Today Joshua and I pulled an AP practice exam from AP classroom. I set a timer for 15 mins and had Joshua complete a free response problem on his own. He finished the problem with 15 seconds to spare. We graded the problem together using the scoring guidelines AP provided. Joshua earned 4 out of the 6 points. I told him although that seems like at 67% which is not good, if he can manage 4 out of 6 points on each FRQ he does, he’s looking at a score of 4 - which I think would be fair for Joshua to earn.
Today's lesson focused on how to prepare a formal outline for a research paper. I placed a general outline form on the board: Background, Controversies, Thesis statement , Evidence, and Solutions. I then had Joshua arrange his note cards following the above organization. Subsequently, Joshua began drafting the formal outline using full sentences to describe the background and controversies surrounding his topic. Critically, we next examined and discussed the proposed thesis making sure it was narrow enough to form a foundation for the research paper. Per my suggestions, Joshua formulated a thesis that argues that internet and social media use are addictive and damaging and therefore their use should be curtailed for young people, especially in schools. Joshua also drafted the evidence portion of the outline using topic sentences . Last, we discussed posing a solution in the conclusion of the paper.
Joshua continued watching AP Daily Videos 5.8 - 5.13 5.9: comparing processes and institutions of the presidential race with more local congressional elections.
Today Joshua and I worked on the Multiple Choice Practice Test in AP classroom. I asked Joshua to take the lead in the problem solving. He worked the problems aloud and did a great job recalling concepts we haven't seen in a while. We got through 12 problems and Joshua only had difficulty with 1 of them. We covered polynomials, rational functions, limits, logarithms, polar coordinates, and some other overlapping topics. Tomorrow we will focus on FRQs.
Limiting reagent problems involving molar mass conversions. Conversions between grams and moles and working with molar ratios. Also introduced percent yield vs. theoretical yield.
Joshua continued studying his research material and composing note cards during today's session. We discussed how to organize the note cards to facilitate creating a formal outline during tomorrow's session. I further began reviewing his note cards to monitor his progress .The research project is progressing on schedule.
