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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

11 More Classes Until Exams!

Sooo....you might be wondering what's going to happen over the next 11 days. Maybe not. Either way, here's a TENTATIVE outline of our plan...

We definitely still have some work to do. And we still have some graded assignments to complete--some Type 2's as we watch movies, a reading accompanied by some discussion questions, some actual statistics problems (completed individually), and maybe even next year's multiple choice pre-test. So, we're almost there, but you can't check out yet (well, not if you want to keep your grade up).

Here's the plan:

So that last row where it's one or the other....that will depend on how focused we are for the 7 classes prior. Don't quit yet!

Friday, May 24, 2013

3 Day Weekend!

21 Quiz is Tuesday!

Not sure if we have to finish the movie on Tuesday (since I wasn't in class), but either way we'll have our quiz. Then it looks like Wednesday most of you will be enjoying the senior picnic, and we'll get back to some work on Thursday. I'm thinking we'll complete the summer assignment, and maybe the pre-test I plan to give next year.

If you didn't see the whole movie it's your responsibility to watch it! You're still expected to take this quiz! And a three day weekend is the perfect chance to watch a good movie! (I don't know if it's on Netflix...)

Enjoy your Monday off! Hopefully the weather gets nicer so we can all play outside!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Letters Due Monday!

Don't forget about the letter to next year's students! This is a 30 point assignment! If you're late, you'll lose 10 points! So don't let that happen!

Feel free to email me your letter-- fred.carofano@gmail.com.

This letter is DUE MONDAY BY MIDNIGHT (either a hard copy or email, with each of the 4 ideas per FCA underlined).

Focus Correction Areas (FCA’s):

1. Reference at least 4 points/details/facts about the course content (8 points)
Questions to Consider:
What was the most interesting topic to learn? What was the most difficult to understand? What is the most math-heavy topic? What did you think was the most important topic? How would you generally describe the content of this course? What role did writing play in the course?

2. Reference at least 4 points/details/facts/opinions about "AP." (8 points)
Questions to Consider:
How was the pace of this AP course (compared to others)? How does this course compare to other AP’s? What is the workload like? How much homework do you receive? What are the tests/quizzes like? How do the expectations of the students differ for an AP course? What are some things you need to do to succeed in an AP course? How did you prepare for the AP exam? What was the exam like?

3. Reference at least 4 "other" facts. (8 points)
Questions to Consider:
What are some additional tips you have for success? What do you think about the blog—what is its role in the course? What comments do you have about the teacher for this course? What outside resources did you use that you found helpful? What is the role of the graphing calculator in this course?

4. Letter is appropriate for incoming students and is written with appropriate structure/grammar. (5 points)

5. After writing/printing the letter, the student provides a copy with each of these pieces of information (in FCAs 1-3) highlighted, underlined, circled, etc. If this is not done, the letter will not be graded. (1 point)



Thursday, May 16, 2013

Stat Letters Due Monday!

So today (or yesterday, period E) we started our rough drafts of letters offering advice to next year's students.

Remember, if I read it and decide it's inappropriate (or useless) advice for next year's class you will receive a 0!

Just make sure you follow the FCA's below!

We'll go to the computer lab tomorrow to type this up. I need a hard copy of the letter, DUE MONDAY. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS. NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED. (Don't tell me you didn't have time to print it; that's part of the assignment!)

Focus Correction Areas (FCA’s):


1. Reference at least 4 points/details/facts about the course content (8 points)
Questions to Consider:
What was the most interesting topic to learn? What was the most difficult to understand? What is the most math-heavy topic? What did you think was the most important topic? How would you generally describe the content of this course? What role did writing play in the course?

2. Reference at least 4 points/details/facts/opinions about "AP." (8 points)
Questions to Consider:
How was the pace of this AP course (compared to others)? How does this course compare to other AP’s? What is the workload like? How much homework do you receive? What are the tests/quizzes like? How do the expectations of the students differ for an AP course? What are some things you need to do to succeed in an AP course? How did you prepare for the AP exam? What was the exam like?

3. Reference at least 4 "other" facts. (8 points)
Questions to Consider:
What are some additional tips you have for success? What do you think about the blog—what is its role in the course? What comments do you have about the teacher for this course? What outside resources did you use that you found helpful? What is the role of the graphing calculator in this course?

4. Letter is appropriate for incoming students and is written with appropriate structure/grammar. (5 points)

5. After writing/printing the letter, the student provides a copy with each of these pieces of information (in FCAs 1-3) highlighted, underlined, circled, etc. If this is not done, the letter will not be graded. (1 point)

Friday, May 10, 2013

We did it! You did it!

If you're reading this you've recently completed the AP Stats exam--can you believe it?!

I can't say enough how proud of you I am. We've worked really hard this year; I've been tough on each and every one of you for different reasons, but you all rose to the challenge. Each class came through to prevent a multi-day horrible exam.

I hope you all did your best and gave your maximum effort today. That's all I've ever asked of you--to try as hard as you can and to care. Thank you for doing that!

And now the fun part of the year begins. No, that does not mean that we do nothing. Instead, that just means that we get to learn about the things we're interested in and apply Statistics to topics we individually want to explore.

Enjoy your weekend. We'll take it easy next week and watch a movie or two before we worry about the project situation.

Again, I'm so proud. I'm hoping some talk about the exam starts up on the Facebook group today.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Tomorrow's the Big Day!

We made it--almost.

So tomorrow's the big day. Make sure you're in the pool lobby at 11:00 (after eating some D period lunch); the bus leaves promptly at 11:15 for the exam!

What should you bring?
1. Pencils!
2. Graphing calculator
3. Maybe consider some extra batteries?

Tonight, study up! Finish your practice test(s). Look at the practice tests onlne. Review your old tests/quizzes and your old notes. Make sure you know how to identify which test/interval to use. And make sure you know how to use your graphing calculator. Then, rest up and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow's a big day.

I believe in you all. We've worked super hard this year; I've been tough on you and held you to the highest of expectations in the work you produce. I have no doubt you are all prepared for tomorrow. All I ask is that you do your best. There is no "pass" or "fail" tomorrow; I won't see your scores until July. All that matters to me is that you give your maximum effort. This test reflects on you and what you've learned. It reflects on me as your teacher. And it reflects on our school as a whole. Please, please, give tomorrow your all. Make me proud. Make your school proud. And most importantly, be proud of yourself and your effort when you walk out of that testing room tomorrow. Good luck! And I'll see you all on Monday!

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Wednesday! One More Day of Class (before the exam)!

I can't believe that we have one class left to study! And that I forgot to update the blog yesterday!

Tonight, just hit the books again! Study, study, study!

Check out the resources we looked at in the computer lab (links to the right), work through some practice problems, try the practice multiple choice--just study!

For those of you taking the AP English exam in the morning, good luck!

Monday, May 6, 2013

It's Exam Week!

And it's finally begun! I hope all of you who enjoyed the AP Chem and AP Psych exam are feeling confident!

Tonight, no more additional homework--please just work diligently on your practice test that's due Wednesday! I'm happy to see some familiar faces after school today as we speak! Hopefully I'll see even more of you on Wednesday and/or Thursday!

If you didn't get your "Stat Rap" assignment in, please do that tomorrow!

Enjoy today's weather!

Friday, May 3, 2013

Last weekend to study...

Can you believe that today was our last Friday class before the AP Stat Exam? It's crazy how fast this year went by. It's been an absolute pleasure teaching all of you thus far; I look forward to our final week of preparation and seeing lots of great projects after our exam!

This weekend, you have one more Stat Rap assignment (for the Stat Rap Remix). If you'd like to hear the song again, maybe make it your ringtone, or show everyone you've ever met, check it out to the right.

*If you want a couple extra credit points look up who Jaime Escalante is and write a brief descripton of why he's the man!

*If you have the AP Chemistry exam Monday feel free to hand this assignment in on Tuesday and spend your weekend studying!*

  Make sure you get a 10/10! Let's keep boosting those grades!   See you Monday--unless you'll be in the AP Chem exam, and in that case, good luck!

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Thursday HW!

Tonight, please comlete the two AP Problems (2009 #1 and 2012 #4) provided in class.

Tomorrow we'll look at the warm-up multiple choice questions we've been working on and potentially complete this mock exam.

Then, we'll wrap up with the Stat Rap (Remix)--you'll have this assignment for homework over the weekend.

I'm already impressed with the people coming to study and work on the free-response exam! Thanks to: Monique, Tedisha, Rebecca, Chavar, Amanda, Jacob, Brandon, Armando, Alyssa, and Ginikachi!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Wednesday!

Another beautiful day outside--perfect for inspiring the mind while sitting in the grass and doing some AP Stat homework!

Tonight, please complete the remainder of the Test A/Test B sheet (identifying which tests are appropriate) we started in class. Good luck!