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Dan Devitt
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DAN DEVITT
Daniel Devitt graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1988, receiving a degree in American History with a minor in Political Science. In 1994 he received his MA in Political Science from San Francisco State University. He taught high school in San Francisco for ten years, including seven at Lowell High School, where he taught AP* Government. He currently teaches at Menlo School in Atherton, California, where he has taught AP* Government for the past eighteen years. As a College Board faculty consultant, Daniel has conducted numerous AP* teacher workshops and summer institutes, including a workshop at the AP* National Conference. He has worked as an AP* Government reader and table leader for nine years and served on the AP* Government Test Development Committee from 2000-2004. He has also consulted extensively with McGraw-Hill regarding teacher manuals and test preparation guides, including online resources.
You can e-mail Dan Devitt at ddevitt@menloschool.org
Daniel Devitt graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1988, receiving a degree in American History with a minor in Political Science. In 1994 he received his MA in Political Science from San Francisco State University. He taught high school in San Francisco for ten years, including seven at Lowell High School, where he taught AP* Government. He currently teaches at Menlo School in Atherton, California, where he has taught AP* Government for the past eighteen years. As a College Board faculty consultant, Daniel has conducted numerous AP* teacher workshops and summer institutes, including a workshop at the AP* National Conference. He has worked as an AP* Government reader and table leader for nine years and served on the AP* Government Test Development Committee from 2000-2004. He has also consulted extensively with McGraw-Hill regarding teacher manuals and test preparation guides, including online resources.
You can e-mail Dan Devitt at ddevitt@menloschool.org
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Welcome! This year’s AP summer institute will be online but provide a great chance to find out more about the latest updates to the AP Government and Politics course and exam, meet colleagues around the country, and learn how to incorporate new lesson plans and resources into the course. This institute will provide many practical resources and ideas for organizing the recently updated AP Government and Politics course and will help both experienced and new teachers prepare to confidently teach the curricular, thematic, and skill components necessary to help your students master the 2021 AP exam. We will be spending the week sharing good pedagogical skills, interesting and fun curricular ideas, all with the latest College Board materials and test samples.
The following are some of the goals for the week:
What to Have Available for our Online Workshop:
Please have available any materials you will be using to plan and teach your course (textbook, supplemental materials, etc.) and your schoolyear calendar for next year, since you will have some time throughout the week to work on planning and organizing your course pacing and units.
What to Expect During the Week:Schedule is for 5 days, Monday to Friday.
Daily workshops will be a blend of synchronous learning via Zoom Meetings and asynchronous learning. Each morning and afternoon session will start with the synchronous presentation of information offering two-way, real- time video and audio communication and discussion along with short videos, demonstrations, Q & A, and instructions for the asynchronous time in small groups or with partners.
The ratio of synchronous to asynchronous instruction will vary depending on the day, but approximately 75 - 80% of the time will be spent in synchronous activities, large group discussions, and examination of College Board materials. Asynchronous learning will include a mix of independent planning and small break-out group activities. Participants will have a specified amount of time to complete various tasks, and the presenter will be available during asynchronous time to answer questions or to provide additional support. Each day will end with a Zoom wrap-up.
Class preparation:
Participants should bring
University Credit: Those wishing to earn university credit for the workshop will complete a unit of study in one of the content focus area. The unit can address a theme throughout the course or a chronological era and may include objectives, materials, lesson plans, and assessments.
Welcome! This year’s AP summer institute will be online but provide a great chance to find out more about the latest updates to the AP Government and Politics course and exam, meet colleagues around the country, and learn how to incorporate new lesson plans and resources into the course. This institute will provide many practical resources and ideas for organizing the recently updated AP Government and Politics course and will help both experienced and new teachers prepare to confidently teach the curricular, thematic, and skill components necessary to help your students master the 2021 AP exam. We will be spending the week sharing good pedagogical skills, interesting and fun curricular ideas, all with the latest College Board materials and test samples.
The following are some of the goals for the week:
- To understand some of the basic elements involved with teaching the AP Government and Politics course:
- AP US Government and Politics Curriculum, Themes, and Skills (CED)
- Understanding the Course Requirements
- Mapping out the Year—Pacing the AP Government Course and Outlining the instructional plan by Unit and Topic in your academic calendar (semester and year)
- AP Classroom Instructional Resources
- Using MY AP for formative instruction
- Instructional Strategies and Tools to teach the Content and Skills in the CED
- Becoming a Reader and Grading AP Exams
- The AP Audit
- Test Taking Strategies
- Stimulus Based Multiple Choice Questions
- Free Response Questions
- Student Enrollment
- Textbook Selection
- Supplemental Readers
- Resources
- Test Development
- Equity and Access
- To understand the content and structure of the AP Government and Politics exam, and to develop appropriate strategies for maximizing student scores and to examine ways to provide students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the content, skills, and materials in AP US Government and Politics.
- To achieve an understanding of necessary course content for the course curriculum and exam by looking at sample questions provided by the College Board, examining the latest AP reading samples released by the College Board, and analyzing the rubrics for all parts of the exam.
- To examine a variety of ways to structure the course so that students will be prepared to score well on the AP exam.
- To acquire many resources from the instructor and from other participants to help make the teaching of the course more manageable. These will include:
- Sample test questions for the exam provided by the College Board
- Available samples from the most recent AP Reading
- College Board information concerning the themes and skills in AP US Government and Politics
- Free Response Rubrics from all 4 questions
- Instructional Handouts- Provided via Google Drive
- Classroom Resources posted on Google Classroom and Google drive
- Online access to materials provided by publishers
- Materials provided by College Board
What to Have Available for our Online Workshop:
Please have available any materials you will be using to plan and teach your course (textbook, supplemental materials, etc.) and your schoolyear calendar for next year, since you will have some time throughout the week to work on planning and organizing your course pacing and units.
What to Expect During the Week:Schedule is for 5 days, Monday to Friday.
- Morning session 8:30 - 11:00
- Lunch break 11:00-12:00
- Afternoon session 12:00 - 3:30
Daily workshops will be a blend of synchronous learning via Zoom Meetings and asynchronous learning. Each morning and afternoon session will start with the synchronous presentation of information offering two-way, real- time video and audio communication and discussion along with short videos, demonstrations, Q & A, and instructions for the asynchronous time in small groups or with partners.
The ratio of synchronous to asynchronous instruction will vary depending on the day, but approximately 75 - 80% of the time will be spent in synchronous activities, large group discussions, and examination of College Board materials. Asynchronous learning will include a mix of independent planning and small break-out group activities. Participants will have a specified amount of time to complete various tasks, and the presenter will be available during asynchronous time to answer questions or to provide additional support. Each day will end with a Zoom wrap-up.
Class preparation:
Participants should bring
- A laptop computer (you will be provided with a flash drive if needed)
- Lesson plans they wish to share
- A copy of your school’s academic calendar
- A copy of the textbook you will be using next year
University Credit: Those wishing to earn university credit for the workshop will complete a unit of study in one of the content focus area. The unit can address a theme throughout the course or a chronological era and may include objectives, materials, lesson plans, and assessments.
