AP US History

We will be covering American History this year, from pre-history to current events and issues.  Because this is designed as a course in which you can earn college credit, it is a challenging class and requires both time and effort.  The material will be covered both by lecture and individual reading of the textbook and supplemental materials.  There is an emphasis in this class on reading and writing skills.  The class will be designed with the AP test in mind, and so will be based on the outline provided by the College Board.

Expectations of the class:  Your homework will consist of reading both the textbook and supplemental materials, studying review book chapters, writing essays and analyzing documents, both primary and secondary sources.  A majority of what you read will come from your textbook, but there will be supplementary documents (primary and secondary sources) to give you a more clear understanding of events and people.  You will keep track of your information through outlines and notes taken in class and from the textbook, supplemented by D&S’s AP US History Review book (the “Green Book”).  Essays and responses will be written regularly to prepare you for the essay section of the AP test.  You will also complete periodic homework assignments. All work must be turned in by the end of the day to be counted and absent work must be made up/turned in within one week of your return.  Please plan to spend a minimum of one hour per night studying for AP US History.

Textbook:  We will use the text as the main source of material.  The students are expected to read the assigned material each week (10 pages a night) and take notes.  These notes may be in bullet or outline form and should be kept in the appropriate section of your 3-ring binder.  This will be checked periodically for a miscellaneous grade.  The students are responsible for maintaining vocabulary cards with the names, events and vocabulary required for each week.

Review Book: The student will review, using the material and multiple choice questions in D&S’s AP US History Review Book (purchased through Miss Elliott).  The review book provides a concise review of the material and will help provide the student with an overall picture of American history.  Students are responsible for answering the multiple choice questions at the end of each unit.  Fifty percent of the exam questions for each unit will come from this source.

Primary Sources: We will be using documents from the document package provided by the book, along with documents, artwork and political cartoons from other resources.  The texts also provide additional documents such as maps, artwork, political cartoons, graphs and statistics to be used to better understand and analyze the social, political and economic trends over time.  Remember, all material has potential to be seen on the tests.

Essays (20% of your grade):  Essays and responses will be written regularly to prepare you for the essay section of the AP test.  These will be completed both as in-class assignments and on exams.  Class discussions, primary source analysis and your readings will be directly related to your essays and should be used to further extend your analysis of the topic.  Exam essay questions will NOT be given out prior to the exam.  Essays may be handwritten or typed, but please be neat and organized in your writing.

Homework (10% = Homework; 10% = Reading Quizzes):  The student will complete various homework assignments designed to establish a knowledge base in American history and practice analytical and evaluative skills.  Additionally, there will be short reading quizzes at the beginning of class on most days that directly relate to the reading assignment for the previous night. 

Tests/Quizzes (Tests = 25%, Quizzes = 15%, Debate = 15%):  Assessment will include vocabulary quizzes, unit exams and debates.  The vocabulary quizzes will be weekly (the first day of the week you have my class) and will assist in your recognition and application of names, events and concepts.  Your unit tests will be similar in structure to the AP Exam, including multiple choice, essay and/or document-based questions.  The debates will be held once every six weeks and will be your six-week test grade.

Miscellaneous (5% of your grade):  This category will include class participation, notebook checks and various classwork and homework assignments.  You are expected to participate in class discussions, which are an essential part of the analytical process.  Your notes from class and from reading should be kept in your spiral notebook in an orderly fashion. 

Teacher Websites © 2012 Edline