Dan Marek has taught all levels of Physics in Texas since 2004.  He currently teaches AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2 at Grapevine High School in Grapevine TX, where he also serves as the science department chair.  He has served as a reader, table leader, and question leader for the AP Physics Exam since 2015.  He has also written and reviewed items for the AP Physics exams.  Dan has been a College Board workshop consultant since 2023.  Previously, he served as a teacher workshop consultant, item writer, teacher mentor, and review session presenter for the National Math and Science Initiative.  Dan is featured on AP Daily videos for AP Physics 2 and maintains an active YouTube channel at Mr. Marek Physics Funhouse.  He has also served as a textbook reviewer and written testing items for student exams as well as teacher licensing exams.  As a reformed chemist, he considers helping teachers transition from other sciences into physics his speciality and believes that any teacher can be a physics teacher.

DAN MAREK
ONLINE AP Physics 1 APSI Agenda
During this weeklong training, you will explore the AP Physics 1 course and exam description, learn what the AP exam will assess, and how AP Classroom can be used for instruction and assessment. Special emphasis will be placed on the changes to the course that went into effect in the fall of 2024 and the changes to the AP exam that went into effect for the 2025 administration. You will conduct hand-on laboratory investigations as appropriate for the virtual setting and learn how to connect the AP standards and science practices to student lab experiences. You will learn instructional strategies and assessment techniques you can apply to your classroom. 


We will take time for creation or refinement of a course scope and sequence and dive into individual unit outlines. Specific focus will be given to the fluids unit, new for 2024. We will also dive into the processes by which AP Exams are developed and scored, allowing you to better prepare your students for those exams. Participants who have not already passed the AP Course Audit will be guided through this process. While this training is specific to AP Physics 1, connections between all four AP Physics courses will be discussed. Lastly, we will discuss strategies for recruiting students and growing your AP Physics program. You will work synchronously with the group online as well as independently offline.  You will conduct simple lab experiments that can be conducted with easily accessible lab equipment and online simulations..  

Agenda:

Day One
AM
Introductions / Norms / Documents / Hydrostatic Pressure & Density of Air Lab / Graphical Representations
Overview of four AP Physics courses / Science Practices / Course and Exam Description 

PM
Experimental Design FRQs / Asynchronous options
Year-long Course Planning  / Expanding AP Opportunities

Day Two
AM
Overview of all AP Physics Exams / AP Classroom Overview 
Buoyancy Lab / Energy Bar Charts / MCQ overview and changes
Translating Between Representations FRQs

PM
Course Audit / Graph Straightening Labs and Teaching Strategies  / Asynchronous options
Add science practices to year-long course plan  / Expanding AP Opportunities

Day Three
AM
Unit Deep Dive: Kinematics / Lab Options
Fluid-flow continuity / Water blaster lab

PM
Unit 6 (Rotation) and Unit 7 (Rotation Conservation Laws) Pacing & Practices  / Asynchronous options / Expanding AP Opportunities

Day Four
AM
Pacing and Practices - Unit 2 / Assessment & Grading
Energy in Fluids and Bernoulli’s Principle / Mathematical Routine FRQs

PM
Leaky Bucket Lab / Conservation Laws in Fluids
The things we didn’t do / Best Practice Share-out / Refine year long plan / How to Improve / Expanding AP Opportunities