Thinking About AP Psychology?

Considering taking a psychology course during the upcoming school year?

If you're interested in trying to understand human behavior and thinking at a deeper level, then you'd enjoy a class in psychology.

In AP Psychology, we learn about how psychological scientists systematically investigate human behavior in order to understand its causes and consequences. This includes applying psychological concepts and principles to real-world situations that may look very familiar to you.

In fact, after taking a psychology course, it's hard NOT to see psychology unfolding in the world around you. 

In AP Psychology, that learning comes with the added bonus of earning college credit. Not only are you likely to pick up some college credits for the course, you'll be a stronger student because of your understanding of human memory and learning (that you can apply to learning in all of your courses).

Still not sure? This video features psychology teachers and students describing some benefits from taking psychology at the high school level.

Textbook Pick-Up Dates Approaching!

 Greetings, AP Psych students!

You may already have received messages from me about these dates, but I thought I'd post them here as well.

If you are enrolled in AP Psychology for the 2021-22 school year, you are encouraged to pick up your course textbook and materials between 8 AM and 5 PM on one of the following dates:

Monday, August 23rd

Tuesday, August 24th

You'll get to meet your instructor, get questions answered, and have the opportunity to ease into the school year by starting your reading at a more relaxed pace. 

Looking forward to meeting you!

Mrs. Welle

Back to School Shopping for AP Psych

I hope this message finds you enjoying a pleasant summer. However, according to virtually every retail establishment I’ve visited during the past two weeks, it’s time for back-to-school shopping. Whether that thought excites you or makes you cringe, I figured I’d give you a heads up about what you’ll need for AP Psych. That way, we can streamline your shopping trip (whenever it happens). 

Required:

• Be sure to pick up a 3-ring binder for use throughout the year in AP Psych. You’ll need this to keep your notes and handouts organized by topic area. Look for one 1.5 to 2.5 inches in width (3 in is usually too unwieldy to carry in a backpack daily). By spring, when you’re reviewing for the AP Psych exam, you’ll be SO GLAD you kept all of your notes/handouts organized this way!

• You’ll also want paper for note-taking (loose-leaf or notebook, your choice). Student preference is the key here: some folks like to use loose-leaf paper so they can insert notes into the binder by topic area, others like keeping their notes all in one notebook (post-it tabs to mark chapters/units can be helpful if going that route). If you like notebooks, be aware that many students fill up their notebooks by spring in AP Psych, so having more than one on hand will help. Also, some students prefer to keep their book notes and class notes separate (not a bad idea), so you’ll want to think about your “system” when shopping.

• Pens and pencils are going to be necessary. Perhaps this is obvious, but I thought I’d be thorough. 

Optional:

Strive for a 5 Study Guide (approximate cost $30; accompanies the textbook). This workbook helps students process what they read in the text and practice skills in preparation for unit tests and the AP Psych Exam. The district provides each student with a copy; HOWEVER, because the district’s copies will be reused from year-to-year, students cannot write in them. That is a bummer, because they are set up like workbooks and would be much easier to use if students could write in them.  

If you would like to purchase your own, the easiest way to do so is to order via an online seller like Amazon or Ebay. (This is also likely to be cost effective, since our textbook is no longer the newest edition of this book, so people will sell the older copies for cheaper.) Product details are below:

Title: Strive for a 5: Preparing for the AP Psychology Examination, 2nd Edition

Authors: Alison Herzig, Laura Brandt, and Nathaniel Naughton

ISBN-13: 978-1464156052

ISBN-10: 1464156050

Home Office Supplies?

While we’re preparing for in-person instruction, it is entirely likely that there will be periods during which we may have to shift to remote learning this  year. If you have the means to do so, it might be worth thinking about what home office supplies you might need in your at-home learning space to make it productive. Some ideas:

• Printer & ink? While you will not be required to print anything from home, last spring many of my students preferred to print out some electronic resources and handouts for ease of use and to get a break from all the screen time.

• Stapler and 3-Hole Punch - again, not a requirement, but if you regularly use these things at school you might find yourself missing them as you try to stay organized at home.

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email or ask when you come in to pick-up your textbook in August 17-20! Enjoy the rest of your summer, and happy shopping!

Mrs. Welle

Word Scramble

When directed by your instructor, complete this Word Scramble Exercise.

Emotion Demo

Today we'll be exploring various phenomena connected to emotion.

To complete the cartoon activity, please complete this form.

Synesthesia

Need a refresher on what synesthesia is? Check out this video:

Thresholds Online Demo

Today in class we'll be exploring basic principles of sensation, including absolute thresholds.

When prompted, check out this interactive demo on absolute thresholds in order to build your understanding of this concept.

Eye-Witness Memory

When directed by your instructor, enter your response to the photo line-up task using this form.

To avoid biasing the responses of others, please do not sure your responses or impressions until all data collection is complete.

Cognition Demo

When prompted by your instructor, enter your results from the Cognition Demo here.

Then, close your Chromebook to show that you are ready to move on.

Practice with Correlation Coefficients

Today in class we'll be learning about correlation coefficients, the statistic used to represent relationships uncovered in correlational studies. You will have an opportunity to practice matching scatterplots to their correlation coefficients using this website.

If you would like another opportunity to visualize relationships between correlation coefficients and their scatterplots, this visualizer tool may be helpful!

Survey

Today in class we will be discussing various descriptive methods, including surveys. Please take a moment to respond to this brief survey so we can use the data in class later.

NOTE: You may have trouble accessing the survey if you are not logged into your .chipfalls.org gmail account. Because I wish to limit responses to only my students, you will not be able to participate unless using your school-issued gmail account. Sorry!

E-Text Access for your Textbook

Students,

If you would like to set up electronic access for your textbook, follow these steps to get started.

Go to https://www.highschool.bfwpub.com/launchpad/myersap2e/12127865

Bookmark the page to make it easy to return to (although note that the URL will look different due to security measures).

To Enroll:

Select "I have a student access code", enter the code exactly as it appears on the card, and click Submit.

Finally, record your user information on the back side of the card. This is important because it allows me to determine how many times the access code has been used, and this is the only way I can help you retrieve your password.

That should do it! You may also wish to record your username & password on a Google Doc or somewhere else you can access it if you needed it.

Textbook Pick-Up Hours for AP Psych

Greetings, 2019-20 AP Psych Students!

I know you are probably in the midst of enjoying a beautiful summer, and the fall may be (understandably) far from your mind, but the beginning of AP Psychology will be here before we know it!

AP Psychology students do not have a “summer assignment” like some other AP courses, but we do have early textbook pick-up in August. At that time, you’ll get your AP Psych textbook, course materials, and directions for your first reading assignment. You also get to meet me in person, and start talking about the great adventure that is AP Psych!

This year, I was able to schedule textbook pick-up dates and times concurrently with registration week at the high school. I’m hoping this will be convenient for students and their families, since you’ll probably be making a trip to the high school that week anyway. I’ll be meeting students and handing out textbooks in rm 136 (my classroom) during the following times:

Monday, August 19th; 10 AM - 7 PM

Tuesday, August 20th; 10 AM - 7 PM

Wednesday, August 21st; 9 AM - Noon

Please note that, due to ongoing construction in the building, it will be easiest to enter via the staff lot entrance (Door #1 on Terrill St). My room is just down the hall from there!

Have a great summer, and see you soon!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Welle

End of Year Instructor and Course Evaluations

Greetings, students!

Please take the time to give me feedback that will help me make plans for next year. The responses that students generate for these surveys do help me figure out what is working and what can be improved in future iterations of this course.

There are two DIFFERENT evaluations I'd like you to complete. The first concerns the course itself, while the other concerns my instructional approaches specifically. Please take the time to complete BOTH, and there is no rush. Mr. Isaacson will give you plenty of time to complete these.

Course Evaluation

Instructor Evaluation

End-Of-Year Party Sign-Ups

Hi all! During class last week we created documents where everyone was able to sign up to bring various supplies or snacks for this week's parties. These were shared with you, so you should find a link in your inbox, but you can also access your hour's supply list here:

Tuesday's Lists (5/28)

Period 2B

Period 3B

Period 4B

Wednesday's Lists (5/29)

Period 2A

Period 3A

Period 4A

AP Score Access - Set Up Account

Now that your AP Exam is over, be sure you're ready to access your scores!

Use this link to create (or verify) your account.

Sign Up for Your (Required) Practice Exam

Use this link to sign up for your required practice exam.

You may sign up for more than one spot, and you may come back to this link later to edit your selections.

Mensa Workout

Want to try your hand at some items similar to those that appear in traditional intelligence tests? Give this Mensa workout a shot.

Links for Word Scramble Demo

When directed by your instructor, complete this Word Scramble Exercise.

Self-Actualization Scale

If you'd like, you can complete an inventory that is meant to assess how much you express the components of Maslow's concept of a self-actualizing individual.