AP EXAM REVIEW SESSION AND SIGMUND FREUD’S BIRTHDAY PARTY EXTRAVAGANZA – 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (or later, as needed). This is it! Your chance to clarify any lingering confusions that you were alerted to during all your prior reviewing endeavors. It will be aimed at achieving confidence, fluency, and mastery of all we’ve learned this year. A time for putting the “final touches” on your understanding so that you can proceed to the exam the following day with cool self-assurance. Since this day is also Sigmund Freud’s birthday, wear your Psych Club shirt and expect cake.

• Monday, May 7^th – AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAMINATION @ CVTC Old Notre Dame Middle School (location changed from previous years to accomodate our larger crew)

I told you we’d be busy!

Given how much is on our plates this time of year, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. When you start to feel this way, remember that I am ready and willing to do whatever it takes to help you meet this challenge. My room is open to you during lunch for getting assistance or for just a quiet place to work (and you might see some classmates there). Please take advantage of all the evening and after-school study opportunities you can. It will help calm your nerves and improve your grades.

I’m confident that all of my students have what it takes to finish strong in the coming weeks, but it will take continued discipline and an “eyes on the prize” mentality. Best of luck to everyone as we grit our teeth and roll up our sleeves for this final round!

Then we’ll all have a collective sigh of relief on May 8^th. J

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Exciting developments this past week in AP Psychology! Upon returning from Mid-Winter Break, students received their 40-Day Countdown Packets, which will be their constant companions up until the AP Psych Exam on May 7th. As I write this, only 38 school days remain until that fateful afternoon.

This year, for the first time, students will be very visibly tracking their progress on their review packets via progress charts that I've posted in my classroom. For each completed "Day" of the packet, students can add a shiny star sticker next to their names. Who wouldn't want to do that?! (Admit it: since elementary school you've been longing to see more gold stars next to your name.)

So far, this strategy seems to motivating for some. In any case, it's a nice visible reminder every time we walk in the door that spaced practice will pay off (and that procrastination is an enemy to be challenged daily).

Only a few hours to go!

As I write this, there are still a number of AP Psych students reviewing in my room. We had a great turnout for this afternoon's study session, and I hope to see some of you tomorrow in the hours before the test.

I am VERY PROUD of all of the hard work my students have put in so far this year to prepare for this exam. I am confident that you have the tools to do well tomorrow, if you stay focused and apply what you already know. For those that I do see tomorrow, we'll work on quick vocabulary refreshers to keep these terms at the forefront of your thinking...and some relaxation techniques so that you don't let anxiety get the best of you.

With less than 24 hours now remaining before the AP Psych exam, some reminders:

• 
  
  You need to be at the testing site (CVTC-Chippewa Falls) by 11:45 AM. Please remember to wait quietly, as classes will be going on and you do not want to disturb them.


• 
  
  You will be released from classes after 3rd hour, unless you have a parent call you in so you can prepare/rest at home prior to the test (which is acceptable, BTW).


• 
  
  You will be excused from the rest of your classes for the remainder of the day (hours 4-7).


• 
  
  Plan for how you will obtain a light lunch/snack before the test, since lunch will not be served at school by the time you are released. And you don't want your tummy to be growling during the test...that's embarrassing and uncomfortable. :)


• 
  
  DO bring a couple of No. 2 pencils, a blue or black pen (or 2), and a watch that does not beep.


• 
  
  DO NOT bring calculators, cell phones, or psych-related clothing.


• 
  
  What to wear? Comfort is key, and since you don't know what the room temp will be (think of how cold/hot my room has been over the course of this past year!) the best strategy is to dress in layers. Comfy t-shirt topped off with a sweatshirt that you can take off if you get uncomfortable is probably ideal.


• 
  
  Remember to employ your best test-taking strategies on both sections of the test! We have discussed these at length throughout the year, so you know what to do.

And finally, AFTER THE TEST, NO DISCUSSING OF TEST CONTENT! Especially on social networking sites or other information outlets, but this does technically also apply to face-to-face conversations. Saying, "I think it went well," is okay; saying, "What did you put for question 32?" is not okay.

Good luck, everyone!!!! You can do it!

Today: Austin, Jeremy, Matt, and Tel review in style...in the recliners.

A Big Week in AP Psychology

This week promises to be a busy one in AP Psychology as we complete our final preparations for the AP Psychology exam on Monday, May 2. Here's a list of some important dates/events in the next seven days:

1. Test: Social Psychology - Tuesday, April 26 (Quizlet embedded below)



2. Optional Practice Test - Thursday, April 28 (after school); Note: if Thursday doesn't work, I will also be available Wednesday after school to allow students time to take a practice test, or students can make other arrangements with me. Unfortunately, I cannot release official College Board materials to students to use outside of school. However, students may borrow/copy materials from unofficial, commercial test-prep books if it is impossible to arrange otherwise.



3. Final weekend review sesssion - Sunday, May 1, Noon - ?; I will stay as long as needed to help students review areas of the curriculum that they feel need the most reviewing.



4. AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAM - Monday, May 2 - 11:45 AM - CVTC Chippewa Falls Additional information will be posted here (final reminders, directions, etc.) in the coming days, though students should have received all pertinent information during the pre-registration session on April 19.

Happy Reviewing!

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