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Sage Wisdom

Page history last edited by Mr. Hengsterman 9 years, 5 months ago

 

What advice do you have for a student who is considering taking APUSH next year? (Cliffs Notes Version)


 #1. Be prepared for the work.  Study consistently, even if it means only looking at vocab  for 10 minutes
#2.  Be prepared for a lot of homework, but it is worth it.
#3.  I think they need to start working as hard as they can from the beginning, not halfway through the course, and also to manage their time wisely.
#4.  This sounds stupid but try not to get behind. It really is one of the most annoying things to do.
But you don’t want to spend 3-6 hours trying to get caught up.
#5.
   Make sure you know what you are getting into. Have good study habits
#6.  Love History . If you don’t love history don’t take this course. But I feel that if you are looking to get college credit ASAP, then this is a good course to take.
#7.  Don’t take it if you are not willing to do a lot of work. Its get better as you get used to it. Start studying for the AP exam 2 months in advance… you are going to want to
#8.  Don’t freak out over your grades, the averages work out in the end.
#9.  Start studying early. Make a plan of attack for each assignment. Find a study group early.
#10.  Take good class notes. Study identifications. Study guided reading questions. Read questions carefully. USE COMMON SENSE, especially for multiple choice.
 #11.  Take decent notes, understand concepts, work on essays in general and know key strategies for the multiple choice section, with good studying for the test and exam. Memorize vocab for quizzes.
#12.  Be prepared. It’s worth taking, but you have to realize it’s not always easy. You have to think and draw upon the knowledge that you already have and keep applying recent events to find reasoning and logic behind actions.


What advice do you have for a student who is considering taking APUSH next year? (Unabridged)


 

 

Please note: The following comments were collected in my annual post exam survey. You can view the entire collection of student comments on the class wiki over the summer

 

“ Don't fall behind on the guided readings!! It's so hard to catch up once you fall behind, even if it's only by like 5 questions. Budget your time, and do a little every night. I'm telling you this because this is exactly what I didn't do and I really regret it. This isn't just a class, it's a lifestyle. It's the most involved course I've ever taken, but I don't regret it. The week before the AP will be the worst week of your life. But it's worth it. You'll have fun.”

 

 “You have to be dedicated to the course, if you won't have the time to keep up with the guided readings or you aren't one to study your notes that night the course might not be right for you. It is a tough class with a heavy workload. Breaks from school don't mean breaks from APUSH. If you aren't willing to really commit to the class and give much time to the class it may not be right for you.”

 

 

 “Be organized. -Don't let the summer assignment scare you; it gives you a taste of what's to come in the upcoming year. Don't procrastinate until August and let it loom over your head the entire summer. Get it done and then review it towards the end of the summer as a refresher. If you wait until the end to do it, it sets your mood for the rest of the year. Develop good habits early and stay focused. -The class Wiki is one of your best friends. -Omits are very helpful for boosting your grade. -If you're not friends with the Ballston APUSH facebook page, you may want to change that very quickly if you're considering taking the class. -If you survived AP Global, you'll be fine. If you're a Regents student who's moving up to the AP level, the class will be a challenge. The pace is fast, the time is constricted, and the homework load is demanding, but it's possible. You WILL become accustomed to the life of an AP student. -If there's room on your schedule, take both of Mr. Bubel's "America in the Shadow of War" classes. It's an easy class that goes in-depth in the Korean, Vietnam, and Middle-Eastern conflicts with great class discussions. Seeing how APUSH only reaches the Nixon Administration before taking your AP National Exam, there will be content on the test that's beyond Nixon (such as Reagan's Administration). This class will help you so much with these questions.”

 

 “I strongly suggest you do the guided readings thoroughly and to the best of your abilities. Don't skip around- work your way through them methodically, and you will have a better understanding of big-picture stuff, like long-range cause-and-effect and timelines. Stay organized. Keep a binder. I didn't, and just threw all my stuff in a folder- late in the year I grew envious of the people who could flip to a specific period of talking points in their binders while I was futilely hunting through my mess of paper. That folder was basically exploding by the end of the year. Also, take advantage of the omits.”

 

 

 

 “ Dear Student, if you are considering taking APUSH, you should consider the following. The teacher is absolutely fantastic, and is most likely the hardest worker in the entire school. He’s only there to help you and is very approachable for questions, discussion or the occasional opinion. You would need to keep up diligently in the textbook over time. If you decided to take a little break, your burden will exponentially increase over time and it will become close to impossible to catch up. When you take APUSH, you have to realize it is not a fact based class. You could literally know every single piece of American history, but if you could not properly analyze and look at trends, you will fail. You have to be willing to look into the material for what it truly is, not individual events and instances but a chain of occurrences strung together that forms the fabric of our nation’s identity. You cannot come to the course and memorize everything and expect to succeed. While memory plays a big part I think it would be far more fruitful to have a fundamental understanding of our nation’s path over the last 500 years.”

 

 

 

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