Throughout the AP Capstone program, students consider and evaluate multiple points of view to develop their own perspectives on complex issues and topics through inquiry and investigation. The AP Capstone program provides students with a framework that allows them to develop, practice, and hone their critical and creative thinking skills as they make connections between various issues and their own lives. It is important for students to understand that this process is recursive, not linear. This recursive process allows students to go back and forth between the processes as they encounter new information.
AP Research, the second course in the AP Capstone experience, allows students to deeply explore an academic topic, problem, issue, or idea of individual interest. Students design, plan, and implement a yearlong investigation to address a research question. Through this inquiry, they further the skills they acquired in the AP Seminar course by learning research methodology, employing ethical research practices, and accessing, analyzing, and synthesizing information. Students reflect on their skill development, document their processes, and curate the artifacts of their scholarly work through a process and reflection portfolio. The course culminates in an academic paper of approximately 4,000-5,000 words (accompanied by a performance, exhibit, or product where applicable) and a presentation with an oral defense.
Goals
The AP Capstone program allows students to develop and practice reasoning processes that help them to make intentional, strategic decisions. The reasoning processes that lead students toward success in the course are embedded within the learning objectives and include:
Evaluation & Grading
This course will be taught with all of the rigor of an actual college course. Grades will be not be updated as regularly on Gradebook as you are accustomed. Second semester Gradebook updates in particular will be irregular, as you will be working on your Performance Task Assessment for the College Board. It is your responsibility to alert me when there are any discrepancies that may be adversely affecting your grade.
Grading Scale : 100-90% = A, 89-80% = B, 79-70% = C, 69-60% = D, 59-0% = F
Grading Breakdown:
Semester 1
Semester 2
Professionalism and Participation
Evaluation of student participation will reflect many forms in the course. Active participation includes: contributions to small- and whole-class discussions, attentiveness, preparedness (bringing all course materials to class daily, and completing in a timely manner all formative and summative assessments per guidelines set by the teacher and students), asking appropriate and clarifying questions, and overall work ethic.
A periodic participation grade will be entered into Gradebook based on honest student self-assessment and teacher’s observations/notes. You must be engaged with the readings and distractions on the computer such as Facebook will prevent you from absorbing the information that you will need in order to succeed in the class. Late work will not be accepted. Your participation portion of your grade will be based on your overall attitude and contributions to the class. You will be required to abide by all of Lane Tech's rules and regulations. This includes coming to class on time every day, having your cell phone off, and wearing your ID.
Note: Each student will begin the year with 50 points in their participation category. 5 points will be deducted from this category whenever a student is tardy. 10 points will be deducted for every cut.
Formative and Summative Assessments
The AP Research course continues building upon AP Seminar skills to form new understandings of a topic selected by the student and deemed appropriate by the teacher through approval of the Inquiry Proposal process. Students will present their findings through an academic paper as well as a presentation and oral defense. Unlike AP Seminar, there is no formal group work or final written exam for AP Research: the AP Research summative assessment is based solely on the Academic Paper (75%) and the Presentation and Oral Defense (25%). However, there will be numerous opportunities throughout the year where students will be expected to fully participate in formative assessments that will include peer review, small group assignments and presentations, and whole-class discussions.
The research process in AP Research is not simply about collecting evidence or facts and then piecing them together. Instead, the research process is about inquiry—asking questions and coming to solutions and conclusions through serious thinking, discussion, and reflection. The student researcher will seek relevant information in both electronic and traditional periodical and non-periodical sources and develop an informed perspective built upon, but not merely derivative of, the ideas in the examined material. As a result, the research process is recursive, meaning that students will regularly revisit ideas, seek new information when necessary, and reconsider and refine their research question, topic, and/or approach. While the academic paper and presentation and oral defense are the assessed manifestations of this process, students will use other formative products throughout the course to develop their ideas further.
To keep track of this process of inquiry, students are required to keep a digital and binder-based Process and Reflection Portfolio (PREP) journal. The PREP journal will allow students to document their experiences in the course. Students can continually use the PREP journal to chart their progress and engagement in the entire research course process, including the development of their research discipline, topic, and question; accumulation and annotation of sources; data gathering, evidence finding and analysis; ongoing thoughts, assumptions, and reflections; and successes and challenges (with solutions attempted) that were encountered throughout the process. In addition to holding other in- and out-of-class assignments, the PREP journal will be used as a source for discussions between students, and between teacher and students in one-on-one, small group, and whole-class discussions.
In conjunction with the completion of the academic research paper, students will be required to plan and deliver a final summative assessment in the form of a presentation of their own work and an oral defense. The presentation is expected to use various appropriate media to support and enhance the student’s report of key findings, description of the chosen approach and challenges arising from the same, and a defense of the findings by answering questions posed by a panel of AP Research “experts” comprised of the AP Research teacher and other related stakeholders (e.g., other academic teachers, administrators, community members, and/or consultants).
Miscellaneous Policies
Cell Phones: Cell phones are not to be used for texting, Snapchatting, Facebooking, Tweeting, Instagramming, or any other social media platform that the youth is using. I will dock your Professionalism grade as a result of excessive use.
Bathroom and Water Policy: Daily requests to go to the bathroom or to get water during class is not appropriate. This is also not a time for you to socialize with your friends or an opportunity for you to use your phone. You must leave your cell phone in the classroom while you are gone. Failure to abide by these policies will lead to restricted opportunities to leave the classroom.
AP Capstone Plagiarism Policy
A student who fails to acknowledge (i.e., through citation, through attribution, by reference, and/or through acknowledgement in a bibliographic entry) the source or author of any and all information or evidence taken from the work of someone else will receive a score of 0 on that particular component of the AP Research Performance Assessment Task. To the best of their ability, teachers will ensure that students understand ethical use and acknowledgement of the ideas and work of others, as well as the consequences of plagiarism. The student’s individual voice should be clearly evident, and the ideas of others must be acknowledged, attributed, and/or cited.
Course Materials
Numerous print and electronic primary, secondary, and reference sources will be used throughout the year. Students will need daily access to the Internet, CPS email and Google Drive, Turnitin.com, Google Classroom, and other web-based resources. In addition, students are required to have the following:
Class Website
MRGONZALEZHISTORY.WEEBLY.COM and CLASSROOM.GOOGLE.COM All class activities will be posted on one of these two websites. I will try my best to do so in a timely manner but these resources should only be meant to supplement classroom instruction. Homework updates and reminders will also be posted on the website. In the event that you are absent from school, check the website for any work that was posted while you were away from class.
Expectations for Academic Success
Need Help?
I am readily available to assist all of my students. If you feel you have a problem or would just like additional assistance, please feel free to come see me before or after school. I coach year round so it is best to set a time to meet. You can also send me an email at [email protected].
AP Research, the second course in the AP Capstone experience, allows students to deeply explore an academic topic, problem, issue, or idea of individual interest. Students design, plan, and implement a yearlong investigation to address a research question. Through this inquiry, they further the skills they acquired in the AP Seminar course by learning research methodology, employing ethical research practices, and accessing, analyzing, and synthesizing information. Students reflect on their skill development, document their processes, and curate the artifacts of their scholarly work through a process and reflection portfolio. The course culminates in an academic paper of approximately 4,000-5,000 words (accompanied by a performance, exhibit, or product where applicable) and a presentation with an oral defense.
Goals
The AP Capstone program allows students to develop and practice reasoning processes that help them to make intentional, strategic decisions. The reasoning processes that lead students toward success in the course are embedded within the learning objectives and include:
- Situating - being aware of the context of one’s own as well as others’ perspectives, realizing that individual bias can lead to assumptions;
- Choosing - making intentional and purposeful choices, realizing that choices have both intended and unintended consequences;
- Defending - being able to explain and justify personal choices, logic, line of reasoning, and conclusions; and
- Connecting - seeing similarities within and across disciplines, concepts, and cultures that may at first seem disparate.
Evaluation & Grading
This course will be taught with all of the rigor of an actual college course. Grades will be not be updated as regularly on Gradebook as you are accustomed. Second semester Gradebook updates in particular will be irregular, as you will be working on your Performance Task Assessment for the College Board. It is your responsibility to alert me when there are any discrepancies that may be adversely affecting your grade.
Grading Scale : 100-90% = A, 89-80% = B, 79-70% = C, 69-60% = D, 59-0% = F
Grading Breakdown:
Semester 1
- Formative Assessments 30%
- Research 60%
- Professionalism and Participation 10%
Semester 2
- Formative Assessments 20%
- Paper 50%
- Presentation 20%
- Professionalism and Participation: 10%
Professionalism and Participation
Evaluation of student participation will reflect many forms in the course. Active participation includes: contributions to small- and whole-class discussions, attentiveness, preparedness (bringing all course materials to class daily, and completing in a timely manner all formative and summative assessments per guidelines set by the teacher and students), asking appropriate and clarifying questions, and overall work ethic.
A periodic participation grade will be entered into Gradebook based on honest student self-assessment and teacher’s observations/notes. You must be engaged with the readings and distractions on the computer such as Facebook will prevent you from absorbing the information that you will need in order to succeed in the class. Late work will not be accepted. Your participation portion of your grade will be based on your overall attitude and contributions to the class. You will be required to abide by all of Lane Tech's rules and regulations. This includes coming to class on time every day, having your cell phone off, and wearing your ID.
Note: Each student will begin the year with 50 points in their participation category. 5 points will be deducted from this category whenever a student is tardy. 10 points will be deducted for every cut.
Formative and Summative Assessments
The AP Research course continues building upon AP Seminar skills to form new understandings of a topic selected by the student and deemed appropriate by the teacher through approval of the Inquiry Proposal process. Students will present their findings through an academic paper as well as a presentation and oral defense. Unlike AP Seminar, there is no formal group work or final written exam for AP Research: the AP Research summative assessment is based solely on the Academic Paper (75%) and the Presentation and Oral Defense (25%). However, there will be numerous opportunities throughout the year where students will be expected to fully participate in formative assessments that will include peer review, small group assignments and presentations, and whole-class discussions.
The research process in AP Research is not simply about collecting evidence or facts and then piecing them together. Instead, the research process is about inquiry—asking questions and coming to solutions and conclusions through serious thinking, discussion, and reflection. The student researcher will seek relevant information in both electronic and traditional periodical and non-periodical sources and develop an informed perspective built upon, but not merely derivative of, the ideas in the examined material. As a result, the research process is recursive, meaning that students will regularly revisit ideas, seek new information when necessary, and reconsider and refine their research question, topic, and/or approach. While the academic paper and presentation and oral defense are the assessed manifestations of this process, students will use other formative products throughout the course to develop their ideas further.
To keep track of this process of inquiry, students are required to keep a digital and binder-based Process and Reflection Portfolio (PREP) journal. The PREP journal will allow students to document their experiences in the course. Students can continually use the PREP journal to chart their progress and engagement in the entire research course process, including the development of their research discipline, topic, and question; accumulation and annotation of sources; data gathering, evidence finding and analysis; ongoing thoughts, assumptions, and reflections; and successes and challenges (with solutions attempted) that were encountered throughout the process. In addition to holding other in- and out-of-class assignments, the PREP journal will be used as a source for discussions between students, and between teacher and students in one-on-one, small group, and whole-class discussions.
In conjunction with the completion of the academic research paper, students will be required to plan and deliver a final summative assessment in the form of a presentation of their own work and an oral defense. The presentation is expected to use various appropriate media to support and enhance the student’s report of key findings, description of the chosen approach and challenges arising from the same, and a defense of the findings by answering questions posed by a panel of AP Research “experts” comprised of the AP Research teacher and other related stakeholders (e.g., other academic teachers, administrators, community members, and/or consultants).
Miscellaneous Policies
Cell Phones: Cell phones are not to be used for texting, Snapchatting, Facebooking, Tweeting, Instagramming, or any other social media platform that the youth is using. I will dock your Professionalism grade as a result of excessive use.
Bathroom and Water Policy: Daily requests to go to the bathroom or to get water during class is not appropriate. This is also not a time for you to socialize with your friends or an opportunity for you to use your phone. You must leave your cell phone in the classroom while you are gone. Failure to abide by these policies will lead to restricted opportunities to leave the classroom.
AP Capstone Plagiarism Policy
A student who fails to acknowledge (i.e., through citation, through attribution, by reference, and/or through acknowledgement in a bibliographic entry) the source or author of any and all information or evidence taken from the work of someone else will receive a score of 0 on that particular component of the AP Research Performance Assessment Task. To the best of their ability, teachers will ensure that students understand ethical use and acknowledgement of the ideas and work of others, as well as the consequences of plagiarism. The student’s individual voice should be clearly evident, and the ideas of others must be acknowledged, attributed, and/or cited.
Course Materials
Numerous print and electronic primary, secondary, and reference sources will be used throughout the year. Students will need daily access to the Internet, CPS email and Google Drive, Turnitin.com, Google Classroom, and other web-based resources. In addition, students are required to have the following:
- Pens, pencils, and highlighters
- Printer access (via home, school and/or local library, and other)
- Please activate and check daily your CPS Google email account for email communications. In addition, you will use this account to access online class resources.
Class Website
MRGONZALEZHISTORY.WEEBLY.COM and CLASSROOM.GOOGLE.COM All class activities will be posted on one of these two websites. I will try my best to do so in a timely manner but these resources should only be meant to supplement classroom instruction. Homework updates and reminders will also be posted on the website. In the event that you are absent from school, check the website for any work that was posted while you were away from class.
Expectations for Academic Success
- Respect yourself, others, materials, and work environments (classroom, computer lab, library, etc.)
- Arrive to class on time and be prepared to work we will work bell to bell
- Stay current on all coursework
- Actively participate in class discussions
- Students are expected to follow all district, school, and classroom rules and procedures
Need Help?
I am readily available to assist all of my students. If you feel you have a problem or would just like additional assistance, please feel free to come see me before or after school. I coach year round so it is best to set a time to meet. You can also send me an email at [email protected].