Introduction to

Advanced Placement United States

History

APUSH1

Why study history?

• "There is divine beauty in learning... To learn means to accept the postulate that life did not begin at my birth. Others have been here before me, and I walk in their footsteps. The books I have read were composed by generations of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, teachers and disciples. I am the sum total of their experiences, their quests. And so are you."

— Elie Wiesel, writer/Holocaust survivor

Quotes about History

“History is the memory of things said and done.” ----Carl Becker

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To Bee or not to Bee? – that is the question!

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Rules for Success in Life Rules for Success in this Class:

• Be Here

• Be on Time

• Be Prepared

• Be Respectful

• Be Involved

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Course Description• Equivalent of a freshman college course and

can earn students college credit.

• Two semester survey of American history (Pre-Columbian America to the present time).

• Solid reading and writing skills

• Critical and analytical thinking skills, essay writing, and on interpretation of primary and secondary sources.

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Course Objective• 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• Prepare for and successfully pass the AP Exam

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Textbook and Supplemental Material

• The American Pageant; Bailey, Cohen, Kennedy 12th Edition

• The American Spirit; Vol. 1 to 1877;Bailey, Kennedy, 10th Edition

• The American Spirit; Vol. 2 to Present; Bailey, Kennedy, 10th Edition

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Major Themes of the Course• American Diversity• American Identity• Culture • Demographic Changes• Economic Transformations• Environment• Globalization• Politics and Citizenship• Reform• Religion• Slavery and its’ legacies in North America• War and Diplomacy

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ATTENDANCE

• All Absences – You will miss classroom instruction which cannot be replaced – you need to be here. Period.

• Excused Absences – You are to make up all work. If your absence is excused your daily grade will be excused but all work will be checked for make up in your notebook.

• Unexcused Absences – You will receive a “0” for any work missed during an unexcused absence. It is to your benefit, however, to make up all work and place it in your notebook!

• Bottom Line – Be Here! 11

Homework• AP courses are demanding and require daily homework.

• Students planning to earn a score of 4 or 5 will spend a MINIMUM of SEVEN hours per week studying.

• Homework is mainly reading and NOT daily written work or take-home worksheets.

• Students will be expected to keep taking notes in a systematic fashion.

• The bonus to the student is that they can plan their own study time to more easily match their schedule.

• The pitfall is that the student can easily slack off and, after 7-10 days, fall rapidly behind.

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Grading Procedure

• It’s not your “IQ”, it’s your “I do” that matters!

GRADES40%- Tests/Projects

30%- Essays

20%- Class/Notebook Work

10%- Homework

NO EXTRA CREDIT EVER!!!

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MaterialWhat you need for

class….. • #2 Sharpened Pencil(s)• Blue or Black Pen(s)• Erasers• Highlighter(s)• Key ring (USB) flash drive to store papers and projects• One A.P. US History Test Prep Book or Cards (Princeton,

Barrons, etc.)• 3-ring binder and dividers and plenty of loose leaf paper.

BRING THESE TO CLASS DAILY!14

AP US History: Secrets of the AP Exam

Or—what you need to know to get through the next 36 weeks and

pass the exam.

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Reasons to take the AP course and try really hard to pass the exam…

• Colleges and universities see AP experience as a huge plus.

• AP experience will give you the reading, writing and thinking skills so important to college success.

• Passing the AP exam will give you college credit and save you money in the long run.

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The National Pass Rate

• Only 53% of students who take the AP exam pass with a score of 3 or better.

• This is not to scare you, but to show you how much work we have to do to make sure you all are one of the 53%!

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How is the Exam Structured?

• Part I—Multiple Choice

• 50% of the final score

• Part II—Writing Section

• 50% of the final score. Of that, the DBQ counts for 45% and the 2 essays combined for 55%.

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How well do I need to do on the multiple choice section?

• In order to score a 3 (or pass) on this section, you must have 48 points (60%). Remember, that is the score after the guessing penalty is subtracted from the number you got correct.

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Multiple Choice—BREAKDOWN BY ERA

ERA PERCENT OF QUESTIONS

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS

1600 TO 1789 17 13 OR 14

1790 TO 1914 50 40

1915 TO PRESENT

33 26 OR 27

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BREAK DOWN BY GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER

SUBJECT PERCENT OFQUESTIONS

# OFQUESTIONS

POLITICAL INSTITUTIONSAND BEHAVIOR ANDPUBLIC POLICY

35 28

SOCIAL CHANGE 35 28

DIPLOMACY ANDINTERNATIONALRELATIONS

15 12

ECONOMIC CHANGE 10 8

CULTURAL ANDINTELLECTUALDEVELOPMENTS

5 421

EXPLANATION OF CHARTS

• A BIAS TOWARD THE CONSTITUTION THROUGH WWI

• POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES EMPHASIZED

• LITTLE ABOUT ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL TRENDS

• AT MOST TWO OR THREE QUESTIONS PAST 1975

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NO MILITARY HISTORY AND

TRIVIAL PURSUIT•THE APUSH EXAM DOESN’T ASK ABOUT MILITARY HISTORY

•WHEN IT ASKS ABOUT WAR, THE QUESTIONS CONCERNS THE POLITICAL OR SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF A WAR RATHER THAN THE DETAILS OF WARFARE

•APUSH QUESTIONS NEVER TEST ROTE MEMORIZATION ONLY. WHILE YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR FACTS TO DO WELL ON THIS TEST, THE QUESTIONS ALWAYS ASK FOR INFORMATION IN THE CONTEXT OF LARGER HISTORICAL TRENDS.

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What about the DBQ?

• An essay question that requires you to interpret primary source documents.

• Documents might include the following:

Newspaper articles/editorialsLetters/diariesSpeechesLegislation Political cartoonsCharts and graphs

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A Different DBQ

• The US History DBQ is different than the World History DBQ.

• For the US exam, you have to not only discuss the documents, but also include outside information to prove that you know more about the topic.

• Without outside information, it is impossible to get more than a 4 out of 9 on your DBQ!

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What Is the Free-Response Question?

• Two part essay section– Pre – 1870 (one prior to 1740)– After – 1870 (one after 1950)

• Two questions in each group – select one from each group

• 70 minutes to plan and write both essays

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What Is the Free-Response Question?Continued• Yes and No

– Multiple arguments

• All outside information

• Not as long or in-depth as DBQ

• Defensible thesis

• Information to support thesis

• Evidence, Evidence, Evidence27

Class Discussion

• What is difficult about each of the following areas of the course? What can we do as a class to better get through them?

• 1. Reading and understanding the text

• 2. Taking effective notes

• 3. Doing well on multiple choice

• 4. Doing well on DBQs

• 5. Doing well on essays28

Goals for the Year

• Take 5 minutes to come up with three SPECIFIC goals about what you hope to accomplish in this course.

• Your goal should not be as big as “to pass the exam,” but something more specific like “take more effective Cornell Notes during discussion,” or, “be sure I study my notes for at least twenty minutes a night.”

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A Little about Mr. Marco• Born September 19,1972.• Teaching at McArthur High since 2004.• Florida International University/St. Thomas

University- B.A and M.S. degrees.• Social Studies certified teacher.• Native Floridian- Cuban descent• Passion includes traveling, reading, music, and

sports.• Father of two beautiful children: Grace (13 years

old) and Gavin (4 years old).• I know all of the Presidents of the United States in

numerical order

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