AP U.S. History Summer Packet 2015
Mrs. Richards
[email protected]
Social Studies Department
North Atlanta High School
I.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AP US History?
AP United States History is a yearlong course covering American history from the European
conquest of the New World to contemporary times. The course is designed to provide high
school students with the opportunity to engage in college-level work. Students who successfully
pass the AP U.S. History examination at the end of the course can earn college credit depending
upon their score and the policies of the college they choose to attend.
Who should take A.P. U.S. History?
Students who seek a challenging course of study, who are avid readers and lovers of history, who
enjoy analyzing and critiquing historic writings and documents, and who can work
independently outside the classroom are ideal students for this course. Students who may not
have a great interest in history but are interested in improving their study and writing skills for
college would also do well to take this course.
Is the course hard?
The better question is, “Is this a challenging course?” The answer is “yes”. This is a college-level
course. In addition, you have LESS than a full school year to prepare for the AP exam. I also
maintain high expectations regarding personal behavior and responsibility. There is much more
homework (reading and writing outside of class) and more testing (sometimes essay exams)
than in a regular high school course. People who do well in A.P. US History work hard, use
excellent time-management and study skills, and have a positive attitude about learning and
taking responsibility for their progress. This is not a course where only super-geniuses succeed.
Diligence, personal responsibility, perseverance, and the willingness to learn from mistakes
often allow people of even modest abilities to do well on the AP examination. In fact, very bright
people often face the first real challenge of their high school years in an AP course because they
have relied upon their native wit without developing self-discipline and good study skills. All
that said, the majority of my students earn mostly “A”s and high “B”s in the course.
I want to have “a life” and still take an AP course. Can I do that?
How you spend your time is your business. However, if you have spent more time during your
high school career keeping up with “Dancing with the Stars”, reading your Instagram page, and
hanging out with friends rather than doing your homework, you won’t be able to keep those
habits and survive any AP class. In addition, you will need to find a balance between sports,
music, drama, etc. and your schoolwork. The work is due when it is due unless you are sick,
injured, or faced with a legitimate family crisis. Part of this course includes practice in how you
set priorities. The choice is yours. I will not be swayed by whining or a sense of entitlement.
Students are expected to meet my, more than reasonable, expectations.
What textbook is required for the course?
The name of the textbook is Out of Many: A History of the American People, AP Edition
by John Mack Faragher. You will checkout your textbook upon returning to school in August.
Over the summer, you will be provided with an electronic copy of the chapters needed.
1
Do I have to take the AP examination to be in your class?
All AP students are expected to take the AP exam.
II.
Writing IDs (Identifications)
The Advanced Placement examination places an emphasis on possessing specific, accurate
content knowledge of United States history. One of the ways to help students gain that
information is the practice of writing identifications (IDs), which place people, places, and
ideas in context. You will receive IDs to write on a regular basis as part of your homework.
As in all things related to the Advanced Placement exam, good writing skills are a must.
Clarity, brevity, and precision should be your watchwords. Contain an ID to a single
paragraph of one to two sentences –no more, no less!
The following guidelines will help you write IDs that contain details, explain significance,
and display accuracy. Practice makes perfect –set the bar high, learn from any mistakes, and
keep working!
The Five “Ws” of a Superior ID
Who?
Who needs to be considered when writing
about this topic? Name the names; spell them
correctly; get them right!
What are the MAJOR facts about this topic?
Don’t weigh the ID down with minutiae;
present the facts that matter.
Place the topic in the correct time period, and
accurately relate the sequence of events in
correct chronological order.
When regions, states, cities, and/or countries
are involved, consider what aspects of
geography deserve attention.
Answer the “so what” question: Why is this
significant in US History?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
Read the following passage from a U.S. History textbook, and then compare the ID
written below. Your IDs should model the clarity, accuracy, and brevity of the
sample ID.
“In 1620, a group of Leyden Puritans called Pilgrims secured a land patent from the Virginia
Company, and a group of 101 men, women, and children set out for Virginia on board the
Mayflower. A storm sent them far north and they landed in New England at a place they would
call Plymouth. Believing themselves outside the jurisdiction of any organized government, the
41 men drafted a formal agreement to abide by “just and equal laws” selected by leaders of their
own choosing. This was the Mayflower Compact, the first agreement for self-government in
America.” –from Cincotta, et al., An Outline of American History.
Here is an example of an ID based on the above passage:
Mayflower Compact (1620): The first agreement for self-government in America, written by the
Pilgrims because they established a colony outside the area they had been granted a charter and
needed a legal basis for their government in New England. It was signed by the 41 men on the
2
Mayflower (the ship that transported them) and set up a government of “just and equal laws” for
the Plymouth colony.
III.
Summer Assignment: Out of Many (textbook) IDs
The following will be due on the first day of class. The work must be submitted via the Quia
links provided on the Quia Student Zone page for the Summer Assignment. More
information regarding access is below.
Chapter 1
Chinook
Pueblo Indians
Eastern Woodland Indians (Iroquois)
Eastern Woodland Indians (Algonquin)
Creeks
Choctaw
Cherokees
Chapter 2
Age of Discovery
reconquista
Christopher Columbus
Treaty of Tordesillas
Hernan Cortés
small pox
Francisco Pizarro
St. Augustine
Bartolome de las Casas
Chapter 3
Pueblo Revolt (Santa Fe)
Samuel de Champlain
Jamestown
John Smith
John Rolfe
House of Burgesses
indentured servants
headright grants
Pilgrims
Mayflower Compact
Puritans
John Winthrop
Roger Williams
Anne Hutchinson
King Philip’s War
Bacon’s Rebellion
Chapter 4
African Slaves
Slave Codes
Maroons
New York City Slave Revolt (1712)
3
Stono Revolt (1739)
Triangular Trade (Atlantic Slave Trade)
Middle Passage
African Slave Culture
Atlantic World
Mercantilism
Navigation Acts
IV.
Summer Assignment: Outside Reading
Read James Axtell, “Colonial America without the Indians: Counterfactual Reflections”.
Answer the “Focus Questions”: The work must be submitted via the Quia links provided on
the Quia Student Zone page for the Summer Assignment. More information regarding
access is below. The focus questions are due the first day of class. We will discuss the
reading in seminar by the third class meeting.
V.
Summer Assignment: Essay
Please write an essay that answers the following question. Your reading in Out of Many and
the Axtell article will provide sufficient material. This essay is “open book”. Do not write
more than two (2) pages (single-spaced, 12 font, arial font).
Early encounters between American and European colonists led to a variety of relationships
among the different cultures. Analyze how the actions taken by BOTH American Indians
and European colonists shaped those relationships in TWO of the following regions.
Confine your answer to the 1600s.
New England
Chesapeake
Spanish Southwest
New York and New France
How do I access my Summer Assignment electronic materials?
Step #1 – Sign up for the Summer Assignment group via Edmodo.com using the following
group code. Please make sure you sign up as a student by May 21, 2015 (day before last day
of school).
Edmodo Group code = cvdsak
If you experience any problems signing up, email Mrs. Richards at [email protected]
Step #2 – Watch the introductory videos on “how to use & change settings in Edmodo” and
“how to use Quia”.
Step #3 – Mrs. Richards will provide you with login credentials for Quia Student Zone.
Step #4 – Get started! Send Mrs. Richards messages through Edmodo whenever you need
help.
www.edmodo.com
http://www.quia.com/web/studentZoneBegin.html
4