To the Incoming APUSH Student:

Now might be a good time to re-examine your reasons for signing up for APUSH.  This course is VERY reading intensive.  That means you will average reading a chapter plus a little more from the textbook, a good bit of on-line reading, additional material as appropriate -- and all of this EACH WEEK!  I am not joking.  The reading load is substantial.  The course covers 500 years of American History.  We will average a test per week.  Your teacher is ill-tempered and maintains high standards.  But I'm sure you were told that before you signed up for the class.

Chances are that you have always been able to sit in class, do the handout worksheets by skimming the text and using the glossary -- you may even have gone to the extraordinary trouble of consulting the index – and manage to make good grades without actually reading anything at all.  Odds are that you’ve  produced “essays” consisting of two or three paragraphs of terms you don’t even understand but have memorized from hand-outs, or have summarized without analysis, and "earned" a decent grade without comprehending any of what you wrote.  That’s coming to a halt.  Essays, essays, essays – your essays in this class will have to demonstrate that you actually understand what you have read – and what you have read must actually have been read when assigned in order that you have an opportunity to discuss the information (thus improving your understanding).  And any assignments that are done at home must be typed or they will not be accepted.

Trust me – no matter how well you’ve done in social studies classes in the past, you’re not going to earn decent grades doing the same things in this class.  Think of this course as a college seminar.  You will be expected to read the assigned material AS SOON AS IT IS ASSIGNED, and to come to class prepared to discuss what you have read.  You will be expected to have notes from your reading upon entering the classroom.  YOU are responsible for pulling meaningful information from your readings.  There are no “fill in the blank” handouts or “guided reading” handouts in this class.  Preparation for this class involves more than just moving your eyes over the text. Rather, you must read, brief, and inwardly digest the text.  By "brief" I mean that you should take notes on the material, noting significant concepts and events, and noting the arguments on any side of the issues raised.  You have then begun to inwardly digest the reading, but you should also look for unstated assumptions--look for what was not stated but must have been part of the reasoning in order to arrive at a particular position.

During the first couple of weeks we will go over several “tried and true” systems for reading and note-taking.  You will be responsible for selecting from among these or some other system, but you ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO PRODUCE HAND-WRITTEN NOTES ON DEMAND.   If you cannot produce notes when asked to do so, that will be considered evidence that you are not doing the assigned reading and your grade may be docked.  Copying/pasting material from the Internet is NOT NOTE TAKING.  There is more to the class than just discussion, but it can take place ONLY IF THE READINGS HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.  

Before this course is even well under way you will hate it.  You will whine about the workload and tell Mommy that you want a transfer.  You will hate me and complain that I expect you to “learn on your own.” ... Well, yes I do.  This is a college level course and you signed up for it.  HOWEVER , I can promise you that if you stick it out, do the course work as assigned instead of wasting the same energy whining because you’re not getting extra credit for bringing pen and paper to class, upon finishing the course you will be better prepared for anything the colleges may throw at you.  You’ll probably learn more than would otherwise be the case and maybe, just maybe, you will be ready to earn a three, four or five on the College Board exam where fuzzy thinking, jargon and unproductive effort don’t count for anything.