Teachers will learn the formula used to craft pacing that aligns with their school schedule and ensures all required AP® African American Studies content is covered. Attendees will also receive access to a sample mini unit plan for topics 1.2-1.5 that aligns to chapter one of the AP® edition of Freedom on My Mind.
Alysha Butler is a 24-year veteran social studies teacher who currently teaches AP® African American Studies and U.S. History. She also served on the Development Committee for the AP® African American Studies course. As a Senior Program Manager for Inclusive Social Studies Curriculum for the Digital Team at GBH, she has developed and written online resources for PBS LearningMedia’s History and Civics Collections. She was awarded the 2024 Margaret Sue Copenhaver Contribution to Education Award, the 2019 History Teacher of the Year by the Daughters of the American Revolution for the District of Columbia, and 2019 Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year for her innovative lessons and civics-based student projects. In 2019 she was a D.C. Community Cornerstone Awardee, and in 2020 she became the first teacher ever appointed to the Gilder Lehrman Board of Trustees.
Rachel Williams-Giordano is a high school social science teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She holds M.A.T. and M.Ed. degrees from Emmanuel College and a B.S. in Political Science from Georgia Southern University. With over 15 years of classroom experience, Rachel was a Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year finalist in 2023. She teaches AP® United States History, AP® U.S. GoPo, and AP® African American Studies, which she launched during its pilot phase. She served as a Reader and Question Leader for the AP® AfAm Studies Exam and as a Reader for the AP® U.S. GoPo Exam. As the lead APSI consultant for AP® African American Studies since 2022, she trains teachers nationwide.
