I want my students to save certain papers during the year and use later as they study for the AP®  Exam. These papers include labs, charts, handouts, some notes and other important papers. To force them to keep these papers, they are required to make an AP®  binder.

Just a note: the binder helps kids keep the papers after they’ve been graded and passed back–I don’t use binders to collect work to grade.

Requirements to Build the Binder

I require a 1 inch binder. My class doesn’t use as much paper as it did a decade ago as a lot is done virtually and we do sticky notes instead of regular notes. I tell students to reuse an old binder from last year (duct tape together as needed) as its better for the environment, saves money, and they only bring into class to grade 3 times per year. Legally, I cannot require a binder in California so alternately, students can use another organizer/folder and receive the same points. I also have old binders left behind from previous years that I empty and give to kids as needed.

My students can use whatever they’d like for daily work in my class—a folder, another binder with multiple classes, etc. The “official” APES binder only needs to come to class 3 times per year to grade.

Dividers with tabs can be purchased or made using sticky notes. Most students opt to make with sticky notes to save money.

Directions for creating the binder are given to students at the beginning of the year in a little booklet I created called the “Great APES Booklet”

What goes into the Binder?

Students make a cover sheet for the APES binder with their name, period, my name as the teacher and decorations. I tell them the decorations can be printed or hand-drawn and can be of things related to the environment or of the great apes.

Students must also have a table of contents or AP®  binder list. I write the list on a side board and also have it on a google doc for kids to use.

Students use the list to number the assignments in the binder. We place items in chronological order as they’re covered during the year.

Grading the Binder

Students bring in their AP®  binders 3 times per year in about October, January and April.  I have 175 students in APES and if I have enough room in the lab, I will collect and grade and then give back in about a week. If space isn’t available, students peer grade and take the binders home. Here is a sample binder grading sheet. 

Why?

In March, I give students a “6 Week Study Plan”  for the AP®  Exam which emphasizes certain items in the binders. Some examples are the water quality lab, salinization lab, charts etc. These are papers which have content, science practices, or other things they need to review for the AP exam.

APES Binders force the kids to save papers that they will need later.

 

AP® is a trademark registered and/or owned by College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this site.

Many new teachers want to know which APES films or environmental documentaries are the best. We all have different opinions, but here are some of the most commonly shown films by environmental science and AP® Environmental Science teachers.

I have links to Amazon here, but you should check if the film streams online for free first. I don’t support illegal postings of videos, but on occasion, a PBS video streams for free from their site or another site. Or, some teachers can show Netflix at school and many of these stream there.

Please note: No one will show all of these films. They are just suggestions. In fact, over the 12 years of teaching APES, my video and documentary days have greatly declined in favor of more activities that develop higher level thinking skills. Also, kids these days prefer shorter mini-videos (a few minutes) about a topic than a longer video. And, that’s okay.

Intro to APES/Review Topics/Geology

• NPRs Carbon Videos--These short videos review carbon from chemistry and preview climate change.
• The original Lorax–Some teachers use as an introduction to environmental science or APES. I like to use the film in my forestry chapter.
• NOVA: Japan’s Killer Quake–This film discusses the science of earthquakes and tsunamis.
• The 11th Hour--This series introduces a lot of APES topics, but is rather depressing. I don’t show to kids because I prefer upbeat, hopeful films.
• Strange Days on Planet Earth–This series is a bit old now, but introduces several APES topics. There’s a segment on wolves in Yellowstone that’s nice.
• Merchants of Doubt–This film discusses how the media spins many scientific topics.
• A Fierce Green Fire–A good overview to many topics covered throughout the year. Documents many historical events over the past 50 years in environmental science.

Ecology

• HHMI Gorongosa: The Guide–This free 34 minute film accompanies many wonderful ecology lessons from HHMI. It features E.O. Wilson (a well-known ecology) and a teenage boy from Africa.
• PBS Gorongosa–This 6 hour series also in Gorongosa National Park in Africa feature many ecological topics. A good video to have for emergency sub days.
• Cane Toads (for invasive species)–This film is a “right of passage” for APES.  Its a quirky, cult classic about cane toads in Australia. Can be found streaming on Youtube sometimes.
• Planet Earth series–Another good one to have for sub days.

Human Population

• NOVA World in the Balance–An old, but still relevant film. It is the favorite film for human population in APES.
• Don’t Panic: Gapminder–I have not previewed this film, but have heard that other APES teachers show it. This is the same video as “Overpopulation by Hans Rosling”

Soil and Agriculture

• Dirt, the Movie –A good film discusses the benefits and structure of soil. I show only the first half of the film to save time.
• King Corn–I like this film, because it shows how farming is done with plowing, fertilizers, pesticides, subsidies etc.
• Food Inc.–This film discusses the problems with modern, industrial farming. It is anti-GMO and there are some rebuttals to the film online. Some social studies, English, and health classes also show this film.
• Fresh–a “newer” film with an upbeat message about the problems and solutions of food production.
• Secrets of Plant Genomes, Revealed–Free and made for teens by the NSF. A bit corny, but good info about the science of GMOs. Tell kids that its corny before watching and they will enjoy it even more.
• More Than Honey–Documents the importance of bees and the devastating loss of bees due to CCD (colony collapse disorder).
• Symphony of the Soil–a fascinating look at the complexity of soil.

Freshwater

• Last Call at the Oasis–A film about water depletion.
• Hurricane on the Bayou–A favorite film with great jazz music. Originally an IMAX movie that was going to be about wetlands and ended up being about Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.  Discusses the science of wetlands preservation and hurricanes.
• Frontline: Poisoned Waters–A good film about water pollution. You could show all or just parts of the film.
• Tapped–This film discusses the environmental cost of bottled water along with social justice issues. An inspiring film for kids.
• Watershed: Exploring a New Water Ethic for the West–This film discusses the competing interested for Colorado River Water
• Dam Nation--This film discusses dam building, and the case for removing some dams to allow more salmon spawning.

Oceans

• NOVA Animal Emergency–A favorite video featuring marine mammal rescue in California. Covers many ocean topics including toxic plankton blooms and plastic pollution.
• Hurricane on the Bayou–see description above
• The Perfect Storm–This was a movie in the theaters about an enormous storm.  I only show the clips about long-line fishing, not the whole movie.
• The Acid Test–A free film about ocean acidification. Streams online.
• End of the Line–a documentary about overfishing. A shorter free version streams here. 

Toxicology

• American Experience Silent Spring–This film discusses Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” and DDT.  A bit long for a minor topic.
• Frontline: Fooling with Nature–discusses endocrine disruptors. Out of print and difficult to find, however. If you can find a copy, its a good film to show. (Check your public library)
• Erin Brokovich–Be aware that its rated R and has profanity, but it features illegal toxic waste disposal, cancer, and environmental justice. You may or may not be allowed to show at your school.
• A Civil Action–This movie starring John Travolta is similar to Erin Brokovich and dramatizes the fight again illegal toxic waste dumping.
• Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain–A documentary about the Bhopal, India and the terrible environmental disaster there.

Air Pollution

• Air Pollution Mini Videos–A compilation of several Youtube videos.
• Under the Dome–a new Chinese documentary about smog that was banned in China. Subtitled in English.

Climate Change

• Before the Flood–A new climate change film that is popular in APES. It used to stream for free, but now there is a charge.
• NOVA Decoding the Weather Machine–A great new climate change video that discusses all the science. As of 9/2018, PBS has it for free.
• NOVA Power Surge–An upbeat climate change video with solutions. This is my favorite, because the tone is full of hope.
• Carbon Nation–A climate change solution video that doesn’t care if you don’t believe in climate change. Upbeat and also full of hope.
• NPRs Carbon Videos–A fun, 5 part mini-video series about carbon and climate change.
• Inconvenient Truth–one of the original climate change films, but old now and some kids are turned off by a politician. There are better films out now. I have not previewed the sequel: Truth to Power. 
• Chasing Ice–A mesmerizing film that follows a time-lapse photographer as he documents glacier recession and ice sheet melting over the past decade. There is a shorter TedTalk by the photographer (James Balog) available too.

Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

• Saving Otter 501–One of my favorite videos all year. Kids love it. Features the conservation efforts to save the Southern Sea Otter by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.
• Racing Extinction–This is a wonderful new film that inspires kids to save wildlife.
• NOVA Wild Ways–This new film by NOVA features wildlife corridors as a way to protect species. Kids enjoy this film.
• Star Trek Trouble with Tribbles–A fun episode about an invasive species in space!
• National Parks, America’s Best Idea–Documentary series by Ken Burns. This is a wonderful series, but is a little slow for students and goes into a lot more detail than they need.

Forestry and Land Use

• NOVA Wild Ways–see description above
• The Original Lorax–usually streams somewhere on Youtube. You can also purchase a copy fairly inexpensively.
• Nature: Survivors of the Fire Storm–Discusses fire ecology in Australia. Kids enjoy watching this film, because it shows many Australian animals at a rescue center.
• The Story of Yosemite--This film re-enacts the historical meeting between Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir and how that led to more National Parks and land preservation.

Energy

• Switch–This film is free for educators by request. Many teachers show several small segments about energy sources from this film, if they don’t have time for the whole thing.
• NOVA Treasures of the Earth: Power–my favorite new energy video that discusses fossil fuels, electricity and alternatives.
• NOVA Saved by the Sun–a nice video about solar energy.
• Oil on Ice–a documentary about the Arctic National Wildlife Sanctuary. A bit long for a minor topic.

Solid Waste

• Dive–I have not seen it, but a colleague said that his kids like this film about dumpster diving.
• The Works: Garbage–Sadly out of print and difficult to find online. Features landfills and hazardous waste.
• Toy Story 3–I show the end of the movie from the landfill and incineration scene to the end.  The kids cry, because they soon will leave for college (just like Andy does in the movie).
• EPA videos–Several small free videos made by the EPA about hazardous waste cleanup.
• Wasted-A film about the problem of food waste. One of the “newer” topics in APES and has been in the news recently.
• Bag It! –A fim about plastic use, trying to go plastic-free and plastic pollution.

Mining

• The Last Mountain–This film shows mountaintop removal. The most widely used video for this topic by APES teachers and is impacting.
• Modern Marvels–This series has several episodes about mining and quarries that can be used in APES.
• 30 Days: Season 3: Working in a Coal Mine–This film shows students what coal mining is like. Not a lot of science in it,  but interesting as a visual.

Cities

• Suburbia and the End of Oil–This is an interesting video about how suburbs were created and some solutions for future oil scarcity. A bit outdated, however, as we have found new sources of petroleum since this film was made. I used to show, but no longer have the time.
• Filthy Cities–documentary series discusses problems with urbanization and touches on many other APES topics such as waste management, sewage, and disease.

Environmental Economics and Law

• Story of Stuff–A short film discussing the environmental issues around globalization, commercialism and planned obsolescence. This film has some pushback from conservative groups.
• Planet Money Makes a T-Shirt–Free short video series that shows how globalization and manufacturing work. Non-judgmental–just presents how it all works.

Video Series

• Bozeman Science–Good for review, not for initial learning of material, because it goes fast and has a lot of content. I assign as homework on Edpuzzle the night before an exam.
• TedEd: Environment–Some good videos to supplement lecture or labs.

AP® is a trademark registered and/or owned by College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this site.

 

 

 

 

A “Getting to know you” survey or questionnaire the first week of school is not a new idea. Used strategically, however, it is an essential tool to quickly learn about your students even before you’ve memorized all their names. I use Google Forms for instant results that I can quickly scan for specific items.

Computer Access

This is the most important item I want to learn right away in a flipped classroom.  Do my students all have internet access through a smart phone or computer?  Many students are embarrassed to come talk with me if they don’t have internet at home, but they will answer questions on a google form about their access. Making sure all kids have access and providing access if they don’t is crucial.

Once I find students without computers or internet,  I can go to these students privately and find an individualized solution with them depending on their resources. These solutions can include:

• Providing a flash drive with video lectures for kids with a computer, but no internet at home.
• Teaching them how to download lecture videos on their phones using the school’s WiFi if they don’t have internet at home.
• Providing a borrowed device such as donated old tablet or phone with video lectures downloaded on them.

First Time AP and How Many APs

This is an important snapshot for me to take of my classes as a whole and for individual periods and students. Every year its different and these questions give me an idea of how many kids will need more scaffolding in learning how to do well in an AP class.

Its also helpful to look at the results by period. I typically have one period where a lot of kids are “1st timers” and then another period where they’ve all taken 10th grade AP Euro and are now taking 3 or 4 APs.  I can approach instruction for each period differently.

Preferred Name

Some kids are shy and won’t tell you their nickname or preferred name when you call roll on the first day. Research shows that names are important for student achievement and I want to get it right.

Extra Curricular and Sports

I want to know which kids are in which activity for several reasons:

1. Helps me make a personal connection with kids–I want to ask them about their team or band or theater group etc.
2. Let me know of a coach or leader I can contact with any questions or concerns.
3. Gives me a heads-up on who will have to leave early for matches, competition, games, choir tour, band tour etc.

Some more great personal questions that you can ask are found on Norm Herr’s website.

And Anything Else…

This is another important items. I’ve had kids tell me about health problems that keep them out of class often, or their career aspirations, or that they are shy or……

For example, if I have a student who writes down special need or a health problem, I can privately ask them what I can do to help. Just that question means so much to the student.

Or, for shy students, I can talk with them about one of the items they mentioned–like building a computer. This helps bring them out of their shell a little.

Anything to understand our students better help them learn, but also demonstrates caring and compassion and creates a better community.

The million dollar question in AP® is “How can I help struggling students while not boring or giving busy work to high achieving students?” This is especially true for math concepts in science courses where students are enrolled with differing math skills and strengths. How can teachers help ALL students with APES math?

I’ve been trying different ways to approach APES math for 12 years. Last year, I tried something new–a math diagnostic and then individualized, differentiated math review and practice.  The verdict? According to my instructional planning report from the CB……it worked!

(To learn about the types of math needed in AP Environmental Science click here. )

Math Diagnostic

The first thing I did was develop an APES math diagnostic that students took at the beginning of the year covering the types of math they should have already learned. Some students didn’t remember how to solve some or all of the topics, while others didn’t remember how to solve without a calculator. You can find the diagnostic I developed here.

The diagnostic took 60-90 minutes for students to complete. When finished, they self-graded with the solution key and circled the topics on their answer sheet that they believed they needed to review. This allowed them to take ownership of their learning. I told them that I would look over them and circle any other areas they needed to work on, but for the most part, they were pretty honest. They knew they needed to know how to do the APES math for their own exam grades and wanted the practice.

There are special APES math topics that we learn during the year (population math, energy math and productivity, for example) and these are not part of this diagnostic. I teach those math topics differently–as they come up in certain chapters.

After students have self-corrected and indicated their weaknesses, I entered the topics they needed practice on a spreadsheet and used the spreadsheet to assign review papers to them individually.

Update: Shelby Childress Riha uses a Google Form with her students where they can click the areas they need to review. I LOVE this and plan to use next year to save me time filling in a spreadsheet by hand.  Thanks Shelby!

Choices

Students had choices on how to approach each  APES math review paper.  They could

1. Attempt to solve and then use a solution key to check their work.
2. Use videos for help. I made videos of all the review sheets. They could watch me solve one or all of the problems on my Youtube Playlist. 
3. A hybrid of the two–solve any they could without video help and then fast-forward the videos to only the problems they struggled with.

I prepared 10 pages of review topics along with solution keys and videos. You can easily do this with your own math review papers….but a warning…it does take many hours to prep. After students were finished with the specific papers they needed to do (for some students it was all 10 math papers and for others it was only 1-2 papers), they switched to FRQ math practice. 

I rotated around the room making sure students were on task on math days. I estimate that I did about 10-12 math days in class last year (55 minute periods on a traditional schedule).  I flipped (lecture at home) which allowed this amount of time in class.

One of the amazing, awesome things about this method using videos is that I just monitored students. I did not run around to try help individual students in the period and this prevented exhaustion. The kids just opened the video for the review paper they needed and fast-forwarded to the problem they needed help with.

When Students were Finished with Review

After review papers, students practiced APES math with released FRQ #2s from each year on the AP Exam.  I assigned 2017 back through 2009–two at a time and had keys and videos for them.  I used the snipping tool on Microsoft word to cut out the non-math portions of the FRQs. I also did not assign problems previous to 2009 as the math is structured a bit differently in recent years. The math is also easier in recent years so I wanted them to start off with easier problems.

Some students finished all the released FRQs and were then assigned to do peer tutoring with other students who needed help with APES math.

Results

It worked!  I am thankful, because it was HOURS of work to prepare and implement. I compared my students’ (group) mean with the global mean each year. This was the highest difference on FRQ#2 in years. My students average was 1.4 points higher than the global mean which is an increase of 56% over the global mean (Percent change!!)  Last year, I had only a 13% gain over the global mean so I am very pleased with the results.

Implementation was challenging, however. It took a lot of organization to keep track of what each student needed to do and turn in. Next year, I plan to organize better and create folders for each kid with the papers they need for the year and give them 1-2 pages at a time.

AP® is a trademark registered and/or owned by College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this site.

Implementing FRQ Peer Grading in the Classroom

Guest writer: Katy Sturges, APES teacher from Texas

In the summer of 2008, after completing my first year of teaching only Biology, I went to a mandatory APSI training as a requirement to teach AP® Environmental Science the following school year. As many of us do, we all bring home nuggets of information on not only the content, but on various methods of how more experienced teachers do things. I took away many nuggets that year, but the one that has evolved the most that I still implement today—almost 11 years later– is how to effectively peer grade FRQs. Before I explain my methodology, I think it is important to note the skeleton of this idea was first introduced to me by Courtney Masser Mayer— if you haven’t had the pleasure of being trained by her go sign up!! She is fabulous!

Before Test Day

For each unit my kids get a packet of corresponding released FRQs—they could get 2 FRQs or 10 FRQs- it just depends on the unit! These are due on test day through turnitin.com for a completion grade (they know this). I make sure they don’t plagiarize and I check to make sure they are describing when it says to describe, etc. and take off points accordingly. I have them do this so they are exposed to as many FRQs are possible. SPOILER ALERT- the answers are posted on the College Board website and the kids know this — in fact I tell them about it! This is why their daily grade FRQs are completion BUT they know one of those FRQs (or a conglomerate of them) will be on their test for bonus points. I emphasize to them to go through their packet on their own to the best of their ability, since it’s completion, and THEN look up the answers to see if they were correct and clear up misconceptions before their test. Your high level kids will attempt the FRQs on their own and then look up answers to check their work, your moderately high kids will attempt them on their own and won’t bother looking up answers, your moderately low kids will go straight to College Board and rework their answers and your low kids just won’t do it.

Anonymity is key—and fun!

My kids also answer FRQs on test day –they get a 33 MC test and one 10 point bonus FRQ to answer in about 45 minutes. I don’t curve tests, so this way they can earn some extra points from their FRQ.  All FRQs are written on colored paper that is specific to the class period (this comes in handy later during peer grading) so 1^st period might write theirs on blue paper, 2^nd period on green, etc. It isn’t necessary to ALWAYS make first period the same color for the entire school year because, let’s be honest, that’s one more thing to keep track of.

On the top of the MC portion of the test, right justified by their name, I have them write their “codename”. This can be ANYTHING their heart desires and can change every test if they want. On the first test, you have to remind them not to spend 10 minutes coming up with “the perfect codename” because they enjoy this part of test day the most. The only parameters I give for making their codename is it needs to be appropriate (if it’s inappropriate they don’t get any FRQ points) and if it’s going to be generic add some numbers at the end. You’d be surprised how many kids will use the codename “Panda” so remind them to be “Panda168” or something. Since the kid’s school lunch accounts are tied to their IDs at my school, I mention to avoid using ID numbers—besides, those are super boring!

Fun Fact: Apparently there used to be a cartoon called “Codename: Kids Next Door” and, you guessed it, every year I would get several kids that used “Kids Next Door” as their codename. Luckily, they were in different classes so they were separated by period/color… but I was very confused for a couple of years!

They will write their codename in three places– on their MC test by their name (as mentioned), on their colored FRQ sheet (ideally in the top right corner) and on a sign-up sheet I pass around:

This paper is the most important for the teacher- this is the easiest way to match the student’s grade/codename to the actual person. It is also colored coded with the class period. Make sure to label the top with the unit name/topic to keep your sanity later when looking back through these. The kids pass this paper around while they are testing without any issues. When you get the sign-up sheet back, add the names of anyone absent—this will make it quick and easy to jot down their codename as they come in to take their test on a later day. This is also why I have them write their codenames on their MC test book—I can always refer back to their original test if I can’t determine who a codename belongs to.

So why go to all this trouble? When the kids peer grade they will never grade their own class period. Color coding helps me keep things straight on grading day– “Blue was 1^st period, so I shouldn’t have any blue papers being graded right now”. The codenames are to keep the kids as fair (and as nice) as possible. This way they don’t go “Oh, Bobby Sue is super smart, so this has to be correct- score:10” and on the flipside, they don’t know the names of their peers that don’t have the best writing skills or write painfully incorrect things i.e. “The depletion of ozone causes an increase in greenhouse gases” * cringe *

Peer Grading- The Buy In

I always make it a point to tell my kids WHY we are doing something. The very first time we peer grade I tell them:

• I lose 14 instructional days for peer grading over the course of the year. I wouldn’t waste 2.5 school weeks if I didn’t find this process crucial to their success on the AP® exam.
• They can see good writing and they can also see really, really bad writing. Also, which I think is the most important, they can see how someone seems to have a general understanding of the topic but doesn’t write their answer well enough or explain/describe enough to earn a point.
• They can mentally compare their answers to the rubric and see what various answers College Board accepts as a correct answer. While they peer grade, I have the opportunity to clear up misconceptions and explain why something is incorrect or too vague.
• They can get a “calibration grade”. I will explain how to do this later in the post, but I tell them if I look at how they graded an FRQ and codename “Texas Blind Salamander” has scores of 3,2,3,3,4 from their peers but they gave the paper a score of a 9, they are not calibrated with their peers and didn’t take the task seriously–their calibration grade will be a reflection of that.

Peer Grading Day- Now What?

Prior to peer grading day I print off a class set of the College Board Rubrics for the FRQ(s) I used for that particular unit. All released FRQs and their rubrics can be found at AP® Central:

https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-environmental-science/exam

When the day is over, I stick these in a manila folder so I can pull them back out next year which saves me paper (yay) and keeps me away from the copy machine the following year (double yay!).

I also build a Google Form for the kids to fill out as they peer grade. It includes their name, the codename of the paper they are grading, the paper color they are grading, the point values per subtopic and the total points earned. You can add other things for classification purposes but those basic things work for me.

 

Sometimes, if there is a big misconception in the rubric I will add it to the “description” part because, as we are all aware, kids don’t always listen during instructions when you say “hey guys- look at Part B in the rubric…”

At the beginning of the year, I don’t expect them to grade as many FRQs as compared to the number they need to grade at the end of the year. In a 45-minute period, kids can grade 4-5 papers at the beginning of the year, while at the end they can grade 6-8 papers. If they don’t grade the number I provide, I take off calibration points.

Variations on Peer Grading- What I’ve Done in the Past

• Grouping kids. I used to put kids in groups to peer grade. In a utopian classroom, they would spend 15-20 minutes individually (quietly) grading a handful of FRQs and then come together to collectively discuss why a paper earned/did not earn various points. This works okay the first few times, but what ends up happening is they go through the papers as quickly as possible so they can sit and talk/play on their phones once they finish. Another issue I always had to address when grouping them is they can’t just Rock-Paper-Scissors their way to a score. The idea is if someone gave Part A 2 points and another person gave 0 points, they need to discuss WHY to determine the points earned for Part A- not just meet in the middle. The reason I don’t do this anymore is because 1. not as many papers get scored 2. The feedback I received from kids when I switched from group grading to individual grading is they liked being able to spend more time with each paper and the lower-level kids weren’t just riding the group’s coat-tails, so-to-speak.

• Using slips of paper for the kids to write on instead of a spreadsheet: don’t do this. This is so hard to keep track of and organize. If your kids don’t have access to computers/laptops/tablets in the classroom, see if you can schedule a day for the computer lab. It’s definitely worth it to avoid sorting through slips of papers!
• Feedback. The biggest complaint I personally have about doing FRQs this way is the lack of feedback. I don’t think the kids care all that much, but I have yet to come up with a solid method of providing feedback. (Yes, I know, I could suck it up and just hand grade FRQs with detailed notes about “more description” or “too vague” but with my enrollment ranging from 70-160, I flat out don’t have the time to do that). Last year I tried something that worked okay but towards second semester I stopped doing it for some reason. I had the kids provide “Warm & Cool Feedback” slips for at least two of the FRQs they graded (another nugget I received at APSI training!). To ensure each kid received feedback, as an FRQ paper was peer graded with a feedback sheet, it was hole punched to signify a feedback sheet had been made for that paper and no paper could have more than 2 hole punches. Once collected and sorted, I’d hand these back when the kids were working independently. I had mixed reviews- I overheard one student say “Well, this person said to write more but this person said I write too much”—maybe I will give it another try.

How to Determine Scores

The hard part is over- let’s determine scores! Below is a tutorial video I made which is WAY easier than trying to type out what to do with your excel spreadsheet. The video explains how to pull the data from the Google Form, organize it and determine calibration scores.

Click for Katy’s FRQ Grading Tutorial Video

And there you have it! Is this the absolute most perfect way to peer grade FRQs? Most definitely not, but, it’s how that little nugget of wisdom 11 years ago has evolved into a system that works for me. Hopefully you can make some part of this nugget work in your classroom!

AP® is a trademark registered and/or owned by College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this site

I’ve been using the “Mastering Environmental Science” companion website for Environment: The Science Behind the Stores by Withgott and Laposata for many years. The Mastering platform (a Pearson website for college-level textbooks) has been very beneficial for my students.  Here’s how I use the Mastering site for my AP® Environmental Science classes, but this method also works for other Mastering courses such as AP® Biology, AP® Physics etc.

Reading quizzes are done IN CLASS, timed, randomized and open book/note. I used to allow kids to do at home as homework, but had rampant cheating  as one kid would take screenshots of all the questions/answers and send via group text to the class.  Now, I have enough access to Chromebooks to allow me to quiz during class time.

My homework is typically to read a section of a chapter along with some supplemental mini-videos on Edpuzzle that give visuals to the reading. The next morning is a reading quiz. Other homework is sticky-note lecture, because I flip. 

This is my current method of using Mastering (like all teachers, I’ve changed a lot through the years). In a nutshell:

1. Use a Master Class to create and edit assignments such as reading quizzes and coaching tutorials
2. Copy assignments to individual periods of AP
3. Change settings on quizzes to prevent cheating and to force kids to read
4. Utilize coaching questions as review assignments to help develop critical thinking skills

(Note: there are extensive video tutorials to help you with Mastering if you are just learning how to use. This post focuses on certain features and methods I use–not the entirely of how to use Mastering).

Setting Up My Classes or “Courses”

I create a “Master Class” each year and transfer the previous year’s quizzes and assignments to this class.  In this master class, I edit and change the things that I want to change and then copy the assignment into my other classes.

I make a separate class in Mastering for each of my 6 periods of APES.

Students enroll (via codes provided by Pearson with a subscription) into Mastering and then into their specific period’s “course”.

Making Reading Quizzes

I do not use the pre-made chapter reading quizzes made by Mastering. Instead, I make my own using mostly the Mastering questions along with a few of my own.  I sometimes quiz every section (4.1, for example) or every two sections (4.1/4.2, for example). I add a few questions from the case studies to the first section of each chapter since Mastering doesn’t have these questions and I want students to read the case studies.

(Side note: You have to teach kids how to find the “sections” in the textbook since they aren’t labeled “4.1” etc. Each green bold title is a new section. Kids get it and don’t have a problem finding the section to read.)

When I make a quiz using the question bank on Mastering, I choose mostly “reading quiz” questions along with a few “test bank” questions  I feel are really easy and probably won’t use on my exam. They are basic, low-level, questions that only check for if a kid read. They are not high-level questions that prepare students for the AP exam.  Higher-level questions come later in exams.

When I create my assignments, I click “Randomize Item Sequence” so each kid has a different order of questions. I also choose about 15-20 questions for the quiz and click “Pool Assignment” an then “Give each student 11 of 15 items”. So each kid gets 11 of the questions in a randomized order. This also prevents cheating.

To prevent more cheating, I stand in the back of the room and watch all screens.  I cannot tell if a kid takes a screenshot, but I can see if they pull one up or if they’re messaging each other via Google during the quiz. Or..looking up answers online. I will soon have GoGuardian which will allow me to monitor this better. Considering my averages for quizzes are typically in the 60% range, I don’t think a lot of cheating is occurring.

Copying Assignments to my Periods of AP

When I copy assignments (such as reading quizzes) over to each period’s course, I program the day and time the quiz becomes available–typically 3 minutes after the bell rings. This prevents kids from doing the quiz earlier in the day in another class where I cannot monitor them. I can also program the quiz to lock after the period or day so that absent students cannot do the quiz from home.

Changing Settings

I have the following settings for my reading quizzes (based on a lot of trial and error). You need to adjust these settings for EACH PERIOD after copying them over. Changing the settings on the Master Class does not change them when you copy to other periods. You can make default settings for each period so you don’t have to change these settings with every quiz.

Coaching Assignments

Mastering has WONDERFUL pre-made coaching tutorials, graphing and video questions. These are higher-level thinking questions and improve critical-thinking.

I combine all these questions into a “Coaching” assignment per chapter. The questions  are often drag and drop vocab or steps in a process (like eutrophication), or animations with tutorials. My students do these in class so I am sure they are not copying.

Also, doing them in-class is important for equitable access. Some of my students only have cell phones or tablets and these questions are not often compatible with mobile devices.

For coaching assignments, I allow kids to re-sort or guess again with just a few points taken off, because they are review for the upcoming exam.  They are also untimed.

Below are some examples of the types of questions found on Mastering. I did not capture the whole image since they are not open-source.

 

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I use Withgott and LaPosada’s Environment, the Science Behind the Stories, 5th edition for AP® Environmental Science.  I’ve used Withgott for 12 years and love it. My students find it accessible and readable.

I analyzed all released multiple choice exams and FRQs to find out what percentage of each chapter is asked on the AP Exam. This guides my pacing for the year. The following is my Withgott pacing plan.

Pacing Plan

This is my Withgott pacing plan for the amount of time I spend on each chapter.  I teach a traditional calendar from the middle of August through the first week of June–every day for 55 min. The rest of the document with labs, activities, and optional material can be found on this Google Sheet.  

Its important to backwards plan. Mark every special day, holiday on your school calendar, then the date of the AP Exam and work backwards.

Stick to it! This is item #1 on the 15 most important things a new AP teacher should know.

Chapter in Environment: The Science Behind the Stories by Withgott and Laposata	Time	% of MC questions on released exams	% of FRQ questions 2003-2016
1. Science and Sustainability: An Introduction to Environmental Science	1 week
2. Earth’s Physical Systems: Matter, Energy and Geology	1 week	Chapters 1 and 2 is 5% of AP Exam (mostly  Ch 2)	2% (all Ch 2)
3. Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology	1 week
4. Species Interactions and Community Ecology	1 week
5. Environmental Systems and Ecosystem Ecology	1/2 – 2 weeks	Chapters 3,4,5 is 12% of AP Exam (mostly  Ch 4 and 5)	10%
6. Ethics, Economics and Sustainable Development	1/2- 1 week
7. Environmental Policy: Making Decisions and Solving Problems	1/2 week	Chapters 6 and 7 are 6 % of AP Exam (mostly Ch 7-laws)	5%
8. Human Population	1 1/2 weeks	Chapter 8 is 6% of AP Exam	2%
9. Soil and Agriculture	1 1/2 weeks
10. Agriculture, Biotechnology, and the Future of Food	1 1/2 weeks	Chapters 9 and 10 are 6% of AP Exam	11%
11. Biodiversity and Conservation Biology	1 week
12. Forests, Forest Management, and Protected Areas	1 week
13. The Urban Environment: Creating Sustainable Cities	1/2 week	Chapters 11, 12 and 13 are 7% of AP Exam	14%
14. Environmental Health and Toxicology	2 weeks	Chapter 14 is 6% of AP Exam	7%
15. Freshwater Systems and Resources	2 weeks
16. Marine and Coastal Systems and Resources	1 week	Chapters 15 and 16 are 11% of AP Exam (mostly Ch 15)	14% (mostly Chp 15)
17. Atmospheric Science, Air Quality and Pollution Control	2 weeks
18. Global Climate Change	1 – 1 1/2 weeks	Chapters 17 and 18 are 18% of AP exam (mostly Ch 17)	12%
Pass out 6 week study plan for AP Exam
19. Fossil Fuels, Their Impacts, and energy Conservation	1 week
20. Conventional Energy Alternatives	1 week
21. New Renewable Energy Alternatives	1 week	Chapters 19, 20 and 21 are 10% of AP Exam	14%
22. Managing our Waste	1/2 week
23. Minerals and Mining	1/2 week	Chapters 22 and 23 are 5% of AP Exam	9%
Review for AP Exam	2 weeks
After the AP Exam

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I recently finished the second year of a flipped classroom for AP® Environmental Science and my students did very well on the AP® Exam. I have a lot of first-time AP® kids that aren’t the typical honors student. Flipping helps not only these kids, but all students learn content at their own pace.

For year two, I changed a few things.  (You can read about how I flipped the first year here and you can scroll to the bottom for a sample week’s assignments). After the first year, student feedback indicated that an overwhelming number of kids liked and learned well from this method, but 10% hated it. They explained that they thought there was more homework (there wasn’t), learned better from an in-class lecture, were used to copying homework, and/or were too lazy to do notes at home.

My goal this year was help all kids understand and embrace a flipped classroom since it can be very helpful to students and the vast majority of my students love it. And, more importantly, kids learn more and achieve higher scores on exams.

Caveat: A flipped classroom is not for every teacher, class or school. It can only work if students have access to resources at home. I work with the 1-2 students each year without computer or internet access to provide them with an individualized, easy solution (borrowed device, videos on a flash drive, etc). I also don’t think its good for NGSS where most learning is inquiry with labs or via literature, not lecture. 

Changes

• Communication. This year, I constantly referred to Bloom’s taxonomy, Depth of Knowledge and AP® Science practices (which are posted in the front of the room) when explaining an assignment. The AP® Exam is 2/3 higher level thinking and I tell them that. I reiterated periodically to students that they don’t have more homework with a flipped classroom, just different homework. For example, some days, I told kids at the beginning of class that they have today’s class time to do this lab write-up since notes are at home.  Notes are the “easy stuff”, skills and AP® Science Practices are the “hard stuff” and will be done in class. More about communicating to parents and students can be found here. Communicating worked, sort of. I still had 9% of my students who didn’t embrace flipped (shown on the graph below with a 1 or 2 ranking), but they didn’t say that they felt that I gave more homework.The great news is that more kids chose a 5 below which indicated that they understood why this method works for their learning.
  On the graph below:
  1: No I didn’t learn well this way.
  5: Yes, it was great to learn this way.

Here is a sampling of why they chose the number they did.

Overall, I am still very pleased with a flipped classroom. The kids learn well from it and enjoy class time more.

• Lecture/Notes before reading assignments. On the suggestion of my students, I switched the order of homework after the first few months. I used to have students read at home and do in-class reading quizzes for homework and then do lecture notes (I do sticky notes) for homework using Edpuzzle for accountability. Then, I switched to doing lecture note videos first for homework, followed by reading assignments and in-class quizzes.  This was their feedback.

I think that kids understood material in the book better when I went through the chapter via sticky note lecture before they had to read it. I plan to continue with this method in my flipped classroom.

• Gave less reading quizzes by combining sections. My textbook has about 4 sections per chapter. I used to give one section to read and a few little Edpuzzle videos (2-3 minutes) for homework followed by an in-class, open-book, timed, randomized, online reading quiz the next day. I started combining sections for the quizzes. I still gave only one section per night, but a quiz every other day (I am on a traditional schedule where I see the kids for 55 min each day).  This forced kids to read more carefully.
• Check and give credit for notes 2 ways. My sticky note lectures are on Edpuzzle. Students must get most of the questions correct for credit. The questions are embedded from what I say, not what I write. This ensures that they actually LISTEN to my lecture instead of watching it, taking notes and listening to their own music. In addition, I do a note-check the day before the exam (two chapters at a time) to make sure they did the physical notes. These count for more credit.

Sample Week for a Flipped Classroom in APES

• Weekend homework: Chapter 9 Sticky Notes on Edpuzzle
• Monday class: Lab Set up
• Monday homework: Read 9.1 and watch 3 mini Edpuzzles (ones that give visuals for 9.1)
• Tuesday class: Math review and practice
• Tuesday homework: Read 9.2 and watch 2 mini Edpuzzles
• Wednesday class: 9.1/9.2 reading quiz (open-book, 10 questions, 7 minutes, randomized). Discuss results of quiz and misconceptions. Gather lab data.
• Wednesday homework: Read 9.3 and watch 3 mini Edpuzzles
• Thursday class: Finish lab data and questions, plan for group lab report on Flipgrid.
• Thursday homework: Read 9.4 and watch 4 mini Edpuzzles
• Friday class:  9.3/9.4 reading quiz. Film flipgrid with groups
• Weekend homework: Chapter 10 sticky notes on Edpuzzle

Students like the flipped more classroom and more importantly, they learn from it. Here’s some feedback this year from my students:

By the way, I also ask them ways I can improve…but I didn’t post those here. 🙂