Intro to AP

8/8/2019 Intro to AP

1/16

AP US History: Secrets of theAP Exam

Orwhat you need to know to getthrough the next 36 weeks and passthe exam.


2/16

Reasons to take the AP course and

try really hard to pass the exam Colleges and universities see AP

experience as a huge plus.

AP experience will give you thereading, writing and thinking skills soimportant to college success.

Passing the AP exam will give youcollege credit and save you money inthe long run.


3/16

The National Pass

Rate

Only 53% of students who take theAP exam pass with a score of 3 or

better. This is not to scare you, but to show

you how much work we have to do tomake sure you all are one of the

53%!


4/16

How is the Exam Structured? Part IMultiple Choice

50% of the final score

Part IIWriting Section 50% of the final score. Of that, the

DBQ counts for 45% and the 2 essays

combined for 55%.


5/16

How well do I need to do on the

multiple choice section? In order to score a 3 (or pass) on this

section, you must have 48 points

(60%).Remember, that is the scoreafter the guessing penalty is

subtracted from the number you gotcorrect.


6/16

Multiple ChoiceBREAKDOWN

BY ERA

ERA PERCENT OF

QUESTIONS

NUMBER OF

QUESTIONS

1600 TO 1789 17 13 OR 14

1790 TO 1914 50 40

1915 TO

PRESENT

33 26 OR 27


7/16

BREAK DOWN BY GENERALSUBJECT MATTER

SU BJECT PERCEN T UESTI N S

# UESTI N S

PO LITICA L IN STITU TIO N S

A N D B E HAVIO R A N D

PUBLIC PO LICY

35 28

SO CIA L C H A N G E 35 28

DIP L O M A C Y A N D

IN T E R N ATIO N A L

R E L ATIO N S

15 12

E C O N O M IC C H A N G E 10 8

C U L T U R A LA N D

IN T E L L E C T U A L

D E V E L O P M E N T S

5 4


8/16

EXPLANATION OF CHA

RTS

A BIAS TOWARD THE CONSTITUTIONTHROUGH WWI

POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIESEMPHASIZED

LITTLE ABOUT ECONOMIC AND CULTURALTRENDS

AT

MOSTTWO O

RTHREE QUES

TIONS PAS

T1975


9/16

NO MILITARY HISTORY AND TRIVIALPURSUIT

THE APUSH EXAM DOESNT ASK ABOUT MILITARYHISTORY

WHEN IT ASKS ABOUT WAR, THE QUESTIONS

CONCERNS THE POLITICAL OR SOCIALIMPLICATIONS OF A WAR RATHER THAN THE

DETAILS OF WARFARE

APUSH QUESTIONS NEVER TEST ROTE

MEMORIZATION ONLY. WHILE YOU HAVE TO KNOW

YOUR FACTS TO DO WELL ON THIS TEST, THE

QUESTIONS ALWAYS ASK FOR INFORMATION IN THE

CONTEXT OF LARGER HISTORICAL TRENDS.


10/16

What about the DBQ? An essay question that requires

you to interpret primary source

documents. Documents might include the

following:Newspaper articles/editorials

Letters/diariesSpeeches

Legislation

Political cartoons

Charts and graphs


11/16

A Different DBQ The US History DBQ is different than

the World History DBQ.

For the US exam, you have to notonly discuss the documents, but alsoinclude outside information to provethat you know more about the topic.

Without outside information, it isimpossible to get more than a 4 outof 9 on your DBQ!


12/16

What Is the Free-ResponseQuestion?

Two part essay section

Pre 1870 (one prior to 1740)

After 1870 (one after 1950)

Two questions in each group selectone from each group

70 minutes to plan and write bothessays


13/16

What Is the Free-Response

Question?Continued

Yes and No

Multiple arguments

All outside information

Not as long or in-depth as DBQ

Defensible thesis Information to support thesis

Evidence, Evidence, Evidence


14/16


15/16

Class Discussion What is difficult about each of the

following areas of the course? What

can we do as a class to better getthrough them?

1. Reading and understanding thetext

2. Taking effective notes

3. Doing well on multiple choice

4. Doing well on DBQs

5. Doing well on essays


16/16

Goals for the Year Take 5 minutes to come up with three

SPECIFIC goals about what you hope

to accomplish in this course. Your goal should not be as big as to

pass the exam, but something morespecific like take more effective

Cornell Notes during discussion, or,be sure I study my notes for at leasttwenty minutes a night.

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