- Identify weaknesses in their Unit 1 knowledge.
- Create a personalized list of review topics to guide tonight’s study session.
- Study for tomorrow’s test using your targeted review list
- Projector and computer
- Whiteboard and marker
- Results from electronic survey of review topics
- Classroom copies of the practice test (WS 3.18)
Once students have submitted their review requests, assemble those topics into categories and prepare to re-teach the topics as needed.
| Section | Total Time |
|---|---|
| Bell-work and attendance | 5min |
| Introduction and test format orientation | 15min |
| Test review | 30min |
| Check student study lists | 5min |
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Clearly indicate that you expect all students to have a list of review topics to study this evening. Periodically remind students that this list will be checked at the end of class.
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Students should already be familiar with the sections of the test, but it doesn’t hurt to have students re-read the directions.
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Work through the sample problems on the test as a way of reviewing topics, and answer any questions that students bring up as you go.
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Work through the various review topics, prioritizing questions that popped up the most.
a. Some questions you may already have addressed while working through the sample test.
b. Be ready for additional questions to pop up as you go. Save yourself the work and use old homework questions and student-generated test questions as examples to work through.
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Use a combination of group-solving questions on the whiteboard, think-pair-share, and timed-response as review strategies.
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After you’ve completed reviewing an idea, remind the class that they should write down that topic if they feel they still have to review it tonight. (Yes, this will be a reminder every few minutes, but it will pay off later when students start creating review lists without prompting later in the year!)
Spend the last 5 minutes of class checking each student’s review topic list.
The first practice problem calls a method inside an expression inside a parameter to answer another method call (this sounds crazy, but take a look at the question before you write it off!) Logically, the question makes sense, but it may throw some of your students. Use the question as an opportunity to model proper test-taking strategies:
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Read code line-by-line.
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If stumped on a multiple-choice question, try plugging in the answers to see if they evaluate correctly.
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Write notes and cross out answers on your paper copy of the test.
If you have been using Parsons Problems, on your students’ tests you may want to throw in a “full challenge” blank section 2 question during this unit or the next to scaffold your students up to the challenge of a real AP test.
As written, the exams increase in length and complexity with each unit. If your students are all acing the test, challenge your students by modifying the section 2 questions, and adding extra section 1 questions.