AP Create PT Prep
This short unit prepares students to complete the AP® Create Performance Task (PT). Students will have learned the skills and concepts necessary to complete the task in previous units and will even have seen components of the task itself. This unit fully explains all components of the task and walks students through completing and submitting it.
Chapter 1: Create PT Prep
Week 1
Lesson 1: Create PT - Review the Task
- Review the Task
- Review Scoring Guidelines and Sample Tasks
- Wrap Up
- (Optional) AP Digital Portfolio Setup
This lesson contains a series of activities you can use to help students familiarize themselves with Create Performance Task, how it is scored, and some example tasks provided by the College Board.
Teacher Links: | | Student Links: Resource | College Board Doc | Video | | | | | | | | Resource | College Board Site
Lesson 2: Create PT - Make a Plan
- Getting Started (5 mins)
- Activity (70 mins)
- Wrap-up (10 Minutes)
This lesson uses the Create PT Survival Guide as the backbone for a series of activities to ramp up to doing the actual Create PT. It contains activities to help students understand the algorithm and abstraction requirements of the task, as well as activities to help them narrow down and brainstorm ideas for their actual project.
Teacher Links: Student Links: | High Resolution PDF | Resource | College Board Doc
Week 2
Lesson 3: Create PT - Complete the Task (12 hrs)
Project
- Getting started
- Activity (12 hours)
- Wrap-up
The lesson includes some final reminders and guidelines for completing the Create PT before officially starting. For a total of 12 class hours, you will work on your project with only types of teacher support allowed (essentially: Advise on process, not ideas). You may also work with a collaborative partner in in development of you program - written responses must be done on your own.
Teacher Links: | Student Links: College Board Doc | | College Board Site | Resource | |
Chapter Commentary
Key Concepts and Pedagogy
Create PT After Unit 5 Chapter 1: Students are prepared to complete the Create PT after Unit 5 Chapter 1. If time allows, you may opt to wait until after Unit 5 Chapter 2.
Highlight Ambiguities with Activities: It can be challenging to understand the expectations of the Explore PT and the way it is graded. This unit solves this problem through hands-on activities designed to bring these ambiguities to the surface. By grading sample projects or assessing potential project choices in a group setting, students are able to understand what is expected of them and ensure their projects exceed this bar.
Survival Guides: The most significant resources in this unit are the Survival Guides created for each task. In addition to including activity guides for preparation activities, they include instructions for how students can identify good project choices and plan their allotted class time. Checklists for each task help students track their progress as they complete them.
Practice Earlier in the Curriculum: Students learn the skills and concepts necessary to complete the performance tasks throughout the course. Each unit includes at least one Practice PT or Rapid Research project specifically designed to prepare students for different elements of the tasks.