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= = = = = = =**Advanced Placement United States History**= =**Mr. Rutkowski**= =**2016 - 2017**=

=**__Textbook__: The American Nation (13th edition)**= = = =**__Summer Assignment__ :** =

**Part 1: **You are to read the first three chapters of the textbook. You are to complete notes for Chapters 1 -3. You may do this in any format that you wish. They will be checked for a grade the day you get back for school next year. There will be an objective test given the first week of school on the first three chapters.


 * June 10th - July 2nd**
 * Read and take notes on Chapter 1


 * July 2nd - July 22nd**
 * Read and take notes on Chapter 2


 * July 23rd - August 12th**
 * Read and take notes on Chapter 3

Click the following link for additional information on the upcoming exam:

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/3501.html

General Instructions for assignments
> AP U.S. History is a demanding course that is meant to be the equivalent of a freshman college course. It is a full year course in American history from the Age of Exploration and Discovery to the 21st century. Exceptional reading and writing skills, along with a willingness to devote time to homework and study, are necessary to succeed. A.P. U.S. History may replace the 11th grade course of study for the PENNCREST School District. One purpose of this course is to develop critical thinking skills by emphasizing analysis and evaluation as well as knowledge of factual content. Students must demonstrate these skills through the written word and class participation. The course is writing-intensive. Homework will consist primarily of reading assignments for which students are responsible for mastery of factual information. Students are required to take notes. There will be assignments over regularly scheduled holiday breaks. Those who successfully complete the class should be prepared for the A.P. examination in May. > **__Course Objectives__****:** > · Master a broad body of historical knowledge > · Demonstrate an understanding of historical chronology > · Use historical data to support an argument or position > · Interpret and apply data from original documents, including cartoons, graphs, letters, etc. > · Effectively use analytical skills of evaluation, cause and effect, compare and contrast > · Prepare for and successfully pass the Advanced Placement Exam > **__Course Text:__** > Garraty, John A., and Carnes, Mark C., __The American Nation: A History of the United States__, 13th edition. New York: Addison Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 2008 > **__Supplemental Texts:__** > __Voices of the American Nation Volume One__, New York: Pearson Education Inc. 2008 > __Voices of the American Nation Volume Two__, New York: Pearson Education Inc. 2008 > //*It is strongly encouraged that students purchase a Test Prep Book for the AP Exam// > **__Course Purpose__****:** > First and foremost, students will learn U.S. history and government in great depth and breadth. The course is also intended to prepare students to take the AP U.S. History Exam. A.P. students must assume a high degree of responsibility for their education. > **__Organization:__** > Course will be divided into weekly units of study. Test dates will be noted. Students are responsible for keeping up with reading assignments and being aware of, and ready for, the tests. Class will be a combination of lecture, group work, coverage of discussion questions, and answering student questions. Students can expect to be assigned a writing activity each week of study. Weekly writing activities will be presented in a variety of forms such as short answer questions, essay questions and Document Based Questions (DBQ). > **__Supplies:__** > In addition to the class text students will be required to keep a notebook. The notebook will contain all lecture notes, will house all vocabulary terms, and will house all other activities. Each notebook must be kept organized by chapter and students. > **__Study Techniques:__** > The reading load is considerable. In class we will cover an average of a Chapter per week. Each student is expected to read all text material. You are responsible for understanding all of the material for testing. The amount of time required for homework for this class will vary with your reading speed. Assignments vary in length. Plan ahead for long assignments. Time management is an essential skill for this class, and you must take the responsibility for budgeting your time. > **__Grading:__** > The grading scale is as follows: A=93%; B=83%; C=74%; D=65%. This scale applies to tests, quizzes, and assignments. Students can expect an exam to immediately follow each chapter of study. All assignments will be equally weighted and assigned a point value. Final grades will be a percentage grade based on total points accumulated. > > **__Tests and the Advanced Placement Exam__****:** > The AP Exam is given in May. Registration for the exam takes place in February. All Students are expected to take the Exam. A chapter test will be assigned at the conclusion of each chapter of the book. > **__Preparation:__** > Summer reading: Students will be required to read Chapter One through Three of their text book. There will be an exam on these three chapters the first week of school. //* Course Sequence and Tentative Timeline// //(time line may/will be adjusted for interruptions in school calendar such as holidays, snow days, assemblies, and district wide testing)//
 * **Advanced Placement United States History**
 * **__Course Design:__**

AP Test Prep
__Text:__ AP Test Prep (Note: These lessons will be utilized to help the students prepare for the AP exam. The Test prep books and assignments will be based on the books and online materials the students have access to. The Teacher may have students complete Mock AP exams during this time period as well)
 * For the May 2017 Exam Administration and Beyond **

The following strategies for answering the free-response questions were developed by faculty consultants to help you on exam day:
 * Answering essay questions generally requires a good deal of training and practice. Students too often begin to write immediately, creating a string of disconnected, poorly planned thoughts. You need to learn to attack questions methodically and to plan your answers before putting pencil to paper.
 * Carefully analyze the question, thinking through what is being asked, and identify the elements that must be addressed in the response. Others require you to consider all the similarities between people or events, and then to think of all the ways they are different.
 * After you have determined what is involved in answering the question, consider what evidence you can incorporate into your response. Review the evidence you learned during the year that relates to the question and then decide how it fits into the analysis. Does it demonstrate a similarity or difference? Does it argue for or against the generalization that is being addressed?
 * Whenever you offer evidence to illustrate contrast or similarity, clearly state your intent. Then, with additional information or analysis, elaborate on the ways in which these pieces of evidence are similar or different. If there is evidence that refutes a statement, explain why it argues against the statement. Your answer should reflect an understanding of the subtleties of the questions.
 * Begin writing only after you have thought through the evidence you plan to use, and have determined what your thesis statement will be. Once you have done this, you will be in a position to answer the question analytically instead of in a rambling narrative. You will also know whether you are going to argue on a side that supports or refutes the statement, and whether similarities outweigh the differences.
 * Learn how to present your thesis statement: describe your overarching framework and then position your supporting evidence so that it is obviously directed to the question—not just a string of abstract generalizations. State your points as clearly as possible, not leaving it to the reader to infer what is meant or how something illustrates a point.
 * If you have done the analytical work required prior to writing, you should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of the question. You should be able to state your thesis, introduce the elements that support the thesis, and demonstrate the logic that led you to link the elements in support of the thesis. By applying these ideas you will construct an excellent essay.
 * While essay writing in general is a valuable exercise, you may wish to work specifically on free-response questions from previous AP Examinations. This will allow you to compare your own responses with those that have already been scored and evaluated by faculty consultants. Free-response questions are available through the Advanced Placement Program® in numerous formats.

1. Multiple Choice: Time and the Test Booklet
You have about 60 seconds per question. Therefore, you need to use your time wisely answering the questions you know best first and eliminating obvious wrong answers as you go through. Don’t be afraid to write on your test booklet to keep track. Mark through the answers you know are wrong. Clearly mark when you skip a question so you can return to it quickly before the end of the test.

2. Multiple Choice: Reading the Questions and Answers
Look for key words in questions such as EXCEPT, NOT, or ALWAYS. The wording of answers is important too. In the AP US History exam, you are choosing the best answer which may mean that several answers could appear to be correct.

3. General Essay Writing: Voice and Thesis
Be sure to write with “voice” in your essay. In other words, pretend that you have some authority on the subject. Make sure to take a stand in your answer and not be wishy-washy. This stand should be stated immediately through your thesis which is one or two sentences that directly answer the question. The rest of the essay should then support your thesis.

4. General Essay Writing: Data Dumping
Be sure that your essay includes historical facts to prove your thesis. However, “data dumping” will not gain you any extra points and can result in a lowering of your score. It also runs the risk of you including incorrect data which would hurt your overall score.

5. Standard Essay: Question Choice
Avoid broad survey questions. They appear easy because you know a lot of information about them. However, they are often the most challenging because of the breadth required to answer them effectively. Writing a provable thesis can pose real problems for these types of questions.

6. DBQ: Reading the Question
Make sure to answer all parts of the question. It is important to spend some time going over each part and it may even help to reword the question.

7. DBQ: Examining the Documents
Carefully examine each document. Make a judgment concerning point of view and the possible origin of each document. Don’t be afraid to underline key points and make relevant historical notes in the margin.

8. DBQ: Using the Documents
DBQ: Do not try to use all of the documents in your DBQ answer. In fact, it is better to effectively use less than to ineffectively use more. A good rule of thumb is to use 4 documents well to prove your thesis.

9. General AP Exam Tip: Eating and Sleeping
Eat a healthy dinner the night before before, get a good night’s sleep, and eat breakfast the morning of the exam.