Mrs. Vahratian's 2019-2020 Class Blog

Here’s what we’ve been up to this week:

AP Psych took their Unit 3 test on Thursday. If you were absent, please plan on making this up during lunch or before/after school on Tuesday. We are switching to A lunch starting Monday, so remember to go to lunch BEFORE class! 4th hour is also participating in the Battle Against Hunger. Bring in money or non-perishable food items to donate next week. The winning class gets Tropical Smoothies!

Psychology students are wrapping up the Learning & Memory unit. They have a memory presentation due on Google Classroom by midnight on 11/15. This presentation is counting as a summative assessment grade. They also have a study guide due on Monday for Wednesday’s unit test. Remember, you must have your study guide completed on time in order to be eligible for test corrections.

Sociology students are learning about gender socialization. We started the documentary “The Mask You Live In” and will continue watching next week. We will be wrapping up our unit next week and taking a test before Thanksgiving.

Have a great weekend and remember to keep checking Google Classroom for daily updates and materials!

Here’s what we’ve been up to this week:

AP Psychology students are wrapping up their unit on sensation and perception. We’ve learned about optical illusions, depth perception and critical periods for optical development. AP students have their unit test coming up on Wednesday, November 13th. They have until Tuesday to complete test corrections on the unit 2 test.

Psychology students have been covering learning and memory. They participated in a Socratic seminar about observational learning and media violence. We are now focusing on the various types of memory and how we can remember more.

Sociology students are learning about agents of socialization. This week, we discussed how families, schools, peers and the media can all teach individuals about the norms of society. We will be having a quiz on agents of socialization Wednesday, November 13th.

Have a great weekend and continue to check Google Classroom for daily updates and materials!

Here’s what we’ve been up to this week:

AP Psychology has been learning about sensation & perception. We’ve covered the visual and auditory systems, taste, touch, smell and other body sensations. We are also learning about how optical illusions work and how the brain learns to perceive information based on experience. We took an FRQ quiz today. If you missed this, please plan on making it up on Monday.

Regular psychology students are learning about learning! Today we took a quiz on operant and classical conditioning. If you missed this, please be prepared to make it up on Monday. Next week will be participating in a Socratic Seminar on observational learning.

Sociology is learning about agents of socialization- the people and institutions that teach us the norms of our society. We will looking at more examples for each of these agents next week.

Have a great weekend and remember to check Google Classroom for daily updates and materials.

All classes had unit tests this week. Students can sign up to do test corrections before/after school or during C lunch for the next few weeks. Sociology and regular Psych students must have had their study guides completed on time in order to be eligible for test corrections. Students can earn back up to half the points they missed by completing corrections.

AP Psych students started a unit on sensation and perception this week. We will be learning about the parts of the eye, ear and other sensory systems.

Psychology students have started learning about classical conditioning. We learned about the famous experiment with Pavlov’s dogs and how we learn through making associations.

Sociology is studying socialization- the process by which we learn the norms of our culture. We have been looking at case studies of children who grew up in isolation to understand the effects of human interaction on socialization.

Have a great weekend and remember to check Google Classroom for daily updates and materials!

All classes have tests coming up next week!

AP Psychology has a unit test on Wednesday. They received a study guide this week and should come in Monday with questions they’d like to go over.

Regular psychology classes also have a test on Wednesday. The study guide for this class is due on Monday. Test corrections will not be offered unless the study guide is completed on time. Bell work will also be collected on the day of the test.

Sociology has a test on Tuesday. Study guides are due on Monday. Similarly, test corrections will not be offered unless the study guide is completed on time. Bell work will also be collected on the day of the test.

I will be available C lunch on Monday/Tuesday and before/after school on Tuesday for any students who have questions or would like help reviewing for the test.

Please remember to check Google Classroom for daily updates and materials. Have a great weekend!

Important announcement for AP Psych students:

AP exam registration is this week! Please bring your registration form and payment to Mrs. Fawaz in the main office by Thursday, October 17th. Please see Mrs. Fawaz with any questions.

We are wrapping up our 2nd unit in all three courses this week. Study guides will be distributed this week and tests will take place in the middle of next week. If you would still like to do test corrections for the unit 1 test, you have until this Friday to sign up and complete them.

As usual, please continue to use Google Classroom for daily updates & materials.

This week, AP Psychology students have been learning about the parts of the brain. We worked on creating mnemonic devices (memory tricks) to remember all of the different parts and their functions. There is a lot of vocabulary to remember in this unit, so make sure to study a little bit every night!

Regular Psychology classes have also been studying the brain. We made even made brain hats for hat day on Thursday! These students have a brain quiz on Tuesday and will need to know the location and function of all the parts we’ve studied.

Sociology students have been learning about culture. Today they participated in a Socratic Seminar (structured discussion) based on an article they read about Millennial culture. This class has a quiz on culture vocabulary Tuesday (they received a study guide yesterday)

Have a great weekend and have fun (and be safe) at Homecoming!

Here’s what we’ve been up to this week:

AP Psych has started their 2nd unit of study-The Biological Bases of Behavior. We have learned about the parts of the neuron, neurotransmitters and how drugs and other substances affect the nervous system. On Friday, we had a Socratic Seminar (class discussion based on a text) about the opioid crisis. Students have reading questions due Monday and should also be completing their discussion reflection over the weekend.

Regular psych classes are also studying the nervous system. They have a quiz coming up on Monday covering neurons, neurotransmitters and the divisions of the nervous system. There is an answer key to the review activity available on Google Classroom to study. Students have also had the chance to revise their research proposals to earn back points that they missed. This is a great opportunity to improve grades before the cardmarking.

Sociology has started a unit on culture. On Thursday and Friday they worked on creating a Google Slides presentation about the culture of a foreign country. This is a summative assessment grade and should be uploaded to Google Classroom by Monday.

Students in all three classes have the opportunity to sign up for test corrections before/after school or during C lunch. This will allow students to improve their grades and gain a better understanding of the material. Corrections will be available up until the next unit test.

Please remember to check Google Classroom for daily updates and materials.

Here’s our weekly update:

All 3 classes had unit tests this week. Next week, a calendar will be available for students to sign up for test corrections. Students may sign up to come in before/after school or during C lunch to correct their answers and earn back up to half of the points they missed. For the elective Psych and Sociology classes, this option is only available to students who completed the study guide on time.

Next week, both Psych and AP Psych will be moving into our biology units. We will be learning about the brain and nervous system and how various substances such as drugs and alcohol impact the human body.

Sociology students are starting a new unit on culture. We will be examining our own cultures, as well as researching the norms, values and mores of a variety of foreign cultures.

Please continue to check Google Classroom for daily updates and materials. Have a great weekend!

We made it through our first full week of school and things are starting to get busy! Here’s what we’ve been up to this week:

Psychology classes are writing research proposals for experiments they have designed. Students will have an additional day (Monday) to work on these during class time. The instructions are on Google Classroom and the projects should be submitted through a link on Classroom. Psychology students have the following due dates coming up:

Wednesday, 9/18: Projects & study guides due by the start of class

Thursday 9/19: Unit 1 Test (History, Perspectives & Research Methods). Bell work will be collected before the test.

AP Psych is also wrapping up their first unit. They received a study guide that will help them prepare for their unit test next Thursday. This class also has an online discussion assignment due Friday 9/20.

Sociology received a study guide yesterday and has a test coming up on Wednesday 9/ 18. Study guides are due Monday. We will spend some time reviewing Monday to prepare. Bell work will be collected the day of the test.

I am available for extra help most days before/after school and during C lunch. Students, as you prepare for your first unit tests, please take advantage of these opportunities to seek help if you need it. Have a great weekend and don’t forget to find some time to study!