Mrs. Hyland

 The AP U.S. History course is designed to provide students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in U.S. history.  The program prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses.  Students should learn to assess historical materials – their relevance to a given interpretive problem, reliability, and importance – and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship.  An AP U.S. History course should thus develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay format.  (from the CollegeBoard’s AP United States History Course Description handbook).

 Students are enrolled in a college-level class during high school  The course work is rigorous but rewarding  Students develop numerous skills that they will use beyond this class  A deeper understanding of what it means to be a historian  Advanced writing techniques  Familiarity with the rigor of a college class

 Themes  American and National Identity (NAT) Theme focuses on how and why definitions of American and national identity and values have developed, as well as on related topics such as citizenship, constitutionalism, foreign policy, assimilation, and American exceptionalism.  Politics and Power (POL) Theme focuses on how different social and political groups have influenced society and government in the United States, as well as how political beliefs and institutions have changed over time.  Work, Exchange, and Technology (WXT) Theme focuses on the factors behind the development of systems of economic exchange, particularly the role of technology, economic markets, and government.  Culture and Society (CUL) Theme focuses on the roles that ideas, beliefs, social mores, and creative expression have played in shaping the United States, as well as how various identities, cultures, and values have been preserved or changed in different contexts of U.S. history.

 Migration and Settlement (MIG) Theme focuses on why and how the various people who moved to and within the United States both adapted to and transformed their new social and physical environments.  Geography and the Environment (GEO) Theme focuses on the role of geography and both the natural and human-made environments on social and political developments in what would become the United States.  America in the World (WOR) Theme focuses on the interactions between nations that affected North American history in the colonial period, and on the influence of the United States on world affairs.

 The first few days we will be analyzing the skills you MUST have to be successful in this class  Skill I: Historical Causation-compare causes/effects analyze and evaluate multiple causes and effects, and distinguishing coincidence and correlation  Skill II: Patterns of Continuity and Change over Time-analyze and evaluate historical patterns of continuity and change over time  Skill III: Periodization-organizing events within blocks of time  Skill IV: Comparison-historical developments and processes across place, time, and societies  Skill V: Contextualization-specific events connect to broader regional, national, or process connect to other  Skill VI: Historical Argumentation-evaluate and synthesize conflicting historical evidence  Skill VII: Appropriate Use of Relevant Historical Evidence-use features such as audience, purpose, point of view, argument, limitations, etc..  Skill VIII: Interpretation-analyze diverse historical interpretations  Skill IX: Synthesis-apply insights about the past or historical context

 The course culminates with an end of course exam, designed by the College Board  55 Multiple Choice Questions: 55 minutes/40%  4 Short Answer Questions: 45 minutes/20%  1 Document Based Question: 60 minutes/25%  1 Long-essay Question: 35 Minutes/15%  If the student earns a 3, 4, or 5 on the exam, they will earn college credit

 Period 1: 1491 – 1607 – Exam=5%  Period 2: 1607 – 1754 EXAM= ( Sections 2,3,4,5 = 45%)  Period 3: 1754 – 1800 EXAM= (Sections 2,3,4,5 = 45%)  Period 5: 1844 – 1877EXAM= ( Sections 2,3,4,5 = 45%)  Period 6: 1865 – 1898 (6,7,8 = 45%)  Period 7: 1890 – 1945 – 17% EX = (6,7,8 = 45%)  Period 8: 1945 – 1980 – 15% EX = (6,7,8 = 45%)  Period 9: 1980 – Present – 5% EX = 5%

 Question Based on Passages One of the most sinister features of DDT and related chemicals is the way they are passed on from one organism to another through all the links of the food chains.... The poison may also be passed on from mother to offspring. Insecticide residues have been recovered from human milk in samples tested by Food and Drug Administration scientists. This means that the breast-fed human infant is receiving small but regular additions to the load of toxic chemicals building up in his body. It is by no means his first exposure, however: there is good reason to believe this begins while he is still in the womb. - Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, 1962 M U L T I P L E C H O I C E E X A M P L E The following two multiple choice questions refer to the excerpt below:

The excerpt above would be most useful to historians as a source of information on which of the following? A. The government effort to expand agricultural productivity through subsidies B. The foundations of feminist concerns about women’s health issues C. The growing concern about the environmental impacts of economic development D. The effects of post–Second World War federal regulation on commerce

 The successful student will complete all reading and class assignments on time, allowing himself sufficient time to thoroughly do his work.  The successful student will take good, careful notes in class, contribute to any class discussions, and ask any questions whenever the need should arise so to better understand the material being covered.  The successful student will be adequately prepared for any quizzes or exams throughout the week because he has put in the time and effort beforehand to know and understand the material.  The successful student will work to improve his writing skills so to write well-written, logical and insightful essays for class.

 Prepare for tests by  Reading the chapter and taking their own notes  Use the Study Guide to highlight main ideas  Use the Review Book  Use practice tests  Compare their reading notes with the class notes  Know the story and enjoy history!  See me to get help if necessary

  Phone: (440)  Free Periods:  4 th Period  7 th Period  8 th Period  Before school