Week 2 - 9/25 - 929

UPDATE: Click here for samples of low, mid, and high range essays based on the prompt you recently completed.

The first essay was given a low score. The second a mid-range score. The third a high score.



Monday - French and Indian War and the changing relationship between Britain and it's colonies.
HW: Chart colonial tensions

Tuesday - Charting colonial tensions. Britain's policies and the colonial reaction.
HW: None because people like writing on bathroom walls instead of their notebooks

Wednesday - Progression of a revolution. Using primary sources to determine colonial attitudes. Study three PSDs in class. Summarize attitude and positions taken. What was the goal of each writing?
HW: How and why did colonial attitudes change towards the independence movement? Answer in detail.

Thursday - Continuation of Wednesday. Peer evaluation of student work. Was the American Revolution radical or conservative? Discussion. Talk about DBQs.
HW: Find and bring in relevant primary and secondary sources on the subject of 'Was the American Revolution radical or conservative?'. This could include political cartoons, writings, speeches, paintings, advertisements. We will be making our own DBQ. Each student should bring in two psds. Use the internet.
Click here.
Or here.
Or maybe here.
Of course this is nice too.
Look at the 1751-1800 portion here.
Here as well.
J is the best teacher alive.
My suggestion would be to get together and go nuts with reading to see if the source is helpful. Print, scan, cut and paste. You don't have to use entire works, you can cut and use pieces that are relevant. CITE ALL SOURCES!!!!!

Friday - TBA... most likely DBQ in class. Timed.
HW: Notes chapter 8. AMSCO reading chapter 5.

America to 1775 Assignment

UPDATE: Click here for a good chart summary that pertains to your current assignment.

I know there are vast amounts of raw information to analyze, summarize, evaluate, and spit back out in this time frame. However, a well done product will be an invaluable guide to this time period later on. Follow the assignment as a guide and use the outline below if you need a bit more guidance in structure:

Intro - Explain that the 13 colonies were all founded for different reasons by different people, yet that by 1750 there were events, institutions, and trends that intertwined to create a uniquely American identity.

New England P1 - Brielfy explain a timeline of how the colonies in this region developed differently (again use your assignment sheet to figure out exactly what should go here)

NE P2 - Make generalizations about this region (colonies combined) that describe it's identity. Always back up generalizations with EVIDENCE! Go from general to specific. Highlight a trend present in this region and then explain it using events/people/facts from a specific colony.

(example: Religion played a major role in the development of this region socially and politically. In Massachusetts, Puritans made the church the center of town. People would gather here for social events including sermons and town meetings. Sermons (like that of Cotton Mather's) were one of the few leisure time activities Puritains could take part in. Town meetings were an early sign of democracy in the region, and tied the church closely to the state.)

Middle Colonies - Repreat steps for NE

Southern Colonies - Ditto

Conclusion P1 - Summarize the major differences between the regions

Conclusion P2 - Formulate a description of what the 'American Identity' was in 1750. Give some insight here! You won't find your opinion in any book. Make a judgement and support it. You have to become a historian seeing the value of facts as evidence for an argument, not the plot of the past.

Good Luck!

Intro Paragraph

9/18 - Complete your intro paragraph for homework. The intro should include your thesis statement and a very brief but concise explanation of your thesis. For help on essay writing, click the link below (you have seen two of the four already).

ESSAY HELP LINK

AMSCO Book

The AMSCO book that you should order for this class is $16. This does not include shipping and handling or tax. You can order the book here. I strongly recommend you buy this as soon as possible. We will be using it soon.

This book contains not only information, but documents for analysis and practice tests. It will be invaluable as the year goes on. Thank you for getting it on short notice.

GET A HOLD OF THIS BOOK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!! Nobody should be without one by the end of next week.

1st Assignment

Aside from your summer reading, the assignment you are working on in class will be your first major grade. As is such, you should plan to use class time and time at home to complete the presentation you will be giving on Thursday. Remember to include primary source documents in your presentation that can either be put on an overhead, displayed on a poster, or handed out to the class (the more legitimate and relevant primary source documents, the better off the class will be!). Find some documents here. Other useful sites on your period can be found here. These types of assignments put a focus on teaching each other in the class. So put your best foot forward in creating a good presentation. You should come up with an activity for the class to partake in with your presentation, whether it be analyzing your primary sources or role playing a key theme. Remember to be creative, the point of this class is to get you thinking historically.

Things to keep in mind while creating to presentations and observing them:

1. What themes does it hit upon (of the 14)
2. What are the key events? Who are the key players?
3. Can this time frame be interpreted in more than one way (ie: Are there two sides to the story? ALWAYS give both sides. For instance, what was the reaction of Native Americans to the 'glorious' discovery of the "New World" once they saw how they would be treated? One person's encomienda is another's tragic past)


Helpful ideas to fuel your brainstorming... questions drive the lesson. For example:

When given the major pre-Columbian trade off between Native Americans and Europeans (crops, diseases, technology, etc...), ask yourself,

"What affect did the meeting of these two cultures have on one another?"

You've just created a good jump start to your presentation's basis. It could also be a possible AP essay question. Well done!

Essays

In order to do well in this class and on the AP test, you must be able to write a good essay. We will start with the study of the questions, or prompts, that you will be getting used to. View the following powerpoint and take critical notes on how to deal with these prompts:

Prompts Powerpoint

Next you will be viewing and taking notes on the importance of a good thesis statement:

Thesis Statements

Be thorough, for you will use this information from now on.

Welcome to APUSH!

Your first task will be to complete the first two quizzes from the following website:
Click Here for Quizzes
Good luck. If you have not yet finished your notes for chapters 1-6, do so now.