Today in class we reviewed the test scores and went over the questions that we marked wrong. We then watched an awesome video that introduced us to Evolutionary Psychology and Developmental Psychology while still building on the neuroscience we learned last chapter. We then filled out a fun worksheet about the evolutionary psychology perspective and talked about various aspects of evolutionary psych.
Assignment: Read through page 125
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
9-18-07 Test Day over Brain & Biology
Today we took our 2nd test, Mrs. Foster has it graded and the scores are online.
Assignment - You should read pages 99-116 for class on Thursday.
Assignment - You should read pages 99-116 for class on Thursday.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
BABY GUS!
Hi AP-Psychos!How are you doing? I hope that you are studying hard for Tuesday's test on Chapter 2. You are in good hands with Ms. Foster. Make sure you keep up the hard work so you can impress her with your knowledge and skills! :) I miss you all and will try to keep in touch.
As you know, Baby Gus arrived last Monday. Everyday living around the Ovaska household has drastically changed. He is amazing and I look forward to sharing him with you!
Here is the story: Around 6 am on Monday, the 10th, I started having regular contractions. Around 7:30 am, I called Ms. Foster and said, "Today's the day!" When Period 2B was starting, I called the doctor and they said, "Come in!" I waited a bit and went for a short walk since the contractions were only 10 minutes apart and the weather was great. We arrived at the hospital at around the start of Period 3B (when I took this picture of my belly). Then the contractions stopped!
After ~5 hours of irregular contractions, they started again and Gus was born at 6:26 pm. He weighed 7lbs 12 oz. His official name is August Arvo Ovaska. August -- after Eric's uncle Gus who was a fisherman on Lake Superior and Arvo -- after Eric's dad who died when Eric was 20 years old.Gus was a blue smurf baby since he came fast and we live in the mountains. After a little oxygen and hollering, he was pink and happy. We called all our family and had our daughters, Maddie and Elise, come over and meet him.
The girls were super excited and gave him lots and lots of kisses that night. Gus and I left the hospital Wednesday evening and our family has been lying low since then. We all have a lot of adjusting to do, but Gus seems very settled. He sleeps most of the day and is up from 4 am to 5:30 am at night. (It's a good thing I am not your teacher right now...I don't have all my neurons firing properly...hey, can you explain what happens during action potential for Tuesday's test?).
Who does he look like? 2-year-old Elise or 5-year-old Maddie? I guess we'll have to wait and see.I hope that you all are well and making the most of AP Psychology. Keep on REALLY reading the chapters, taking THOROUGH notes, and MEMORIZING the vocabulary.
Take care,
Mrs. Ovaska
Thursday, September 6, 2007
September 6: Test Review and Introduction to the Brain
In-Class Activities:
1) Neuron Note. You didn't have answers to read today, but you wrote a new question based on last night's textbook reading on neural communication.
2) Prologue/Chapter 1 Test Review. I put the test data (distribution, mean, median, mode, standard deviation, histrogram, grade scale) on the overhead so you could see how we did as a class as well as how you did in comparison with your classmates. Since the highest score was an 95, I curved the test by making the total points 95, not 100. We went over the questions that most students got wrong and you were able to write down the reasoning behind those tricky questions. I also tried to give page numbers so you could look up those concepts again. No matter how you did, you should be motivated to improve your test preparation, notetaking, vocabulary memorization, and study plans. As you learn more and more about what to expect from these tests and adjust your system for this class, you will be more and more successful.
General comments about the trickiest questions: Many of you missed the ones related to the early philosophers and psychologists. Study the chart on the bottom of page 3 and memorize those early names. Make sure you know that psychological research is broken down into three categories: description, correlation, experimentation.
Scantron Issues: The IMC scantron machine did not do a good job marking the ones with errors. We ran the scantrons through the E-Wing machine after class today and it re-marked the wrong ones better. Test scores did not change, but it made the wrong ones easier to read.
3) Neuron Model Assignment Explanation: For the weekend, your job is to make a model of a neuron with readily available supplies from your house. It must have all the parts (axon, dendrites, cell body, nucleus, myelin sheath labeled AND defined. Be thorough and thoughtful, and have fun and be creative.
4) The Behaving Brain Video. Another classical Philip Zimbardo introduction to the unit. This one gave you LOTS of information on how neurons communicate, parts of the brain, as well as the cool ways they study the brain (EEG, PETscans, etc)
Assignments:
1) Read chapter 2 pages 65-76.
2) Neuron Model is due on Monday.
3) Make those notecards so you can just review vocabulary next week
4) FYI: Chapter 2 test is Tuesday, September 18.
1) Neuron Note. You didn't have answers to read today, but you wrote a new question based on last night's textbook reading on neural communication.
2) Prologue/Chapter 1 Test Review. I put the test data (distribution, mean, median, mode, standard deviation, histrogram, grade scale) on the overhead so you could see how we did as a class as well as how you did in comparison with your classmates. Since the highest score was an 95, I curved the test by making the total points 95, not 100. We went over the questions that most students got wrong and you were able to write down the reasoning behind those tricky questions. I also tried to give page numbers so you could look up those concepts again. No matter how you did, you should be motivated to improve your test preparation, notetaking, vocabulary memorization, and study plans. As you learn more and more about what to expect from these tests and adjust your system for this class, you will be more and more successful.
General comments about the trickiest questions: Many of you missed the ones related to the early philosophers and psychologists. Study the chart on the bottom of page 3 and memorize those early names. Make sure you know that psychological research is broken down into three categories: description, correlation, experimentation.
Scantron Issues: The IMC scantron machine did not do a good job marking the ones with errors. We ran the scantrons through the E-Wing machine after class today and it re-marked the wrong ones better. Test scores did not change, but it made the wrong ones easier to read.
3) Neuron Model Assignment Explanation: For the weekend, your job is to make a model of a neuron with readily available supplies from your house. It must have all the parts (axon, dendrites, cell body, nucleus, myelin sheath labeled AND defined. Be thorough and thoughtful, and have fun and be creative.
4) The Behaving Brain Video. Another classical Philip Zimbardo introduction to the unit. This one gave you LOTS of information on how neurons communicate, parts of the brain, as well as the cool ways they study the brain (EEG, PETscans, etc)
Assignments:
1) Read chapter 2 pages 65-76.
2) Neuron Model is due on Monday.
3) Make those notecards so you can just review vocabulary next week
4) FYI: Chapter 2 test is Tuesday, September 18.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
September 4: Our First Test!
In-Class Activities:
1) Neuron Notes. You didn't need to write a new question, but I gave you the responses from the last two classes' questions. You had time to read before the test.
2) Prologue/Chapter 1 Test. You completed your first of 14 multiple choice exams that you will take this year. 100 multiple choice questions in 70 minutes. The questions came from the writers of the textbook, so you should have memorized those first 50+pages. If you were absent, you will take the test at the beginning of class on Thursday while we go over the correct answers. Please come early so you can get settled and get it completed without missing too much of the rest of class.
3) Brain/Biology Outline. You received the new outline for this next unit. You should use it to get organized. The BRAIN is great! The chapter 2 test will be on September 18...start making those notecards tonight!
Side Note: As you visit Powerschool to check your test score, please think about what you did to prepare for the exam. If you didn't do as well as you thought you would, you need to rethink how you prepared. This is a college-level class with a college-level textbook and college-level tests. You must not only memorize the vocabulary, but make those concepts real. What can you do differently to improve your score for the next test? We will go over the tests on Thursday and you can use that time to ask questions and learn more about these concepts before we move on. If you did well on the test, find someone who didn't do so hot and help them prepare better for the next test. Not only will you make a friend, but it will help you know the concepts even more as you explain them.
Assignments:
1) Read chapter 2 pp. 57-65
2) Make those notecards! Mastering the vocabulary early is key since we will use those words throughout the next chapter.
1) Neuron Notes. You didn't need to write a new question, but I gave you the responses from the last two classes' questions. You had time to read before the test.
2) Prologue/Chapter 1 Test. You completed your first of 14 multiple choice exams that you will take this year. 100 multiple choice questions in 70 minutes. The questions came from the writers of the textbook, so you should have memorized those first 50+pages. If you were absent, you will take the test at the beginning of class on Thursday while we go over the correct answers. Please come early so you can get settled and get it completed without missing too much of the rest of class.
3) Brain/Biology Outline. You received the new outline for this next unit. You should use it to get organized. The BRAIN is great! The chapter 2 test will be on September 18...start making those notecards tonight!
Side Note: As you visit Powerschool to check your test score, please think about what you did to prepare for the exam. If you didn't do as well as you thought you would, you need to rethink how you prepared. This is a college-level class with a college-level textbook and college-level tests. You must not only memorize the vocabulary, but make those concepts real. What can you do differently to improve your score for the next test? We will go over the tests on Thursday and you can use that time to ask questions and learn more about these concepts before we move on. If you did well on the test, find someone who didn't do so hot and help them prepare better for the next test. Not only will you make a friend, but it will help you know the concepts even more as you explain them.
Assignments:
1) Read chapter 2 pp. 57-65
2) Make those notecards! Mastering the vocabulary early is key since we will use those words throughout the next chapter.
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