AP Course:

AP Seminar

CONSULTANT: Christopher Deluca

Christopher DeLuca is an AP Seminar & Research Teacher at B.M.C. Durfee High School, an urban school of approximately 2600 students in Fall River, Massachusetts. He, along with a colleague, piloted their AP Capstone program in 2017 and have grown it into a thriving and awarded program.

Chris is part of the leadership team for the AP Seminar Reading each year, an AP Workshop Consultant, and part of the AP Seminar ELA Teaching and Learning team.  He is particularly proud to have piloted and led College Board's Chat with a Content Expert service which allows schools to schedule free, one-to-one or group sessions with trained consultants to assist in the pre-implementation of AP Seminar worldwide.  In addition to his duties as the lead consultant for this feature, he also participates in College Board outreach, implementation support, and resource development. Chris has presented at the AP Annual Conference in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

 Chris received his B.A. in Theatre Arts & English Literature and his M.Ed in Inclusive Adolescent Education from Nazareth University of Rochester, NY. He is known for approaching professional development with humor, transparency, and pragmatism.

For more information, please consider visiting his website: https://sites.google.com/view/delucaconsulting/

Course Description

The AP Seminar Summer Institute is a 30-hour training designed for those new to AP Seminar to gain a broad understanding of the course framework, the exam, and the AP resources that will help them to create or support a rigorous and engaging classroom.  Participants will learn how to sequence the skills in the course, prepare engaging activities, and assess student progress. They will also take a deep dive into the rubrics and assessment structure, discuss best practices, share ideas, and prepare to meet all necessary deadlines. Guided planning and unit development time will be provided during which one-on-one or small group discussion can take place on any of the following: incorporating pre-existing curriculum, scaffolding for all types of students, scheduling the performance tasks, cooperative grouping strategies, and/or brainstorming to meet the needs of your unique situation. A digital copy of the CED, participant handbook, and course standards will be provided. Please bring a laptop.

Agenda 

Day 1:

➔    Introduction to the AP Seminar Framework & Assessment Structure

➔    Teaching Argument Analysis & Part A of the EOCE

Day 2:

➔    Preparing Students for Performance Task #1

➔    Building Community

➔    Encouraging and Developing Research Questions

➔    Finding Texts & Evaluating Credibility

➔    Examining Multiple Perspectives

➔    The Individual Research Report

Day 3:

➔    The Team Multimedia Presentation

➔    Performance Task #2 (The IWA)

➔    Scheduling the Performance Tasks

➔    Plagiarism & AI

Day 4:

➔    The Individual Multimedia Presentation

➔    Part B of the EOCE

➔    Developing Units

➔    Creating Your Syllabus

➔    Available Resources & Supports