AP Stats Exam Review: Dash’s Tips
Will things ever be the same agaaaaaaiinnnnn? It's the final countdown.
We're just weeks away from the AP Stats exam, meaning it's time for something that's often feared by students and teachers alike: review.
Thankfully, AP Exam review doesn't have to be painful. I have a few tips and resources, outlined below. This is certainly not a comprehensive guide, but I hope it's helpful!
Content Review Resources
There are many great AP Exam review resources out there. Here are the two I'm using this year:
The Math Medic review course
The Barron's prep book
Exam Analysis Spreadsheet
Class Traditions
At the start of AP Exam review, I try to foster a class culture that emphasizes:
Belief: Every student is capable of passing the exam
Prioritization: The exam is important, and it's not the only measure of one's achievement
Solidarity: We're all in this together
Along these lines, I do the following traditions with my students at the outset of our AP Exam review unit (feel free to steal and use in your class):
Drawing & Mirrors: If you haven't done it already, now is a great time to do the "Draw a Statistician" activity. Since I already did this activity at the beginning of the year, I give students new mirrors (for those who lost theirs) and ask them to bring it to class with them each day until the exam. This reminds us that we are all statisticians capable of passing the exam as we review.
Team 3, 4, 5: I have a "declaration ceremony" at the beginning of our review unit, where students declare if they're Team 3, Team 4, or Team 5 (based on the score they're aiming for on the exam). Each team elects captains that check their homework, foster team traditions (e.g. team chants), and communicate to me any feedback that students have for the review unit. I also have rewards for various team accomplishments (like 100% homework completion), which fosters positive competition between teams.
Buttons: Creating custom buttons with your own class slogan isn't too expensive and can help foster community and solidarity among students. The ones for my class, of course, have "Skew The Script" written on them. Custom class shirts are good for this as well.
Frequently Asked Question
Can I use Skew The Script lessons for AP Exam review?
I'd recommend using Skew The Script lessons only sparingly for review. The lessons are intended for introducing new material and practicing that material during the school year. So, the materials may be too long and detailed for end-of-year review. That said, if you've been using Skew The Script during the year, students often benefit from returning to their notes and re-watching parts of videos to review difficult or important concepts.
Let’s skew it!