Prepping for the APHG Exam

Ken Keller

NCGE Webinar

March 23, 2011

kellek@danbury.k12.ct.us

KK’s Vitals…

•Teaching 14 years at Danbury HS, Danbury, CT•Teaching APHG since its inception, 2000-2001•Teaching Honors U.S. History•Teaching Intro to Geo at WCSU since 2009•Member of APHG TDC, 2006-2010•Member, CGA Leadership Team•Vice Chair, City of Danbury Planning Commission•Past President CCSS, 2006-2007

ELECTRONIC FILES OF ANYTHING COVERED IN THE NEXT HOUR IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

What you can have students do as review?

•Have your students create review guides.

•Define every single vocabulary term from each of the FIVE major APHG textbooks. Rubenstein, Knox, de Blij, Human Mosaic, Norton.

•Show application of terms as well as elaborative examples.

•Create these review guides as students move throughout the course.

Call up review guide.

What you can have students do as review?

What you can have students do as review?

Gotta Make it Real

•Real-world examples are musts in an APHG class. Use Current Events as teachable moments

•Geographic theories and models are of relatively little use to most high school students without real examples upon which to connect this academic knowledge.

•By connecting the real world to academic knowledge students will have a better chance of understanding and using the model or theory.

Gotta Make it Real

•Additionally, the student might be able to criticize or even refute a given model.

•When a student can, through a process-oriented discussion, make arguments and demonstrate how the model does not apply, he/she is thinking critically.

•Critical thinking and application skills are the most important elements every APHG student should be able to effectively and competently employ.

What you can have students do as review?

•Create a Jeopardy review game for students. Have them create their own Jeopardy questions. There are a number of free templates teachers can use to create these games.

•Use an old trivial pursuit board and create questions for six categories or seven categories related to the different units of our course.

What you can have students do as review?

Divide your class into small groups giving each group one of the following concepts. Have them brainstorm what is meant by this term and what would be some examples. Have them list factors that they would include on a large piece of paper and display them around the room:•Social Factors•Political Factors•Cultural Factors•Economic Factors•Ecological Factors•Demographic Factors•Socioeconomic Factors

The students then present their listings. A good discussion can develop.

Using AP Central…(More to come later…)

•Using previous Free Response Questions and their grading rubrics (found at AP Central) discuss how to approach answering the FRQ’s from a geographic perspective.

•We also discuss these following two terms as a class after going through the “factor” review…

•Cultural Landscape•Globalization

What Do Models and Theories Represent?

Demographic Transition Model; Rostow’s Stages of GrowthGravity Model; Concentric Zone (Burgess)Hoyt Sector ModelMultiple Nuclei ModelCentral Place Theory (Christaller)Weber Model of Industrial Location (least – cost theory)Von Thunen’s Agricultural ModelEpidemiologic Transition ModelCore Periphery ModelDomino TheoryHeartland and Rimland TheoriesNeocolonialismThomas Malthus (Population)Modernization & Dependency TheoriesSustainable DevelopmentWorld Systems TheoryBid-Rent TheoryRank Size Rule and Urban Primacy

Deconstructing the different parts of the APHG exam

Free (Focused, Constructed) Response Questions – FRQs

•There are three Free (focused) Response Questions (FRQ) on the APHG Exam.

•Each question is designed to elicit a student’s geographic knowledge and how well one can APPLY geographic knowledge.

•Of course, each question seeks to challenge students on three different topics. However, each question is looking for the examinee to demonstrate different skills.

•APHG free response questions are typically written to test students’ ability with specific skills.

Skills Addressed on Free Response Questions

Definitions/terminology/content knowledge – description using basic terminology is needed, but depth and applied examples must be used.

Connections – making intricate geographic connections to real-world situations.

Critical Thinking – taking difficult concepts, explaining these concepts and then pulling information, which is not necessarily in the question, and developing it. Critical thinking questions are those where students should string together information they have learned from 3, 4, 5 or even more chapters from their APHG text.

Skills Addressed on Free Response Questions

•Critical thinking questions are also opportunities for students to use pieces of knowledge learned from:

• field trips•computer mapping and models•supplementary readings (e.g. NY Times, The Economist, The Week Magazine, TIME, Global Policy Institute, National Geographic, etc.)•current event discussions in class•class research projects•personal experiences

Practice Critical Thinking …Odd One Out

•This activity requires students to pick the odd word out of a list of words.

•The strategy can be used to initiate a conversation on a topic or as a diagnostic to measure student comprehension of geographic concepts.

•The strategy is good to help students become familiar with concepts, to see similarities and differences between key terms, and helps you, the instructor, to see student thought processes.

Example: Population and MigrationAPHG FRQ Example: connection question from 2005 & 2006 exam.

Call up WORD document

Practice Critical Thinking …Concept Maps

•Concept MapsThis strategy helps students to organize their ideas and to present coherent, sophisticated explanations of geographical patterns, processes, and events.

Students, working in groups or individually, are given concept cards which they use to create graphic organizers. These graphic organizers are visualizations of the relationships between concepts that constitute a geographical issue.

Students are required to sort, categorize, make links between concepts, and lay them out to create a cogent whole which they explain, first orally and then in writing. By exploring the interrelationships between the parts, students gain a fuller understanding of issues and are better able to explain them.

Practice Critical Thinking …Concept Maps

•Students can be encouraged to develop their own list of 10-15 key concepts after reading text (e.g., chapters in multiple textbooks).

•They can then challenge other classmates to createconcept maps using their lists.

•The important goal is for students to link related concepts and to explain the nature of the relationship(s) in clear sentences.

Example: The Food Supply SystemAPHG FRQ Example: definition question from 2007 exam. Call up WORD document

Practice Critical Thinking …Living Graphs

•Living Graphs

Using any line graph, develop a number of statements relating to events or think people might have said or done that relate to the context of the graph. Students decide where on the graph (at what point in time) the statement occurred.

Example: The Demographic TransitionAPHG FRQ Example: synthesis question from 2003 exam. Demographic Transition Model.

Call up WORD document

In APHG We Do Not Write DBQs

•U.S. History, European History and World History are the AP courses typically taught in social science/studies departments in most American high schools.

•The above-mentioned courses have their distinct differences but are generally similar when it comes to preparing for the AP Exam.

•For example, AP U.S. History, European History and World History focus on writing styles, which must be followed while writing about the desired content.

•Writing a thesis and developing the thesis plays a major role in these three AP history courses. However, writing style is not scored in APHG.

In APHG We Do Not Write DBQs

•The APHG Exam is more content-based.

•The student is only asked to answer the question using cogent constructs. Therefore, the APHG teacher must teach students to write in a process-oriented style, which speaks to the main ideas of the question.

•Most students who have trouble on the APHG exam simply do not answer the question which has been posed.

•In short, APHG exam students should get to the point of the question and supply appropriate content with proper examples as possible. Remember, writing style is simply not an issue.

Summary of main FRQ writing tips…

•Students should try to avoid writing “dump” essays where they “dump” or empty their brain of everything they can think of on to the paper.

•Remember to try and integrate geographic themes in their response. For example, using a point from several different units of study in their answer.

•PLEASE answer the question in the same format that it is written. For example, if the question has three parts which are labeled A, B and C, they need to answer in the same format.

•Students can sometimes “explain” in a sentence or two. They should not belabor a point. Please be direct and use evidence to support their argument. However, they try to use Geo “vocabulary” wherever it is relevant.

Summary of main FRQ writing tips (cont.)

•Please do not rewrite the question in their response and make sure they answer what the question asks!

•Please, NO THESIS statements, introductions or conclusions.

•DO NOT use bullets in their answers.

•As noted, there are no DBQ’s on the AP Geo exam.

Outlines are your friend

•OUTLINING the questions is an important tool that will help students tremendously!

•As soon as students get the FRQ’s, they should spend a couple of minutes outlining the main points for their answer right on the questions sheet.

•This way, when they go to write their full response they will have a baseline of information/important points to send them on their way!

Outlines are your friend

•Students who have created outlines in the past have told me it has really helped them be successful on the exam!

•I have my students do this throughout the course of the school year.

•Even though students balk at doing this, especially those students who struggle with time management and always think they will run out of time and not finish, they find by the end of the year that this strategy is a big help for them.

Miscellaneous FRQ Tips …

•Answer the question students think is the easiest first than they should go on to the next easiest, etc... This way, they leave the hardest one for the end where they have more time to answer. It doesn’t matter if the questions are in order when they write them in their answer booklet.

Miscellaneous FRQ Tips …

•Students should be as neat as possible when writing their responses. Remember, this is not their classroom APHG teacher who is used to reading their hieroglyphics that will be reading their response

•In the same vain, skip a line in between each line of their answer to the FRQs. They have plenty of space in the answer booklet and they can then go back and add information if need be.

Key WORDS/PHRASES to understand the meaning of with regard to

answering FRQ’s

APHG Verbs

•Effective answers to essay questions depend in part upon a clear understanding (and execution) of the meanings of important directive words.

•These are the words that indicate the way in which the material is to be presented.

•For example, if students only describe when they are asked to compare, or if they merely list causes when they have been asked to evaluate them, their responses will be less than satisfactory.

APHG Verbs

•An essay can only begin to be correct if it answers directly the question that is asked.

•Individual teachers can provide what AP Examinations cannot — help with the meanings and applications of some key terms like the following on the next few slides:

1. Analyze: determine their component parts; examine their nature and relationship [usually answers the question "why?"]

2. Assess/Evaluate: judge the value or character of something; appraise; evaluate the positive points and the negative ones; give an opinion regarding the value of; discuss the advantages and disadvantages of.

3. Compare: examine for the purpose of noting similarities and differences.

APHG Verbs

APHG Verbs

4. Contrast: examine in order to show dissimilarities or points of difference.

5. Describe: give an account of; tell about; give a word picture of.

6. Discuss: talk over; write about; consider or examine by argument or from various points of view; debate; present the different sides of.

APHG Verbs

7. Explain: make clear or plain; make clear the causes or reasons for; make known in detail; tell the meaning of. If you are asked to explain something, make sure to read carefully as to what you will be explaining and how many or what specifically you are asked to address. Do not try to read between the lines of the question.

ONLY ANSWER WHAT THEY ARE SPECIFICALLY BEING ASKED TO ANSWER!

To earn a “5” elaborating on their basic premise is KEY!

Other prompting terms/words:

Define: If you are asked for a definition, make sure you specifically define the term or concept. Choose either/or: You don’t have to pick both!Pay attention to how many examples the question is looking for if a specific number is noted!

Key Features or factors: Discuss TWO or THREE ideas in detail. Look for a specific number of

examples that the question is asking for.

List: No elaboration needed.

Identify: Point out and you will then most likely have to discuss.

PREDICTING THE APHG FRQ TOPICS

Disclaimer: This is only guesswork and should not substitute for preparation on all possible topics. That said, we have guessed ‘wisely’ on most topics over the last few years!

Topics: (Topic 1/Nature and Perspectives is embedded in all the FRQ exams, it will not appear on its own…)

2/POPULATION3/CULTURE4/POLITICAL5/AGRICULTURE-RURAL LAND USE6/ECONOMICS AND DEVELOPMENT7/URBAN LAND USE AND SERVICES

PREDICTING THE APHG FRQ TOPICS

Call up WORD document

Summary of key MCQs answering strategies

There are 75 multiple choice questions on the APHG exam, each with five answer choices. Students have 1 hour to answer them.

Types of MCQs:•Definition questions.•Synonym questions.•All of the following EXCEPT questions.•Stimulus questions (some type of visual).

Summary of key MCQs answering strategies

•Students need to make sure they read the entire question carefully.

•There should be some phrase or clue in the question to lead students in the right direction.

•Students should not linger on answering any given question. If they are not sure of how to respond to a question they should move on as they can always come back to it.

Summary of key MCQs answering strategies

IMPORTANT: starting with this year’s exam, students will only get credit for the questions they answer correctly and will NOT lose a ¼ point for those they get wrong.

Exam MC Question Analysis ReviewGet Students to Break Down Questions

1. STIMULUS MATERIAL CAN SOMETIMES THROW YOU OFF YOUR GAME

2. WHAT WORD(S) SHOULD YOU FOCUS ON?

3. PROCESS OF ELIMINATION

4. TO SKIP OR NOT TO SKIP?

5. MORE PROCESS OF ELIMINATION and ANSWER LENGTH

6. PAY ATTENTION TO CANADA IN YOUR TEXTS

7. WHO SAYS STUDYING VOCAB IS NOT IMPORTANT?

8. WHICH WORD(S) DO YOU FOCUS ON and KNOWING THE NUANCES OF RELIGIONS?

Call up WORD Document

Exam MC Question Analysis ReviewGet Students to Break Down Questions

9. AND THE APHG PROPHET SAID, “KNOW HOW THOU MODELS WORK – NOT JUST WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE!”

10. AGAIN, KNOWING WHAT A MODEL AND ITS PARTS LOOK LIKE IS NOT ENOUGH; NOW, THE QUESTION…

11. PROCESS OF ELIMINATION, SOME HISTORY AND EVEN MORE COMMON SENSE – LOOK FOR THE CLUE

12. STUDY THE OLD APHG EXAMS – THIS ONE IS A MULTIPLE CHOICE VERSION OF FRQ #2 FROM THE 2001 APHG EXAM – ALSO, WATCH FOR POSITIVE WORDS IN “NOT” QUESTIONS

13. FOCUS ON WHAT THE QUESTION IS ASKING

14. INTERPRETING PHOTOGRAPHS IS IMPORTANT

Exam MC Question Analysis ReviewGet Students to Break Down Questions

15. CONNECT GEOGRAPHER NAMES TO THEIR WORK

16. THERE ARE NO T-F QUESTIONS ON THE APHG EXAM – BUT THIS IS TO TEACH MY STUDENTS ABOUT USING OTHER TEXTBOOKS

17. STATEMENT ANALYSIS QUESTIONS ARE POSSIBLE (BUT WITH 5 ANSWERS ON THE APHG EXAM)

18. POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY HAS LOTS OF TERMS

19. I AM CONFIDENT THIS TERM WILL BE ON THE 2011 APHG IN SOME FORMi.e.…Subsistence Agriculture

20. QUESTIONS WITH NEGATIVE WORDS IN THEM NEED TO BE READ SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY – IT IS USUALLY SMART TO COME BACK AND CHECK THESE

Exam MC Question Analysis ReviewGet Students to Break Down Questions

21. KNOW MULTIPLE NAMES FOR THE SAME TERM (SWIDDEN, SLASH and BURN, SHIFTING CULTIVATION, MILPA)

22. DO YOU KNOW YOUR MODELS WITHOUT LOOKING AT THEM?

23. CAN YOU READ A SCATTERGRAM?

24. NOPE, IT’S NOT AN OLD KEVIN BACON MOVIE

25. KNOW EXAMPLES OF THE TERMS YOU HAVE LEARNED

26. THIS IS A VERY HARD QUESTION – GRAPH ANALYSIS, GRAPHS WHICH LOOK COMPLICATED CAN BE SOLVED BY READING, RE-READING

AND TIME

27. PLACE GEOGRAPHY IS IMPORTANT!

Scoring FRQs in your Classroom…

Try to scale your own exams based on previous year scaled scoring. For example, the top 20% of your students earn a five, next 15% earn a 4, next 10% earn a 3, etc….This way, giving your students an idea throughout the year as to where they stand come May.

KK’s Online Event and Helpful Websites for Review

Content Review Websites I Have Used in the Past (Thanks to fellow teachers for permission):

http://teacherweb.ftl.pinecrest.edu/snyderd/APHG/index.htmhttp://www.glendale.edu/geo/reed/cultural/cultural_lectures.htm

http://pewresearch.org/interactive/http://www.gapminder.org/http://www.macalester.edu/geography/http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/sets/72157624812674967/with/4981441877/

COME TO NCGE PORTLAND,OR 8/2-8/7/2011