Yvonne Kaatz currently teaches dual credit courses at Faith Academy in Marble Falls, Texas. She retired from teaching 11th grade AP English Language and Composition and 10th-grade Pre-AP English at Dripping Springs High School where she served as Department Chairman for over 10 years and as an Instructional Facilitator the last three years of her career in public education. She has taught 9th or 10th-grade Pre-AP English for the last 32 years and AP Language for over 20 years. For the past 18 years, she has presented at one- and two-day conferences for the College Board, and in 2006 at the AP National Conference. Since the summer of 2006, she has presented at week-long conferences in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Utah. In 2017, Mrs. Kaatz was selected as the Outstanding Teacher of Humanities for the state of Texas. She has previously served as an events coordinator, grade-level team leader, district curriculum advisor for Austin ISD, AP Coordinator for DSISD, and a mentor for San Antonio’s Northside School District. She holds a BS from Texas A&M with a specialization in writing.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will articulate the new course framework for the AP Language and Composition Exam. Specific instruction and time will be allotted to look at course development using the framework. Participants will explore ways to improve and enhance an AP Language and Composition high school English course and will share ideas on how to develop lessons for major units to reflect AP goals and the new course framework. Participants will also discuss the AP Language and Composition exam and how to best relate AP goals to future student success beyond the exam.
Participants will explore ways to improve and enhance an AP English course by focusing on the following items:
OBJECTIVE: I hope to articulate exam expectations and to share ideas on how to organize your course, develop your students’ writing, and build a successful AP course for student success on the exam and beyond. The ideas that I share can be applied to various novels so it will be up to you to adapt them to your course and your materials.
AGENDA
Day One:
Synchronous – 2 hours
Synchronous – 1 ½ - 2 hours
Synchronous - 1 ½ - 2 hours
Synchronous – 2 hours
Synchronous – 1 hour
Synchronous – 1 ½ hours – 2 hours
Asynchronous – 1 hour
Day Three
Asynchronous / Synchronous – 2 hours
Synchronous – 1 hour
Synchronous – 1 hour
Asynchronous- 1 hour
Synchronous – 2 hours
Synchronous/Asynchronous 1 hour
Synchronous – 2 hours
Synchronous – 1- 1 ½ hours
NOTE: Items from The Great Gatsby and the Research (if we get to these) were all originally created by Elizabeth Davis from Westwood High School in Round Rock, Texas. She graciously shared them with me.
OBJECTIVE: I hope to share ideas on how to combine your requirements to teach American Literature and to build a successful AP class for student success on the AP English Language and Composition Exam. The ideas that I share can be applied to various novels so it will be up to you to adapt them to your course and your materials.
This course will articulate the new course framework for the AP Language and Composition Exam. Specific instruction and time will be allotted to look at course development using the framework. Participants will explore ways to improve and enhance an AP Language and Composition high school English course and will share ideas on how to develop lessons for major units to reflect AP goals and the new course framework. Participants will also discuss the AP Language and Composition exam and how to best relate AP goals to future student success beyond the exam.
Participants will explore ways to improve and enhance an AP English course by focusing on the following items:
- Exam Information
- Course Framework
- Instructional Planning Report
- AP Classroom
- Close reading
- Annotating the text
- Analyzing and Author’s Style
- Attacking an AP Prompt
- Developing personal voice in writing
- Methods for working with non-fiction texts and analysis
- Creative ways to teach analysis
OBJECTIVE: I hope to articulate exam expectations and to share ideas on how to organize your course, develop your students’ writing, and build a successful AP course for student success on the exam and beyond. The ideas that I share can be applied to various novels so it will be up to you to adapt them to your course and your materials.
AGENDA
Day One:
Synchronous – 2 hours
- Business Items
- Teacher Introduction
- Conference Goals
- Diversity & Inclusion & Equity & Access
- Break
- Work on Introduction slide
- Participant Introductions
Synchronous – 1 ½ - 2 hours
- AP Exam Information
- Look at multiple-choice
Synchronous - 1 ½ - 2 hours
- Look at FRQ 1, rubric, and sample essays
- Complete a Diversity & Inclusion & Equity & Access post
- Complete Poetry Introduction Assignment
- Complete END OF DAY POST
Synchronous – 2 hours
- Poetry Lines will be shared now and after each break
- Cover questions and wrap up items from Monday
- Look at FRQ 2, rubric, & sample essays
Synchronous – 1 hour
- Thematic statement, thesis statement, building an AP essay, & body paragraph set-up handouts
- Practice Attacking a Prompt & Pre-write
Synchronous – 1 ½ hours – 2 hours
- Continue with Question 2
Asynchronous – 1 hour
- Practice Attacking a Prompt & Pre-write #1
- Look at Question 1 Pre-writing on Test
- Look at Question 2 Pre-writing on Test
- Complete Pre-write #2
- Complete END DAY 2 POST
Day Three
Asynchronous / Synchronous – 2 hours
- Practice Attacking the Prompt & Pre-write #3
- Look at FRQ 3, rubric, & sample essays
Synchronous – 1 hour
- Course Framework
Synchronous – 1 hour
- AP Classroom
- Practice Attacking the Prompt & Pre-write #4
Asynchronous- 1 hour
- Planning Your Course - Discussion
- Planning Your Course – How Will You Organize Assignment
- END OF THE DAY 3 POST
Synchronous – 2 hours
- Kaatz’s ideas for Organizing the Year
Synchronous/Asynchronous 1 hour
- More ideas
- Discussions / Time to think
Synchronous – 2 hours
- Instructional Planning
- UpFront Analysis Assignment
Synchronous – 1- 1 ½ hours
- Last ideas
- Syllabus
- Planning your course – Setting up the beginning of the year / Units
- END OF THE APSI POST
NOTE: Items from The Great Gatsby and the Research (if we get to these) were all originally created by Elizabeth Davis from Westwood High School in Round Rock, Texas. She graciously shared them with me.
OBJECTIVE: I hope to share ideas on how to combine your requirements to teach American Literature and to build a successful AP class for student success on the AP English Language and Composition Exam. The ideas that I share can be applied to various novels so it will be up to you to adapt them to your course and your materials.