AP Seminar

Salcido
2019-2020

Welcome Parents and Students:

My name is, Ms. Salcido and I will be your AP Seminar teacher. I am a Native El Pasoan and graduate of
UTEP. This will be my eighth year teaching, and I’m excited to get to know you all throughout the year.

Let’s get down to business!

AP Seminar is a foundational course that engages students in cross-curricular conversations that

explore the complexities of academic and real-world topics and issues by analyzing divergent
perspectives. Using an inquiry framework, students practice reading and analyzing articles, research
studies, and foundational, literary, and philosophical texts; listening to and viewing speeches,
broadcasts, and personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances. Students learn
to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in research-based
written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual presentations, both individually and as part of a
team. Ultimately, the course aims to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate
information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments.

Recipe for Success

This is a highly self-driven course. Therefore, student success is dependent on a student’s ability to
self-motivation, self-monitor, and complete work based semi-self-prescribed timelines.

I. Attendance/Tardiness/Discipline: School policies will be enforced

II. Responsibilities and Late Work: You are responsible for the materials needed in this
course. You will be responsible for any and all work missed dues to absences. Late work
will be penalized 10 points each day it is late and will not be accepted after a week from
assigned date. Some assignments will not be scored at all since their purpose is to be used
in class for group work, such as peer-review etc, and activity cannot be replicated.
III. Preparation: Completion of homework and readings is essential. Being prepared gives you
the opportunity to succeed on tests and quizzes. As an upper level student, you must
understand that your studying is not finished until you have a thorough understanding of
the topics covered in each unit. Not being prepared leads to poor performance and missed
assignments.
IV. Organization: You will be responsible for collecting handouts, taking, notes, and keeping all
these materials organized.
V. Participation: You are expected to participate. This is vital to the success of the course.
VI. Respect: Respect the opinions and input of your classmates, their goals, and the goals of
the teacher. Respect yourself by taking ownership of the things you produce the knowledge
you acquire, and the skills you learn.
VII. Commitment: it is expected that all students have made a commitment to pay for and take
the AP Seminar exam in the Spring. It is also expected that all students have made a two-
year commitment to this course and will continue on to the AP Research course next year.

Students must come prepared to participate actively, both online and in class. Evaluation will be based
on how student’s participation (comments, ideas, and questions) helped to enhance and/or advance
our overall collective understanding through critical discussion and listening.
The following criteria will be used to assign the participation component of the student’s overall grade:

A: Highly effective Participant: Near perfect attendance; insightful questions and comments; clearly
completes. The reading and goes beyond by introducing other relevant material.

B: Consistent Participant: Good attendance; thoughtful questions and comments; clearly completes the
reading.

C: Occasional Participant: Regular attendance; sporadic involvement in discussions that is often based
on personal opinion, rather than analysis of class material.

D: Observer: Regular attendance but does not get involved in class discussions.

F: Occasional Observer: Sporadic attendance; no participation in class.

AP Capstone Policy on Plagiarism and Falsification of Information

Participating teachers shall inform students of the consequences of plagiarism and instruct students to
ethically use and acknowledge the ideas and work of others throughout their coursework. The
student’s individual voice should be clearly evident, and the ideas of others must be acknowledged,
attributed, and/or cited.

A student who fails to acknowledge the source or author of any and all information or evidence taken
from the work of someone else through citation, attribution, or reference in the body of the work, or
through a bibliographic entry, will receive a score of 0 on that particular component of the AP Seminar
and/or AP Research Performance Assessment Task. In AP Seminar, a team of students that fails to
properly acknowledge sources or authors on the Written Team Report will receive a group score of 0
for that component of the Team Project and Presentation.

A student who incorporates falsified or fabricated information (e.g., evidence, data, sources and/or
authors) will receive a score of 0 on that particular component of the AP Seminar and/or AP Research
Performance Assessment Task. In AP Seminar, a team of students that incorporates falsified or
fabricated information in the Written Team Report will receive a group score of 0 for that component
of the Team Project and Presentation.

Preparation for the Exam and Taking the AP Exam:

Students will spend the first half of the year acquiring the skills needed to successfully complete the
three performance tasks of the AP Exam.

Students will spend the second half of the school year researching and completing the elements of
the exam. This is a unique course. The second half of the school year, teachers, and adults, including
myself, are strictly prohibited from helping students with their projects. This is a very strict AP
guideline. Students may only receive input from peers.
Performance Task 1: Team Project and Presentation—20% of AP Seminar Score
Component Scoring Method Weight
Individual research report (1,200 words) College Board scored 50% of 20%

Team multimedia presentation and Teacher scored (group score) 50% of 20%
defense (8–10 minutes, plus defense
questions)

Performance Task 2: Individual Research-Based Essay and Presentation—35% of AP

Seminar Score
Component Scoring Method Weight
Individual written argument (2,000 words) College Board scored 70% of 35%

Individual multimedia presentation (6–8 minutes) Teacher scored 20% of 35%

Oral defense (2 questions from the teacher) Teacher scored 10% of 35%

End-of-Course Exam (2 Hours)—45% of AP Seminar Score

Component Scoring Method Weight
Understanding and analyzing an argument College Board scored 30% of 45%
(3 short-answer questions); suggested
time: 30 minutes

Evidence-Based argument essay (1 long essay); College Board scored 70% of 45%
suggested time: 90 minutes

Oral defense (2 questions from the teacher) Teacher scored 10% of 35%

Materials:
- Students must bring:
o Charged laptop- I only have ONE ELECTRICAL OUTLET in my room. You can’t charge devices
in my room so bring them charged please!
o Paper and writing tools (pen or pencil)
o Documents, or books needed for the day
o Headphones- We sometimes watch videos, listen to podcasts
Procedures
- Please come in with a good attitude and be ready to work
- Treat others with kindness and understanding
- I will do my best to treat all students with the same kindness and understanding.
- Restroom- All I ask is that you are reasonable. You MUST ask for permission to leave the room.
- Restroom- There are exceptions to asking for permission!!! If you feel physically ill notify me as
you enter the class. If you have an emergency that requires you to hurry to the restroom because
of stomach issues or something similar, GO!!! AND EXPLAIN LATER!!!! I am a reasonable person.

Rules:
- No eating is allowed in class. If there are extenuating circumstances, come talk to me to make
arrangements if needed
- No cell phone use- On occasional I will allow you to use them. Otherwise your phone will be taken
away for the class period I see it out. Again, if you are dealing with an issue where you need to be
in contact with family, please speak with me to make arrangements BEFORE I take action!

Grading Policy:
- Mastery: 40% (tests, final drafts, projects)
- Understanding: 40% (quizzes, rough drafts, other)
- Engagement: 20% (daily assignments)
* Students have 5 school days after an assignment’s grade is posted to make-up the work if it is below
a 70.
** When absent, students still only have 3 days to turn in the missed assignment.

Sincerely,

Ms. Salcido

Conference hours: A Day (2:30pm - 3:30pm) B Day (1:00pm –2:00pm)

Tutoring hours: After school (4:00pm – 4:30pm)
I, _______________________________, have read and understood the expectations and policies.

Student’s signature: __________________________________ Date: _________________

Parent/Guardian signature: ___________________________________ Date: _________________

 Components that Make the AP Seminar course and Exam
Sub- Page(s) Information
Task Category in text

 Topics can be student choice

Total  Groups of three-five
Performance CED 47
20%  Be cautious with ethical or moral arguments.
o We can say no.
Task One o Cherly doesn’t allow the death penatly, abortion, marijuana, gun control,
etc.
 Must provide 15 class periods of 90 min each (BLOCK), or 30 class periods of
~44 minutes each (TRADITIONAL).
 Worth 20% of total score
 Assignment must be completed by Feb. 28th and uploaded by April 28th.
 Deadline: 11:59pm EASTERN TIME

 10% of score
Individual  1200 words/roughly 5.5 pages (IRR) (10%)
Performance
Research o Word count can be 10% over or under
Report  Report does not have to be an argument, but simply a report.
Task One (IRR) o Can be an argument, but not mandatory; this is a synthesized expository
(10%) essay
 Each student in the group looks at the same issue through a separate lens (Political,
Economic, Religious, Aesthetic, Historical, etc.
o Usually not ethical unless they are super prepared)
 KIDS DON’T PRESENT THEIR OWN LENS

 Synthesize each team members’ IRR to develop a solution to the problem

Team (collective understanding)
Performance
Multimedia  8-10 minutes presentation on problem and solution
Presentation  Oral defense (1 question per person)
Task One and  STUDENTS CAN BE REMOVED FROM A TEAM IF THEY ARE NOT
Defense “PLAYING NICE”
(TMP)
(10%)

 Work on their own.

 Stimulus is provided by College Board
Performance CED 52
 Might be useful to have a teacher who is an expert in the class teach to the stimulus.
 Recommend 15 class periods of 90 min each, but NOT mandatory.
Task Two  Worth 35% of score
(35% of
score)

 2000 words (+/- 10%)

Individual  24.5% of score
Performance
Written  Completion Due April 15th
Argument o Upload by April 30th
Task Two (IWA)
(24.5%)

Individual  7%
Multimedia  6-8 minutes
Performance
Presentation  Can have notecards, outline
(IMP)  Convey arguence to audience of peers
Task Two (7%)  Select relevant info for purpose/audience
 This needs to be filmed and held for one year in case AP wants to review
presentations
  3.5%
Oral  Oral Defense
Performance
Defense o prioritize/design/organize/deliver central argument of paper
Task Two
(IMMOD) o Presentation should be engaging, have a professional style and
(3.5%) demonstrate confidence
o Answer 2 questions
 Defend research process
 Students should not know their question before the presentation

 Worth 45% of total AP score

o 2 hour test
EOC 112
o 4 questions
(45%) o We will know what they are and we work with those questions all year
long

 3 questions (worth 13.5%)

Part A o What's the argument?
EOC
Analyze an o What's the line of reasoning?
Argument o Is the argument effective?
(13.5%)

 1 question (worth 31.5%)

PART B  Students need to:
EOC
Construct o Read sources for understanding
an o Identifying unifying theme of issue
evidence- o Develop own perspective/argument
based o Support argument with 2 sources min, and or knowledge
argument o Cite sources
(31.5%)