Through Advanced Placement’s college-level courses and exams, high school students can earn college credit and advanced placement, stand out in the college admissions process, and learn from some of the most skilled, dedicated, and inspiring teachers in the world.
From the moment you enter an AP classroom, you’ll notice the difference – in the teacher’s approach to the subject, in the attitude of your classmates, in the way you start to think. In AP classrooms, the focus is not on memorizing facts and figures, instead you’ll engage in intense discussions, solve problems collaboratively, and learn to write clearly and persuasively. In AP classes, you’ll study fascinating topics and ideas that just might become the foundation of your future college major or career.
AP courses can help you acquire the skills and habits you’ll need to be successful in college. You’ll improve your writing skills, sharpen your problem-solving abilities, and develop time management skills, discipline, and study habits.
AP classes offered at Milwaukee Marshall
AP Studio Art
This course is designed for students who are seriously interested in the practical experience of art. AP Studio Art is not based on a written examination; instead, students submit portfolios for evaluation at the end of the school year. Students present works that demonstrate a variety of concepts and approaches in 2-D or 3-D design, showing mastery of design in concept, composition and execution.
AP Biology
This course will cover the origin and characteristics of life, biochemistry, cell structure and function, genetics, evolutionary theory, taxonomy and classification, ecology and environmental issues, and organismal structure and function. Although the themes are similar to Biology 1, the course is offered at an accelerated pace and rigor equivalent to a college level biology course. Additionally, there is a stronger emphasis on scientific writing then in Biology 1. Successful completion of this course may provide college credit towards an entry level biology course. All students that complete the course will be expected to take the College Board Advanced Placement exam in Biology.
AP Chemistry
This course will cover a review of Chemistry 1 principles plus in-depth study of equilibrium, reaction rate, acid-based chemistry, and oxidation-reduction. In addition, principles of thermochemistry and organic chemistry will be presented. Although the themes are similar to Chemistry 1, the course is offered at an accelerated pace and rigor equivalent to a college level chemistry course. Additionally, there is a stronger emphasis on scientific writing then a in Chemistry 1. Successful completion of this course may provide college credit towards an entry level chemistry course. All students that complete the course will be expected to take the College Board Advanced Placement exam in Chemistry.
AP English Language and Composition
This course engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Students become aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects as well as the way generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing. Stylistic development is nurtured by emphasizing the following: a wide-ranging vocabulary; a variety of sentence structures; logical organization; a balance of generalization and specific illustrative detail; and an effective use of rhetoric.
AP English Literature and Composition
This course engages students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students should deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. The course includes intensive study of representative works from various genres and periods, concentrating on works by authors of recognized literary merit. The works taught in the course require careful deliberative reading. Writing is an integral part of the course and exam. Writing assignments focus on the critical analysis of literature and include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays.
AP Human Geography
The purpose of the AP course in Human Geography is to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice. By the end of the course, students should be able to: *Use and think about maps and spatial data; *Understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places; *Recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes; *Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process; and *Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places.
AP Psychology
The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. Students also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice. Major content areas covered include: History and “Schools” of Psychology; Research methods; Biological bases of behavior; Sensation and perception; States of consciousness; Learning Cognition: Motivation and emotion: Developmental psychology; Personality: testing and individual differences; Abnormal psychology; Treatment of psychological disorders, and Social Psychology.
AP US History
This course will provide students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in United States History. AP U.S. History prepares students for college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by year-long introductory college courses
AP U.S. Government & Politics
A well-designed AP course in U.S. Government & Politics will give students an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States. This course includes both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. politics and the analysis of specific examples. It also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U.S. politics. Topics include: *Constitutional underpinnings of U.S. government; *Political beliefs and behaviors; *Political parties, interest groups, and mass media; *Institutions of national government; *Public policy; and *Civil rights and civil liberties. Taught only as part 1 of a 2 semester sequence.