AP English Literature & Composition is a class in which we read deeply all year long. Since your brain is like your muscles, you should constantly exercise it to keep it in top shape. Reading throughout the summer will help you do this. Read one, or all, of the following books this summer:

• A Lesson Before Dying  by Ernest J. Gaines
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Since this is for enrichment, there will not be any assessment of these works once we begin class in August. Read for the joy of it!

Point of contact:  Jessica Naeve

AP Art History is a survey course that introduces students to major artists and historical movements over time and across cultures around the world. The College Board exam in May takes a survey approach to this content as well. A total of 250 works of art and architecture will be required knowledge for the exam. You will learn the following about each work:

• Identification: Title, Artist (if known), Date, Medium, Culture or Period, Location of architectural monuments
• Form: the visual characteristics of the work
• Content: the subject of the work
• Context: the political, social, religious, economic setting of the work, including the time period in which the work was created.

This class will cover mature subject matter. We will practice suspending personal judgment in order to analyze artwork, artistic trends, and contexts as objectively possible.

Resources:Each student will have art history resources within the classroom and a personal sketchbook. You may choose to buy additional study guides or other resources on your own.  

The Smart History / KHAN Academy website also has an excellent Art History section that you may want to begin to look over. You do not need to register to visit the site.   

Your Summer Challenge/s- If you accept it/them....

1. Review your Artist Vocabulary for the course and write (digitally or old school) down for reference throughout the year.

• Elements of Art on YouTube
• Principles of Design on YouTube

2. DC is full of FREE Museums. Explore one of the 12 free museums in the area and photo an artwork that "speaks to you". Or do it virtually. Then:

• write the identification of the art
• look & document the elements or principles of art within the work (on paper, digitally or in sketchbook)
• Write about the subject of the work (what you see)
• Look up 2-3 facts about the time period of the work you are documenting.

3. View and take notes on the College Board Daily Video: Unit 1 AP Art History Faculty Lecture with Professor Joe Lucchesi on YouTube

•  It is long, so you might want to split it into manageable parts (20-30 minutes). Again, take your notes digitally, on paper, or in a sketchbook and bring to class the first week.        

We will share our findings the first week of school if you accept any of these challenges.

Point of Contact:  Tracy Dumais

Make a work of art (36 x 48 inches) using the following materials:

• Newspaper (black & white, color, foreign, pictures, articles)
• Cream Masking tape (any thickness)
• White or Clear Glue (any kind)
• Black Paint (tempera, watercolor or acrylic)
• White Paint (tempera, watercolor or acrylic)
• Black Charcoal or Marker (compressed, vine or pencil)
• Poster Board (white and/or black)
• Your own photography or digital images

Concept: Growth. Look it up if you don’t know what it means and create a piece of artwork that expresses that word/concept. You determine in what way. 

Requirement:

You must use all of the material listed above and only those materials. You may use them in any amount and in any combination. You may build the material up – creating some dimension in your piece – but the final product must be a wall-hanging piece – not a sculpture. Your piece must have some sort of representational element. It can be from direct observation, from imagination, or a combination of the two. It can be abstract, realistic, naturalistic, impressionistic, or of any “style” you wish – as long as it retains some representation. You can cut, tear, fold, crumple or otherwise distort any of the materials as you choose. It can be vertical or horizontal. The final product must be precisely 36 x 48 inches.

Due Date:

Bring this work on the first day of class. Email me if you have any questions. This is a very big work of art, and it will require time, attention, and energy. Be creative and have fun. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Point of Contact:  Elaine Florimonte

First of all, welcome to AP Government at Westfield High School.  We hope your summer is enjoyable and that you are able to come back healthy and eager this fall to tackle the rigors of the senior year.  To help prepare you for your AP Government experience, we have compiled  an enrichment activity that is informative, that provides you with some requisite knowledge for our courses, and that models the type of subject matter you will be exposed to throughout the year.  All materials may be accessed digitally through provided links.

The Constitutional Debate

• Federalist 10
• Federalist 39
• Federalist 51
• Brutus 1

Constitutional Change & Interpretation

• Constitutional Amendments 11-27
• United States v. Lopez - “Opinion Announcement” audio file
• Letter From A Birmingham Jail - Video: Must be viewed in Chrome

Please contact Mr. Gibbs, Ms. English if you encounter trouble accessing the materials.

Tips & Suggestions: Much of what you will encounter amounts to advanced college-level reading. Read for main ideas and concepts, rather than focusing on memorizing facts. We encourage you to use the Foundational Documents Main Idea and Passages handout in order to summarize each reading. If you find yourself unable to write a coherent summary, then consider that you will likely need to read the material again. Your summary should convey that you truly understand the main ideas.

Foundational Documents Main Idea and Passages handout 

• google link - sign in with your fcpsschools.net account 
• PDF

Next, write down one question you have about the reading.  A relevant question could be:

1. a general question about a key or unfamiliar concept discussed in the reading.
2. a question that you think a teacher would ask and expect to be answered in class. 

Some sample multiple choice questions: 1. The Federalist Papers were:

• A. essays written in support of ratification of the Constitution.
• B. the original name of the plan of government adopted at the Constitutional Convention.
• C. newspapers which backed the Federalist Party in early federal elections.
• D. essays critical of the Constitution as originally drafted.

2. In Federalist #39, Madison argues that the new Constitution establishes a partly federal     system, rather than a wholly national one, due to:

• A. the necessity of the approval of a majority of people in the Union for ratification
• B. the establishment of fixed terms of office for legislators.
• C. its unique mixture of republican and aristocratic elements.
• D. its being based on the authority of the people in each state.

The primary thrust and original intent of the wording of the 10^th Amendment is that:

• A. state legislatures have the ultimate authority to determine what state government powers include.
• B. states retain powers that the national government cannot encroach upon.
• C. the national government can take control of a state government during a national emergency.
• D. national laws override state laws when there exists conflict between the two.

 

Point of Contact:  Mr. Gibbs or Ms. English 

Dear Future Calculus AB Student,                                                                                        Summer 2022

Welcome to the wonderful world of AP Calculus!   Your first responsibility in signing up for this class is to make sure that your math skills, in all areas, are extremely strong.  The purpose of this packet is for you to “work out” this summer and refresh/relearn your skills.  Just as sports teams have weeks of training sessions before starting a season, so must you train before stepping into your first Calculus lesson.  Once you start working with Calculus concepts, your energy needs to be spent focusing on mastering those skills, not going back to remember how to factor an expression, solve a polynomial inequality, or find trig function values from the unit circle.  

Over the summer, we are SUGGESTING that you complete this packet. It is OPTIONAL.  However, it would be a good way to refresh your skills prior to coming back to school.   If you would like to see the answer key to check any of your answers, email Mrs. Willenbrock and she will send it to you. 

If you have questions, you may email Mrs. Willenbrock or Mr. Wultors.

Have a great summer!  We look forward to working with you in the fall!

Mrs. Willenbrock

Mr. Wultors

AP Calculus AB (PDF) 

 

Point of Contact:   Mrs. Willenbrock 

This packet is optional and intended to provide practice and resources to students entering an AP course.  It will not be collected for a grade but is intended for summer practice to strengthen skills and knowledge needed to be successful in this course.

 

Course	AP Capstone
Teacher Name & Email Address	Shawn English
Assignment Title	AP Capstone Research Summer Enrichment
Objective/Purpose of Assignment	To explore research in current events and other readings.
Tools/Resources Needed to Complete Assignment	Internet access or library for locating current event articles and/or recommended books
Online sites for skills refreshing/building	Practical Research Digital Text   College Board Playlists on YouTube

Advanced Placement Capstone (Seminar and Research)

Seminar & Research Instructor: 

The AP Capstone summer enrichment has two parts/options: 

1. Current event articles 
2. Recommended book list

 

Part I:  Having a basic understanding of real-world issues and problems will provide you with a good foundation for AP Capstone. During the summer break, we recommend that you read at least four current event articles drawn from the following topics, making sure that you address at least four different topics from the list:

1.  Education

2. Human Nature and the Mind

3. Language and Rhetoric

4. The Arts

5. Science and Nature

6. Law and Government

7. Wealth, Poverty and Social Class

8. Ethics and Empathy

 

Articles should be at least 5 paragraphs long and should come from credible sources such as the following: New York Times, Washington Post, news magazines (ex. Newsweek), scholarly magazines (Discover, Scientific American, Nature, Science, Smithsonian, National Geographic).  Each article should be no more than 1 year old - we’re going for CURRENT events, not historical. Print and bring your articles to class the first week of school.

Part II:  Having a deeper understanding of the research process will facilitate your research process in the AP Capstone program. During the summer break, we recommend that you read books related to research.  You may choose from the following list of books related to research in different disciplines, or start diving into our Research textbook, Practical Research. 

Author	Title
Blum, Deborah	The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
Campbell, T Colin	The China Study: The most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted
Carson, Rachel	Silent Spring
Diamond, Jared	Guns, Germs, and Steel
Diamond, Jared	The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?
Feynman, Richard	Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!
Gladwell, Malcolm	Any of his books!
Gregor, Michael	How Not to Die
Harari, Yuval Noah	Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Jahren, Hope	Lab Girl
Johnson, Steve	The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic & How it Changed Science, Cities, & the Modern World
Kean, Sam	Any of his books!
King, Stephen	On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Lamott, Anne	Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Levitt, Steven and Dubner, Stephen	Freakonomics
Mukherjee, Siddhartha	The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
O’Rourke, P.J.	Eat the Rich: A Treatise on Economics
Owen, David	Green Metropolis: What the City Can Teach the Country About True Sustainability
Perez, Caroline Criado	Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
Preston, Douglas	The Lost City of the Monkey Gods: A True Story
Roach, Mary	Any of her books!
Skloot, Rebecca	The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Smith, Linda Tuhiwai	Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples
Wohlleben, Peter	The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate - Discoveries from a Secret World

 

Point of Contact:  Shawn English

Congratulations on deciding to take AP Chemistry! 

Over the summer, I am SUGGESTING that you complete this packet. It is OPTIONAL. However, it would be a good way to refresh your skills prior to coming back to school. This assignment is to help refresh material that will be essential, and used, throughout the year. 

If you have any questions or problems, you may contact me via e-mail at [email protected]. Please do not wait until the last minute to begin or to receive clarification about the assignment.

Enjoy your summer!

Point of Contact   Ms. Darr

 

AP Chemistry 2022 Summer Enrichment (PDF)

Welcome to AP Lang! You may be curious about how this course differs from Honors English classes. While you can anticipate a familiar set of high academic expectations and rigor, the pace and format of AP Lang may differ considerably from other classes you have taken. Likewise, the types of readings and writings in AP Lang will offer a new and engaging set of experiences. We focus primarily on reading for and understanding writers’ rhetorical moves (strategies) in a genre called literary nonfiction. The most common example of this type of writing is the literary (or personal) essay, and the genre itself encompasses varying topics from identity to philosophy, literacy to the environment, and everything in between.

In this summer enrichment opportunity, we offer a reading from Thomas C. Foster’s book How to Read Nonfiction Like a Professor in order to introduce you to this new genre. We also believe this text will help you see that reading literary nonfiction can be rewarding – especially when you are prepared to think about how essays differ from fiction and other types of nonfiction.

The second reading below is an example of literary nonfiction from Stephen King, a renowned novel writer – but remember, this essay is nonfiction! As you read King’s essay, pay attention to differences you notice between this text and other short readings you have encountered in the past. You may also begin to think about how reading and writing are connected in your own learning story.

Lastly, we have included a set of activities designed to refresh some of your writing skills. Because AP Lang is an advanced composition class, we do not have time to review the more basic skills, so we encourage you to review the Writing Skills Review Activities. The writing you will do in AP Lang will be subject to rubrics designed by the College Board, and because their standards are rigorous, they are good ones to meet as you continue your writing journey.

We encourage you to print the readings so you can engage more actively and directly with the texts. If you do not have access to a printer, please contact one of the AP Lang teachers, and we can help you obtain what you need. While these activities are not required, we strongly encourage you to engage with them!

1. Excerpt from Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Nonfiction Like a Professor: “From the Inside Out: Personal Essay”

Questions to Consider:

• How does this reading help you understand literary nonfiction?
• Consider making a list / Venn diagram to compare this genre to others.

2. Literary Essay: “Reading to Write” by Stephen King

Questions to Consider:

• What is King’s main point in this essay?
• To what extent do you agree with King? Why?
• What are some aspects of King’s essay that define it as literary nonfiction? (See the Foster reading above for more.)
• Find 3-5 sentences that strike you as strong, unusual, intriguing, well constructed, or that otherwise stand out. What is notable about each?

3. Writing Refresher: Writing Skills Review Activities – this link will direct you to make a copy of the document before you can begin

Questions to Consider:

• About which skills or strategies from this activity do you feel most confident and/or comfortable?
• Which skills or strategies from this activity might you need to review in further detail?

Questions? Email the Teachers:

Mrs. Van Trees  |  Mrs. Warren   |  Ms. Togia 

 

Congratulations on deciding to take statistics!  Most students are surprised to find that statistics is very different from what they expected and that it is a very practical course.  Though considered a math course, it is unlike any other you have ever taken.  One element of the course work that surprises students is that solutions require good written communication, not just numerical answers.  This is as much a writing course as it is a math course!

Objectives of Summer Assignment:  For students to…

• become excited about the study of statistics,
• learn that it is a course requiring lots of reading and writing, 
• gain understanding of basic statistical topics, and
• review statistical concepts that you were exposed to during Math 7/8, Algebra I and Algebra 2. 

This assignment is optional.

If you have any questions or problems, you may contact me via e-mail.

Enjoy your summer!                                                                

Mr. Nolton

“Statistical thinking will one day be as necessary for effective citizenship as the ability to read and write.”

HG Wells

SUMMER ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW

Part 1:  Get the necessary materials!

Part 2:  Become excited about the study of statistics by viewing some videos and writing about them. This writing assignment should be submitted through Schoology.

Part 3:   Get to know your textbook and get an introduction to the world of Statistics.

Part 1:  Get Materials for Class

Mandatory

• YOU MUST HAVE YOUR OWN GRAPHING CALCULATOR AND BRING IT TO CLASS EVERYDAY!!   We will begin using it on the first day of school.   TI-84 or TI-84+ is required for this class. You can find TI-84 calculators new and used at many stores as well as online. If you do not have the current operating system, Mr. Nolton will help you get an update. TI-89s and TI-Nspires are allowed but have different menus and will NOT be demonstrated in class.  If you have a TI-89, download a quick guide or bring the original TI-89 manual.  If you have a TI-Nspire, I suggest you get a TI-84 faceplate or be willing to look up stuff on your own.
• You will need a 3-ring binder or some other efficient method of organizing papers (e.g. project sorter – available on Amazon.com).  Trust me, we use a LOT of paper in this class – you’ll need it.
• You will need #2 pencils, erasers, and black or blue pens.
• Textbook: Due to the pandemic I have scanned and uploaded the necessary pages from the book needed to complete this assignment. During class the book will be online.

Schoology

• Most everything in this class will be uploaded to Schoology. I realize you don’t have access to that yet. As soon as you do there will be an assignment to scan and upload this summer assignment (more on that later).

It is not necessary to purchase a review book, but students sometimes ask me for recommendations. The textbook we are using is excellent, and I also post links on Blackboard to free online review resources. However, if you would like to purchase one, I have a high opinion of the following:

• Book: 5 Steps to a 5 AP Statistics (5 Steps to a 5 on the Advanced Placement Examinations Series).  To obtain a copy of the book, I recommend either a book seller (ex. Barnes & Noble) or Amazon (under $14), Amazon also has used copies.
• Flashcards: Barron's AP Statistics Flash Cards, 3rd Edition. Ditto the above.
• Book: Strive for a 5 is the companion book for our textbook. Keep in mind we will use the updated 6^th edition textbook. Older books might be fine as stats has not changed too much, but the newer version keep up with any updates.

Part 2: Learn to love statistics.

Watch/listen to the following (2 videos and 1 podcast) and write a summary (two or three paragraphs) of what you learned about statistics that you did not know before.  Include examples from the videos in your write up. The summary needs to be typed. You should submit your assignment in Schoology. I highly recommend that you complete your assignment using a word processor and upload a Word document (or other word-processing file format, but keep in mind that we do not have Apple computers at school) or PDF document instead of typing directly in the assignment box. You can put all 3 writeups into 1 document to make submission easier.

• Arthur Benjamin - A Formula for Changing Math Education (3 min)  
• David McCandless The Beauty of Data Visualization (18 min)
• 99 Percent Invisible - On Average (18 min – this one may make more sense after you do Part 3)

 

Part 3: Get to know your text and Get an introduction into statistics.

You will be using your textbook the uploaded scans for this part. It not only has content but great examples as well as calculator help. The links for the book are here:

• Overview
• Chapter 1 Introduction
• Guided Reading Notes

 I also recommend the following websites (now and during the school year) if you find you need additional help.

• StatTrek 
  • Provides training and tools to help you solve statistics problems
• AP Stat Guy
  • Entertaining videos
• Khan Academy
  • Introduction to statistics videos – careful, not all of these apply to AP Stat

Read the chapter 1 introduction in the textbook and work through the guided reading notes. Then complete the practice problems at the end of this section. Please write your answers out on a separate piece of paper and scan them in as a pdf (NOT a jpeg or png). If your work spans multiple pages or requires multiple scans, please upload these as a single file (NOT 1 page per file). Any physical scanner or scanner app on your phone will do. There are many free scanner apps. I recommend Adobe Scan. It is free and easy. Please make sure to upload the actual scan, not a link to the scan.  This part most closely resembles how the class will work during the school year, so it should help you get a feel for what we’ll be doing. Trust me, the textbook is a great resource!

Do NOT get stuck for too long on any one concept. If the textbook and online resources are not helping, or if you need clarification (on the stat material or how to scan and upload), email me so we can get you sorted.

Point of Contact:  Mr. Nolton