Final Exams Approach

As we move into the end of the first semester, a couple of important reminders...

• US History AP- final grades for this course will also be the final grades for Saint Louis University. The students have their term papers due on December 16th. I have set up "mile marker" assignments to force the kids to complete parts of the paper as they go. There should be no need for a last minute cram session on the paper. The final draft will need to be uploaded to the Virtual School by 12:05AM on December 16th. Hard copies are due in class on that day. Since students can upload from home, no late papers will be accepted. The final exams are scheduled for December 18th. I encourage students to form study groups and start looking ahead at their plan for preparation. I will be grading the papers over the winter break so grades will be posted in January as soon as I am finished.

• US Government and Politics AP- all papers are graded and ready to be returned. The students need to finish thier online quizzes, complete the articles online, and take the final test (December 11 and 14 are the writing and the 15th is the forced choice). The final exam is designed to mirror a formal AP exam in content. A review sheet and list of all possible essay questions was given out Monday in class. Students should be looking these over and meeting to practice the essays this week. I will be grading the last essays over the winter break so final grades will be available in January.

Papers and Final Exams

Junior parents- The final payments for 1818 ACC tuition were due December 1st. Any student not paid in full will be dropped by SLU this week. Remember that the AP option still exists for students who wish to earn college credit.

Junior papers were returned this week. I will have these grades added to the Virtual School grabebook later in the week. Students were given a re-write opportunity, and those who took advantage of this did exceptionally well on the paper. The term paper was assigned two weeks ago, and students set their class deadlines this week. The final paper is due December 16th, right before the final exam. You will be asked to read their drafts and to sign a signature card to that effect. This forces them to proofread their writing.

Senior parents- The final papers have been turned in, and I will be grading these over the next few weeks. Aside from a few quizzes, the class has to concentrate on the upcoming final exam in the next few weeks. It is 50% of thier final grade, so the emphasis on studying is strong.

For all classes, the final exams are a significant part of the course grade. Students should start forming study groups NOW and reviewing material. Waiting until the last minute will not be productive for the semester long exams. For many students, this will be the first true semester exam that they experience. I will offer review sessions at school to help ease the stress. Please let me know of any concerns that you have.