AP United States History

Neha Bhardwhaj, Section Editor

PREREQUISITES:

≥ B+ (86%) in H or CP Global Perspectives (fall semester), and maintaining a high level of achievement. Alternatively, take and pass a Document Based Question (DBQ) Essay exam. 

DESCRIPTION OF COURSE STUDY:

  • This course follows United States history from the age before colonization to modern times in a series of nine periods. 
  • It is not merely a chronicle of dates and facts. Famous events and figures are explored in the context of social, political, economic, and foreign policy implications. The course aims to educate students on multiple aspects of American history, including political leaders, social reform, foreign relations, and much more.   
  • Some core skills that this course focuses on are reading comprehension, writing, making connections, and analytical thinking and reasoning.
  • The four parts of the APUSH test are multiple choice, SAQ (short answer questions), the LEQ (long essay question), and the DBQ (document based question). The APUSH course prepares students for all four of these parts throughout the year. Additional activities include lectures, Socratic Seminars, class discussions, and long-term projects. 

HOW TO STUDY:

  • Generally speaking, Ms. Huson’s and Mr. Kessler’s lectures and assignments do a great job of preparing students for assessments, including the AP test. 
  • By far, one of the best ways to study is watching videos by Crash Course and Adam Norris on Youtube. Crash Course videos give a quick overview of the most relevant facts, figures, and trends from a given historical period. Adam Norris goes one step further by tying in the relevant AP Curriculum excerpts, which is extremely helpful for determining the AP’s key focuses and language.
  • Quizlets are highly recommended. Either make your own with a friend or ask an upperclassman for their old ones. You can find some decent Quizlets online, but try to stick to ones made by Uni students.
  • Read through your class notes. Most of the content on a unit test is covered in class lectures. 
  • Purchase and read the AMSCO review book.
  • Reading through the relevant chapters of the textbook can also be an effective study method, but it is much more tedious and time consuming. 
  • Go through the AP Curriculum excerpts and try to brainstorm vocab terms and key concepts related to them. 
  • Run through the vocab list to ensure you have thoroughly studied each item.
  • Study with friends by quizzing each other on terms and mapping out key ideas. 

RESOURCES:

  • As mentioned above, Adam Norris videos, Crash Course videos, Quizlets, AMSCO, and the textbook are all incredibly helpful resources. 
  • The textbook publishers created chapter outlines: https://www.macmillanlearning.com/studentresources/highschool/hsbridgepage/henretta7ehs.html. It is not as common for students to use, but it can be helpful if you do not want to read the full textbook. 
  • The College Board website offers some resources to help you prepare for the APUSH exam. 
  • Remember, you can always utilize Office Hours if you need extra help. 
  • https://apnotes.net/
  • http://www.historyteacher.net/USQuizMainPage.htm
  • http://faculty.polytechnic.org/gfeldmeth/quizzes.html