AP Stats Practice and Feedback

Even before I started reading Make It Stick (I'm on page 95 now; I've slowed down a bit), I had been thinking of ways to provide more opportunities for practice, feedback, and meaningful assessment.  Teaching AP Statistics last year could sometimes be difficult as I was implementing an ISN in that class for the first time.  It is always a lot of work to organize and create foldables for the first time - but I know that it is worth it later on.  I also didn't have textbooks last year, which meant that I couldn't assign homework problems without first typing them up and then printing/copying them for the kiddos.  Homework was my last priority after creating foldables, daily activities, and in class practice, and it often just fell by the wayside.

Students actually asked for more homework, because they knew they needed the practice.  I also knew they needed the practice, but I just needed more hours in the day to get it all done.  Being super pregnant (and I mean SUPER PREGNANT Y'ALL), then being out on maternity leave, and then having a newborn at home meant even fewer hours to get it done.

This year will be better because

a) I am not pregnant and I will not have a newborn at home = more sleep
b) I might be getting textbooks (!!!!)
c) I am just super excited for this year and have already pretty much planned the first 3 weeks

This year will be harder because

a) I have 120 AP Stats students
b) I have 120 AP Stats students
c) Dear. Lord. Above. Save. Me. Please.

So here is my plan to make sure that students are getting more practice without me dying.

READING GUIDES

THE IDEA: IF (and only if) I have textbooks, then I am going to assign a reading guide for each chapter.  These are guided note taking packets that go along with the reading and are interspersed with additional clarifying questions and self checking.  In Make It Stick, the authors describe how just reading or re-reading a text isn't enough, and that students have to be reflecting and quizzing themselves as they go along.  Reading guides will be a structured method for students to do this.  Reading guides will be given out on the first day of each chapter and then turned in on the day of the chapter test.  I will give them and idea of where they should be in the reading guide as we progress through the chapter, but I am aware that some students will wait until the night before the test to do the reading guide and I am OK with this.  It will trick them into studying.

PRACTICALITIES: I will check these for completion and then spot check a few key areas for correctness.  I think this is doable.

I've done a few reading guides before, back in the day when I had textbooks for kids.  This is what I've done in the past:

I want to streamline it a bit as that document is just for one section, and I'd like to do one for an entire chapter.  Does anyone else do reading guides?  I need to find some examples.  

HOMEWORK

THE IDEA: A few problems each night, including at least one problem that is review from a previous section or chapter.  I will spot check these for completion in the first few minutes of class (as students are doing their Kahoot warmup, will write about that soon) and I will stamp the homework.

I will post a full answer key on my website by the end of the day.  Students are required to check their own work with a red pen.  I will collect all homework for the chapter on the day of the test (along with that reading guide!) and students will get additional credit for showing that they checked their work and made changes/gave themselves feedback.  I will try to wait until the day AFTER the day they check their homework themselves to answer any clarifying questions about the assignment.  

I can't possibly check and grade 120 AP Stats homeworks every day.  I would probably die since I've heard that humans really do need to sleep - like, that's a thing that is biologically required.  However, I need need need kids to check their work and ask questions.  There is no point in doing the practice if you're not learning from it and from your mistakes and misconceptions.  So, a half of their homework grade will be based on whether they checked their work.  

There is also an incentive to do the homework even if you didn't get it done on time.  I will still give half credit for homework that is done by the time test day rolls around.

That's it for now.