• AP United States History

    2022-2023

    Mrs. Kiley

    845-256-4175 ext. 69575

    kkiley@newpaltz.k12.ny.us

    Introduction to AP History Courses:

    The AP program is designed to provide students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials presented by United States history.  The program prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses.  Students should learn to assess historical materials-- their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance-- and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship.  Conclusions must be drawn based upon an informed judgment and presented with evidence in persuasive written responses.  The AP exam will be administered in May.

     

    This is a very rigorous course of study that will require tremendous effort and commitment of your time.  The reward is in the additional skills you will build as a result of your hard work (and, of course, the college credit you may earn).

     

    Scope of course:

    The AP United States history course deals with the period 1492 AD to present.  The following is a rough outline of areas to be emphasized:

    Discovery and Settlement 1492-1650

    America and the British Empire 1650-1754

    Revolution and the New Republic 1754-1800

    The Age of Jefferson 1800-1816

    Nationalism, Economic Expansion, and Sectionalism

    The Age of Jackson 1828-1848

    Territorial Expansion and Sectional Crisis

    Creating an "American" culture

    The Civil War Era and Reconstruction 1850-1877

    New South and the Last West

    Industrialization and Corporate Consolidation

    Urban Society

    Intellectual and Cultural Movements

    National Politics 1877-1896:  The Gilded Age

    Foreign Policy 1865-1914

    The Progressive Era

    The First World War

    The 1920's

    Depression, New Deal, and Diplomacy 1929-1941

    The Second World War

    Eisenhower and Modern Republicanism

    Kennedy's New Frontier; Johnson's Great Society

    The Nixon Era

    The United States Since 1974                                                                       

    - excerpted from The College Board Advanced Placement Course Description

    Method of Instruction:

    There is an extensive body of reading required to be successful in this course.  While the reading will be dealt with in class, the student is responsible for dealing with the basic text and preparing questions/concerns for class discussion.  There will not be daily "notes" given on the basic text.

     

    All of the following will be a part of this class.

    -Group work and presentations (verbal, in front of the class)

    -Readings with questions to answer

    -Analyzing primary sources, taking notes from these sources, and preparing outlines

    -Essays

    -Lectures/note taking

    -Test writing/grading

    -Research and presentation in various forms

    -Harvard’s Case Method

     

    Grading:

    All written assignments done outside of class will be considered as either quizzes or tests.  There will be periodic quizzes on the reading assignments, and there will be formal essay/multiple choice tests.  With the exception of reading quizzes, you will be given at least one week’s notice of all formal tests, and due dates for research papers/projects/reaction papers and interpretations will be announced in a manner appropriate to the assignment.   

         Quizzes: 10-50 pts

        Essays:  100 pts

        Tests and Projects: 70-100+ pts

        Homework: 10-20 pts

     

    Classroom Rules and Expectations:   

    Please come to class on time, and be ready to start immediately.  "Tardy" means that you are not in the room and seated before the scheduled start of class.  Please go to the bathroom, office, etc. prior to the start of class.  

    In addition, please refrain from cell phone usage during class.  We have a lot to cover and if I have to stop to ask you to put your phone away, it takes time away from the entire class. 

     

    Materials:

    Please come prepared with your materials.  You should have your charged chromebook with you each day.  It is also a good idea to have a three ring binder with paper, pens and/or pencils, and a composition notebook.  The notebook will be absolutely necessary when we prepare and complete our Harvard Case studies.  Please let me know if you have any issues getting the required materials as I will help in any way that I can. 

      

    My Schedule:

    You can find me in my classroom, room 261, or in the Social Studies office, room 260.  Please take the time to come and talk to me if you have any questions or concerns.  If you need me to be here beyond 2:45 on a particular day, let me know a day or so in advance and I’ll be available.  You can contact me via email at kkiley@newpaltz.k12.ny.us  

     

    Good luck and have fun this year!



    All announcements and work for AP US History can be found in our Google Classroom.