Is your student taking an AP class this year? In this presentation, one of our top tutors, Diana Aljets, provides parents and students with research-based study skills linked to success in an AP classroom.

1. Preparing for AP Courses
& Beyond!
Educational Connections
Ann Dolin, M.Ed. & Diana Aljets
703.934.8282| ectutoring.com
ann@ectutoring.com
ectutoring.com

2. How to Participate in this Webinar
• Be sure you’ve clicked on the orange arrow to see
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• All participants will be muted, but everyone will
be able to hear the presenter.
• In order to ask or answer a question, please use
the chat box in the green section underneath
“questions/chat”.
• The presentation will last for 25 minutes with an
additional 15-20 minutes for Q and A.
• A copy of the presentation will be emailed to you
tomorrow.
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3. Introductions
Ann Dolin, M.Ed.
•20 years experience in the field
of education
•President and founder of
Educational Connections
•Author of Homework Made
Simple: Tips, Tools, and Solutions
for Stress-Free Homework
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4. Introductions
Diana Aljets
•Diana, please write a few bullet
points about your experience and
add in a picture of yourself 
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5. Skills To Use Across ALL AP Classes
• SSttuuddyy GGrroouuppss
• CCoorrnneellll NNootteess
• DDeeeepp//CCrriittiiccaall RReeaaddiinngg
• PPrraaccttiiccee,, PPrraaccttiiccee,, PPrraaccttiiccee
• KKnnooww yyoouurr AAPP ssyyllllaabbuuss
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6. Study Groups
• 3 or 5 students – no more than 5!
• Meet a minimum of once a week
• Have a clear goal for each
meeting
• Examples: discuss a lab, discuss a
book/poem, summarize class notes,
quiz each other on topics, identify
evidence to support Big Ideas,
practice problems together
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7. Cornell Style Notes
• Leave spaces on paper for
questions and insights
• Use different color writing
instruments
• Summarize notes on a daily
basis looking for themes and
trends
• Explain how notes achieved the
objective for the day
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8. Deep/Critical Reading
Humanities Style
• Read text THREE times
1. Preview & Speculate
2. Read for Understanding
3. Identify Themes
• Know the context of the text!
• Read text out loud
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9. Deep/Critical Reading
Humanities Style
• Read text THREE times
1.Preview & Speculate
Preview & Speculate:
For English this means, look at
who the author is, when was the
piece written, read chapter
headings. Can you guess what the
piece is about? Do you know why
the author wrote it?
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10. Deep/Critical Reading
Humanities Style
• Read text THREE times
1.Preview & Speculate
Preview & Speculate:
For History this means reading the
introduction and the conclusion of
the document.
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11. Deep/Critical Reading
Humanities Style
• Read text THREE times
1.Preview & Speculate
2.Read for Understanding
Preview & Speculate:
For both English & History, can
you answer the who, what,
when, why, and how questions
for this text?
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12. Deep/Critical Reading
Humanities Style
• Read text THREE times
1.Preview & Speculate
2.Read for Understanding
3.Identify Themes
Preview & Speculate:
For English you must know your
Greek/Roman mythology and your
Judeo-Christian ideologies & make
connections.
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13. Deep/Critical Reading
Humanities Style
• Read text THREE times
1.Preview & Speculate
2.Read for Understanding
3.Identify Themes
Preview & Speculate:
For History you must be able to
connect the dots. Start reading a
variety of news outlets now!
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14. Deep/Critical Reading
Math & Science Style
• Read text THREE times
1.Preview
2.Identify Big Ideas
3.Read for Understanding
• Read text out loud, especially
the big words 
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15. Deep/Critical Reading
Math & Science Style
• Read text THREE times
1.Preview
Preview:
Read chapter headings and sub-headings
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16. Deep/Critical Reading
Math & Science Style
• Read text THREE times
1.Preview
2.Identify Big Ideas
Identify Big Ideas :
Which Big Idea could this
information support?
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17. Deep/Critical Reading
Math & Science Style
• Read text THREE times
1.Preview
2.Identify Big Ideas
3.Read for Understanding
Read for Understanding:
Can you relate information to a
Big Idea?
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18. Practice, Practice, Practice
• https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse
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19. Practice, Practice, Practice
English & History
• Do practice tests from College Board or another AP
study guide
• Read a variety of text
• Articles, blogs, editorials, manga, biographies, etc.
•Write ideas, vocalize ideas, rewrite ideas
• Know your audience and assume they know nothing
• Know jargon for the type of writing your analyzing
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20. Practice, Practice, Practice
Math
• Do practice quizzes from College Board or another AP
study guide
• Time your homework
• Show all work
• Know how to use graphing calculator
• Do NOT round!!!
• For Statistics – know the vocabulary
• Chi-square, statistically relevant, etc.
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21. Practice, Practice, Practice
Science
• Do practice multiple choice questions from College
Board or another AP Science study guide
• Download free responses from previous years
• Read/grade other student essays
• Write/grade YOUR own essay
• Read science articles
• ScienceDaily, Wired, Nature, etc
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22. Know Your AP Syllabus
• Day 1 – Read and highlight major date on the syllabus
• For History & English look for a reading list and a
timeline
• For Science look for the Big Ideas and required
reading that doesn’t come from a textbook
• For Math look for study guides and sources of
practice questions
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23. Biology’s Big Ideas
• Evolution Explains the diversity and unity of life
• Life uses energy to grow, to reproduce, and to
maintain homeostasis
• Life stores, retrieves, transmits, and responds to
information
• Biological systems interact
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24. Chemistry’s Big Ideas
•The chemical elements are the building blocks of matter, which can be
understood in terms of the arrangements of atoms.
• Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure
and the arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them.
• Changes in matter involve the rearrangement and/or reorganization of atoms
and/or the transfer of electrons.
• Rates of chemical reactions are determined by details of the molecular collisions.
• The laws of thermodynamics describe the essential role of energy and explain
and predict the direction of changes in matter.
• Bonds or attractions that can be formed can be broken. These two processes are
in constant competition, sensitive to initial conditions and external forces or
changes.
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25. Time Management
• Make a calendar
• If your school gives you an agenda
USE IT!
• Use phone apps TKTKTK
• Allot AP coursework time
everyday
• (even the weekends)
• TKTKTK
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26. Q&A | Contact Information
Ann Dolin
www.ectutoring.com
ann@ectutoring.com
703.934.8282
Diana Aljets
ectutoring.com