​      MATT  JOHNSON
​Matt Johnson began his teaching career at North Central High School in Spokane, Washington in 1999. He graduated from Eastern Washington University with a degree in Social Science education and a minor in English.  He later continued his studies at Eastern and earned his Master of Arts in history.  He is a National Board Certified Teacher who currently teaches AP US History and 12th grade AVID.  In addition to teaching, Matt presently serves as the department chair for Social Studies and AVID Coordinator. While in high school Matt was a student of AP US History and always wanted to teach the course recognizing that a passionate teacher can truly motivate kids to love the American story.  He has now taught AP US for several years and serves as a Table Leader at the AP US History Reading.  With a passion for helping underserved students achieve success in high school and beyond, Matt was recently selected to serve as a consultant for the new “Equity in AP” workshops launched by the College board in 2021.
Matt can be contacted at [email protected]
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​COURSE DESCRIPTION

The AP US History session is an intensive professional development workshop designed to  provide AP teachers with the necessary knowledge and strategies to teach the course  effectively and prepare students for the AP Exam. 
The course description for an APUSH Summer Institute typically includes the following  components: 

Primary Goals and Objectives 
• Understand the Course and Exam Framework: Participants explore the  current AP U.S. History Course and Exam Description (CED) document, including the  nine historical periods (c. 1491 to the present), key concepts, and seven overarching  themes. 
• Master Historical Thinking Skills: The institute focuses on developing and  implementing strategies to teach the skills historians use, such as analyzing primary  and secondary sources, developing historical arguments, causation,  
contextualization, comparison, and continuity and change over time. 
• Familiarity with Assessments: Teachers learn about the structure and scoring of  the various AP Exam components, including stimulus-based multiple-choice  questions, short-answer questions (SAQ), the document-based question (DBQ), and  the long essay question (LEQ). This will include practicing scoring student work  using official College Board rubrics. 
• Plan the Course and Syllabus: Participants will begin creating a course plan and  pacing guide tailored to their school's academic calendar. Guidance is provided for  the AP Course Audit, a requirement for all AP courses. 
• Utilize AP Classroom Resources: The course covers how to effectively use College  Board online resources, such as unit guides, Personal Progress Checks, the AP  Question Bank, AP Daily videos, and Instructional Planning Reports.

COURSE AGENDA
Day 1
Equity and Advanced Placement
  • How can schools encourage participation in Advanced Placement and what are the benefits for students?
Understanding the Structure of the Curriculum Framework
  • How does the Curriculum Framework guide the course and provide an outline for student achievement on the AP US History Exam?
  • How do the thematic learning objectives define what students should know and be able to do by the end of the AP US History course?
Historical Thinking Skills/Reasoning Processes and the AP US History course
  • What skills do historians use when evaluating historical evidence?
  • What historical thinking skills and processes do students need to demonstrate in order to be successful on the AP US History Exam?
  • How do historical thinking skills tie the AP US History course together?
  • Developing Student Understanding
  • How can students demonstrate understanding and how is it assessed with the rubrics on the AP US History Exam?

Day 2 
Analyzing and Interpreting Evidence: Primary Sources & Secondary Sources/Content and Sourcing
  • What skills do students need to be able to analyze and effectively interpret primary sources? What weaknesses or limitations do primary sources have?
  • What skills do students need to be able to analyze and effectively interpret secondary sources? What weaknesses or limitations do secondary sources have?
Making Historical Connections
  • How can teachers effectively instruct students to compare historical phenomena, make connections to pertinent developments of the same era, and to make connections across time periods with like historical occurrences?
Chronological Reasoning
  • How can teachers effectively scaffold instruction to help students understand the role of chronology, causation, patterns of continuity and change over time, and
periodization in US History?

Day 3
Creating and Supporting a Historical Argument
  • How can teachers effectively scaffold the skills needed for students to develop and construct historical arguments?
Planning and Teaching the AP US History Course: Sequencing the AP US History Course
  • How can teachers effectively sequence the skills and content needed for students to be successful in the AP US History course and on the AP US History Exam?
Selecting Resources to Support Teaching AP US History
  • What resources can be used to support student engagement and effective implementation of AP US History?

Day 4 
Strategies for Teaching AP US History
  • What teaching strategies can be used to support student engagement and effective implementation of AP US History?
Assessing Student Understanding
  • How can teachers assess student understanding and provide effective feedback to improve student performance?
AP Classroom & the Planning Report
  • How can teachers use the resources found on AP Classroom to assess student learning?
  • What are the components of the AP Planning Report and how can teachers use this data to adjust their practices?