Course Reference Material
Mr. Weeks
8/18/2011
Jenks High School
Advanced Placement Psychology Syllabus
How to Use This Syllabus: Read the whole syllabus carefully. All of the information needed for this course is included in the syllabus or by accessing the class webpage.
Instructor Information
Instructor: Marion Weeks, M.Ed.
Assistance with the Course: The best way to reach me if you need assistance with assignments, etc. is by email. I will try to answer all e-mail at least once a day except on weekends and when I am out of town, e-mail
In addition, I am available before and after school for help. However, you need to make an appointment with me 1 to 2 days in advance so I can plan accordingly.
Classroom Expectations:
Each student is expected to practice the following on a daily basis:
1. Mutual Respect- Respect yourself, your classmates, your teacher, and your school,
this includes school property, such as desks, and anything in the classroom that does not belong to you.
2. Attentive Listening- Giving attention, being observant, thoughtful of others, considerate; polite; courteous when another person is talking.
3. Teamwork- Cooperative effort by the members of a group or team to achieve a common goal.
4. Cheering each other to Success- to encourage fellow classmates to achieve at his/her highest potential.
5. Honesty- (If I have to explain this we have serious problems!!) Don’t compromise your integrity by cheating. Respect yourself, me, and other people enough to do what is right.
6. Responsibility- NO LATE WORK!!! Be responsible and finish your assignments early.
a. Follow the dress code. You know the rules--follow them. Please do not put me in an embarrassing situation where I must confront you for immodesty/inappropriateness.
b. Please do not groom yourself during class (i.e. use facial makeup, brush hair, etc.)
7. NOBODY IN THIS CLASS HAS PERMISSION TO FORGET!
8. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER QUIT!- Winston Churchill
9. All Students must wear an ID at ALL times according to the student handbook.
10. When the bell rings, even if I am not in the classroom, you will be in your seat and quiet.
11. Bathroom - Please use the restroom before or after class. If you go before class begins, let me know so that I know where you are.
12. No sleeping or putting your head on your desk.
13. Do not work on other class work while in this class (no math—no calculator, English reading, etc.) or it may be confiscated and not returned.
14. Absolutely NO cell phones.
Homework:
The most successful students study approximately an hour each night. Homework may be a reading assignment, writing an essay, reviewing lecture notes, or even summarizing a discussion. You will be responsible for understanding the reading from the text. Students will receive a homework assignment at the end of the hour each day. Homework assignments will be followed by a quiz at the beginning of the hour the next school day. If you are turning in an assignment to be graded, NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED! It is important that you put forth consistent effort in this class. The amount of time required doing homework will depend on your reading speed and comprehension. As the course continues throughout the year, you will learn to be an efficient manager of your time and your reading skills will continue to improve. Do not become discouraged in the beginning.
Make-up Work:
1. Students will be responsible for obtaining any missed assignments, quizzes, test, etc. due to absence.
2. Receiving of assignments and make-up tests is the student’s responsibility to initiate.
3. Homework is optional; however, all assignments will be followed up by a quiz at the beginning of the hour on the next school day. These quizzes will come directly from the homework. If the homework is not completed you will not be successful on the quiz.
4. There is a NO ZERO policy in this class. If students do not turn in homework on an assigned day then they receive 1 hour of detention for every day they are late. In addition, the points possible will be reduced by 50% the first time an assignment is late, after that a student cannot receive more than 25% credit for that assignment.
Electronic Devices
1. Electronic Devices include but are not limited to, cell phones, I-phones, pagers, i-pods, mp3 players, calculators with games, or any other devices prohibited by Jenks Public Schools and the Student hand book.
2. The above devices will be confiscated and given to the appropriate attendance office. Per Jenks High School policy, Parents can retrieve these items from the appropriate attendance office 24 hours after the devices have been confiscated.
Materials
1. All students are expected to bring the necessary materials to class each day, pencil/pen, folder, spiral, etc.
2. Additional materials required for the class consist of but are not limited to, student agenda, folder or notebook for journal assignments, one 3 ring binder for all handouts, notes, assignments, and journals in order to remain organized
3. Loose-leaf paper: assignments will only be accepted on loose-leaf or word
processed.
4. Two packages of 100 Count Note cards, and 1 box of Kleenex.
Plagiarism
1. Plagiarism is academic dishonesty by using someone else’s work, words, ideas, or thought and claiming them as your own. This is considered cheating.
2. Plagiarism will result in a zero on any assignment, test, quiz or research project.
Course Objectives:
AP Psychology is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavioral and mental processes of human beings. Key concepts of the major schools of
psychology and important theorists with their contributions to psychology are taught. Vocabulary is an essential part of psychology; therefore, vocabulary is emphasized. The culmination of the course is for students to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.
1. Students will study the major core concepts and theories of Psychology. They will be able to define key terms and use these terms in their everyday vocabulary.
2.Students will learn the basic skills of psychological research. They will be able to devise simple research projects, interpret and generalize from results, and evaluate the validity of research reports.
3.Students will be able to apply psychological concepts to their own lives.
4.Students will develop critical thinking skills. They will become aware of the danger of blindly accepting or rejecting any psychological theory without careful, objective evaluation.
6.Students will build their reading, writing, and discussion skills.
7.Students will learn about psychology as a profession.
Text and Supplemental Readings:
Myers, D.G. (2007). Psychology: eighth edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Duffy, K.G. (Ed.). (2005). Psychology: annual editions. Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.
Hakala, C. (Ed.). (2007). AP Psychology. New York, NY: Kaplan Publishing.
(You will have a book checked out to you for use at home, so there is no need to add more weight to your backpack by bringing it to class every day. I have books in my classroom for our daily use.)
Class Structure:
The course will be organized by units. Each unit will consist of several chapters from the text as well as lecture material. Each student will be responsible for keeping up with reading assignments and being prepared for quizzes and tests. Class activities will include lecture, group work, graded discussions, presentations and a variety of other instructional methods. Students will be given several opportunities to receive a grade in this class. Below are the required weekly and unit assignments:
Weekly Reading Assignments
Students will read scheduled chapters and material on a daily basis to gain knowledge of presented material. In addition students will prepare notes or an outline which contains essential information gained from the readings in preparation for weekly small group discussions.
Weekly Reading Reflections
Students will reflect upon the material read during the week. A reflection consists of personal thoughts, feelings, or reactions toward the content in which was discussed.
Weekly Discussion Groups
Participation in weekly discussion groups is essential to learning scheduled content. Student led discussions will assess students understanding of a particular concept. In addition each individual will have an opportunity to share knowledge obtained and to gain new perspective and appreciation for other points of view.
Unit Tests
These tests are structured similar to the AP Exam, with 50 multiple-choice questions and one essay to be completed in 55 minutes.
Quizzes
These assessment tools are administered Tuesday through Friday on a weekly basis. Quizzes consist of multiple choices questions based on daily reading assignments.
Final Exams
Students take two final exams which take place at the end of each semester. These exams cover material discussed throughout each semester. Exam are structured according to the format of the AP Exam (multiple-choice and short essays), but the number of multiple-choice questions is reduced proportionately to the time available in the exam period to maintain a similar time pressure.
Performance Objectives
The purpose of this product is to allow the student to enhance knowledge of a particular topic of interest within the current unit of study. Students will be asked to perform above and beyond the level of basic knowledge skills. Additionally, students will produce a learning component selected from specific topics provided by the teacher relating to the current unit of study. Each student will be responsible for selecting a topic and meeting individually with the teacher to discuss availability of sources and possible product to be submitted. The following is a list of required performance objectives for each student to submit for credit. Each performance objective is due by the end of the current unit of study. Due dates can be found on student calendar and on class webpage. Late submissions will not be accepted.
See pages 8 and 9 for performance objective requirements and options.
Naturalistic Observation
Each student completes a 15-minute observation of a human participant in a naturalistic setting. In addition, record (1 page written summary) the actions of the person you are observing. The purpose is to familiarize students with this method, to improve their powers of observation, and to help them distinguish between subjective and objective records.
Experimental Design
Students are to choose a hypothetical research problem and write a proposal for a controlled experiment to solve it. The exercise serves to improve their understanding of research methodology. 3 page written proposal of the research problem.
Behavior Modification
Each student designs an application of operant conditioning principles to modify a human participant’s behavior. After receiving IRB (institutional review board) approval, students attempt the modification over a three-week period. The project develops firsthand experience of Skinner’s theory. 3 page written proposal of the research problem.
Applications of Developmental Psychology
Students work in small groups to research a recent topic related to the unit on development (e.g., the benefits of Head Start programs, effectiveness of sex or drug education programs, effects of divorce on children) and then present their findings to the class in an oral report of 15 to 20 minutes. The project provides an introduction to library and online research tools in psychology as well as APA documentation.
Controlled Experiment
Students research a topic of their choice, subject to IRB approval. The final project must incorporate a review of literature, discussion of method, presentation and evaluation of results, and a conclusion. The finished product will consist of a 3 page proposal which addresses the above components
Review of Literature
Students research a topic of their choice. The final paper must develop an original thesis on a controversial topic. This paper will analyze and discuss a topic from the current unit of study. You should provide a brief background of the person or topic, explain accomplishments, contributions to psychology, significance to psychology, and any current information that you find not discussed in class. The research paper should be between 3-5 double spaced pages in length not including reference page. This project will be submitted the week of the unit exam. Please consult with the teacher before creating this project.
Poster Presentation (Final Exam)
In lieu of a traditional final exam, students present the results of their second-semester project to the class. Presentation is in poster form accompanied by a 30-minute lecture (including a question-and-answer time).
Develop a List of Websites—Develop a list of websites with 20 or more links to Internet resources related to one of the selected topics or people in the chapter of study. This project would collect and organize the resources which are available on the Internet to support students’ understanding of a particular issue related to a particular topic or person within the unit of study. List the websites that correspond to your topic and write a 4 sentence paragraph explaining why this link would be helpful in finding information regarding your topic. The project should also provide a general overview and discussion of selected topic. The topic for your webpage must be included in the performance objectives section for that week’s reading. Webpages should be between 4-5 double spaced pages in length when printed, not including references. This project will be presented to the class during the final week of the unit. Please consult with the teacher before creating this project.
Develop a PowerPoint Presentation—Develop a PowerPoint Presentation of 10 or more screens reviewing and explaining a particular issue related to the current unit of study. This project will be presented to the class during the final week of the unit. It should organize and present information on a particular issue related to the current unit of study to provide participants with a detailed introduction and overview. The topic for your PowerPoint Presentation must be included in the performance objectives section for that week’s reading. Please consult with the teacher before creating this project.
Develop a Documentary- Develop a 10 minute self made documentary reviewing and explaining a particular issue related to the current unit of study. This project will be presented to the class during the final week of the unit. It should organize and present information on a particular issue related to the current unit of study to provide participants with a detailed introduction and overview. The topic for your documentary must be included in the performance objectives section for that week’s reading. A rubric will be provided for you as a guideline when preparing your project. Please consult with the teacher before creating this project.