AP Course:

AP African American Studies

Carl Brown

CONSULTANT: Carl Brown

Carl Brown is a 15 year veteran Texas Teacher from Garland ISD. If I could define myself I would say I am friendly, fair, and firm. I am an American, Texan, Son, Father, Teacher, Investor, and Global Citizen. I am from Garland ISD and graduated from South Garland High School in 2001 with distinctions as a Texas Scholar. I attended College at the University of Houston and graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor's of Arts in History and Religion. I also attended Southern Methodist University and graduated with a Master's in Global Studies, Human Rights, and Behavioral Science in 2017. Since 2012, I have taught World Geography, AP Human Geography, CLEP Sociology, AP Psychology, AP Government and AP African American Studies at Sachse High School. I have also been a reader for AP Human Geography for 5 years, and was selected as a Question Leader for the 2023 inaugural AP African American Studies Reading. Furthermore, I am always seeking ways to learn and improve my craft, therefore I have attended many AP Summer Institutes and presented at multiple conferences throughout the country, (2013-2020) such as; the Texas Alliance of Geographic Educators, American Geographical Society, American Association of Geographers, the Texas Graduate of Liberal Studies Symposium, the National Association of Multicultural Educators, and the National Council for the Social Studies.

In 2022 I was one of the original 63 teachers nationwide that taught AP African American Studies in Pilot Year 1 (2022-2023) and was selected to be part of the first cohort of College Board endorsed AP African American Studies Workshop Consultants in 2023 to train teachers in Pilot Year 2 and beyond.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The AP African American Studies course is a transformative journey that places Black voices and experiences at its core as students delve into a rich variety of topics spanning from ancient African kingdoms to the contemporary world. Participants in this workshop will explore the interdisciplinary nature of AP African American Studies that examines the diversity of African American experiences through direct encounters with authentic and varied sources.

In this AP Summer Institute participants will engage in an in-depth examination of the course framework and components of the AP Exam, including the culminating Project. Participants will leave the workshop with resources, instructional strategies, and sample lessons and activities to design meaningful learning experiences for students.

The goals for the week are:

  • To achieve an understanding of the AP African American Studies course framework and the required sources

  • To create a course pacing guide to incorporate the full scope of the course content as well as the Project

  • To design, share, and explore lesson plans, resources, strategies, and assessments that provide students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the content, skills, and materials in AP African American Studies

  • To understand the content and structure of the AP African American Studies exam and Project, and to develop appropriate strategies for maximizing student scores

  • To connect with a large network of people to support transition into teaching the course

  • To feel empowered to teach this groundbreaking course as it enters its first operational year and continue blazing the trail set in the two years of the pilot!

AGENDA:

Day One:

Understanding the Course Framework, Content, and Skills; Forming a Supportive and Collaborative Community

  • Introductions and community building

  • Equity and Access in AP

  • Demographics Survey

  • How to deal with the Media, Parents, and Students

  • AP African American Studies course overview

  • Course Framework overview

  • Understanding Course Skills

  • Course Framework deep dive

  • Unit 1 Overview, Resources, and Sample Lesson

  • Vocabulary Builder

Day Two:

Exam Format, Sample Questions, and Resources

  • AP Classroom

  • BFW Textbook and Freedom on My Mind Textbook

  • AP Exam Content/Format: Multiple Choice

  • Sample Free Response Questions and scoring

  • Formative and Summative Assessments

  • MCQ Generator with Key

  • Unit 2 Overview and Resources

  • Unit 2 Sample Lesson

  • APAAS Exam: Free Response Question (FRQ/SAQ)

  • FRQ/SAQ Generator with Rubric

  • College Board Resources for teaching AP African American Studies

Day Three:

Course Project, Assessments, and Pacing

  • DBQ Overview and rubric

  • HAPPY DBQ Sourcing

  • Unit 3 Overview and Resources

  • Annotation Analysis

  • Unit 3 Sample Lesson

  • Best practices for planning your course

  • Creating your course pacing guide

Day Four:

Unit 1 & 2 Lesson Planning and Collaboration

  • Project Overview and rubric

  • Unit 4 Overview and Resources

  • Unit 4 Sample Lesson

  • Course and pacing planning work

  • Community Reflections

  • Virtual Field-Trip (TBD)