How I’m Teaching AP Macro Despite Having No Content Knowledge

My November report

In November, my AP Macroeconomics students took the Unit V and Unit VI tests. They also continued to work on their semester-long projects. As the month closed out, I attended my third UDL Training — this training resulting in my having to answer a number of all-important questions related to my Macroeconomics course.

My Students’ Unit V and VI Test Scores

My students’ Unit V and VI test scores revealed that 91% of my 72 had earned an AP Classroom dark green or light green bar.

Given the below, what percentage of my Macroeconomics students do you think will receive a score of 3 or better on this year’s AP Exam? I’m predicting at least 70%.

• 97% earned dark or light green bar on the Unit I MCQ Test
• 85% earned dark or light green bar on the Unit II MCQ Test
• 71% earned a dark or light green bar on the Unit III MCQ Test
• 61% earned a dark or light green bar on the Unit IV MCQ Test
• 89% — earned dark or light green bar on the Unit V MCQ Test
• 92% — earned dark or light green bar on the Unit VI MCQ Test

Each MCQ test consisted of 30 AP Classroom multiple-choice questions with the students given 35 minutes to answer the questions.

Every unit MCQ test also included one short FRQ, with the students tending to do better on the FRQs than on the MCQs.

How I Prepared the Students for their Unit V and VI Tests

In November, I continued to “prep” my students for their unit tests as I did in October.

In other words, I didn’t “teach” a single lesson in November, relying instead on the AP Daily video-producing teachers to teach my students what they needed to know.

Consequently, a November visitor to my classroom would have seen on any given day the students working quietly at their desks, looking much like students in a college library might look, with me, either also working quietly at my desk or helping students with their semester-long project in the hallway just outside the classroom door.

A Letter One of My Student’s Sent Me on the Last Day of the Month

Hi, Mr. Paccone,

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving break. I have a few questions/comments:

1. First off, I am wondering when I’ll be able to see my score for the unit 6 test and the remake for unit 5?
2. Second, as we begin to wrap up semester 1 and review units 1–6 for macro, I thought it might be helpful to either you or other students to share resources that have helped me in learning and studying the course’s content aside from AP Daily videos. I noticed that by adding these resources to my studying, my test scores went up and I was having an easier time following along.
3. Jacob Reed from ReviewEcon on YouTube. I am glad you recommended him because he does a great job at summarizing and reviewing each unit’s contents. I watched him for units 4, 5, and 6 and will do so for the previous units in order to review. I am sure many other students have referenced him as well.
4. Jacob Clifford. Like with Jacob Reed, at this point I’m assuming most students are familiar with his work.
5. You Will Love Economics on YouTube. I’m not sure that he actually follows the units in the way that the AP class is structured, but I’ve found that it’s great for review, clarification, or a supplement to specific individual topics.
6. Tamra Carl on YouTube. Her channel’s AP Macro playlist isn’t really structured in a way that easily follows the AP unit structure, but her videos serve as great clarification for topics and especially for FRQs/SAQs.
7. Mr. Andrew White on YouTube. He breaks down each unit very well in comprehensive videos usually around half an hour long. He also has many videos with practice questions and FRQs.
8. Studyist (not on YouTube). Studyist is a nonprofit organization that provides review materials for students, including AP students. I have found their notes, flashcards, and review sheets to be helpful. (They also have resources for other AP classes, in case your APUSH students are interested.)

Thank you!

Cheers,

Amanda

The UDL Training and Some Questions for All AP Macro Teachers

At my school‘s monthly UDL training, we have been told that UDL stands for Universal Design Learning, with UDL best defined as an educational framework that calls for the removal of barriers to learning.

In other words, UDL, we are learning, calls for the creating of a curriculum that provides learners with various ways to:

• Acquiring information and knowledge.
• Demonstrating what they know.
• Tap into learners’ interests

This training has resulted in the raising of several questions relating to not just my AP Macroeconomics course but to all AP courses. Below, a sampling:

Regarding your course’s admission policy:

• Who is allowed into your course and who isn’t?
• To what extent do you view your course’s admission policy as “in the spirit of UDL”?

Regarding the question of summer assignments:

• To what extent do you require the students who have been admitted to your course to work on one or more summer assignments?
• To what extent do you view summer assignments as “in the spirit of UDL”?

Regarding the organizational structure of your course:

• To what extent have you aligned your course with the CED’s “Unit Guides.”
• To what extent do you require your students to know more than what College Board requires in its CED?
• To what extent do you view your course’s organization structure as “in the spirit of UDL”?

Regarding the pacing of your course:

• To what extent do you follow the CED’s pacing guide?
• To what extent do you view the pacing guide that you’re employing as “in the spirit of UDL”?

Regarding your course’s unit tests:

• To what extent do you provide your students with various ways of acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to do well on the unit tests?
• To what extent do you hold your students accountable to the watching of the unit-relating AP Daily videos and the answering of the AP Daily video-relating Topic Questions?
• To what extent do you provide your students, before every unit test, with a chance to answer the Progress Check MCQs and FRQs?
• To what extent do you provide your students with unit-ending alternatives for demonstrating what they know?

Regarding unit test retakes:

• Do you provide your students with a chance to retake a unit test?
• To what extent do you limit the number of students who may take a retake? Do you, for example, allow a student who earned a B+ on a unit test to take a retake?
• Do you require students wanting a retake to present, on the day of the retake, a “retake room entry ticket”, with this ticket to describe in detail the specific things that a student did to get ready for the retake (amount of time spent studying, test corrections, etc.)?
• What do you do with the unit test score and the retake scores? Average the two together and place them in the grade book? Only place the higher score in the grade book?

Regarding project-based learning:

• How do you define project-based learning?
• To what extent do you provide your students with one or more project-based learning opportunities?
• To what extent do you provide your students with an opportunity to tap into their interests?
• To what extent do you view project-based learning as “in the spirit of UDL”?

Regarding UDL and AP:

• To what extent do you believe that there’s no place for UDL in AP?
• To what extent do you view yourself as someone who’s already successfully implemented UDL into your AP classroom

What I’m Wondering About

1. To what extent will at least 70% of my 72 will earn either a light green or dark green bar on my end-of-semester Unit I-VI, 60 MCQ, Exam, SRQ Exam, and LRQ Exam.
2. To what extent will at least 25% of my 72 produce praiseworthy PBL-related work by end of the semester?

This ends my November report. To read my next report, please check back here end of December. To read my October report click here, to read my September report, click here, and to read my August report, click here.