advanced placement opportunities at west 2014-2015 what is ap? advanced placement (ap) courses are...

Advanced Placement Opportunities at West 2014-2015

What is AP?

Advanced Placement (AP) courses are developed and offered by the College Board. Essentially, they are college

courses that are offered in high school, and are therefore rigorous and

challenging. Studies show that students who challenge themselves in high school (by taking AP courses, for example) are

more successful in college.

http://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=10859


Benefits of Taking AP

• Earn college credit (3-4 hours)– Saves money– Saves time– Makes you more marketable to colleges– Makes you more career-versatile (double major)

• Experience a college class while still in high school

• Work with highly experienced, qualified teachers

• Interact with other students who share common goals

• At West Forsyth, teachers are available for tutoring



Compare to Honors/Seminar

•Rigor•Pacing•Quality Points•College Level Curriculum•Workload•Work Ethic•Self-Motivation



Current AP Courses at West

• AP World History• AP US History• AP Psychology• AP Human Geography• AP Environmental Science• AP Calculus AB• AP English Language and Composition• AP English Literature and Composition



AP Courses Possible

• AP Latin• AP French

These courses are already allowed to be offered in the home schools if a certain number of students register.



AP Courses Requested

• AP Biology• AP Government: Comparative• AP Government: United States• AP Macro Economics• AP Micro Economics



Current AP Teachers

• Leslie Martin - AP World History• Debra Troxell – AP Human Geography• Kirsten Russ - AP Human Geography• John Cochrane – AP Psychology• Jerome Cannon– AP Psychology & AP US History• Chip Putnam– AP Environmental Science• Karl Koeval – AP Environmental Science• Dawn Brann– AP Calculus AB• Christopher Sabolcik– AP English Literature• Andrew Serang – AP English Language• Stuart Egan – AP English Language



AP at West - Social Studies

•Advanced Placement Human Geography•Advanced Placement Psychology •Advanced Placement US History •Advanced Placement World History



AP Human Geography

•Open to students in 11th and 12th grades•Focused on interpreting, and analyzing spatial data, interactions between humans and geography, regionalization and globalization and other patterns and processes of interconnectedness• Complements AP Environmental Science because of overlapping themes and concepts



AP Psychology

•Open to students in 11th and 12th grades•Survey course on the fundamentals of Psychology•Specifically the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes• Explores biological, psychological and social influences on the human condition



AP United States History

• Open to students in 11th and 12th grades• Fulfills US history graduation requirement•Covers archaic North America to 1990s•Helps with high order thinking and writing•Complements Advanced Placement Language and Composition



AP World History

• Covers the period from 8000 B.C. to present• Topics include political, economic, social cultural concepts and processes • Focused at a high level on five themes of world history and habits of mind



AP at West - Science

AP Environmental Science



AP Environmental Science

•Open to students in 11th or 12th grade•Prerequisites: Biology and Chemistry•The goal of APES is to help students to:

– understand the interrelationships of the natural world, – identify and analyze natural and man-made environmental problems– evaluate risks associated with these problems– examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing these problems

• Complements AP Human Geography (also offered at West by the social studies department) because some themes and concepts overlap



AP at West - Math

AP Calculus AB



AP Calculus AB

•AP Calculus AB presents Calculus at a level that one could find at most colleges. •This course does review and extend some PreCalculus topics during the first month of school. •When the AB course covers a Calculus topic, it does so with the same rigor and demands as the BC course. •The two basic concepts covered in AP Calculus AB are derivatives and antiderivatives. •Before taking AP Calculus AB, students should successfully complete Honors PreCalculus.



AP at West - English

•AP English Language •AP English Literature



AP English Language and Composition

• Analyze American literature as it reflects social perspective and historical significance

• Read lengthy text selections from the Concise Anthology of American Literature and The Informed Argument

• Study and analyze current events• Read outside of class eight – ten novels and non-fiction texts of the

teacher’s choice from the reading list • Write 9 – 14 essays per quarter• Enter this level with mastery of parts of speech, sentence types, all

aspects of grammar, and sentence writing• Produce multi-draft, rhetorical analysis, argumentation, and

synthesis essays based on fiction and non-fiction texts• Develop vocabulary including literary terms, words encountered in

literature, and SAT vocabulary



AP English Literature and Composition

• Reading: The course will include an intensive study of representative works from various genres and periods, concentrating on works of “recognized literary merit” according to the standards set forth by the Advanced Placement Program, Princeton, NJ. Students should expect to study eight novels or plays including one during the summer and an additional selection of the student’s choice after the AP test in May.

• Writing: Writing assignments will focus on the critical analysis of literature and will include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays.

• Daily Expectations: Students in this college level class can expect homework over the summer, the weekends, and holidays. The assignments will require independent thinking, self motivation, and a strong work ethic. Students will be required to participate in class discussions. Students will need to exhibit a sense of personal responsibility and time-management.


advanced placement opportunities at west 2014-2015 what is ap? advanced placement (ap) courses are...

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