ap Teaching AP History courses? Here are my tips & tricks

[orelbeilinson]

After teaching 4 years of APWH, APUSH and APEH, including 3 years as a reader (dropped APEH and APEngLit after they came up with the 'one subject requirement') with high passing rates, here are my tips and tricks for teaching AP History courses:

 

1. AP United States History:
   1. The course was redesigned. It is going to be our first year with the redesigned course, and it is important to adapt ourselves to it. The good things are that the course description is now as detailed as APWH (so it helps you be sure that you covered everything to the little details) and that the exam at least looks more doable. A full practice exam is already available for AP Course Audit approved teachers (inc. homeschool teachers). I use America's History published by Bedford St. Martin's/
   2. Do not skip content. Many of my students, especially those coming from Middle Eastern educational systems, tend to "gamble" on exam content (i.e. what can I not study without penalty?). The answer is, obviously, NOTHING. Students usually have to show detailed understanding of all periods.
   3. Substantiate everything with relevant historical information. The more the merrier. You are not penalised for saying wrong things, but you are rewarded for saying right things. Be sure to add relevant historical information even in your DBQ answers.
2. AP European History:
   1. My only advice for this year: WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR. The course is redesigned.
3. AP World History:
   1. Focus on big ideas and themes. World History is about the big picture, unlike APUSH and APEU that are all for details. Students need to understand how world history is connected by interactions, and even more important: what continued, what changed.
   2. Follow the course description. The course description is very detailed and can work for your as a checklist. 
   3. DBQ your life out. The DBQ is only essay in APWH where prior historical knowledge doesn't give you anything. The more your practice, the better you write.
      1. Emphasise the difference between 'understands the basic meaning of the documents' and 'supports thesis with appropriate evidence from all or all but one document'. None of them asks you to summarise the documents. Trust me, by the time we read your student's essay in the reading we know the documents by heart. Providing evidence requires for recalling a specific element that is unique to this document. Can be a quote, but doesn't have to. Understanding means that the spirit, intention, and content of each document should be correctly interpreted. Merely quoting, summarising, paraphrasing or attributing are not "supporting" the thesis unless they... support the thesis. They need to relate back to it; hence saying that "Zhi Dun says in Document #2 that ..." is not supporting your thesis. "The financial pressure implied in the second question of the Desposition of Error (Doc #3) is echoed in Emperor Wu's Edict (Doc #6)" is an excellent support, as it draws from two documents to support the thesis. Do not quote large chunks! I say no more than 5 words. Maximum 10.
      2. POV POV POV. The chief reader every year chooses whether the students need 2/3/4 POVs, usually 2. Try to POV as many times as you can, because you are not docked for wrong attempts. POV doesn't mean bias, and please stop focusing on that. POV explains why this particular person might have this particular opinion or evaluates the trustworthiness of the document. My favourite analysis methods are asking WHO produced this document (discussing his age, gender, ethnicity, social status, religion, intellect and how it affects his understanding of reality), asking WHEN was it produced, asking to WHOM was it written (and how it affects the writing of the document) and asking WHY was it written. Saying that Tan Emperor Wu (Doc #6) is biased because he is the emperor is... wrong. Stating the occupation itself does not qualify as "bias".
      3. Additional document - no more women peasants. If I had a penny for every time I read that one good additional document would be from a woman/peasant... Think of this one as additional evidence rather than additional document. Link the required document to what you can do with it. It usually would not really help you hearing from a woman. Would it? Tell me why.  
   4. Some people will define CCOTs as THE ULTIMATE HELL. The Continuities and Change Over Time essay requires you to look for what changed (which is usually the easier part) and what stayed the same.
      1. World Historical Context does not mean comparison. World Historical Context asks you to show how A works within B. So saying that like Han China, Rome also suffered from Barbarian invasions will not count. However, saying that Rome was not the only one to suffer from Barbarian invasions, as virtually all classical empires experienced Barbaric invasions is good. It must be tied to the question and must explain either the cause or the impact with relevant global context. So noting that the Cold War was the dominant foreign event that premeated all domestic affairs in southeast Asia is nice to mention, but is not related to the question (in our case the formation of national identities).
      2. Analyse, analyse, analyse. You need to analyse the reason for at least one change/one continuity. Analysis is simply X happened because Y.
   5. The only tip I can give you about Comparatives that is not covered with CCOT's is direct comparisons. Drawing direct, accurate comparisons is required. 
   6. General essay tips.
      1. THESIS - many, many essays fall because of inadequate thesis. Consider "very, many, things, lots, stuff, ways" as our thesis graveyard. A marginally acceptable thesis looks something like that:
         1. DBQ: "There were mixed responses to Buddhism in China in the 6th century: some were positive, some were negative." 
         2. Comparative: "The Russian Empire and the Spanish Empire were politically and socially different but economically both needed to expand to get the materials needed."
         3. More specificity and more analysis makes your thesis stronger, makes you more organised and generally makes sure that you're on track.
      2. Read sample essays! Readers also have annotated samples from PD, but even unannotated ones that have official scores are good for analysis.
   7. My favourite textbook is Ways of the World (2nd edition) by Strayer.  It's a textbook that students love to read.
   8. ​My favourite prep book is Crash Course by REA. Written by one of my most experienced colleagues, it is often praised by students.
   9. PERSIA your way. Have students write a PERSIA (Political, Economic, Religious, Social, Intellectual, and Artistic) chart for every chapter you read. It helps with essay writing and generally with organising the material.

I would love to grade any of your essays (no charge, I just do it as a part of my routine) and answer questions. I can be contacted on board or through my email: orel@harari.edu.pl.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Interesting observations.

Fwiw I looked at the upheaval caused by the APUSH revision and decided this was exactly the year to do AP Euro. I like the expressed goals behind the changes but think there isn't enough clear explanation of what output meets the new requirements.

 

At least with Euro there are several years worth of graded essays to go over. With US it felt like a lot of guessing.

 

And given that several text are not yet revised to support the new course guidelines ...

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I would be interested to hear how you explain the difference between POV and bias to students.

[orelbeilinson]

Bias has a negative connotation. POV is neutral.

The problem with bias is that it became overused and often said with no justification. Every time we see essays with sentences like "the author of doc #3 is obviously biased because he's British." Point of View is also something more extensive than bias is. I ask them to analyse POV in this way:

1. Motivation - why was this document created?
2. Audience: who were the intended readers? How did the fact that the author know who are the intended readers affect the words he chose? If he published it to different readers, what might have changed? 
3. Exaggeration
4. Occasion - what was going 'behind the scenes' that might help explain WHY the author created this document?

 

WHY did THIS person create THIS document at THIS time? Try to contrast it with some OTHER person, document, or time.

 

And as POV becomes overused as well, I start renaming it slowly to "context".

 

Then we do the "POV party". I hand them a list of student samples of POV analysis and we play the #1 hottest game show online - "POV OR NOT?"

[orelbeilinson]

Interesting observations.

Fwiw I looked at the upheaval caused by the APUSH revision and decided this was exactly the year to do AP Euro. I like the expressed goals behind the changes but think there isn't enough clear explanation of what output meets the new requirements.

 

At least with Euro there are several years worth of graded essays to go over. With US it felt like a lot of guessing.

 

And given that several text are not yet revised to support the new course guidelines ...

What I don't like about the current Euro curriculum is the vagueness. The themes are too broad, and you have a lot of room for guessing. I also prefer rubric-based grading over almost-free grading (as current Euro FRQ's are), because there is less room for mistakes. 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

What I don't like about the current Euro curriculum is the vagueness. The themes are too broad, and you have a lot of room for guessing. I also prefer rubric-based grading over almost-free grading (as current Euro FRQ's are), because there is less room for mistakes. 

 

I would agree about preferring a solid rubric. But what concerns me is the appearance that in June, just a couple months before classes start in many states (our local school goes back at the end of July), many of the teachers in the AP Teacher Community still seem unsure about just what they are preparing their students to do. There will be a lot of walking in faith, hunches and well educated guesses to putting together a syllabus.

 

A teacher who is doing a course or a few courses year after year may have a dip in scores as a revision roles out. That might cause lower enrollment the following year, but for a school where AP USH is standard for juniors, most likely there will still be full classrooms.  But for me, my kids have once chance at each high school year. The score is the score. If the test turns out to be harder than expected or if the grading doesn't flow along the lines that students prepared for, not only do they not have a high score to substantiate the coursework, but they have lost the opportunity of using that year to good purpose.

 

It is a POV issue, is suppose. A teacher of a group of students prepares to bring the group to a certain place academically, knowing that some are already there and that some never will be. But the student has to pick what is the best risk for him at that point in time.

[orelbeilinson]

I would agree about preferring a solid rubric. But what concerns me is the appearance that in June, just a couple months before classes start in many states (our local school goes back at the end of July), many of the teachers in the AP Teacher Community still seem unsure about just what they are preparing their students to do. There will be a lot of walking in faith, hunches and well educated guesses to putting together a syllabus.

 

A teacher who is doing a course or a few courses year after year may have a dip in scores as a revision roles out. That might cause lower enrollment the following year, but for a school where AP USH is standard for juniors, most likely there will still be full classrooms.  But for me, my kids have once chance at each high school year. The score is the score. If the test turns out to be harder than expected or if the grading doesn't flow along the lines that students prepared for, not only do they not have a high score to substantiate the coursework, but they have lost the opportunity of using that year to good purpose.

 

It is a POV issue, is suppose. A teacher of a group of students prepares to bring the group to a certain place academically, knowing that some are already there and that some never will be. But the student has to pick what is the best risk for him at that point in time.

I see the reasoning and I know many teachers who share the same belief (as I led multiple online workshops this year for APUSH teachers preparing for the redesign). My students were a part of the pilot exam last year and I was a part of the pilot reading so I am less concerned about the exam.

 

If you're teaching APEH this year, what textbook do you use? I love McKay as a primary text and the REA Crash Course as prep. Do not forget to put the required emphasis on art. 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I see the reasoning and I know many teachers who share the same belief (as I led multiple online workshops this year for APUSH teachers preparing for the redesign). My students were a part of the pilot exam last year and I was a part of the pilot reading so I am less concerned about the exam.

 

If you're teaching APEH this year, what textbook do you use? I love McKay as a primary text and the REA Crash Course as prep. Do not forget to put the required emphasis on art. 

 

I'm comparing Kagan and Spielvogel. I will be adding Great Courses lectures, primary source and period fiction/memoir readings and dipping into Durant.  I am still on the fence about the AP audit and exam, but it should be a fun year.  I have several boxes of art postcards I collected when we lived in Europe that I can finally justify schlepping around the world.

 

 

[swimmermom3]

I'm comparing Kagan and Spielvogel. I will be adding Great Courses lectures, primary source and period fiction/memoir readings and dipping into Durant.  I am still on the fence about the AP audit and exam, but it should be a fun year.  I have several boxes of art postcards I collected when we lived in Europe that I can finally justify schlepping around the world.

 

Sebastian, for the art portion, the Great Courses, How to Look and Understand Great Art, is perfect.

 

The second portion of the course works well with APEH art portion:

 

1. 21Putting It All Together
2. 22Early Renaissance—Humanism Emergent
3. 23Northern Renaissance—Devil in the Details
4. 24High Renaissance—Humanism Perfected
5. 25Mannerism and Baroque—Distortion and Drama
6. 26Going Baroque—North versus South
7. 2718th-Century Reality and Decorative Rococo
8. 28Revolutions—Neoclassicism and Romanticism
9. 29From Realism to Impressionism
10. 30Postimpressionism—Form and Content Re-Viewed
11. 31Expressionism—Empathy and Emotion
12. 32Cubism—An Experiment in Form
13. 33Abstraction/Modernism—New Visual Language
14. 34Dada Found Objects/Surreal Doodles and Dreams
15. 35Postmodernism—Focus on the Viewer

36Your Next Museum Visit—Do It Yourself!

 

I printed out the featured artworks beforehand (yes, it's a lot of ink). This allowed my son to make his notes and comments directly on the page. He kept the lecture notes, the artwork, additional research, and his essays that were responses to FRQ questions found on the College Board all in a separate notebook. I wish I had found the course earlier, then we would have done the first part with the terminology and techniques prior to the application part. However, you don't actually need the first 20 lectures in order to do the later half. We still plan to go back so we can add that information to ds's art book. He'll receive Fine Arts credit at the end of four years for this along with some additional work.

 

These lectures should make it easy for your students to discuss any of the art essay questions at length. I was also impressed with how much my son was able to apply what he learned when we went to the art museum.

 

I am watching this conversation with interest and trying to restrain myself, because there is a lot of painting to be done with my oldest son moving out and the arrival of our exchange student. Paint is not good for computer keyboards.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

 

Sebastian, for the art portion, the Great Courses, How to Look and Understand Great Art, is perfect.

 

The second portion of the course works well with APEH art portion:

 

1. 21Putting It All Together
2. 22Early Renaissance—Humanism Emergent
3. 23Northern Renaissance—Devil in the Details
4. 24High Renaissance—Humanism Perfected
5. 25Mannerism and Baroque—Distortion and Drama
6. 26Going Baroque—North versus South
7. 2718th-Century Reality and Decorative Rococo
8. 28Revolutions—Neoclassicism and Romanticism
9. 29From Realism to Impressionism
10. 30Postimpressionism—Form and Content Re-Viewed
11. 31Expressionism—Empathy and Emotion
12. 32Cubism—An Experiment in Form
13. 33Abstraction/Modernism—New Visual Language
14. 34Dada Found Objects/Surreal Doodles and Dreams
15. 35Postmodernism—Focus on the Viewer

36Your Next Museum Visit—Do It Yourself!

 

I printed out the featured artworks beforehand (yes, it's a lot of ink). This allowed my son to make his notes and comments directly on the page. He kept the lecture notes, the artwork, additional research, and his essays that were responses to FRQ questions found on the College Board all in a separate notebook. I wish I had found the course earlier, then we would have done the first part with the terminology and techniques prior to the application part. However, you don't actually need the first 20 lectures in order to do the later half. We still plan to go back so we can add that information to ds's art book. He'll receive Fine Arts credit at the end of four years for this along with some additional work.

 

These lectures should make it easy for your students to discuss any of the art essay questions at length. I was also impressed with how much my son was able to apply what he learned when we went to the art museum.

 

I am watching this conversation with interest and trying to restrain myself, because there is a lot of painting to be done with my oldest son moving out and the arrival of our exchange student. Paint is not good for computer keyboards.

 

 

I like the idea of pre-printing the art to take notes on.  Looks like my Staples account is going to get a workout this summer. 

 

One of the sample Euro syllabi refers to the teacher's handouts at the beginning of the year as "The Tree". I thought this was pretty apt.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I like the idea of pre-printing the art to take notes on.  Looks like my Staples account is going to get a workout this summer. 

 

One of the sample Euro syllabi refers to the teacher's handouts at the beginning of the year as "The Tree". I thought this was pretty apt.

 

I am ruing the fact that we don't live near the wonderful DC art museums anymore. 

[EndOfOrdinary]

Thank you all very much for writing this out. I am very intimidated by AP teaching, so I am reading reading reading. I have a few years before my son will take the tests, but all the information people are willing to share now let's me feel more and more at ease when the time comes. Granted, by that time things might be totally different, but at least I won't feel totally lost like I do now.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Thank you all very much for writing this out. I am very intimidated by AP teaching, so I am reading reading reading. I have a few years before my son will take the tests, but all the information people are willing to share now let's me feel more and more at ease when the time comes. Granted, by that time things might be totally different, but at least I won't feel totally lost like I do now.

 

There really is a great deal online.  The College Board website has the official course description, many years of past free response questions (with scoring guidelines, Q&A for teachers on what were common errors, and sample essays that have been graded).  As a home school teacher, you are able to join the teacher communities for the different AP courses.

 

I have found that many teachers have their syllabus, homework assignments and pages of links and references on open class pages.

 

Also, I think that the various study guides are an easy (and cheap) way of getting an idea of where a course is headed.  I've found that libraries frequently have these.  The exams don't change significantly from year to year, unless there is a revision.  So picking up a guidebook that is a couple of years old might not be an issue.

 

 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

 

Sebastian, for the art portion, the Great Courses, How to Look and Understand Great Art, is perfect.

 

The second portion of the course works well with APEH art portion:

 

1. 21Putting It All Together
2. 22Early Renaissance—Humanism Emergent
3. 23Northern Renaissance—Devil in the Details
4. 24High Renaissance—Humanism Perfected
5. 25Mannerism and Baroque—Distortion and Drama
6. 26Going Baroque—North versus South
7. 2718th-Century Reality and Decorative Rococo
8. 28Revolutions—Neoclassicism and Romanticism
9. 29From Realism to Impressionism
10. 30Postimpressionism—Form and Content Re-Viewed
11. 31Expressionism—Empathy and Emotion
12. 32Cubism—An Experiment in Form
13. 33Abstraction/Modernism—New Visual Language
14. 34Dada Found Objects/Surreal Doodles and Dreams
15. 35Postmodernism—Focus on the Viewer

36Your Next Museum Visit—Do It Yourself!

 

I printed out the featured artworks beforehand (yes, it's a lot of ink). This allowed my son to make his notes and comments directly on the page. He kept the lecture notes, the artwork, additional research, and his essays that were responses to FRQ questions found on the College Board all in a separate notebook. I wish I had found the course earlier, then we would have done the first part with the terminology and techniques prior to the application part. However, you don't actually need the first 20 lectures in order to do the later half. We still plan to go back so we can add that information to ds's art book. He'll receive Fine Arts credit at the end of four years for this along with some additional work.

 

These lectures should make it easy for your students to discuss any of the art essay questions at length. I was also impressed with how much my son was able to apply what he learned when we went to the art museum.

 

I am watching this conversation with interest and trying to restrain myself, because there is a lot of painting to be done with my oldest son moving out and the arrival of our exchange student. Paint is not good for computer keyboards.

 

 

Hey, looks like one of the library systems near me has this, so I can give it a test run.  Which is good, because I've gone through my TTC budget for this course already.  :lol: 

 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Another tip (especially for the government courses) is to make sure you understand the difference between what different verbs on the free response questions are asking for.

 

Identify, describe, define, discuss, explain, compare/contrast, evaluate/assess, and analyze have specific meanings within the context of the exam.  If the question asks for a description of ethnic tensions within Nigeria, just listing a couple of ethnic groups won't meet the guidelines.

 

 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

 

Sebastian, for the art portion, the Great Courses, How to Look and Understand Great Art, is perfect.

 

 

I printed out the featured artworks beforehand (yes, it's a lot of ink). This allowed my son to make his notes and comments directly on the page. He kept the lecture notes, the artwork, additional research, and his essays that were responses to FRQ questions found on the College Board all in a separate notebook. I wish I had found the course earlier, then we would have done the first part with the terminology and techniques prior to the application part. However, you don't actually need the first 20 lectures in order to do the later half. We still plan to go back so we can add that information to ds's art book. He'll receive Fine Arts credit at the end of four years for this along with some additional work.

 

These lectures should make it easy for your students to discuss any of the art essay questions at length. I was also impressed with how much my son was able to apply what he learned when we went to the art museum.

 

I am watching this conversation with interest and trying to restrain myself, because there is a lot of painting to be done with my oldest son moving out and the arrival of our exchange student. Paint is not good for computer keyboards.

 

 

Darn it.  Now I thought I was done buying TTC series for this year. 

 

 

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

That is funny-I enjoyed "The Tree" syllabus too :)

[Sebastian (a lady)]

That is funny-I enjoyed "The Tree" syllabus too :)

I actually found The Tree online yesterday. Some of it is quite interesting. About 100 pages in the middle is a chapter by chapter outline for their text. But then there are pages of lists of figures by topic.

 

I may do something similar but I'd like it to be more interactive where the kids fill it out more.

[swimmermom3]

I like the idea of pre-printing the art to take notes on.  Looks like my Staples account is going to get a workout this summer. 

 

One of the sample Euro syllabi refers to the teacher's handouts at the beginning of the year as "The Tree". I thought this was pretty apt.

 

I remember "The Tree" syllabus. I am blown away by some of the ideas generated by the AP teachers. The cynical part of me wonders what some of the really gifted ones could accomplish if they didn't have to spend 1/4 to 1/3 of their time preparing for the tests.

 

Ever since I started looking at AP syllabi for the three history classes I've felt personally responsible when we drive by a clear cut on the way to the beach. :tongue_smilie:

 

I am ruing the fact that we don't live near the wonderful DC art museums anymore. 

 

I would love to go back to the National Gallery when I have finished the first part of the How to Look at and Understand Great Art.  What I wish Great Courses had done was to make that the broader title for a whole series. This one is limited to predominantly Europe and paintings, although there is a bit of sculpture and architecture.

 

Darn it.  Now I thought I was done buying TTC series for this year. 

 

When it comes to TTC, one is never "done" or has "enough;" you are simply out of funds. :D

I consider Foundations of Western Civ. II and the art one to be the essentials for AP Euro.  Your text will probably have a basic intro for the art and architecture. If you want a bit more preparation before the lectures, you could assign reading from The Annotated Mona Lisa. The readings are short enough that they shouldn't add too much extra stress.

 

I actually found The Tree online yesterday. Some of it is quite interesting. About 100 pages in the middle is a chapter by chapter outline for their text. But then there are pages of lists of figures by topic.

 

I may do something similar but I'd like it to be more interactive where the kids fill it out more.

 

Would you mind sharing the link? What was in the syllabus wasn't really enough to get a feel for the concept, at least for me.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I remember "The Tree" syllabus. I am blown away by some of the ideas generated by the AP teachers. The cynical part of me wonders what some of the really gifted ones could accomplish if they didn't have to spend 1/4 to 1/3 of their time preparing for the tests.

 

Ever since I started looking at AP syllabi for the three history classes I've felt personally responsible when we drive by a clear cut on the way to the beach. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

I would love to go back to the National Gallery when I have finished the first part of the How to Look at and Understand Great Art.  What I wish Great Courses had done was to make that the broader title for a whole series. This one is limited to predominantly Europe and paintings, although there is a bit of sculpture and architecture.

 

 

When it comes to TTC, one is never "done" or has "enough;" you are simply out of funds. :D

I consider Foundations of Western Civ. II and the art one to be the essentials for AP Euro.  Your text will probably have a basic intro for the art and architecture. If you want a bit more preparation before the lectures, you could assign reading from The Annotated Mona Lisa. The readings are short enough that they shouldn't add too much extra stress.

 

 

Would you mind sharing the link? What was in the syllabus wasn't really enough to get a feel for the concept, at least for me.

 

I can't link in this browser, and I can't switch right now.  It was one of the first results when I searched for "AP European History "the tree" "  It came up as a big pdf.  The author of that syllabus is Jessica Young.

 

 

[swimmermom3]

After teaching 4 years of APWH, APUSH and APEH, including 3 years as a reader (dropped APEH and APEngLit after they came up with the 'one subject requirement') with high passing rates, here are my tips and tricks for teaching AP History courses:

 

1. AP United States History:
   1. The course was redesigned. It is going to be our first year with the redesigned course, and it is important to adapt ourselves to it. The good things are that the course description is now as detailed as APWH (so it helps you be sure that you covered everything to the little details) and that the exam at least looks more doable. A full practice exam is already available for AP Course Audit approved teachers (inc. homeschool teachers). I use America's History published by Bedford St. Martin's/
   2. Do not skip content. Many of my students, especially those coming from Middle Eastern educational systems, tend to "gamble" on exam content (i.e. what can I not study without penalty?). The answer is, obviously, NOTHING. Students usually have to show detailed understanding of all periods.
   3. Substantiate everything with relevant historical information. The more the merrier. You are not penalised for saying wrong things, but you are rewarded for saying right things. Be sure to add relevant historical information even in your DBQ answers.
2. AP European History:
   1. My only advice for this year: WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR. The course is redesigned.
3. AP World History:
   1. Focus on big ideas and themes. World History is about the big picture, unlike APUSH and APEU that are all for details. Students need to understand how world history is connected by interactions, and even more important: what continued, what changed.
   2. Follow the course description. The course description is very detailed and can work for your as a checklist. 
   3. DBQ your life out. The DBQ is only essay in APWH where prior historical knowledge doesn't give you anything. The more your practice, the better you write.
      1. Emphasise the difference between 'understands the basic meaning of the documents' and 'supports thesis with appropriate evidence from all or all but one document'. None of them asks you to summarise the documents. Trust me, by the time we read your student's essay in the reading we know the documents by heart. Providing evidence requires for recalling a specific element that is unique to this document. Can be a quote, but doesn't have to. Understanding means that the spirit, intention, and content of each document should be correctly interpreted. Merely quoting, summarising, paraphrasing or attributing are not "supporting" the thesis unless they... support the thesis. They need to relate back to it; hence saying that "Zhi Dun says in Document #2 that ..." is not supporting your thesis. "The financial pressure implied in the second question of the Desposition of Error (Doc #3) is echoed in Emperor Wu's Edict (Doc #6)" is an excellent support, as it draws from two documents to support the thesis. Do not quote large chunks! I say no more than 5 words. Maximum 10.
      2. POV POV POV. The chief reader every year chooses whether the students need 2/3/4 POVs, usually 2. Try to POV as many times as you can, because you are not docked for wrong attempts. POV doesn't mean bias, and please stop focusing on that. POV explains why this particular person might have this particular opinion or evaluates the trustworthiness of the document. My favourite analysis methods are asking WHO produced this document (discussing his age, gender, ethnicity, social status, religion, intellect and how it affects his understanding of reality), asking WHEN was it produced, asking to WHOM was it written (and how it affects the writing of the document) and asking WHY was it written. Saying that Tan Emperor Wu (Doc #6) is biased because he is the emperor is... wrong. Stating the occupation itself does not qualify as "bias".
      3. Additional document - no more women peasants. If I had a penny for every time I read that one good additional document would be from a woman/peasant... Think of this one as additional evidence rather than additional document. Link the required document to what you can do with it. It usually would not really help you hearing from a woman. Would it? Tell me why.  
   4. Some people will define CCOTs as THE ULTIMATE HELL. The Continuities and Change Over Time essay requires you to look for what changed (which is usually the easier part) and what stayed the same.
      1. World Historical Context does not mean comparison. World Historical Context asks you to show how A works within B. So saying that like Han China, Rome also suffered from Barbarian invasions will not count. However, saying that Rome was not the only one to suffer from Barbarian invasions, as virtually all classical empires experienced Barbaric invasions is good. It must be tied to the question and must explain either the cause or the impact with relevant global context. So noting that the Cold War was the dominant foreign event that premeated all domestic affairs in southeast Asia is nice to mention, but is not related to the question (in our case the formation of national identities).
      2. Analyse, analyse, analyse. You need to analyse the reason for at least one change/one continuity. Analysis is simply X happened because Y.
   5. The only tip I can give you about Comparatives that is not covered with CCOT's is direct comparisons. Drawing direct, accurate comparisons is required. 
   6. General essay tips.
      1. THESIS - many, many essays fall because of inadequate thesis. Consider "very, many, things, lots, stuff, ways" as our thesis graveyard. A marginally acceptable thesis looks something like that:
         1. DBQ: "There were mixed responses to Buddhism in China in the 6th century: some were positive, some were negative." 
         2. Comparative: "The Russian Empire and the Spanish Empire were politically and socially different but economically both needed to expand to get the materials needed."
         3. More specificity and more analysis makes your thesis stronger, makes you more organised and generally makes sure that you're on track.
      2. Read sample essays! Readers also have annotated samples from PD, but even unannotated ones that have official scores are good for analysis.
   7. My favourite textbook is Ways of the World (2nd edition) by Strayer.  It's a textbook that students love to read.
   8. ​My favourite prep book is Crash Course by REA. Written by one of my most experienced colleagues, it is often praised by students.
   9. PERSIA your way. Have students write a PERSIA (Political, Economic, Religious, Social, Intellectual, and Artistic) chart for every chapter you read. It helps with essay writing and generally with organising the material.

I would love to grade any of your essays (no charge, I just do it as a part of my routine) and answer questions. I can be contacted on board or through my email: orel@harari.edu.pl.

 

Orel, thank you very much for taking time to write this for us. There are several board members that are working on AP history classes and I know we can benefit from this information. For some of us, the struggle is not so much how to do the AP class so our student does well on the test, but the why of it all. Is this how I really want to teach history?

 

There is a significant amount of material to be covered in all three AP classes. Getting it all in for a typical college survey course is tight. Covering the same amount of information with 1/4 to 1/3 less time due to test preparation is a really tough proposition. Personally, I think the AP board can revise the tests repeatedly, but it is going to be difficult to get the depth that makes the study of history truly rewarding.

 

Anyway, are you using the new Henretta book that was revised for the new test? What do you think of it? We've been running a couple of threads on choosing American history texts, so I am curious.

 

 

[orelbeilinson]

Orel, thank you very much for taking time to write this for us. There are several board members that are working on AP history classes and I know we can benefit from this information. For some of us, the struggle is not so much how to do the AP class so our student does well on the test, but the why of it all. Is this how I really want to teach history?

 

There is a significant amount of material to be covered in all three AP classes. Getting it all in for a typical college survey course is tight. Covering the same amount of information with 1/4 to 1/3 less time due to test preparation is a really tough proposition. Personally, I think the AP board can revise the tests repeatedly, but it is going to be difficult to get the depth that makes the study of history truly rewarding.

 

Anyway, are you using the new Henretta book that was revised for the new test? What do you think of it? We've been running a couple of threads on choosing American history texts, so I am curious.

 

 

 

I use it only because of its great instructors manual! Otherwise I'd use Give Me Liberty because the bias so obvious it makes me laugh. The problem with Henretta, however, is that almost everything costs money: test banks ($250...), instructor manual ($150) and of course no used copies yet.

[KarenNC]

I can't link in this browser, and I can't switch right now.  It was one of the first results when I searched for "AP European History "the tree" "  It came up as a big pdf.  The author of that syllabus is Jessica Young.

 

Is this it? http://faculty.oprfhs.org/jyoung/Documents/Static/Tree.pdf

[swimmermom3]

Is this it? http://faculty.oprfhs.org/jyoung/Documents/Static/Tree.pdf

 

Wow! Thank you. I never did go off and look for it because I knew what I wanted to do, but this is a great resource.

 

I think I definitely hear the sound of a chainsaw. 400+ pages!

 

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I remember "The Tree" syllabus. I am blown away by some of the ideas generated by the AP teachers. The cynical part of me wonders what some of the really gifted ones could accomplish if they didn't have to spend 1/4 to 1/3 of their time preparing for the tests.

 

Ever since I started looking at AP syllabi for the three history classes I've felt personally responsible when we drive by a clear cut on the way to the beach. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

I would love to go back to the National Gallery when I have finished the first part of the How to Look at and Understand Great Art.  What I wish Great Courses had done was to make that the broader title for a whole series. This one is limited to predominantly Europe and paintings, although there is a bit of sculpture and architecture.

 

 

When it comes to TTC, one is never "done" or has "enough;" you are simply out of funds. :D

I consider Foundations of Western Civ. II and the art one to be the essentials for AP Euro.  Your text will probably have a basic intro for the art and architecture. If you want a bit more preparation before the lectures, you could assign reading from The Annotated Mona Lisa. The readings are short enough that they shouldn't add too much extra stress.

 

 

Would you mind sharing the link? What was in the syllabus wasn't really enough to get a feel for the concept, at least for me.

 

There is more truth in this post than I have seen in one place in ages :laugh:

 

IIRC you are in CA?  I might head to the Getty Museum and Villa.  Those have always fascinated me but I've never had the opportunity.