Psych Club T-Shirt Sale to Benefit Two Charitable Causes

The Psychology Club at Chippewa Falls Senior HS is running an online t-shirt sale to benefit two very worthy causes. This means you can upgrade your psych-related wardrobe, look really clever, AND benefit some great projects all at once!

Proceeds from the sale will go towards

• the construction of a "barrier-free" playground at Southview Elementary, which will benefit students with mobility issues by creating a play area accessible to all children in our community
• the campaign to raise funds for a National Museum of Psychology, which would be the first of its kind, a museum specifically devoted to housing artifacts from psychology's history

The cost of the t-shirt is $15, and the campaign will run until September 23, 2016. T-shirts are expected to arrive to supporters around October 12th (date approximate).

To purchase a t-shirt (or make a donation), please visit our campaign website: https://www.booster.com/psych-club-fundraiser

You can choose to have your t-shirt shipped directly to you, or you can pick it up at the high school when the order arrives.

Please feel free to share this link with others! Not only does the shirt benefit some great causes, but it makes a great gift for psychology majors and psychology enthusiasts!

Setting Up E-book Access

Today we'll attempt to have you set up e-book access for your textbook. While most of my students prefer the hard copy of the text, this might be good to have in case circumstances beyond your control leave you stranded without your book.

You'll need to use this link: www.highschool.bfwpub.com/launchpad/myersap2e

When prompted, you'll have to enter the access code found on the card you are provided in class. I'd recommend writing down whatever password you set up because it might be a while before you use this.

Wundt's Reaction Time Task

Today in class we will be exploring the work of Wilhelm Wundt and other early psychologists. As part of the lesson, I may ask you to complete this brief exercise that simulates Wundt's earliest experiments.

While this will give you a sense of the assumptions and methods guiding Wundt's work, keep in mind the technology he was using was a little different. After all, none of his participants had Chromebooks to use. :)

Psych Club T-Shirt Voting

Use the form below to vote for the 2016-17 Psych Club T-shirt! Or, you may also access the form by CLICKING HERE.

NOTE: You MUST be a Chi-Hi student logged in with your .chipfalls.org account to view and vote using this form.

Psych Club Kick-Off Meeting THIS Friday!

Psych Club will host its kick-off meeting for the 2016-17 school year on Friday, Sept 2! Psych Club meets monthly on the 1st Friday of each month, and anyone with an interest in psychology is welcome to join.

One of our first tasks will be to vote on a club t-shirt design for the year so we can place the order as soon as possible (and get our shirts by the time of the October monthly meeting). You can preview the design options below. Votes will be cast electronically, so please have your Chromebook or device with you during the meeting if you wish to vote. 

Because of the size of our group, I am hosting meetings during BOTH Lunch A and Lunch B. I'll set things up for a "drop in" style meeting where you arrive, complete the tasks you need to (e.g., signing in, getting info about upcoming events, voting on t-shirt designs, etc.), and then you can be on your way. I'm hoping that will ease congestion and allow everyone to participate!

There will also be door prize drawings held at 12:30 and 12:45, so plan to be present during at least one of those times if you want a chance to win fabulous psych stuff!

Option 1: Placebo

Shirt color = tangerine

Front text: "New, Extra Strength Placebo: It's just as effective as you think it is!"

Back text: "Psych Club 2016-17"

Cost = $11

Placebo Front

Placebo Back

Option 2: Neurotransmitters

Shirt color = gray

Front text: "Serotonin & Dopamine: Technically, the only two things you enjoy."

Back text: "Psych Club 2016-17"

Cost = $13

Neurotransmitter Front

Neurotransmitter Back

Option 3: Carl Rogers

Shirt color = army green

Front text: "Welcome to Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood"

Back text: "Psych Club 2016-17"

Cost = $12

Carl Rogers Front

Carl Rogers Back

Strive for a 5's Have Arrived!

Workbooks are here!

If you ordered your own (personal) copy of the Strive for a 5 workbook during textbook pick-up, it has now arrived at school! You are welcome to come pick it up (see note on available times below) before the start of classes, OR I can get it to you on Sept 1.

I will be available Thursday, Aug 25 from 9 AM to 3:30 PM to hand out materials, as I will be working in my room during that time. After that, I will post available hours on the course blog (daily) since meetings will mean my availability will be hit or miss.

Friday, August 26: 1 PM to 4:30 PM
Monday, August 29: 3 PM to 5 PM

When picking up your purchased copy, please kindly keep the following in mind:

• If you were issued a rental (school) copy of the Strive for a 5 workbook, please bring it with you so we can swap it out. That way I can remove the item from your list of issued class materials and you won't end up having to locate it again at the end of the year. That would be no fun.
• If you have not yet paid for the copy you ordered, please bring payment with you. Cash or checks (made payable to Chippewa Falls Senior HS) are accepted, and the cost is $30.

Back to School Shopping for AP Psych

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Greetings, AP Psych Students and Parents!

I hope this message finds you enjoying a pleasant Wisconsin 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 the 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). Note: I do have a number of free binders generously donated by the parent of a former student (her workplace was discarding them). I’ll have them available at textbook pick-up on a first-come, first-served basis. If you want to save some cash, you are welcome to take one at no cost!
• 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:

Some students like to purchase these items to assist with their studying and test preparation throughout the year (and prior to the AP Psych Exam). However, they are not required. (Tip: Parents sometimes purchase these as very practical gifts at birthdays and holidays, so you may want to hang on to this for future reference).

Additional test-prep book(s). There are a lot of these on the market (and you can find them online or at large book stores in the test-prep section), and are not many differences from one brand to another. Cost is usually $17-20. Some students like using them (especially the practice tests usually found in them) as the AP Exam approaches in the spring, but this is completely a matter of personal preference. If purchasing one of these, be sure to look for the 2014-2015 version or later, since our curriculum changes slightly this year (and previous versions will not be up to date). I’ve got examples of these for viewing (or classroom use), so feel free to take a look at them when you come in for textbook pick-up if you want to see what they are like.
• Strive for a 5 Study Guide (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 (and this is a big drawback, I think), 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. Because I think that students might be interested in purchasing their own copies (to be able to write in them), I’m happy to organize an order for those who wish to do so. Students will be getting the copies provided by the district at textbook pick-up in mid-August, so you are free to take a look at the item and decide if you’d like to buy your own instead. If you know you would like to order your own, payments will be accepted at that time (then I can hopefully get the order submitted in time for them to arrive for the start of the school year). Depending on interest, I may place a second order in September (if students would like to wait and see how the first unit goes before buying). Unfortunately, the publisher does not have a direct retail website, so all ordering will have to be organized through the school.
• Flash card sets. Like the test-prep books, it’s easy to find these online or at large book stores, and some students appreciate not having to print/make 1000+ flashcards on their own. (Note, however, that online flashcards are linked up to the class website for free;  this would be for folks who like having physical versions on hand for study.) However, if you wait until March or April to buy them, you may have trouble, since they tend to be in high demand as the AP Exam approaches (when, suddenly, 260,000 AP Psych students decide to simultaneously purchase them). Like the test-prep books, I’ve got sample sets for classroom use, so you can peruse them before deciding if it’s worth buying your own.

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email (wellevk@chipfalls.org) or ask when you come in to pick-up your textbook in August. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and happy shopping!